Reflecting......

Light Comes, Light goes

Following last week's visit to the GSA archive, I've been thinking a lot about the non-archivable elements of the Mack building, the light, the atmosphere, the fleeting glances and conversations, largely passing by unnoticed, but put together creating the whole that gives the space it's atmosphere and character

Some elements are ever changing, never emerging in the same way twice. The light is one of those things, it changes subtley minute to minute and, in the passing of a few hours, can completely change the way one percieves the space. I took a trip round the stairs and back corridors, aiming to find some interesting light and explore the effect that it has on the atmosphere and in turn, probably the work that's being created too.

The Oral Tradition

Back on the subject of the non-archiveable, I have been thinking about the oral tradition of the Mackintosh building; the stories that get passed on through generations of students and staff and perhaps get lost or, in a Chinese whispers kind of way, amended as time passes.

I would be interested in recording these stories or making some work that could be representative of what gets lost, the non-tangible stuff that's usually more interesting/funny or anecdotal than that which get's boxed and packaged and saved for future generations to meditate on and wonder what they can take from it that would give them a clue to help them understand the lives and experiences of those who have gone before them.

A bit on Oral History from Wikipedia-

Oral history can be defined as the recording, preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker.

It often takes the form of eye-witness evidence about past events, but can include folklore, myths, songs and stories passed down over the years by word of mouth. While it is an invaluable way of preserving the knowledge and understanding of older people, it can also involve interviewing younger generations. More recently, the use of video recording techniques has expanded the realm of oral history beyond verbal forms of communication and into the realm of gesture

Did you notice anything?

Philip Glasss', Silencio and Martin Creed's Turner Prize winning, Work No. 277, The lights going on and off have in common the heightened sense of awareness they give to the listener/viewer or participant in the work. In the absence of 'something' to listen to or look at, one looks around the space they occupy in a new way or, in the case of Silencio, listens to the unpredicatable symphony of sounds that exist already.

I like this idea, the idea that there doesn't need to be anything (loosley speaking) to make something happen in the mind of the participant. Although in both cases, something does exist; the CD or the lights going on and off, there is no 'work', in traditional terms.

This project has heightened my awareness of my everyday surroundings and made me look at the place where I come to work and learn through wider and more aware eyes. I would be interested in capturing something of the essence of Creed and Glass' work in the work I produce.

Only Passing Through

Some artists I've been looking at for this project are Eva Hesse (a perennial favorite of mine), Christine Borland and Arte Povera sorts like Pistoletto, particularly his reflection painitings and use of mirrors. I like the idea of capturing the mirror image of the days passing in the Mack, an etheral glimpse of people going about the business of creating and making work, much in the same way as they have done in this building for the past 100 years.