Documenting and planning for the real thing

Hi fellow interveners, now that we know we can't do any of this yet without doing the permission thing with Curtin and shopping centre, for our assessment we have to still document our collaboration and planning, possibly with a view to really doing something next year.

Pauline said that we can display our blog and any other documentation/planning efforts so far, as a collaboration, at the review.

I like Amanda's little timetable - it sets out all of our deliberations nicely. But I think it is alot of activity and needs more to make it coherent or meaningful in some way. But we can think further about all of that. Maybe we need to come up with a clearer theme and make that a little more explicit? What do others think?

Sharon and I went videoing, photographing and sketching last Friday at Midland Gate. I found this a really interesting experience in terms of restricting the aim of my cameras for ethical reasons. I found myself pointing it at the ground most of the time, except for window shots and wide long distance shots of the whole space. I can easily divide the still shots into two categories: space (floors, reflections, people's movements, architecture and fixtures) and "stuff "or mammon, consumer goods in non-biblical terms.. (shop window displays of artefacts, toys and clothing). I have put a few here as egs, unfortunately the blog doesn't seem to allow me to arrange them as I'd like - it keeps shutting me down every time I try to move them! But the first four are examples of stuff in windows, and I have alot more along the same line (some with miniature animals which look really freaky! and then following them a picture of some live puppies in the pet shop window). The six below those are egs of space, movement, reflections etc. The ones with reflections are quite beautiful in some way. I have heaps of these, with people's legs and trolleys moving through. I am making a presentation which I hope will depict this sense of movement and space.

Pauline suggested I use these ideas to extend the intervention into something of my own, but I just put them here as a contribution to our deliberations, as they might trigger something in someone!

I'm attempting to upload a slide show of the still shots - it is still a work in progress and any suggestions are welcome! I have had a few goes at uploading it here, it needs to be quite a small file and mine was huge. I have now done a Part 1 with a mixture of video and still shots. It should now appear below here.

Still having problems putting it here. I will try putting it on a wesite then putting a link.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=456851344665205810&hl=en

This link does work - it takes you to iGoogle videos where I have uploaded it. Still very much a draft.

I have now uploaded Part 2:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6953085373451061704&hl=en

Joy's superproject idea

[I really like Joy's idea below of combining everything. We might need to get together the following Friday to put all the results together? I'll have a think about some more questions to ask. I like the idea of buying things off people (if they will sell)!]

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering how you guys went on friday at the shops with Judy.

I thought a lot about it over the weekend.

I thought to combine everything, we could make a movie.

Perhaps, with the theme being about 'place', a documentation of human

behaviour.

I thought that maybe we could have a whole list of questions and actually interview people.We could tell people that we are artstudents and we are interested in what peoples individual reasons are for shopping.

Example questions: a. why did you come here?

b. how did you get here?

c. what did you buy here

d. can we buy something from you (all of us put in

$5 broken down into small change)

e. Do you come here often?

Perhaps; Amanda and I could be the interviewers, Amanda collects allof the things that any one wants to sell to us (from their ownshopping) and takes each thing to a special area and builds a shrineout of them.

I could be secretly trying to give hugs away and carry a notepad tokeep a tally of hugs I get to give away. (hee hee)I could tell thevideo camera that is what I'm doing, but not the people that weinterview.

Jill could be measuring and mapping things,anything and everything ie: where people talk to us (or not talk to us) onto a map of theshops and collecting any found objects and mapping them etc.

Sharon could be filming the whole movie documentation.

I still like the idea of a full on collaboration.

If anyone is up for a chat this mon or tues pm, I am available from 8pm til late and all day wed.

Home phone 93782459

mb 0415629663

or email me your no's I will call you.

draft plans for friday - please comment

Hi everyone. I've done a summary below with suggestions of times, where there is some overlap so that the others can join Jill, then Sharon after they have started by themselves. What do you think? Is there enough time or should we cut some out? Perhaps you can edit it with your own alterations (if possible?). Please refer to www.midlandgateshopping.com.au/map for map references.

ACTIVITY: Pilgrimage, Ritual Offerings - follow set route and certain rituals around centre
TIME: 9.00-10.00
PEOPLE: Amanda + J, J, S
PLACE: all around + quiet spot for shrine, perhaps L3 or K21?
NEEDS: dress in white?, money to buy offerings, map of route with rituals

ACTIVITY: Hugging Nurse - offer people free hugs
TIME: 10-11.00
PEOPLE: Joy + minders S, A?
PLACE: wandering, or fixed?
NEEDS: nurse uniform, minders in black with earplugs, hidden mikes (!) leaflets?

ACTIVITY: New World Study/ Archaeological Investigation - measure and record physical attributes of shopping centre
TIME: 10-11.30
PEOPLE: Jill+ others after 11.00
PLACE: everywhere?
NEEDS: clipboard, map, pencil, flags, labels, measuring tape, marker pegs, string, dress in khaki?

ACTIVITY: Relaxation Zone - create a relaxing space within but separate from the shopping centre
TIME: 11-12.00
PEOPLE: Sharon + others after 11.30?
PLACE: L7? (outside Miss Maud's)
NEEDS: comfy rug/bed, nice music, earphones?, candles?, boxes/ bowls/ bags of fragrant natural things, chairs for waiting?

ACTIVITY: Photography
TIME: 9-12.00
PEOPLE: Pauline (+ Judy?)
PLACE: follow others around
NEEDS: digital video recorder, digital camera

Hello again,

www.ammachi.org

the hugging guru site

I know I'm no hugging mama!!!!
I'm quite happy to give it a go ..... or not!

Loads of social issues to do with this one!

Will blog again thursday as early as I can from work.
If anyone wants to chat by phone tonight..... I'm free from 4 to 6 and then from 8 til late!
I hope you all got my email with my numbers.
Joy

More thoughts on documenting

This is from an email from Amanda:

in terms of documentation, someone could walk around with dictaphone, making comments into it ("Captain's log, Stardate...") everywhere they go, as if it's really significant and worth recording, even though it's just doing your shopping.

And that got me going, here is my response:

Good idea about the dictaphone - easy too! It relates also to my archaeological/anthropological idea of documenting our everyday world as if it were an object of curiosity, as if we were aliens.

I thought of measuring things as well, you know how the old anthropologists used to measure everything, even people's heads! (I'm not suggesting we do that though).

I can imagine doing the anthrop doco thing and putting it all together into some kind of pseudo document or documentary as an art work in itself - e.g. repetitive measurements, depictions of "artefacts," (photographs and diagrams) all the recorded comments as per Amanda's idea, maybe depictions of people and how they move around the shopping centre, such as maps of movement, and maybe we could use it all as "evidence" for some kind of amazing conclusion about this society (did you see the doco on the Flores "hobbit" woman last night?)

What do you think of these ideas, everyone? At least some of it would be easy to do, we don't have to complete all ideas above, but we could do some of it and write up the possible outcomes or extensions.

Hello ladies,

I'm not sure what is happening on friday, so far we have the lecture 1230 - 130 at bentley?
Are we going to Pauline's class first? Are we intevening first or is that next week now? Anyone know for sure?

I think we are definately on the right track for the shops, we really have to make some definate decisions don't we.
Do you all think that we should give the shopping centre the tip on our intentions or just take our chances? I guess if we are to let them in on the picture then we need to give them details of happenings, date and time.

Maybe we could have 3 seperate events happening in different spots run by 3 of us individually and the 4th person goes on a walk from one end to the other filming and photographing it, even mapping it etc?
There are so many things we could do aren't there.

I do like the idea of free hugs, I'd be happy to wander around with a sign hugging people. Have you all heard of 'The Hugging Mama' who came to Australia a few years ago?
I will get some info on it and share soonish.

I'm happy to do anything really.
I think as long as we are in agreeance of why we are doing what we are doing and can back it up with the social implications/ reasons , art relevance etc etc, it can be kept quite simple and doesn't have to be a major theatrical production.

Will blog again soon
Joy

Pilgrimages, offerings and ritualistic grooming

- it all sounds good! I particularly like the idea of small objects and cooking as offerings on a pilgrimage through the shopping centre, maybe it could be our way of pointing towards something less utilitarian but more nourishing.....I also like Joy's idea of checking ourselves out in a mirror in a kind of ritualistic way.Both these ideas have potential but we need to maybe tease out a little more what our intention is....

Hi Ladies,
I think its a great idea to make offerings of free food, perhaps even a free food stall?
What about another idea of setting up a full length mirror in the middle of somewhere in the mall. Someone could film it on zoom while the others take turns in going up to the mirror anonymously and checking themselves out ie putting on lipstick, straightening clothes, brushing hair etc. Could change outfits and looks in toilets. Hopefully it would encourage others to look in the mirror????
I have a full length mirror on a stand. Got to go, at work. will sign in wed arvo
Chow
Joy x

On Subject of Pilgrimage/Offerings...

Artist examples:
Francois Davin (French site-specific, community artist) walked through an island of Japan, asking for charity for the night (this area has a long tradition of this) and making small offerings along the path, made of arrangements of objects from nature.
Richard Long (British artist known for his walks) sometimes makes cairns along his path.

Also another idea I just had:
DOMESTIC OFFERINGS - a woman's version, taking the domestic into the commercial. Place homemade biccies in special spots around the centre, maybe on doilies, maybe onto tables in cafes, on quaint old-fashioned plates (maybe with teacup; or paper). Bringing a CWA feel to Midland Gate.

Adding some more thoughts from your comments

Now we are all authors so you can post on this page too if you like.

Here are some further developments:

The intervention could be us doing stuff which is un-shoppingcentre-like, such as lying around on sheep skins with aromatherapy oils burning and beautiful non-muzak music, flowers, etc. (Result of coffee with Judy, Amanda, Sharon and Betty)

The bride could be dragging assorted "presents" around the shopping centre with face covered with a white cloth for anonymity. (Amanda)

We need to be clear about the purpose if we do the bride thing - do we have time? What is the purpose? Will it just piss people off (and is that what we are trying to achieve)? (Joy)

A documented walk from one end to the other is suggested. (Joy)

I like this idea - the documented walk. We could combine this with my idea of the archaeological dig - only instead of it being an archaelogical dig it could be an anthropological observation. Walking the length of the shopping centre taking notes, measuring things, taking photographs and sketching. The idea being to "discover" what shopping centres are all about, as if we are aliens to this society/culture.

Here is a reasonable site to find out about Gilbert and George:

http://www.newmediastudies.com/art/gilbert.htm This site tells you more than most of the art gallery sites, even the Tate gallery, although the Tate site does have a video of them talking about their art. Here is an excerpt from their manifesto on art:

'We want our art to speak across the barriers of knowledge directly to People about their Life and not about their knowledge of art. The 20th century has been cursed with an art that cannot be understood. The decadent artists stand for themselves and their chosen few, laughing at and dismissing the normal outsider. We say that puzzling, obscure and form-obsessed art is decadent and a cruel denial of the Life of People'.People'.

Alan Kaprow:

http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2008/Articles0308/AKaprowA.html

Here is an excerpt from the site, an article by Marlena Donahue

My favorite works are the photos around the score tellingly called “Household.” As the score unfolds, a group of men, lost in an out-of-culture-in-nature ritual erect a phallic-looking mound of junk in the woods. A bit later a group of women lick strawberry jam from an old wreck of a car towed, partially smoking, by onlooker-participants. The amount of smoke, the” red tin fence” conceived to bound the event area--all this was “designed” and composed by Kaprow the artist with professional awareness of color symbolism, textural contrasts, rhythm and scale. In the Brechtian poetry of “Household’s” written directives and in the bizarre, authentic actions it elicited (captured here in photos), we see profound realities about gender, pleasure, power, ritual, and catharsis being “bodied forth.”

Carol Schneeman:

http://www.caroleeschneemann.com/

Sandra Binion:

http://sandrabinion.com/splash.html

Here are some websites about art as intervention, anti-art and anti-anti-art

http://hybrid.concordia.ca/~dart_projects/publicart/

http://www.johnfekner.com/

http://www.stuckism.com/

http://www.banksyunmasked.co.uk/

I am still no nearer to being sure about what we can do in such a limited time in the spirit of all of the above. I think we have a feeling for what it is all about, maybe I can summarise it here:

• It has some elements of interaction with the public
• It interrogates "art"
• It presents everyday reality in a totally new way
• It interrogates every day reality

What do you think - have my points summarised what we are supposed to be doing?

Hi Fellow interveners

Here is our intervention brainstorm from today:

pilgrimage

• ritual


• alter


• shrine

• cleanliness = godliness


• alter to the cleansers


• shrine to the gods of cleaning


• magic cleaning products eg microfibres

Making everyday objects special, eg origami lolly wrappers into interesting shapes

Different gods: fertility, health, wealth, love, cleanliness, order, war, peace, household gods as in Bali

transform products into altar (?)



make altar and put things there that are every day things like cleaning products, or other things we use everyday. Incense and flowers with them etc.





Give things away - leaflets about art, or art works, or our own produce from garden - opposite of the consumer oriented supermarket where we just give people stuff - needs to be presented as something special and look beautiful in some way.



The other idea was

wedding ceremony

• marriage, history of the ritual, what it originally meant


• wedding dresses


• wedding entourage


• the superficiality of it all


• the wedding as a consumer event


• wedding dress wrapped in chains with cleaning products etc locked on


• bride, bridesmaid and mother of the bride all dressed up and pushing a trolley down supermarket aisle as in everyday life
  
  

Questions:

how obvious or subtle? How confronting? How much interaction with other people in whatever public space we decide?

Notes from Judy's class

• Why haven't we bothered to go and find out what intervention means?????


• Some artists in the tradition: Gilbert and George, Mark Pearson, Alan Kaprow, Carolee Scheemann, Josehp Beuys, Sandra Binion


• Putting forward things that are difficult to express - cutting edge


• Irony


• Fluxus - neoDada, happenings


• muliples of same object to make a statement


• photodocumentation is essential


• an event rather than an object that is worth money


• Fluxus believes art is about life and everyone can "do" art


• disrupting what we know as music, theatre and visual art


• forming new connections between artist/s, the audience and public space


• disurbing urban space


• interaction takes place with a ritualistic, structured format


• need to spend alot of time in the space (eg shopping centre) observing what happens, to come up with an idea


• timing and speed are important - slow, fast, automated, how much interaction with peopl e in the space


• could do a complex idea but just do one small part of it to keep it simple

After talking with Judy, Amanda, Sharon and Jill decided we need to put it back at least one week!

I suggest we look at some internet sites about the artists listed above and also look up 'intervention' and compare notes.

Anyone had any brainwaves, in the mean time??