Having completely over-loaded myself with heavyweight research / reading and with a week to go before enrollment on the MA, I have finally got round to instigating some new work!
As an antidote to my current pre-occupation with serious philisophical utterings, I have decided to look back at more humerous aspects of my work. In particular, a line of works that disable the function of the commodity or everyday routine and turn them into farce. As such, and thinking of that old saying … "about as much good as a chocolate fireguard" … I have decided to start constructing a wax ironing board.
So far, I have been preparing the mould using RTV silicone, which will hold the wax in shape. The piece will only be of small size, like the table top ironing board available from IKEA, in fact, I will purchase and use the base of the IKEA design (then cast it into the wax 'top'). I am hoping it will look aesthetically appealing, whilst ultimately being useless. A perfect excuse to get out of another of life's chores!
An 'ironing' perfomance will be filmed, depicting its final destruction (I'm undecided as to whether I or a friend will actually carry out the performance). It will be interesting to see the results, the ruined clothes will be of great interest as sculptural bi-products. It seems reasonable to me that an everyday technique or action such as ironing, should hold it's own against more traditional productive actions as drawing, painting etc.
