KINETICA Art Fair is over. I’ve collected my work and now have to reflect on the whole amazing experience.
What a fabulous week. I expected to have a very boring time sitting by my work for 10 hours a day but far from it. I have never had so many very funny conversations with lovely people who were genuinely interested in what I was doing. All the other exhibitors were wonderful and offered lots of helpful technical advice (always great for a technophobe with interactive work). I was amazed at the diversity of practice. Everything you could think of was represented – lego that played music, legs that walked alone, holographic mermaids, music box PCs and the man who invented the bouncy castle. What more could you want?
I have never been to an art fair before but what everyone tells me is that they are generally rather dull, you never get to talk to the artists and if you don’t have a big bag of cash then the dealer won’t give you the time of day let alone talk to you about the work. Kinetica is the absolute antithesis to all these things.
The main thing I have found from the whole spectacular is that to stand infront of three pieces of work, having to justify what you have made, and to explain the ideas behind it to 12,000 people for 10 hours a day is a very clarifying experience. This is made even more interesting when the work you are representing is made solely from holey old socks and raggedy clothing.
To have made so many people laugh and then look with wonder and ponder at my SOCKPAINTINGS and inflatable WORN woman made from discarded clothing made me realise that I really am, finally doing the right thing.
