“It feels very British. Like an earnest London stock brick, or a ham and pickle roll.”
I see positions of sad and pensiveness. Depression… But also considered them to possibly be poses of relaxation. Up close the forms feel organic. A half-considered arrangement of varying blocks that seem less intentional.
The vibrant but organic looking dirty orange colour brings a covetus earthiness to the polished concrete gallery floor. I felt like I was intruding on an autumn afternoon… We tread carefully between these bodies beneath a warm thick cloudy sky. The bodies have a ‘why is the sky blue?’ kinda’ effect. The room as a whole is so well assembled. At first it was quite overstimulating, but after that first wave, I allowed my mind to engage instead of evade the challenge of experiencing it.
A pile of bricks or blocks? Concrete blocks I assume, due to the variation in size and shape. But it feels very British. Like an earnest London stock brick, or a ham and pickle roll. Purple bruises on each of the blocks personified the gloom I felt on entry. It was funny stumbling across, and then searching for some of the more erotic positions. The work developed into a more light hearted experience as I covered more ground.
I just remembered I didn’t come here alone! Misty disappeared into the patchy grass of living bodies wrapped in black and blues. After a desperate scan of the room I noticed her sat down, in the field of bodies, in all orange, demonstrating her live performance contribution. Seeing her sat down just opened up a new consideration. Closer to the ground. Amongst the still.
My head now just about peaks up over the forms. I’m sat within what feels like a town in warm place and now the architectural qualities to the piece reveal themselves. Rural streetscapes and metropolitan density stand as utopian monuments. I say utopian more so when I noticed symmetry in the forms.
No framework, no joints and no adhesive. These lightweight blocks now feel heavy. Monolithic. Primitive. (I know the blocks are light as the kid in me thought to use my foot to push one). To my success.
I’m so much more excited with this second type of experience. I think my miss and memory of architecture is being stimulated. I feel like an architect again. Comforted by familiar proportions and one of my favourite colours. What does the population look and act like? This is not quite sonder though. I look into the distance and see a skyline. I’m looking for patterns and gradual incline in height. Amongst the 1000’s of blocks/buildings, where’s was the epicentre? The centre? Where does capitalism begin? Who runs this town?
I spent the rest of my time up again and looking back down at each body trying to identify the positions… To then fall into the associated mood and emotion.
Outside the intrusive gander of other people. I thoroughly enjoyed the yard. A giant playground of discovery. Though I didn’t count, I’m pretty certain that each of the pieces were unique.