Statistics

I've begun looking at statistics relating to life. For instance, the amount we sleep in a lifetime, or how much time we spend queuing. I want to incorporate these sort of stats in my final project as 'food for thought'. When we think about our lives I don't think we realise how much is contained in them. Time is a huge part of out lives and what we spend it on.
 I have created some prototype tags containing statistics, in the way that I plan to use them in my exhibition.  

I would like to find a whole variety of statistics relating to all aspects of our lives and create a tag for them all.  I have created a survey regarding how long we, individually, take to do things like: shower, eat, walk etc in a day. I have compiled the results and used some of the statistics in my tags. Although I haven't been able to use a large sample, I have used a wide age range, and I think it is more resourceful to use statistics I have specifically found and analysed myself. 

Collections.

I'm now looking at collections. Objects which are kept over periods of time, or objects which are kept in jars or cases or objects which have been collected (for instance stamps commonly.). I have researched different collections and found some very interesting choices: my favourites were soviet- made calculators and mangles.
I want to create a collection which demonstrates a life. A room which contains all the things from a lifetime, as if a person's life is not huge and spread over years, as if it can be condensed into a small space.
As research I have begun putting things in jars, quite simple objects: buttons, jewellery, thread. I would like to expand this further to more random objects, especially more unexpected paraphernalia.

What would it look like if I could place all the buttons a person has on their clothes, in their lifetime, in a jar? Or all the food a person eats in their lifetime in a room? This is what i want my work to represent, and I am working towards a goal of achieving a piece which demonstrates a life in these terms.

I have also been looking at the idea of a suitcase being a metaphor for a home, and I would like to move onto my car. I would like to fill my car with furniture/ objects, to create a mobile life. As this also relates to collections I have done a trial run using balloons.

It was difficult to get a photo of the balloons through the glass, and then difficult to get the balloons in the boot of the car without them falling out. I think the overall idea would be better using furniture or possibly other more stationary items (e.g balls). The balloons were too lightweight.

Psycho buildings

It is literally inexplicable how much I wish I had been to this exhibition.

'Psycho Buildings' at the Hayward Gallery 2008.

All the images were taken from: http://www.dezeen.com/2008/05/31/psycho-buildings-at-the-hayward/

Suitcases.

A suitcase.


I am now working with the idea of a home containing a life- possessions that are a person. Although objects really mean nothing, when someone is gone, what they leave behind are their things. If someone travels, whether it is often for instance, with their job, or just occasionally on holiday; what they take in their suitcase is them. It is specifically with this idea I am investigating. 
            I, firstly, asked people to fill a suitcase with their things. Only a small suitcase, and the things could be ANYTHING. The idea was that what they put in the suitcase would be them. It could be what they would actually put in a suitcase, or completely random. 

        Some people (image 1) chose to create a selection of memories/ favourite things: something that when looking at it could really demonstrate the characteristics of a person. Whereas, some people (image 2 and 3) chose just things they had with them, which in the case of image 2 was still quite a good indicator of their likes and interests. However image 3 shows what I would class to be the most random suitcase, which doesn't show much about the person. I loved the contrast of things- and in particular, the amount of things. 
        For each suitcase I noted what objects were chosen, and I then created tags for each image. My idea was mostly to demonstrate how possessions can mean nothing (I noted them on one side of the tag with the bare minimum of information) and yet can be everything to a person- or an actual person (on the opposite side of the tag I used more detail- therefore giving more detail of the person.). 

The collection is not finished, I wish to add to it- hopefully an entire wall of people and their lives within boxes. 




A home within a box. 


The idea of dollhouses has been brought into my studies, mostly by the flats in Camberwell I photographed, and the exhibition 'Psycho buildings' that Rachel Whiteread completed a piece for.  Whilst using the suitcases I experimented with furniture from dollhouses- a home inside a suitcase- a metaphor for the possessions in a suitcase. 

I also completed these suitcases because I wanted to produce a piece in the likeness of two by Duchamp  and Joseph Cornell; they created a whole persona in photos and papers inside a suitcase. The results are displayed on complete white backgrounds which I thought was very effective. 

 This whole idea is progressing well and I feel there are a lot more paths I can go down. I would specifically like to do something involving light, drawing inspiration from the aforementioned Rachel Whiteread exhibition.