This event involved four participants. Each person was given a headset and invited to wander around the Russel Coates gallery in Bournemouth, which is a collection of curiosities and artefacts from the Victorian era. The idea was to have the body was in the Russel Coates museum, but the ears in the Turbine hall at Tate Modern. The audio they were given was a year old recording of ambience in Tate Modern which included snatches of discussion by visitors and the sounds of children playing.
After the participants had had as much time as they wanted, they came back and chatted about their experience.
The resulting collected data exists as verbal and written feedback from the participants (although not asked to write feedback two participants very generously submitted written notes).
The reason I organised this event was to observe to what extent you can nuance the experience that an audience has in a traditional museum art space. I have become interested in the variety of art experiences that audiences have access to and what their sensorial expectations are of these spaces. If I can understand these expectations I feel I will engage in a more valuable dialogue with my own audience.
The Russel Coates seemed like a good space to start as the expectations we have about the collection start as soon as we approach the house and realise that it is a former victorian dwelling by the sea. It is also the sort of art space where people primarily go in order to visit the cafe.
Upon analysis of the submitted data certain themes can be recognised. Although this was a small sample of people a recurring comment was that although at first the sound was distracting it quickly became immersive. It then became a shock to remove the headset and hear the "real world" once again. Another recurring idea was that it inspired reflections of internal and external space. One participant illustrated thisby explaining that as she looked out of the window whilst wearing the headset she imagined that she could be listening to the people on the beach far below and yet be totally removed, as if she were watching a film.
From the feedback data I have realised that it doesn't need to be a live link or a "swap" to encourage a response. I have also learned that even without visual or tactile stimulus I can effectively encourage the audience to reflect upon their body in space and what/where their own internal and external spaces could be.
In many ways the art spaces that I have appropriated in this art event are not comparable. It was therefore interesting for me to juxtaposition them and almost create a parallel.
As a test of boundaries and how we imagine that which is on the other side of the wall.
As we live in a semi detached house and know our neighbours very well, we often joke that we should simply knock the wall down.
This wall is an example of an unwelcome boundary.
I thought about tackling the problem by embracing the wall and turning it into a window rather than a screen.
When I approached them they were happy to let me to create a virtual window. I used the go-pro HD camera to get a good widescreen shot.
We could then see each other as if we were in the same room.
It was a great surprise for Keane (on the left) who immediately engaged with the window.
I have yet to analyse the future potential for this work, but like the conceptual idea of removing something, in this case a wall, from a space without physically altering it.
In this event a breathing space was created in a cupboard under the stairs. The intention was to find a confined dark space and so concentrate the effect that the audio has on the listeners breathing.
Three participants were involved in this test. The data collected exists as audio and the artist's notes resulting from conversations in situ.
The participants took time to immerse themselves in the space alone and together. When alone two out of three participants mentioned that the sound heightened the awareness they had of their own breath. This was for two reasons: firstly they tried to keep pace with the track and couldn't; secondly, the interruption they experienced increased their desire to breath more freely.
Observation:
Although interesting as a test I have yet to imagine how to use the audio in a space which is not dark and enclosed. This limits its potential for interaction.
The artist attempts to measure critical engagement.
What if we could measure critical engagement by looking (visually) at sound?
Here are the wave form and sonogram images of art gallery ambience placed one above the other. In which one do you think is the more informed, more critically engaged audience? In which space are the audience more at ease and comfortable? In which situation do you think the audience learned something about themselves in the world?
An image raises a hundred questions.
I suppose the reason I'm interested in looking at this is to visualise the verbal for once instead of the other way around.
Here are some images of my first materials test for my installation. The presentation is rudimentary, so please excuse this.
To explain: it is a live feed of a small sand pit. The audience (aka my flatmates) are invited to create their own landscapes. Not having any buckets and spades to hand, I've substituted eggcups. This was then projected as large as I could onto one wall of our living room. The effect was like having an ever changing landscape painting on the wall.
If I could I would have a cleaner space on which to project. I would also use a bigger sand pit and make my own moulds to be used as sand castle buckets.
I've used sand this time. We're so close to the beach. I have a theory that the sandy beaches down here in Bournemouth encourage a distinctive behaviour in the residents. Sand has been a recurring material in the work I've been looking at. I've probably been quite influenced.
·Ask in-depth questions about the form of my
work; whether is it to a professional standard and successful and relevant in
todays art culture.
The main themes I have so far identified in my work
Perception and scale of the human body
How do we understand how big or small we are in
relation to everything else around us?
How can we suggest this idea to an audience?
When an ankle becomes a mountain or a cake
becomes a planet, does our perception or understanding of our own scale change?
I find this question especially interesting when
considering screens on laptops or phones.
Skin and the screen
Are these essentially the same thing?
Conceptually they are similar as they are barriers between two worlds.
Immersive environments that explore separation
The screen as something which is no longer
static and rectangular, but something that surrounds us or moves with us
Creator and Audience
Who is responsible for the completion of an
artwork?
In relational aesthetics there is a tendency to
champion process over product. Who ultimately takes ownership of the content
generated in this process?
As I aim to immerse my audience what role can
they play in the process of making?
Conclusion or concepts identified for further study
The audience as subject, object or site
The performative aspect of creating digital
content
Relational aesthetics in digital media/
interactive media
I was drawn back to study my MA in Interactive media to push
the boundaries of my art work and explore the potential my installations have
to be more engaging for an audience. My aim for this year is to study the
interaction that the audience has with my installations in order to assess the
quality of experience I am capable of providing.
In this blog I will:
Study or “deconstruct” my practice in order to
critically analyse its value and refine my conceptual output
Contextualise my work by exploring the work of
other artists and thinkers
Learn about new interactive media techniques and
how these affect the channels of communication between artist and audience.
I hope that by approaching my year of study with these
objectives in mind I might develop an awareness of how to produce high quality
interactive installations. I also hope
to contribute to the wider discussion around the role of the artist in an era
where the boundaries between the author and audience are becoming increasingly
blurred.
http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/West_Yorkshire/West_Bretton/pictures/1086833
