Dance Collaboration
I have the privilege of joining forces with Jatie Tucker, a fierce mover, whose thoughtful approach to working has allowed for a free flowing process. With a shared passion for movement and play, it felt natural to see what we could achieve together. I have a very physical approach to my work and its how i connect to what is going on with me. Being a dancer, naturally, Jatie could resonate.
Trust in the process is key to exploration and to the success of the session. We spoke about what came up for us as we experienced this piece through sight and touch. Sexy and unhinged was what came up for us, this was our spring board.
Jatie responded with loose and energetic movement, incorporating more emotion as they danced through their process. They let go the more they explored the piece and as the music changed, so did the motion. During this, Jatie, added touch as the third sense, unlocking further movement in this sensory experience. What was really fascinating, was just how much the energy went from sexy to vulnerable. The more Jatie felt the piece, the further they explored what it meant to them and what feelings came up. This compliments the concept that there is more than what meets the eye.
What came up for us after was a better understanding of why we do what we do. Opening up is a vulnerable thing and its personal. However sharing this experience gives way to self understanding and acceptance.
This is the first of a deep dive series, where we explore what these paintings, coupled with dance, can do and where we can take this work. We already feel a sense of expansion and it is our hope that a performance will emerge that we can share to a wider audience.
Stretch
This free flowing and textural creation, was one of the first pieces i did in this series. It was the first of its kind. This instantly became the blueprint for all the pieces that came after. From start to finish, this was an exciting process for me as an artist, not knowing what was going to happen. It was a risk full of happy accidents.
It started when I was water proofing on a building next to the Barbican in London, with EPDM membrane. To apply the material to the roof, we used adhesive (mastic). I instantly enjoyed the way it moved, tough and viscous yet soft and smooth. It induced me to play, whilst we spread it, covering everywhere in a sticky treacle like layer. Using the spatula I could create a variety of textures. I loved the way it responded to the tools, anything you did to it was captured.
I took some home and I allowed myself the freedom to play with it, without limits. I quickly realised how much frustration I was able to release. This process of play freed my stagnant mind, allowing me to reflect on my current headspace.
It wasn’t just the mastic but also the ink that permitted this sense of freedom in the piece. Neither substance is very forgiving, once a mark has been made there is no going back. This is a great way to own your mark making and let go. Eventually to my my relief and excitement, a powerful and beautiful image emerged from the mess. A one of kind piece.
Read the rest of the story below to catch up!
Following on from the initial story and after missing posters had been pinned up across parts of London. A local journalist got in contact via social media to discuss publishing the story of my missing piece in the Camden new journal. Find rest of the story below!
Click link below for PDF of the said issue and article:
In a shocking twist at the O2 Centre, Finchley Rd, North London, a piece of artwork titled “holding the score” vanished, valued at £1000. The juxtaposition of the theft with the recent legitimate sale of another piece for £700 prompts a deeper exploration off the elusive nature of art ownership and enigmatic motivations of the thief.
The stolen artwork portrays a male figure, “a shadow man”, defiantly holding up an arm, embodying resilience. Textured details suggest scarring, inviting contemplation of evolution and value as we strive through life. The incident itself opening up a new journey for the piece as it too, accumulates its own value through this experience.
We are prompted to reevaluate conventional ideas about art ownership, to challenge assumptions about who truly possesses a piece of art and does it need to be owned. The artwork seemingly takes on a life of its own, raising questions wether the creator, the buyer or the thief claims ownership. The audacity of someone to go to great lengths to obtain a piece from a public space challenges conventional notions of possession or at least in a capitalist setting.
The essence of the situation capture in a poem written by the artist:
“real beauty, like happiness, can’t be pinned,
neither packaged,
it's fleeting.
Is it peripheral? can it be looked at or just explained?
can it hold? does it want to?
how long can something stay sweet until it turns sour?
The poem reflects on the transient nature of beauty, its resistance to be owned and encapsulated. I contemplate the impermanence of feelings and beauty. The pursuit of ownership and beauty, driven by the desire to capture fleeting beauty, is a reflection of humanity’s attempt to enhance personal deficiencies.
In the wake of the stolen artwork, the saga unfolds as a captivating exploration of arts intangible allure and the complex interplay between value, ownership and ephemeral nature of beauty. The actions, wether driven by a rejection of social valuations or a genuine desire for the art, adds layers surrounding the phenomena of the stolen artwork, transforming it into a symbol of elusive beauty and artistic enigma.
I invites you to stick with this idea of value as I explores my options in response to this experience. Whilst placing value on it initially myself and then having it taken from under my feet, I aim to regain some control over the fate of the artwork. A plan to implement a callout has been initiated, with missing posters appearing around north, east and central London. The aim, aside from spreading awareness of the robbery, is to use this opportunity to build interest and therefore value in the artist and my work as a whole.
However, to me the situation calls for more urgency and retaliation. In a bid to gain the upper hand, i have decided that i will distribute my own copies of “holding the score”. Whilst the original is still out there and thief still at large, these cheap knock offs would be given out to the people, changing the context of how the artwork is seen and essentially devaluing my own work. If i can redistribute as he sees fit, am I the owner? If the people all have a copy, are they the owners?
Short term devaluation, long term gain? we shall see, as the artists response will shape how the public see my work. Although, it seems that to me the real art is what experience the artist yields in response to the act, with the painting only being the catalyst for what is to come.
