There are only 5 days left until the ALAS Autumn group residency at Matt Roberts Arts gallery on Vyner Street. The preview is on Thursday, 8 November from 18:30-21:00: http://www.alasautumnresidency.org/?p=24
I can’t believe the exhibition opens so soon…
In my last post, I was going to request a crit by Matt Roberts, who runs the ALAS residency. I’ve decided to start installing on Monday and then discuss the artwork as it develops.
I will present the video installation in the small, closet-like space I requested to use in the gallery.
The dolls house has been harder to choose what to do. I still want to destroy it, maybe graffiti all over it (Not my skill set, but a former classmate and graduate from Central St. Martins, Mike Ballard would have been amazing to work with): http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article…
As there is less than a week left, I will be courageous enough to contrast the newness of my plastic house with the demise of my old Flint, Michigan neighbourhood in my video. It’s a brave decision (at least to me) as it’s easy to try and impress people by making the dolls house look like an abandoned relic.
At the moment, I will not make any physical cuts. The dolls house is already accessible, as it’s side has been left open during manufacturing-i.e., the whole back of it folds out. The removal of borders is what Gordon Matta-Clark did to real houses. Peering inside as a voyeur. Or perhaps it depended on the kind of space that he chose to work with.
Matta-Clark was quoted in an interview by architecture critic Donald Wall: ” The thing about the doll house is it’s not so much being a voyeur as being in control.”
I will be in control and present the dolls house as it is. You may be able to see inside. Or perhaps just through the windows, which is still a bit Peeping Tom-ish.
I’ve decided that my installation space needs to be painted to look more theatrical, emphasising the spectacle of childhood objects.
So, yesterday I searched in the dark to buy a big 5 litre paint can from Flint Hire and Supply Ltd, a short walk from Elephant and Castle tube station. The shop and on-line sales website caters to the theatre industry: http://www.flints.co.uk/welcome.html
After the weekend, installation begins. I will take pictures of the props that are being used (and have included a link in today’s blog of a small (fake) television I purchased)–this may be the most important item in the installation.
When searching over the internet I found a plasma minature t.v., which is much bigger than the Sylvanian twee ones and is 1/12 the size of a real plasma screen.
However, the television screen wasn’t quite large enough, and so I finally had a reason to go to the laser cutters. Although I had to find one in Berlin, Germany as I was recently on holiday.
My Berliner friend Sabine gave me a great tip about a shop called Modulor Material Total, and it’s like a combination of a British Paperchase store, with a model shop, hardware materials, amazing textiles, tools, furniture, etc. They also have custom and laser cutting departments and the laser cutters carved open my plastic t.v. screen for me. As I am not very handy with tools, my boyfriend used a handsaw to cut a television screen out of a metallic plastic sheet from Modulor Material Total. I now need to see if the new “television” actually fits inside the dolls house, hmm.
My job over the weekend is to make a list of tools and equipment needed to take to the gallery along with any last minute purchases. Between the 5th-7th of November, I hope to upload pictures of the installation in progress. However, I may include images of the props, with very little text as I don’t want to give away the final result. Everyone is invited to our ALAS Autumn Residency Exhibition, please come along if you happen to be in London.
http://barkwall.wordpress.com/matta-clarks-childho…
http://www.julie-anns-dolls-houses.co.uk/dolls-hou…
http://www.modulor.de/shop/oxid.php/sid/31003a5e6d…
