Year 3 Worcester University BA Fine Art

So today I wanted to finally discover a ‘tunnel’. I put the word Tunnel in the inverted commas due to the nature of the word. For me a tunnel can be many things but it is a passageway which takes one from A to B. As for Tunnels in Worcester this is a Myth a Urban Legend that has manifested from the development of rumours and exaggerations.To hit the Nail on the head i visited the Cathedral to find out once and for all if this was a real thing, ‘The Tunnel’. Speaking with a historian at the Cathedral I found that this is a common legend that arises from anywhere in England that has historic monumental buildings such as Worcester’s Cathedral, leading it to become a traditional occurrence throughout historic cities in England.

According to the historian many castles had tunnels in medieval Britain to aid the escape past a mout but this is as far as the idea of a tunnel goes. But what is interesting is the occurrence of what they call under crofts. Under crofts do lead outside like a tunnel but are more like cellars  and where used as storage. The monks who used the Cathedral originally used to use a undercroft known as the Cathedral Crypt as a space of worship. A great sentiment stated by the Historian was that he could imagine ‘the Cathedral rising above them while they prayed bellow’.

Here are some examples of entrances to undercrofts found in the Cathedral:

The way in which they lead outside can lead to the idea of a tunnel.

Here are some images of the Cathedral Crypt:

The mind I suppose can create some ideas that possibly due to the vastness of the building and these under crofts that it would be possible to build tunnels going somewhere from ridiculous lengths.

Here is another example of a underground space found in a book called The Story of Worcester by Pat Hughes and Annette Leech. 

This underground space was pictured in Worcester but no body knows the location of its existence and it is things like this that really reinforce the idea that something is there when it really isn’t. This is also helped by King Charles I escaping past the city walls.

I started this study not knowing if there was or wasn’t tunnels but the very fact there isn’t gives me so much more than if there was. For me there is a Paradox right here right under my feet! and now it is my job as an artist to find this tunnel in a Paradoxical sense.

So lets look at what I have!

When you look at this in terms of a Paradox what is it?

Liars Paradox?

-a statement or proposition which, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable or self-contradictory.

There is a tunnel that is five miles long leading from the Cathedral.

I have found the above to be untrue BUT seems reasonable due to the following.

• Charles I escaped the city unseen.
• The roads are uneven in Worcester
• Worcester has one of the oldest churches in the county
• seemingly strange entrances that we cannot gain access too.

A crypt and or cellar has the aspects of a tunnel. it is underground, you can hide in them. they usually have a A to B (inside to outside).

But a tunnel 5 miles long imagine how they would do that in medieval England, how would they know where they were going? its just not feasible. It is Logically unacceptable. What is true is that there are underground crypts and cellars and crofts.

So maybe I am interested in the Paradox created by a Myth or Legend because at the end of the day a urban legend sounds like a liars Paradox to me.

Urban legend – a humorous or horrific story or piece of information circulated as though true.

Maybe I am interested in a Box and especially that of Strodinger’s cat. Finding out the truth behind the story. Maybe there isn’t any truth but what we do find is a paradoxical box or something that contradicts itself.

Yes this means I am abandoning the Idea of a documentary but that does not mean I am abandoning the Idea of a film.

No the Idea of a Urban legend does not quite fit in the realms of a Paradox but the contradiction of these Myths or stories do.

It is time for me to tie down my study and really find out what I am interested in and that is of a Paradox, quantum theory and contradictory themes, pushing my practice further from last year down the lines of the incongruous….

I suppose I must look at the research proposal again as parts do not make sense in the aspect to what I am trying to say. So what am I looking at?

• Urban Legends – Are the tunnels a urban legend or is the 5 mile tunnel a urban legend? No i do not think it is. It is a rumor. BUT can I make it an urban legend? Its well on its way. I can almost say that a five mile tunnel is a Myth, its not true! I will eat my own words if I am proven wrong. I can make a Urban legend out of it using film so…
• I am interested in making a Urban Legend.
• Does a Urban legend represent Schrodingers cat and or the box. For me yes it does Urban legend = real life + exaggerated truth. Urban legend for me is the paradox of two stories colliding to make something. Strodinger’s cat = dead cat + living cat. Stringers cat is the paradox of a cat which is actually two cats.
• So my projects aims to make a Strodinger’s cat. A paradox which works as a singular narrative. Paradox = documentary (truth) + performance (figurative creation). The Paradox could be a creature (?) for instance.

A Paradox that works as a singular narrative – Aiming to bring in two fields of study I.E Video and Performance, into one story this can be true or contradictory.

I was recommended this FANTASTIC film by my lecturer at university. it is a film about 5 civil war soldiers that go searching for a treasure in a Field in England. 3 deserters 2 who capture them and trick them into following them into this field. Though the story line is amazing and I recommend this film to anyone I am not go into a wikipedia type plot description I want to focus on certain scenes and how they are influencing me going forward.

Due to the Nautical themes seen in my uniform I want to defiantly bring in the idea of the rope which is shown through out the film.

There is a moment where 3 of the characters are pulling on a rope here they do not know where it leads the pole starts to drag them in. I want to make a pully system with rope one side a concrete box and the other me pulling it backwards and forwards. the other scenes show a man that has been turned into a human diving rod.

Ben wheatly was able to manifest images which can only usually reanimates in ones head. He has imagery which looks at a paradox or two realities coinciding in one scene. Strodinger’s cat is what is buried in the field the box the field. Ones treasure is always different to another. There is something metaphorical in the revealing of the ‘treasure’ and its just ‘old bones’. this is ones reality of treasure but another’s could gold and jewels.

Well this was a failiure if I had ever seen one. The performance was meant to be a walk of the high street five times to make a 5mile walk in reference to the ‘5 mile tunnel legend’ in Worcester my attempt of making my own tunnel.

It turned into me stumbling around lost bumping into the poor public of Worcester.

I also found that certain angles of the uniform did not work and made me look like well you can decide but not what I was after luckily I can laugh at my self hey?

But saying that certain SIDE angles worked really well.

and the solution if i am to do this again may be to actually hold the Helmet up off my face like such.

as visually I feel this does actually work. Where as stumbling around blinded really does not work with the concepts that I am interested in! Though funny and tragic the film I really don’t fancy getting punched!

From last year I discovered that there is something very exciting in the production of props and costumes for performance.

1. The props can be seen as art work in them selves as they can be sculptural
2. The hand made aspect of props can be interesting. How does one solve the problem of going two materials together that just don’t want to be joint together.
3. Which brings me to experimentation and and problem solving with is performative in its self.

The last two years of performance have been focused on an endeavor and a journey or just doing.

I wanted to produce a costume which was contemporary but also had an aspect of the ears and historic values of my primary influences.

• Civil war uniform
• Nautical themes
• foundations of the city
• something dark and heavy.
• something that can be projected on without having predetermined infuence.

Civil war themes due to the tunnels been predominately used in the 16th/17th/18th centuries, famously used by Charles the 1st to escape the city.

Nautical themes due to the tunnels being used to transfer good in and out of the city via the river.

Roman foundations. and the roman links to Worcester.

heavy to increase the endeavor aspect to the project. Dark to push the boundaries of urban legends a creature or suspect thing.

Contemporary in the way that people are able to project what they see.   it allows the audience the option to perform their ideas onto the costume.

So this is what I ended up with!

I have taken influence from these two images.

The dress seen in both but I like the plating on the Roman armor. the chest plate influences from both. I like the shape of the Pikeman’s helmet but later decided against the brim as it gained reference to Britannia due to the shape. I felt this fit with Worcester which is known as ‘the faithful city’.

I chose rubber as it has the materiality which allows you to mold into what ever you want. it also brings a sexual element to the performance which gives it a humorous feel.

Above you can see a selection of failed attempts. I chose card at first as i had seen people make armor out of it on Youtube. this just didn’t work card is designed to lie flat duh! I quickly gave up on that. The first chest plate i made was too short especially at the back. the circle of rubber intact did work. I added a netted material to this. to reinforce with glue i then cut a second circle out of the rubber to make a rubber glue material sandwich. I then sewed this together! it works really well.

I like working with the material and instead of getting frustrated with it when i couldn’t get it to do the things I wanted it to do i allowed it to do what it wanted to do. I found i got the best results from taking direct influence from the rubber.