The annual Spring Show offers another opportunity to show my work in progress to the public. Switching to paper, I now have a lighter and gentler modus operandi and, as a result, the forms are more sculptural, abstract and delicate. While the installation still has a minimalist aesthetic, adding a touch of colour offers a much more interesting prospect to viewers.
Less is more at the Spring Show. With just three pieces on display, the all-important white space allows the installation as a whole to breathe. Photo Shirley A
It was interesting to compare how viewers reacted to my work compared with the Winter Show. Both are large installations that invite the viewer in; both installations are made from beige-coloured packaging materials. But here the comparisons end. For the Winter Show, the cardboard cutouts had a more imposing, ominous feel. They looked awkward as did viewers who wandered through cautiously. This could be because of their construction. In making large pieces that would stretch from floor to ceiling I had joined two pieces together with tape, but hadn’t considered the grain direction (flutes) of the cardboard and how, taped together horizontally, they would flop over, which happened during installation and resulted in creases. Such towering constructions looked as though they would fall down.
The paper coils of the Spring Show were a gentler proposition. Viewers considered the display before wandering through and would stop for longer periods to consider the individual pieces. In this display, there were no overhanging pieces and because the artworks were mainly on the floor, that’s where their eyes went. At the Winter Show, viewers were looking up down, and to the sides, and used more of their bodies to interact with the work, and this is what I want for my work. An installation cannot be completely immersive if only the eyes are experiencing the work.
Considered positioning of the artworks permits viewers to walk around the installation, stop and consider each piece individually. Photo Shirley A
Leading up to the show, I played around with the display, positioning the coiled forms in various groupings – their beige colour matched that of the floor, providing an almost desert setting, and in one arrangement the smaller coils appeared like a group of sheltering nomads. But less proved to be more, and so just two large coils were shown along with the painted test pieces hanging as a background. This is now a simpler, more mature work. The space between each item has been carefully considered and I can see that more space will further enhance the installation as a whole. Stepping back, the Oudolf Field at Hauser & Wirth Somerset comes to mind, with its grassy mounds.
Grassy mounds at the Oudolf Field, Hauser & Wirth, Somerset. Photo Jason Ingram and Hauser & Wirth
A 25m paper roll was painted yellow on one side, then twisted and coiled, and fixed with garden twine. Photo Shirley A
I find that my Japanese influences are coming more into play as the project develops, with an almost zen interplay between object and space. Indeed, following a fictioning workshop with Karen David, in which I had developed the secret garden element of the cardboard installation, we discussed my display and she commented that my secret garden had now been transformed into a zen landscape