No apologies in stating that play is not just for kids, in fact we can learn a lot from children and the way they test and take risks, through playfulness. This ‘experiment’ is an example of how I play in my studio and then reflect and question as a way to learn from the experience.
When The Buzz arcade in Coventry City Centre closed about a year ago, a friend of mine Alex was helping the owner with the clear out – he invited me around for a nosy and of course I could not refuse. The arcade was decorated as a homage to Christmas all year round, so there was all sorts of ‘stuff’, which the owner said I could help myself to. Coventry people are incredibly generous and open to possibillities. I took photos and tried my best to be selective in my choice of objects to take back to the studio. I took away a selection of plastic Happy Millenium signs, christmas decorations, a plastic angel which plays music, machine reels and buttons and a flashing sign. The above image is a juxtaposition of two of the objects, which I have also filmed in motion.
This work marks the earlier phase of the House of Lines work, which I began in my previous studio space and reworked in my new one. It was a breakthrough when I began to group and classify my work, suddenly it became apparent that lines were inherently of interest to me – straight, crossed, scrambled and what happens when a line is no longer a line…
Drawing with your eyes closed is a technique I tend to encourage others to use, in particular in response to touch, e.g touching your face and drawing the shapes you feel – this can be a real challange. The idea enables people to experiment with the process of drawing and discover it for themselves.
Recently I have applied this to the process of reflecting on my most significant dreams. I have found the process particularly potent in capturing the visual interpretation of the sequence of activity and the later recollection of this.
