Flux Without Pause

No to £650 consists of four vignettes that focuses on different types of invisibility.

1st vignette was created in 2012 inspired by the Ralph Ellison book ‘invisible man’

* 2nd vignette created after days attending the Maggie Hambling talk

The 3rd vignette was created after being asked to take down the video

This video captures the point of exploring the realms of censorship by video capturing the you tube ‘video does not exist anymore’ screen. Something that was once there and now has vanished creates mystery curiosity and intrigue with its traces still contains clues via the description boxes and possible comments of people who had seen the video. The silent fuzz of the screen captured the state of flux of my surroundings. My past ideas had been sent into the void by my experience and my forced work was being denied a voice to shout.

During this period I was still in a state of alienation further increased by people upset that video had been posted in the first place wanting to put this issue to bed without it being explored to its fullest. It was also a period where I was planning to make a video

The interesting was that I am making this work to make people who was in that room aware of their surroundings but the people who are upset with this video think it has been created to purely show that Hambling is racist and that were not responsible for their role in that conversation. So for me this was the angle that I’m finding more interesting by the day so the challenge was to make another video focusing on the crowd’s reaction.

The fourth vignette focused visually on everyone’s participation in the room where the event took place. In this video I was visible and the speakers and audience was invisible. The idea of making this video was capture how I felt without having the need to use the audio. To capture the feeling of laughter I used a laugher sign in the style of the TV studio recordings for a sitcom when people are told when and where to laugh when the sign lights up. To capture my reaction to the audio I used the three screen technique which I was planning to use for my walking videos

Feb post

For my last uni installation my aim is to look at using 3 screens to describe a narrative.

multiscreen can

*Open up the space of a screen

*Give incite into internal thoughts

* Can make the breaking the forth wall effect more dramatic

* Can give the viewer multiple views within one view

The visuals were created around the audio of the talk when the Hambling quote “slaves would be handy I wouldn’t mind a few and the following laughter place I wanted the camera to zoom into my ear to show the power and the effect that words bring.

The four separate vignettes were put together when I was contacted to take part in a debate about racism by the company the red room. They wanted to show some art work some I sent them all the films that I had created over the past month. It was during this time when I decided to create a petition that the funds from the Hambling painting should not be used because of the ethical weight of the frameworks over that time period. When I found out that there was going to be an debate about this issue 6 weeks after the original incident took place under the title of “are there any limits to free speech” then I felt that it needed outside voices to show how serious this matter was to my uni surroundings. In the petition I created a video calling it “No to £650”

April

Around the same time I found out that the exploding cinema, a coalition of film/video makers developing new modes of exhibition for underground media from DIY screenings, had chosen a film I had submitted months earlier for their April event at the Peckham. I told them about my situation at uni and asked them if I could show the no to £650 video instead and the agreed. it was fitting that this film was being shown at exploding cinema as they are self-funded and one of the reasons why they are is because they do not want to be compromised.

No to £650 -Project 5am

“I went from being an artist who makes things, to being an artist who makes things happen.” – Jeremy Deller.

“What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is related only to objects and not to individuals, or to life. That art is something which is specialized or which is done by experts who are artists. But couldn’t everyone’s life become a work of art? Why should the lamp or the house be an art object, but not our life?”

― Michel Foucault

“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s anchor. We are the compass for humanity’s conscience”. – Paul Robeson

The last posts have come from the result of a 9 week period understanding and challenging an incident that took place on the 3rd of March.

I haven’t posted since the beginning of March because my work that I had been talking about in my previous posts had been derailed by weight of carrying this experience. My work had now turned into protest art not intended for a degree show but to question why a modern day cultural setting could respond to the comments said. The initial video that I had created inspired by the book invisible man was the beginning of a narrative where each response produced another question.

I have been continuing to re-valuate my thoughts on the whole matter over the past 2 months, from the sense of alienation to the actual comments and response made on the day, to the lack of support within the framework of my close surrounds, to the strength that I have found via the text of writers like Paulo Freire and Henry Giroux and Pierre Bourdieu whose words have given me a way to articulate and have shown me a clearer and larger incite of why like incidents like this occur and how ‘the strength of weak ties’ in power of social media can attempt to provide actions of a civic value. The most positive aspect has been seeing how some of my peers have started to question their own interdependence of the surroundings they are in via dialogue with fellow colleagues, friends or partners, which can only be a good thing because ‘awareness of other’ is key in the role of incidents like this not taking place in the future.

TAFTtalk – Henry Giroux

Richard Lister
Provost and Chief Executive
University Campus Suffolk
Waterfront Building
Neptune Quay
Ipswich, IP4 1QJ
02 May 2014

Dear Richard

Having met with one your students, Jason Haye, on 1 May 2014, I felt it important to write this
open letter to you on behalf of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality.

It is very disheartening to hear views such as those attributed to Maggi Hambling CBE at the
University Campus Suffolk event on March 24 2014.

Given her renown as an artist, she will have an enhanced influence over young people, and for
her to take such a cavalier and indifferent attitude to one of history’s great crimes, the legacies
of which remain with us today, is extremely disappointing. Equally concerning was the reaction
of the event attendees and the apparent lack of challenge to her views.

ISCRE is proud of the heartfelt yet creative response to the matter by Jason, who was present
and adversely affected by what was said; and hopes very much that his point of view will be
considered by those concerned. We are however, concerned that the UCS has been slow to
address his concerns following the incident and are anxious to know that you take the matter
seriously.

The Equality Act 2010 requires the University to actively investigate incidents of alleged
racism. It is important for people, especially those in positions of influence, to realise that
prejudice can have severe negative consequences for the people who experience it. Evidence
shows that individuals suffer from loss of confidence and their sense of worth and their ability
to perform at work or in their studies can be undermined. Prejudice locks people out of social
and economic opportunities, entrenching disadvantage and works against the goal of building
a fair, inclusive community.

We hope your decision will ensure that effective mechanisms are put in place to ensure that in
future concerns are addressed and students and staff do not feel powerless to challenge.

Kind regards

Phanuel Mutumburi
Business and Operations Director

http://www.iscre.org.uk/open-letter-to-the-univers…

Provost statement

Since the concerns of Jason Haye were raised with the Provost, a number of discussions have taken place between the Provost, Jason, the UCS Union and the Department involved. We are all in agreement that the most important outcome is that lessons must be learnt from the incident for the future, to ensure that no student is made to feel uncomfortable in this manner again. We are, with the help of Ben Adofo, President of the Students’ Union, reviewing guidelines for visiting speakers and hosts of future events, and staff training will be provided where necessary. UCS recognises that whilst a formal complaint hasn’t been made, the university could have dealt better with Jason’s concerns and the Provost has apologised to Jason.

With support from Ben Adofo, and in line with normal practice, the students themselves will be deciding exactly how the money that was raised through the Art Auction for the student shows will be spent.

As an academic institution UCS is keen for issues to be debated but will ensure that it happens in an environment of respect and courtesy. This evening (9 May), both Jason and the Dean of Faculty for Arts, Business and Applied Social Science, Professor Simon Hallsworth, are participating in the Red Room Platforms event in Ipswich to debate some of the issues that have been raised.

This position has been agreed by all parties involved, and UCS will not be issuing any further statements regarding this matter.