I performed a work for an exhibition in Bristol recently, the work is entitled 'Canvas Unpicked and Dipped II' It consisted of me pulling canvas from a stretcher, unpicking it thread by thread and dipping the threads in oil medium before remaking the canvas by laying the threads back over the stretcher.
The performance seemed to be quite mesmerising for many viewers. However the whole thing looked rough, practical and as if it was a studio space. This meant many viewers had trouble reading the performance as a whole. Instead they were looking at it as if I was making a piece, not that the act of unpicking and dipping was the work.
Even though it was not a complete success it was well received and gave me alot to think about. The performance needs simplifying and staging more. The other route however would be to accept the object as the work and to concentrate on making the performance evident in the object itself.
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