Staging the lifeclass (through Maradona)
2015
A residency project undertaken at Dorich House, the former home and studio of sculptor Dora Gordine. The house itself can be seen as a platform constructed by Gordine in 1936 for the staging of her artwork. She implicated herself as a character within a carefully choreographed 'client' experience, centred on her sculptures and built into the architecture of the house. The character of Maradona was introduced as subject/object as a reaction or a catalyst. A series of three 'life classes' were staged at Dorich House.
Considering the abject (as represented by Maradona and/or by tracksuits) as a breakdown of conventional structures or hierarchies, my work subverted the concept of the life class by cheating. 'Cheating' the life class meant avoiding drawing. For me this began by appropriating the drawing of others through the use of carbon paper inserted under their drawing. From here it snowballed:
A residency project undertaken at Dorich House, the former home and studio of sculptor Dora Gordine. The house itself can be seen as a platform constructed by Gordine in 1936 for the staging of her artwork. She implicated herself as a character within a carefully choreographed 'client' experience, centred on her sculptures and built into the architecture of the house. The character of Maradona was introduced as subject/object as a reaction or a catalyst. A series of three 'life classes' were staged at Dorich House.
Considering the abject (as represented by Maradona and/or by tracksuits) as a breakdown of conventional structures or hierarchies, my work subverted the concept of the life class by cheating. 'Cheating' the life class meant avoiding drawing. For me this began by appropriating the drawing of others through the use of carbon paper inserted under their drawing. From here it snowballed:
- Doing an action that equates to drawing
- Drawing is creating lines, the action of drawing in the technique of spinning
- Life drawing = an action which crystallizes the body in a gesture/pose. Video tape = capture of human bodies.
- Spinning > creating a quality of line from the capture (video tape) of human bodies/gesture/pose.
- Spinning the video tapes of the 1986 World Cup - Maradona becomes a drawn line, within Dorich House.
- Spinning with the hair of the 'models' - body becomes line.
- Life drawings (made at a conventional class) become 3-dimensional footballs
- The changing room > the link between sport and nude life drawing. The act of changing sets the social context for each activity. Expectations are created, rituals
Video with sound: To each his own fear [01:48]