Ruth Payne
The work I produced for Straight, the first stage of the collaboration, uses paper objects which have performed their primary function (shopping lists, brochures, paper napkins, free newspapers, opened envelopes, empty seed packets). These are the fragments machine-stitched together to produce the long strip with no thought to juxtaposition or meaning, just physical fit.
The human brain tries to identify pattern and assign meaning, so one response to the work is to try and figure out if there is a connection between fragments fixed next to each other. This is entirely the concept of the viewer.
Because of the inclusion of personal and hand-written notes and lists, there is inevitably an aspect of autobiography. I try to fight shy of producing highly self-revelatory work, as I suspect it does not leave enough room for the individual onlooker to form their own opinions. However, we all make lists to try and order our days, our consumption, our work. This work is as much about what is and is not important: sifting through all the outward qualia and inner promptings to establish relevance and meaning.
The ‘scroll/strip’ is originally designed to be outdoors, ‘ going somewhere’, or appearing to. I had some of the work of Richard Long in mind when siting it.
