Most of my work has been about the definition of art, truth and authenticity, why we are artists and why we choose to create. What happens if you give an artist a pencil, pen, tube of paint or a video camera? These are just a few of the thoughts which led me to create endurance and time based pieces where the work is created within a specific space at a specific time using specific media.
I decided to upload the fingerpaint animation and one of the performance videos to YouTube in an attempt to receive some feedback from the public regarding my work. Obviously due to the audience not necessarily being part of the art world it was interesting to hear how they perceived the work and how they related to it. I also showed this video to other members of my course prior to the final exhibition in order to compare their comments with those of the public.
Those who viewed this as a work of art saw it as an endearing and thought provoking piece of performance and seemed to realize that I was miming, or lip syncing. They were unsure as to whether or not this work was a joke, if they should laugh, or cry. Whereas those who were unfamiliar with the idea of live art were convinced it was I and not Piaf singing and viewed it in a completely different way, most seemed confused by the sheer quality of sound being produced. I was pleased by the uncertainty amongst both audiences as that is what I hoped to achieve through this work. I predict the other videos to have the same or a similar effect on the viewer.
I wanted the work to be accessible, rather than simply be aimed at a niche audience; it has a wider appeal on a purely audiovisual scale. At least one of the tracks chosen will appeal to and be recognizable to the majority of society, all levels of society, with varying levels of engagement, for example, young people might be more focused on the rap rather than the ballad. Some people may find the work much more engaging than others but this is to be presumed as a taste in music is as varied as a taste in art.
These songs already existed, in the auditory sense, so I took what already existed (much like Duchamp’s readymades) and I made it my own through a natural reaction to the sound, creating an autobiographical and coherent body of work.
