DEBRIEFING // Westminster Ref Library

Humour is essential.

I address a range of issues in my practice. The individual and collective, the impact of institutional systems and structures which digs deeper into our everyday and what makes us manoeuvre. Yet when my work is presented it often appears effortless – a layer of humour mostly acts as access or trigger; visual, performative, verbal, (non-)verbal. Sometimes the playful side finds its way in while developing work conceptually. I see humour as cognitive involvement thats links with experience – in this case collectivelly recognisable.

My (first ever) animation ‘Read/Unread’ is hands-on and straight forward. First of all, it is a humorous take on the never ending process and occupation of finding arguments. Infinite pros and cons. The constant up and down suggests a competitive mechanism – maybe a continuous outperforming of the other side. It is not simply about performing rather switching between relative positions; one that might be better, further or higher than the other. Competitive hierarchies are part of our reality from very early on and fostered throughout by measured performance. Stars, grades, ranks, achievement levels etc. makes us function in structures and systems as we are exposed to and adopt ways of manoeuvring which form part of our everyday behaviour; both socially and professionally.

Heads up from the underlying thoughts this animation is a start, a new format. It does what I want yet I am aware it is not technically advanced. I photographed over 50 frames and choreographed a 30s sequence. Having never done an animation before leaves much to look into.

Watching the two piles of books fluctuating effortlessly keeps me thinking of a flip book. An animated sequence of images gives the illusion of movement; forwards and backwards; not being concerned of the result quite contrary to a competitive intention. It also suggests a game, a structured play saying ‘Keep up!’. It is tempting to follow the up and down of piles and questions arise – is there a goal, a final direction? Or is the animated sequence simply reflecting on competition as something to embark on playfully?

Read/Unread, 2014

We perceive text in our everyday mostly through instructions or alerts that make us function in systems or structures, knowingly or unconsciously.

Since I started investigating language I made a range of site-specific text-based works. By applying lettering to office, college, gallery and library walls or objects I expose language we collectively recognise from a wider world of work. Rather subtle the interventions repurposing vocabulary; to disturb and challenge, to question what is taken for granted or all too familiar.

Here at Westminster Reference Library I was reading through various Business and Management books to decontextualise statements. I was very welcomed by the library staff that is still excited and wondering of how their Artist-in-Residence links into their Business book section.

I like decontextualising; it is powerful. To cope with reading lots of books in a short time, I use the technique of peripheral reading – basically screening diagonally across page with a focused filter on what phrases will work. Even though it involved plenty of editing I ended up with four books each 50 pages – presenting one sentence each in reference to the position of the page I sourced them from. To say, that having worked in corporate environment makes me highly familiar with the language – and makes me even more enjoying the project!

I had not considered performance as part of my practice and certainly not me performing in it. Although, thinking along the line of my ‘performative’ sculptures I do like the idea of them being performative yet not intending or requiring a physical interaction from the audience. Instead, the key moment lays in the mind of the viewer – the moment of question and triggered thought, temporarily being tempted to act (to pick up a badge, move a pencil etc.).

Working with language suggests written or spoken word. The idea of the reading came in consequently as I wanted to re-present the phrases separated from their specialist source in a more everyday situation. Essential to this work is the collective aspect. The individual experiences institutional systems and structures such as educational, corporate or public settings as part of a group or community. Hence, my plan to arrange a collective reading and invite to read with me. The simultaneous reading is equally adding to my intention – each of the co-reader with slightly different pace, accent and intonation; well minor differences layered in a group of voices. Some comments popping out while others turn the pages yet most statements are layered. The same-time reading generates a mutter of voices. The group consisting of individuals form the collective – a collective voice?

Out of the context most of the statements appear dry, funny, revealing common sense or simply sound absurd-comic.

Dilemmas are relevant.
Priorities are confused.
They constantly speculate.
Occasionally, try smiling.
Accept the bargain.
Most of us can run.
It pays to be good.

Ordinary comments, performative collective reading // participants: Birgitte Aasen, Bettina Fung, Wendy Saunders and Annamaria Kardos

Second chapter. Westminster Reference Library.

In reverse it started with an opening and performative collective reading. It made me realise how much I have worked on in the first part of my residency (November 2013) including large scale installation photographs, (my first) animation and (my first) public performative reading. In fact, there is a lot to digest and revisit before moving on. Call it Debriefing. Two weeks to go.

Being surrounded by aisles and aisles of books feels occasionally overwhelming yet at the same time bizarre to sit in an offline archive. Although, computers are around and in fact, many library visitors are equipped with a laptop. Like me. Anyway, it makes me slow down, read and appreciate this extensive resource on-site.

Working right opposite of my site-specific installation photographs make me look at them a lot. One it titled ‘One can counter an argument with an argument of one’s own’. Depicting two chairs in the library with uneven piled up books. The second installation ‘Continuous evidence’ is portraying an (un)interrupted pile of books raising from the floor across a chair up into the shelf. Temporary, performative, sculptural.

I have photographed various chair – book installations; double-acting as the work and simultaneously documentation. A method that is inherent to my practice and that has forced me into learning about photography. Another skill I have managed to apply in my practice. Working multi-disciplinary is ever challenging maybe it be media, skills, people and places or even one’s own self-imposed rules. It makes me knowing and understanding some areas to a certain extend.

I function as artist by being inititator, connector, organisor, communicator, maker and contributor. I like working independently, often impatient to adjust. Yet, I do call on specialist expertise with almost every new project. It’s like connecting and sharing resources – drawing and connecting a map to make projects happen. Mostly, I think it is ok to work this way.

Now looking back from writing at my large scale photographs is reassuring (and thanks to my photography expert who insists I am undoubtedly capable of shooting these on my own).

Written or spoken text became part of art practices particularly since the conceptualists. Language is used immediate and direct, as a mechanism, narrative, a mirror, statement and critique. Is text a material? Lawrence Weiner once noted, language is the medium itself; how it presented is of secondary consideration. Yet, a range of text-based works rely on aesthetics. And Roland Barthes remarked ‘It is language which speaks, not the author.’ Or do artists turn text into an object? Well, I am facing new questions before answers.

Are we talking about ‘quotational activity’(1) where the artist is equipped with authority to select and present language? Stefan Brueggemann’s work is here a good example.

I am also drawn to Carey Young’s use of language in her work. Repurposing corporate vocabulary and tools she layers it with humour and real experience to challenge the audience.

Language is part of our reality. Language fascilitates and is an instrument for legitimations (2). We are accustomed to perceive text around us all the time, whether consciously or not. Yet, precisely for that reason, it is tempting and exciting for me as artist to interfere, twist, project language to challenge the audience reader or listener.

Here, I act as my own authority. I borrow terms from Business and Management books. I filter phrases which reflect on my concerns. I de-contextualise them. I edit and re-print the terms on notebook paper. I reread the statements, rules and comments. The reader rereads the terms and generates new if at all related context. The audience reader accepts, dismisses, questions the relevance of what is on display – and hopefully smiles.

I have generated four notebooks on Declaratives, imperatives and ordinary comments.

Chapter [1] of my Artist-in-residence time at Westminster Reference Library finishes with a Performative collective reading (my first ever) Saturday 23 November, 2pm.

And here is list edit #6

We keep making it up.
Always ask for more.
Succeed by being nice.
It is inevitable.
You need a life boat.
Beware of people.
They do not care.
It’s a mind game.
Dilemmas are relevant.
Don’t get caught.
Return the coin.

(1) Nicolas de Oliveira “I’M SAYING NOTHING AND I’M SAYING IT….”, 2007, JRP/RINGIER www.stefanbruggemann.com
(2) Berger/Luckmann (1966) The Social Construction of Reality, Doubleday