Our Micro-residency has just been extended. Two more weeks for us to engage with the space and room for critical discussions with the group as well as engaging in a co-existent making on site.
Walking this morning to the Open Plan space through along side roads and passing numerous office buildings made me think of support (back) structures that enable a system to perform at front. Also, the constant proclaim of standards and instructions is trying to assert that all has to fit efficiently.
Today I revisited the grid-like layout of materials and objects that I gathered to reflect on aspects of the space – a pile of veneered boards, vinyl wood effect sheet, a grey angled-table top and striped wallpaper. Each set occupies minimal floor space yet is placed in close proximity to each other. A scene undergoing an inspection – almost mirroring the occasional tour by the (quite friendly) building reception officers. Budgeted utility materials like the veneered MDF and wood imitations indicate workplace economy and hinting at the cover we are trying to sustain. Yet at the same time the displayed materials and objects are reassuringly light weight, banal and appearing familiar to the viewer.
I started numbering those ‘micro-sites’ as to draw focus and de-pheriperalise the items. Mimicking stock-taking or cataloguing makes me think of a gathering of evidence. Does it add importance or suggest iterations? Counting the micro-sites makes wondering about missing numbers, whether these are randomly allocated or follow an agenda. Interestingly, having removed the numbering let the materials and objects re-adjust.
I always take photographs of work in progress and revisit them on screen, keeping me working while not on-site and utilizing time slots while juggling art and family. Even if this is a controlled perspective, it helps perceiving things in their actual interrelations and assessing details. Being part of how I work, this distanced viewing is crucial to me for reflecting, editing and re-focussing.
Spending time in the space makes aware of how it equalises what it contains. As a group we were talking about how it makes everything corresponding, matching and uniform. How does it happen? What responses does it enforce? [to be continued]
