After considering realistically about whether I was going to have enough time to create a book, and inscribe each page with a complicated theory I had to alter my idea again.
The Final & Most Successful Concept
Instead of focusing on all the conspiracies I decided to
concentrate on one more precisely. The Illuminate has been an up and running
secret society for the last century that always seems be growing in today's
society. From the music industry to politics there always seems to be an
uncanny amount of coincidences that point straight to this so called
'non-existent' group. The increasing amount of occult symbols with in music
video clips have been staggering within the 21st century and can only be
pointed to the one group.
I want my installation to focus this point directly, and
inform people about the consequences of the lifestyle this group is portraying
as desirable. From doing what they want, 'Do what thy Wilt' to aspiring to fame
riches, they clam these are the only ingredients to true happiness.
Books were used, as they were a running concept from the
start of the project. Symbolically they portray knowledge and wisdom and I
still wanted to capture and represent this. I purposely chose to burn them to
show the destruction and chaos this secret society can bring if you are not
aware of them, especially through the use of media. The pyramid was a conscious
decision too as it is the symbol of the 'All-Seeing-Eye' which is becoming a
more common icon in day to day life, and seen on the American one dollar note.
By placing a candle on top of the pyramid this portrays to the audience the
illumination that these secret societies claim they possess. They believe they
are the bearers of light and prosperity in this world, they also claim to have
godlike qualities, possessing power over people and abundance of money and
fame.
The placement of the installation is very critical as it
carries added meaning and purpose to the piece. I chose the classroom table
because it is known to be place where people learn and gain knowledge. This is
what I want the audience to grasp, that my installation is a learning lesson
where they should understand the truth about this group. By scattering unlit
matches around the pyramid this gives the notion of opportunity among the
people to be lit up with the truth. I made sure chairs were still around the
table to portray that the installation is still a functional setting where
people can sit, interact, think, and form an opinion on the concept.
Ekaterina Panikanova played an important part in formulating
my art work. As an artist that uses books in a unique way, this encouraged me to
do the same, experiment, edit and execute a concept that would best suit the
chosen materials. Overall I believe my concept was very strong, and structural
design was adequate in conveying what was intended too. I am very happy with
the journey I went on to produce what I created.
An essay I wrote last year that mentions all the occult symblisms that is relevant to this assignment:
Essay: Visual Codes in Music Video Clips
‘How have occultist themes been introduced in mainstream music videos
and what are the effects on the wider community.’
The music industry’s use of occultist themes in
mainstream music videos has intensified causing viewers to become conditioned
to these visual codes. Conditioning tactics are being used to manipulate viewers
into perceiving these occultist themes as the norm. The role of music is very
influential as it is used readily in today’s visual society. From restaurants
to gyms, to shops and households it is hard to escape the all-pervading oral
and visual presence of music. Throughout mainstream music clips, powerful occultist
iconography is being thrust upon viewers who are ignorant to the repercussions.
A way the music industry is executing this is with the use of symbolic
representation. Some artists known to promote such occultist imagery in their
music videos include; Ke$ha and Kanye West. This essay will attempt to
deconstruct these visual codes to gain a better understanding of the occultist
meanings and underlying messages.
Occultist imagery has been witnessed in majority of Ke$ha’s’
music videos exploiting her young female fan base to a more sinister agenda. In
Kesha’s latest number one single titled ‘Die
Young’, the song is about “living
your life as a celebration, as if it was the last night of your life – every
night” (SonyMusicFR , 2012), promoting young audiences to embrace a culture
of death. This underlying message of irresponsibility paves the way for a
visual feast of more occultist symbolism.
The video is
set in Mexico, where Ke$ha and a band of her followers arrive outside of an abandoned
church. Symbolism is evident from the very beginning as seen in the appendix (Figure
1) (KeshaVEVO, 2012), skull and bones flash on the screen representing the cult
of death or Yale’s elite secret society
seen in the appendix (Figure 2) (Branch &Lassila, 2006) emanating from the
hearse. The function of a hearse, seen in the appendix (Figure 3) (KeshaVEVO,
2012) is a vehicle that carries a coffin to a funeral portraying an image of
looming death , which foreshadows the fate of the occupants before they even
get out of the car. Written on the door of the hearse is ‘EVIL’ seen in the appendix, (Figure 4) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) blatantly
translating to the viewers that the artist’s agenda is pure evil. Once the
hearse doors are opened, Ke$ha is presented in a black veil, posing as a
‘sexual religious statue’ seen in the appendix, (Figure 5) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) while
being carried on the shoulders of men. This resembles religious cultures where
statues of the Virgin Mary are carried by people on streets, as seen in the appendix
(Figure 6) (SuperStock, 2013), expressing the notions that she views herself
superior then everybody else, a modern day saint.
During this scene occultist symbols are being flashed
across the screen, such as the ‘Eye of Providence’ seen in the appendix (Figure
7) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) which represents an
evil malevolent being, portraying the artist herself expressed by her sinister facial expression.
Inverted crucifixes are also displayed multiple times, as seen in the appendix
(Figure 8) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) representing an anti-Christian symbol, blatantly disrespecting
the traditional conventions of Christian symbolism. In another scene Ke$ha is
presented playing with tarot cards, pulling the “Devil” card, seen in the
appendix (Figure 9) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) making everybody burst into laughter. Encouraging
viewer’s to perceive this occultist act of “predicting the future” as ideal. Symbolically
the Devil is the card of self-bondage to an idea or belief which is preventing
a person from growing or being healthy, as seem in the appendix (Figure 10) (Stenudd,
2013). This depicts the artist as a prisoner of her own occultist beliefs, and
cannot do anything but laugh at her captivity. The video clip visually encourages
viewers to conform to what is visually presented in front of them, even if that
means they are enslaved to what the music industry and media proclaims as the
‘truth’.
Ke$ha is later
seen seated on a thrown, directly under a pentacle, seen in the appendix
(Figure 11) (KeshaVEVO, 2012). A pentagram or pentacle is the most identified occult
symbol used in occultist practices and is considered to be the most potent
means of conjuring spirits, seen in the appendix (Figure 12)(Stewart, 2011). In
this circumstance Ke$ha appears as if she is conjuring a spirit of sexual
pleasure and formication. During this sequence, Ke$ha displays the one-eye
sign, seen in the appendix (Figure 13) (KeshaVEVO, 2012) interpreting this sex
and death worshiping occult as a socially acceptable practice. A practice supported
by the music industry elite; the supposed Illuminati occult group, seen in the
appendix (Figure 14 & 15) (Coleman, 2013) whose main symbol of identification
is the ‘Eye of Horus’.
Throughout the
video triangular symbols are flashed on the screen as either upright or
reversed, as seen in the appendix (Figure 16) (KeshaVEVO, 2012). In occult
symbolism, upright triangles represent the masculine role while reverse
triangles represent the feminine role. The combination of both represents the union
of opposites, in other words sexual intercourse. Sexual behaviour is also
evident by the images of two wolves in the act of reproducing, seen in the
appendix (Figure 17) (KeshaVEVO, 2012). By indorsing this type of behaviour, indulging
in one’s animalistic instincts is contrary to reaching spiritual enlightenment.
Kanye West’s use of symbolism in his music videos visually
exposes viewers to overt masonic and occult agenda. In Kanye West’s almost motionless
video “Power”, a profound story is being foretold in rich archetypal symbolism.
The video differs as it is filmed in a short sequence of 1.43 minutes in length,
compared to the typical 3 to 4 minute duration. The director Marco Brambilla
went for a neo-classical aesthetic creating a piece full of deep occultist symbolism. As for neo-classical paintings of that era,
each object, symbol and detail conveys an important message.
The video
begins with a close-up of Kanye West with illuminated eyes as seen in the
appendix (Figure 18) (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010), portraying him as being “ignited”
from within. His stance is positioned in-between two infinite rows of columns depicting
the ‘Two Pillars’, as seen in the appendix (Figure 19) (Kendall, 2009) portraying
that those pillars lead to the “Sphere of Enlightenment” which is the key
source of power. Kanye positions himself in the centre of this sphere revealing
that “In this white man’s world, we are
the ones chosen” (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010) portraying himself as being initiated
amongst the most powerful of this world, the supposed Illuminati elite.
The occultist
object immediately noticed straight after is the gigantic pendant on Kanye’s
chest, which is of the head of Horus, as seen in the appendix (Figure 20) (KanyeWestVEVO,
2010). Horus is an ancient Egyptian deity that has great significance in occult
practises; see (Figure 21) (Riley, 2013). Associated as the Sky God, he is most
recognized by the image of a single eye, (Figure 22) (Riley, 2013). The
symbolism of Horus has great connotations in the freemasonry occult. The journey
of a to-be initiated member through the Masonic degrees is pronounced as the practice
by which the Eye of Horus is opened, this video can be interpreted as the
artist’s possible public initiation into the freemasonry occult (Mackey, 1878).
The gateway of the
pillars is guarded by two horned girls holding a staff, seen in the appendix
(Figure 23) (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010). Their appearances resemble portrayals of Isis
and Hathor who were goddesses of ancient Egypt, see (Figure 24) (Gilligan, 2010).
Isis the mother of Horus was the goddess of motherhood, nature and magic (Witt,
1997). Hathor was also considered as a maternal deity as well as the goddess of
music, dance and fertility (Hart, 2005). Both Isis and Hathor were known to
welcome and protect the dead during their journey to the afterlife. Kanye can
be depicted as a Pharaoh due to his royal attire, on his journey of sacrifice, supervised
by Hathor “the royal goddess”. This visual scene gives the audience a notion
that these goddesses are actually welcoming Kanye “behind the veil”, - see
(Figure 25) (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010) protecting him on his journey to supposed
immortality. This resembles occult group practices where applicants must endure
a symbolic death and be reborn to sanctify their initiation process.
The image of a
sword descending above Kanye West’s head, see (Figure 26) (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010)
portrays a classic legend, The Sword of Damocles. The tale of the Sword embodies
the constant danger faced by those in positions of power (Benet, 1948), as seen
in the appendix (Figure 27) (Donner, 2012). Kanye stands, in a state of
impending doom, knowing he can be executed at any time.
Directly after, two figures emerge from both
ends holding a dagger and attempting to assassinate Kanye “Killing of the King”,
seen in (Figure 28) (KanyeWestVEVO, 2010). The assassination did occur, but it
was not the result of the two assassins, but by the sword of Damocles, this is
portrayed by in the single’s cover, see appendix (Figure 29) (Condo, 2010). The
stone which Kanye’s head is placed on is a symbol used in Masonic ritual, the
‘perfect ashlar’, seen in the appendix (Figure 30) (Kendall, 2009) which represents
the state of the perfect initiate. Kanye says “goodbye cruel world / I see you in the morning“(KanyeWestVEVO,
2010), as he has been “chosen” to
take part in an initiation process followed by a glorious awakening as a new
being. In order to accomplish this, Kanye needed to kill his old self and be
ritualistically reborn. Once this was done, true power is within his grasp.
After pictorially decoding
occultist themes from two mains stream videos, the issue at hand is not the occultist
symbols that are being flashed on the screen, but the underlying messages that
are communicated to the viewers. Such agendas are about making specific values
and attitudes cool and desirable to young people and currently they are
becoming more evident in pop culture. Occultist themes are successfully
promoting a culture of death, sexualisation, increasing materialism, attaining
power and corrupting and debasing spirituality.
I have always feltfortunate to have come of age as an artist during the early ’70s (turning 20 in1973), at the time of the first flowering of conceptual and performance art. The work of such artists as John Baldessari, Chris Burden, Gilbert & George and William Wegman conveyed a powerful message that contemporary art was a field full of experimental activity and radical thinking.
One of the artists who interested me most at that time was Franz Erhard Walther. The work of Walther’s that I first saw then, reproduced in black and white in avant-garde magazines of the day such as Avalanche, came from his epic series “Werksatz,” or, in English, “Work Sentence,” executed between 1963 and 1969. The pieces consisted of single or multiple individuals performing prescribed actions with sculptural elements made of cloth. Sehkanal (1968), in which two people are joined together by a long loop of cloth encircling their heads, was a widely reproduced example.
Franz Erhard Walther, Kreuz Verbindungsform. Element n°36 of 1.Werksatz, 1967. Fabric, large red cross in red fabric with 4 holes, 664 x 664 cm; small red cross in red fabric with 4 holes, 137 x 137 cm; diameter of the oval holes, 22 x 25 cm; envelope (white cotton): 48 x57 cm. Courtesy Franz Erhard Walther Foundation and Jocelyn Wolff, Paris. Photo: François Doury.
Walther’s work struck me as very different from that of the other performance artists of the time. It was devoid of the emphasis on the psychologically driven autobiographical performance that one sees in the work of Vito Acconci, Burden, or even Joseph Beuys. Walther’s pieces were intended to be performed, according to the artist’s directions, by people other than the artist himself. In some sense removed from the prevailing counterculture spirit of the late ’60s, they rejected spontaneity and improvisation and were based instead on measured, disciplined actions precisely prescribed by the artist. Walther’s art was divorced from subject matter derived from everyday culture.
Unlike Acconci who used the streets of New York, or Burden who enlisted such props as a rifle and a Volkswagen Bug, Walther eschewed materials and scenarios connected to the day-to-day environment. His abstract, geometric cloth sculpture, photographed under the artist’s direction out-of-doors in the natural but featureless setting of a grass-covered field, conjured a timeless, abstract world in which one could imagine a connection to ancient ritual or even the non-referential strategies of neo-plasticism and minimalism. And all his work seemed surprisingly connected to strategies appearing during the same years in the work of the choreographers of New York’sJudsonMemorialChurch group, especially Yvonne Rainer, whose work in dance also brought to the foreground everyday movement.
As with Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty or Burden’s various performances of the era, it was really only possible to know Walther’s work through the highly stylized photographic documentation that the artist himself produced. My perceptions of Walther’s work were thus structured around the photos and the powerful interpretation that the photos added to the performances. The stark, featureless flat fields of grass or hay that Walther chose as his setting convey a mythic otherworldliness reminiscent of the metaphysical landscapes in the contemporaneous movies of Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni. In many of the pictures, the performers are photographed from above with the help of a tall ladder or scaffold, assigning to the viewer, as well as the photographer, a magisterial aerial point of view on the action below. Walther’s use of high contrast black-and-white gives these photos an anti-sensual austerity and existential grit as well.
My second encounter with the work of Franz Erhard Walther took place in the ’90s, when I was asked to write a catalogue essay for a museum exhibition of the artist’s work [“Franz Erhard Walther – Work Needs the Body: A Strong Misreading” in Franz Erhard Walther – Ich bin die Skulptur, Kunstverein Hannover, Germany, 1998]. Re-examining the work, or rather the photos of the work, it seemed to me reflective of the ideas of Michel Foucault about the regulation and control — what Foucault called the discipline — of bodies. It was Walther’s sculptural expression of this regulation of bodies that impressed me. The power of the work, I wrote, “comes from the fact that he does not simply picture or describe bodies in this regulated geometric space. Rather he asks himself and others to themselves experience this space, like pilgrims retracing the Stations of the Cross.” I viewed Walther’s human actors as subjected to the author’s rigid control of space, as denied any vestiges of their individuality, as mere cogs in the construction of an abstract geometric order fashioned “of only two materials, the warm living body and the soft limp cloth.” I saw the very non-referential quality of Walther’s pieces as intensifying this Foucaldian narrative. Here, the discipline of bodies served no practical worldly goal — the performers were solely enacting a purified aesthetic of controlled bodies in space.
I was well aware that, with this interpretation, I was articulating a “strong misreading” — to use Harold Bloom’s term — of Walther’s work, substituting a focus on power relationships for the artist’s own stated emphasis on phenomenological experiment, the primacy of materials, and the making of community as the guiding themes in his work. And yet the performances, as seen in the photographs, seemed to demand this recoding of the work. After Foucault, it was impossible to accept the neutrality or objectivity of the formal and phenomenological investigations of minimalism or conceptualism. After Roland Barthes, it was impossible to say that a work of art had a single signified, determined by its author. Rather the work became open to myriad, successive signifieds, actively created by its readers or viewers.
And then there is my third encounter, in which, after so many years, I finally came across the pieces from Walther’s “Werksatz” series in all their three-dimensional majesty and complexity when they were exhibited at Dia:Beacon this past October. In a large room within Dia’s sprawling building, the fifty-eight cloth “Werksatz” pieces, all elegantly folded, ready for travel or use, were arrayed on low benches around the walls. On the floor was an industrial gray carpet, covering almost the entire room, leaving only a narrow walkway on all four sides. Guided by an unobtrusive docent, visitors were invited to try out the pieces one at a time. Each individual, pair or group of people out on the carpet interacting with one of the pieces instantly became a performer, observed by the remaining visitors scattered around the edges of the room.
That day, almost forty years after first seeing the photographs, the work itself spread out in all the richness of its materiality and temporality, transcending and defying ideological reading, providing instead waves of complex experience.
With a partner, we performed two of the most well known pieces, Sehkanal (1968) and Körpergewicht (1969). The photos had indicated nothing about the intricacy of the experience, of the slowness of unfolding the tightly bundled pieces on the floor, or, at the end, refolding them again along their prescribed crease lines to reassume their origami-like shapes. The photos said nothing about the beauty of the pieces themselves, exquisitely stitched and constructed with couturier skill out of delicately colored cloth. Nor had the photos conveyed the physical creativity required to attain the balance and tension necessary to make the pieces come to life, the awkward shifting needed to permit two opposing bodies to attain equilibrium. Watching other people perform, one saw untrained individuals instantly transformed into expressive dancers. It was all beyond the limits of photography, beyond the capacities of any kind of documentation.
This tale of interpretation stops here for now. What a long strange trip it’s been. It is a tale of Walther’s work, its photography, and its exhibition, and a tale of my own churning subjectivity. Was it futile to read Walther’s photographs of the “Werksatz” series as capable of conveying so definite a meaning? Despite their stylistic consistency and power, were they only documentation? Would it be equally inadvisable to analyze a painting based on a photographic reproduction? But that is done all the time. Did the artist really intend two shadings of meaning in his sculptural pieces and in his photographs of those pieces? Or did the medium dictate Walther’s message? Here, the writer stops, lost in the hall of mirrors, finding himself turned round in a kaleidoscopic world of reading, misreading and rereading.
Peter Halley is an artist based in New York. In 1999 he was appointed to the Yale faculty and he is currently William Leffingwell Professor of Painting and the Director of Graduate Studies in Painting/Printmaking.
Franz Erhard Walther was born in 1939 inFulda, Germany, where he currently lives and works. “Franz Erhard Walther: Work as Action,” is on view at Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries, Beacon, New York, through February 13, 2012.
From top left clockwise: Franz Erhard Walther, 8 Nesselplatten, 1963; Zwei Pappröhren (Verlegenheitsstück), 1962; Zwei Gläser mit Reis, 1963; Handbrett I, 1962/1963. Installation view of Franz Erhard Walther: Work as Action, Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries. Photo: David Allison. Franz Erhard Walther, “1.Werksatz”, 1963-1969. 58 objects, Sockel, 1969. View of the performance at Tate Modern, London, 2007. Courtesy Franz Erhard Walther Foundation and Jocelyn Wolff, Paris. Photo: Sheila Burnett. FranzErhardWalther, Für Zwei (Nr. 31, 1.Werksatz) [For Two], 1967. Sewn dyed canvas, 123.2 x 46 cm. Courtesy Peter Freeman, Inc. New York. Photo: Tim Rautert. Franz Erhard Walther, Retour vendu, 1958. Pencil and gouache on fine cardboard, 47 x 70 cm. Courtesy Skopia art contemporain,Geneva.
Concept Change
After further discussing the idea with the teacher I concluded that it was not original enough. I had to go back to my roots, creating something that actually interested me and was in-depth. It then occurred to me, why not do something involving conspiracy theory's. As an adamant researcher and who loves investigating issues such as; whether the illuminate existed? Are famous pop-stars conditioning their fans into believing an evil agenda? Did the time towers actually collapse from middle eastern terrorists, or was it an inside job with the pure purpose to create turmoil in the middle east? Are we on the way of becoming a one world ruled nation Is the New World Order going to happen? Who is the Bilderberg Group? and other on going conspiracies. I decided to think of ways to physically portray broad topic.
After much investigation I came up with the idea to create a large book. 'The Conspiracy Book' would be made out of thin sheets of MDF board that would be steamed making it easy to reshape. Hinges would be screwed on to each page of MDF making it easy for the viewer to move each page. On each page would be a conspiracy theory informing the viewer using a collage style layout similar to the 'Beautiful Mind' with connections drawn wildly everywhere on the page.
Exerts from the film 'Beautiful Mind'
The book would be measured in consideration to the classroom table that it will be laying on.
For the final project I originally planned to do a collage of books on a wall with an illustrated image on it. But as time went on my concept consistently changed due to the originality and strength of the idea.
This was my original plan:
Proposal
The final project
instructs us to develop a site specific work within the confines of the Dorrit
Black building. After a brief tour of the Dorrit Black building several spaces
stood out, but one in particular on level 4; the empty wall across from the lockers.
Its large size and visible vacancy are major qualities that were needed for my ideas.
Specifically I intend to use 2 x1.5 meters of the wall height with the
possibility of also incorporating a few lockers (1 or 2) and abit of floor
space (maximum 0.5 metre wide).
On the vacant wall a
collage of open books will be assembled in a symmetrical design. An image will
be illustrated on the collage conveying a narrative to the viewer. One of the
books on the lower section of the collage will have a ribbon bookmark, this
will be extended long enough to travel pass the floor and up into one of the
lockers. In that locker a book will be placed and the ribbon will be attached to
it, making it seem as a physical extension of the actual piece.
Through this work I
aim to convey how important imagination is to our culture, and what a powerful
tool it is in carving our own personal identity. Imagination is something found
in every single living person. It is the ability to form a mental image of
something that is not perceived through the five senses. The ability to build
mental scenes, objects or events that does not exist; making it possible to
experience a whole world inside the mind. This is what my installation represents.
The collage of books evoke to the audience that narratives are produced purely
by the imagination of an individual. Without imagination no story/picture books
would exist. I plan to illustration the figure of an author as the main subject
on the collage in respect to their creative capabilities to express their
imagination.
A major public concern
that could arise would be during the construction process of my work. I need to
make sure that the installation on the wall is carried out safely especially
managing to securely tighten my collage on the wall without damaging the
exterior and making sure that it would not fall harming any viewer.
Examples of my idea idea
ArtistEkaterina Panikanova
Panikanova describes these works as Errata, "a set of aesthetic and conceptual works made of signs and not controlled."
13 Beautiful Collages, Made From Old Books
The Russia and Italy based artist Ekaterina Panikanova uses books to create stunning abstract collages.
The starting point for this project was
consecutively the material, and the location. The cling wrap came as a result
of group discussion and brainstorming possible ideas; this was the only
material we all found pleasing, and agreed upon. The location was singled out
by assessing the locations and choosing one based on our ideas of an appealing
location; the high point, open space, and seclusion was what initially
attracted us. It was through the process of experimentation and the construction
of the artwork that ideas were formed. Prompting from the outcomes and the
fragility and flexibility of the material produced concepts that would apply to
the nature of the artwork and the impression it evokes.
From multiple experiments with stretching the
cling wrap across a space, and the way it reacted with the surroundings, we
settled on using it in a simplistic way to draw attention to the way it
responds to the natural elements, particularly the wind. During construction we
found that it was too simplistic and didn’t do much to adjust the space. We
tried including a bench that was originally part of the space, but it was
aesthetically displeasing as it made it look too busy. We sought to come up with something to
include that would remedy this problem. Being inspired by the works of several
artists who interacted directly with people, in particular Marina Abramovic, we
settled on the idea of performance, or interactive art.
The cling wrap of the finished piece forms an
enclosed barrier, within which a person could be situated. The person inside
the enclosed space represents the collective ‘individual’, and the cling wrap
is the barrier of their perceptions of themselves, within which we are all
trapped. The idea is that our thoughts and perspectives, even those of our
subconscious, form and shape our physical reality, and our behaviour. Inside
our brain, our thoughts are not physical, but they are still physicalised
through both conscious and subconscious carrying out of thought.
An example is the effect current technology has
on us. Social media is all about self promotion; the mass input of posts that
are all about the individual, and what they are doing leads to a very self
absorbed way of thinking that our generation has adapted. This mental state in turn influences us
externally; it impacts and controls our lives to the point where we our turned
inwards mentally, forming a barrier; a limited perception. The physical version
of this barrier present in the artwork is transparent like its real counterpart,
yet still has the ability to have a profound effect on the individual.
The outcome was as we envisioned, however we encountered some
weather related issues; the cling wrap was broken apart by the weight of
overnight rain. There were some interesting aesthetic qualities that resulted,
though. While a lot of the barrier had fallen down, some still remained
suspended in the space, capturing the rain. The collection of raindrops on the
plastic was also quite lovely. In this state, rather than capturing the wind,
as it did when it was dry, it captured water instead. This unexpected outcome
ruled out the possibility of an interactive performance, but provided
opportunities for problem solving, and produced an outcome that was more
aesthetic than conceptual.
Building the base:
