CRIT SHOW #2

For this crit show, I didn't want to simply display the sculptures I had made for the intent of play for them only to remain still in the space. Instead, I wanted to activate the work by elaborating to the viewer how the soft sculptures can be utilised for practical play. I had edited all the footage that I took from the play workshop in Portsmouth, and this became a documentation of play inspired by ‘Boys and Play’. I found it interesting watching back the footage and observing how the children approached the sculptures, how they began wearing them and the dynamics of games and imagination the children imbued upon the work. I didn't want it to become a montage of play and for this reason, I kept the video clips in a chronological order to allow it to be an accurate representation of how a group of children play and what took place. Through discussions with my tutor, I experimented with the order of the play - beginning with the children jumping out of the sculptures. This look visually interesting to watch; however, it became more about the aesthetics of the video rather than a documentary.

To form this into an exhibition piece, I decided to display the video alongside many of the soft sculptures that I had made throughout the year. By presenting the video and sculptures together it represented the toy and how they are played with. My original idea was to create a pile of soft sculptures to imitate a soft play area or an exaggerated ball pit, a colourful inviting environment that has the appeal of a children's soft play centre. I decided to use as many sculptures as I could to make an impact in the room and this would be achieved by stacking them up against the wall and spreading across the floor to create an immersive environment. I originally to display the edited video on a screen, after discussions with people in the studio I came to the realization that the link between the soft sculptures and video would become lost. It would create a harsh distinction in the physicality of the sculptures and the immateriality of the screen.

Pipilott Rist constructs environments full of sensory dialogue in exhibition spaces. The viewer is seduced by the highly saturated images on the screen whilst engaging with sculptures present. In '‘4th Floor to Mildness’ (2016) the audience can articulate around the installation and participate by walking through, lying down on the beds and being immersed in the lights and large video projections. Rist draws a relationship between her video work and paintings “The screen for me is like a back-glass painting, but it moves, it has every second a different image” (Louisiana Channel, 2016). I find her use of projection really interesting as, unlike a screen, it floods the space with imagery and colour. I wanted to explore the use of projection in this crit.

During the installation, I was assigned a small space in the studio with Felix, who was displaying her textile-based work 'Skin Scarf'. We had to work out the logistics of the space, as I had originally intended for my work to be in the centre of the room but this would have blocked her work. I also realised that the projector would not be able to be placed on the floor as due to the space of the room it would be a trip hazard which led me to use a projector mount. The ceiling was not an option as it was slopped, so with the help of the technicians I had the projector and the mount installed on one side and the sculptures stacked in the corner diagonal to this. Felix and I both used the corners of the space so that neither of our work was disrupted. Due to the video projecting into the corner and the angle of the projector, the video distorted and I had to experiment with the keyframe to make the image clear. I also played around with the blending the projection - by putting masking tape around the lens of the projector I faded out the image which stopped harsh lines and made the work feel dream-like which I thought was interesting, furthermore, I made the projection fade into the sculptures to create a connection between the sculptures and the interaction.

CRIT NOTES:

• Looks aesthetically pleasing, the colour choice is greater.

• The video adds an extra layer of depth to the sculptures

• Your inner child takes over and you just want to touch them, perhaps make it more accessible for viewers of the work to interact with.

• Not sure if the context is anything more than play - perhaps look to play used as a tool for therapy

• In your previous work, people didn't want to interact with it. But in this piece, it's interesting to see it being activated through the children playing.

• A good resolution to your current ideas of play

• Adults may experience the work in a different way, this would make an interesting second workshop

• The overhead projector is effective, makes you feel like you are involved in the act of playing

• Experiment with projecting fully onto the sculpture

• How can you manipulate the way you play with the sculptures? Perhaps obstacles or a more immersive space

• Needs to fill an entire space

• Research Sheila Hicks - fibre artist

Upon reflection, I think this has been one of my more refined crit show works due to the contrasting elements of the projection and sculptures as well as the context of play in this documentation piece is present. By using the projecting helped to engage in the ideas of interactivity in play rather than just having a stack of sculptures that may or may not be interacted with. During the crit, I had some really interesting and constructive feedback. The general feedback is that I have got to fill the entire space to create an environment that is immersive, thus promoting the viewer as an extension of the work and to interact through play. This is a recurring comment that I have in my crits and I'm finding this difficult to achieve due to the time and cost of the soft sculptures - perhaps I could try out new materials or use projection as a way of filling the space much like Pipilotti Rist. I would like to look at different avenues of play, as suggested, how play can be therapeutic in an exhibition environment. Moreover, I was interested in people's idea to recreate the play workshop with adults to observe their approach to contrast in the interaction of the children. These videos could be displayed simultaneously as a piece to visually represent the contrast side by side. Lots to think about...