BARGEHOUSE - Spectrum - Reflection
Reflections on Bargehouse
To begin, on the old wall I had placed XingXin and Beth together on one wall, with Beth hung low, as though she was looking up at XingXin. Then on the second wall I placed myself high on the wall and Charley low, Ellie in the middle and Orla just under me.
When my worked changed space, I changed the layout to have Xingxin and Charley on one wall with Xingxin higher and Charley lower. This was partly due to the pipe running down the wall creating a division which was unequal in size. When I placed each painting in the space, XingXin and Charley filled the space the most effectively.
Talking To Women
I then decided to break XingXin and Beth up, moving Beth to the second wall. I did this to balance out the weight of the wall. Her portrait is made up of two board, and is bigger than Ellie, myself and Charley. I wanted to bring a rhythm to the wall. Creating a flow as you move from one painting to another, mimicking the flow of a conversation. Starting with Xingxing and ending in Orla.
Both paintings of Orla and Xingxin have turquoise tones and hands reaching out on their own boards. Xingxin and Orla have both been placed so their hands are pointing inwards towards the other women and each other. To me this created a containment for my space.
Video's demonstrating audio sound works and audience interaction.
When thinking about the sound pieces I made to accompany the work, it had varied success. I didn’t write a sign saying: ‘please scan the QR codes to hear interviews’, as I wanted to observe how many people scanned without being asked to, and who would then play the audio YouTube file out loud.
However, many of the other artists’ works had QR codes, which took you to their Instagram or website, so the link to YouTube was unexpected and sometimes overlooked.
When people did scan the QR code and listen to the sound piece, it was successful as folks would play the sound out loud and the interviews would fill and echo around the space. Sometimes you were able to hear several women speaking at once as different people played the works aloud.
I also enjoyed how folks would place their phone next to their ear to listen. This is the same method I use when listening to voice notes, it feels intimate and slightly wrong playing sounds out loud in public.
For the next exhibition Dirty Laundry, I am planning to experimenting with speakers, within the space.
Process of Hanging : First Hang
Originally my work was placed on a cracked and broken wall in the dark corner of the space. The wall was very textured and I felt like this took away from my work. However, I did enjoy the work being set across two walls.
The tutors re-evaluated and rearranged the space, my paintings were moved into a larger, brighter space which opened up the work and allowed me to play with the hang more.
In the new space, I was able to play around with the composition of the women. During this process, I thought about colour and the internal narratives created by placing one woman beside another. This first set of photos represents this, and the first space my work was hung in.
Second Hang
First Hang
