Also, and just in keywords, ideas for the next brainstoming: we could think again about relocating interior scenes to the outside, e.g. carpet or metaphorically turning the place underneath the bridge into a room. Also, working with light and reflection might be interesting to focus peoples’ attention to the usually rather dark space. Just so you have my first few thoughts…

See you soon. Katharina X

Let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions as to what to add, subtract, or simply rephrasings that might make it more appealing.  If anyone doesn’t like this idea, well….tough luck for now.  I’ve tried to leave it pretty open to alterations during the planning process. 

 —————————————————————–

Statement: 

We propose to create an artwork with a large participatory element at the Big Chill festival.  The piece will be site-specific, and event specific, drawing from the nearby woods, and the nature of the festival environment.  The piece initially will be somewhat of a cynical statement about the institutionalization of leisure time, but will evolve over the course of the festival, through the interactions between our group and festival goers, into a more convivial piece about the potentials of temporary communities. 

Of course, as the particulars of our projects are left, to an extent, in the hands of others, there are always possibilities of unexpected outcomes, but if different participants decide to contribute in contrary ways it will only make the project more interesting, and more representative of the spectrum of Big Chill attendees. 

Physical Description: 

We will revise the particulars of our project as needed once we get more specific information about the site, or if through discussion, we feel that a slight alteration is necessary.  However, as it stands right now, the piece will consist of a miniature forest with trees made of inexpensive but durable industrial materials, probably white PVC piping (By miniature we mean with a limited number of trees, while the trees themselves will certainly be taller than a person).  The trees therefore will be quite cold, rigid and angular. The bare trees will be the initial state of the project at the opening of the festival. 

We may also compile basic statistical information about the Big Chill festival, turn it into rather cold and bureaucratic pie charts and diagrams, and print them on small sheets of paper.  The participatory element will come through our interactions with the festival goers.  We will ask anyone who chooses to participate to write or draw something (anything!) on the reverse side of a chart.  The statements will then be hung from the trees like leaves, so that over the three days of the festival the bare and angular tree skeletons will be increasingly obscured, or overshadowed, by the written statements. 

As far as weather-proofing goes, we will likely simply cover the statements with Contac-paper.  All we would need at night is a few spotlights to make the trees visible and the statements readable.  The pieces will be participatory not only in its creation, but also in its viewing; requiring people to get close to read, and to wander from tree to tree. 

Health and Safety: 

Exact health and safety details might require a bit more information about the festival, such as whether or not there will be security guards watching the artwork overnight.  However, this is a project that evolves, as opposed to a project that we simply create and leave.  Therefore members of our group will be with the artwork at all times during the hours of the festival.  We would prefer that people be able to approach the work and interact with it at any hour of the day/night, however, if the Art Trail planners wanted to limit interaction to times when we were present, and put up a boundary at night, we would consider it. 

            In terms of our interactions with festival attendees, we are well aware of the ethical concerns of working with public.  We will, however, not censor any of the statements to be hung on the trees.

Budget: 

It is impossible to determine a budget at this point, although it will certainly be rather small.  All we need are the above-mentioned inexpensive materials (PVC pipe, paper, ink, markers, string or wire, Contac-paper), as well as travel and accommodation expenses from London.

People: 

We are rather lo-tech in operation.  We don’t undertake anything that can’t be done by us 8 alone.  So we will be enough. 

Timetable: 

We imagine that we’d begin buying materials at the beginning of July, when we would do the preparatory work.  Assembling the piece will not take too much time, we would probably not need the five allotted days of setup, two might be enough, and allow also for any unforeseen problems.  It would also disassemble quickly, so we would have to problem having everything out by August 4^th. 

Things we need: 

1. title of proposed artwork…okay?  Shall we just pick something obscure and meaningless that we could apply to anything?

2. General statement – okay

3.  Physical description of piece…..we may want to narrow down our ideas a bit, or we can be vague and hope that they’ll be intrigued enough to give us an interview.

4. Health and safety issues….which depends on the project.  Although I think we’d be quite aware of those issues in any case.

5. Proposed budget….that’s going to be difficult

6. Support team…I think we’re enough of a support team on our own.  Besides, we are lo-tech and do things ourselves.

7. Timetable, when we could have it up by, and when we’d need to buy things. 

8. CV.  Would that be a CV of our collective or a personal CV?  We would probably have a pretty damn impressive CV if we put all our lives together.  Maybe we could put the 2 or 3 most relevant things from all our resumes, and then of course that we all go to the wonderful and fantastic and ‘cutting edge’ goldsmiths college of awesome.

9. Images.  Images of previous work is no problem.  They also want images (even just drawings or plans) for the proposed project.  I don’t think they are a necessity, but it’s something to think about.

Not that this is undoable, but I’m going to need some more input from you all.

I was thinking about cleo’s tree thing, which I thought was cool.  Also the idea about doing something using really corporate or office-related materials and strategies to contrast with the leisure atmosphere.   Could we maybe combine the two?  It would be pretty funny if we made ourselves a mini forest (like three trees) out of white PVC pipes and joints.  All right angled  and everything.  And instead of leaves we could use pieces of yellow legal pad or something, hehehehe.  Or maybe I’m just entertaining myself.  I also thought the presentation thing was funny (whether or not you were being serious).  We could gather a whole bunch of data about the festival, and put into some really cold and unfriendly pie charts etc.  Maybe we could incorporate that into our forrest somehow.  If we did the tree thing though we’d have to find a way to make the paper water-proof.  (contac-paper?!)

 Let me know your thoughts!

 -melanie

Hi everyone. These are my notes on the presentations.  Keep me posted… Katharina XX

presentations.doc

So here are some of my ideas on the individual events (aside from of course including a summary of what we’ve already done, and what we’re about as a group)

Big Chill:

-A project created through us as a group in collaboration with other artists, festival-goers and workers at big chill.  This would emphasize the creation of a temporary community at the festival.  The project could evolve over the three days/nights of the festival as more people contribute.  It would become a kind of amalgamation of traces of a multiplicity of experiences of the weekend. 

For example: We could find a bunch of used furniture, cheap but homey and domestic, then let people alter it however they wanted (which we’d have to provide materials for.  Paint on it, glue things on it, destroy it, use it, etc. I guess this whole process could start before the festival even starts, during the setup process, which is when we could involve a lot of the behind the scenes people.

London Festival of Architecture:

The theme is Fresh! so we have to work around that which I don’t think will be a problem.

i.e. We encourage people to look at their everyday environment in a fresh way. 

We create affective and defined space without using the traditional tools of architecture: walls, floors, ceilings, etc.  Instead we use situations and interpersonal connections.

We work with existing spaces.  We don’t exactly redefine these spaces, but attempt to strip them of their existing definitions so people can create new and contrary definitions.

Possible spaces: Traffic islands, building foyers etc etc etc.

We should probably send off and email soon expressing interest in participating in the festival, unless alistair has already done that. 

That’s about it from me at this point.

I hope everyoone’s “breaks” are going well.

-melanie

 Just a quick mail to say well done – you did good!!!  I hope you enjoyed the lab experience it was fun working with you.  Let me know if you’re coming to Goldsmiths  (via my Goldsmiths e-mail) and maybe we can meet for a cup of tea.

Regards

Clare

ps you might be interested in this work http://www.flyingcity.kr

Softback 240 pages no illustrations, 210 x 145 mm
Available to customers in the UK and Europe only
ISBN 978-0-85488-159-8
£12.95

AND link to the Radio 4 programme all about grey:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7259510.stm

Cleo