harriet poole: live art

Site visit for A Performative Interlude: Peckham Literary Festival with Neither am I

2009-11-07T21:34:00.004Z

Following our collaboration in June this year, I have been asked by Neither Am I to develop a piece as part of their forthcoming night in a bookshop.

Here's the blurb,

"Neither Am I: Live In Peckham

Descend into the depths of the Peckham book scene for an anonymous ménage-a-quatre with literary outcasts Neither Am I.

Tonight, the masked mongoloids will ride their verbal combine harvester over the barricades of suburban ennui, book lust and rectal discomfort, taking in an early nineties house party and the secret nocturnal habits of Jim Davidson along the way.

Making their second appearance at the Peckham Literary Festival, this performance includes works from their brand new paperback anthology, which will be exclusively available on the night for the first time.

Plus, fresh from the video shop destruction of the Apollo, performance artist Harriet Poole will be at large in the shop’s cellar for a very special tete-a-tete with curious customers.

Entry free. Doors and drinks at 7.30pm. On-‘stage’ 9pm (doors will be shut before performance so please arrive in good time).

Thursday 19th November @ Review Bookshop, 131 Bellenden Rd Peckham London SE15 4QY/ Tel: 020 7639 7400"

From Neither Am I

This is the space downstairs at the rather lovely Review Bookshop. Upstairs its full of a wide range of contemporary books and quirky objects to peruse.

the events room- book readings etc

cosy alcove for a tete a tete....
view out of room-access is via a staircase

the alcove is lit with glass bricks in the ceiling. the ambient light from the street is orange and quite mysteriously calming. i want to sit here with the participants, in the dark with only the streetlight, in a falsely cosy one-to-one, performatively exploring the melodramatic romp of a trashy romance novel lived out through two strangers....its to be a far from glamorous foray of innane boredom, betrayal, playboys and stallions. oh yes.

Postal art collective: The Art department sketchbook intervention

2009-09-03T13:01:00.006+01:00

more about this ferrari 2007 diary project here- the collaborative sketchbook project experimenting within the life and alternative realities of one insurance employee phillip gage who's lost his mind.......

Artist as Nomad workshop in Salzburg 10 July- 1st August

2009-07-18T19:16:00.004+01:00

Am starting a new blog for this adventure. See here.

(in)visible exchange at SPRINT, Camden People's Theatre- Review in Camden New Journal, 16th June 2009

2009-06-24T10:38:00.007+01:00

Great to have something written about my SPRINT Festival piece.......This is taken from here (I have highlighted in purple bit about (in)visible exchange)

Scott Pearse, in writing about my piece and Chloe Dechery and Tom Marshman also performing on the same night, ends the review with;

"Such events such are what marks the Sprint festival out as a platform for original and inventive theatre. "

Setting up for Performative interlude with Neither Am I @ The Apollo, SE24

2009-06-23T21:16:00.001+01:00

front counter and backroom of the derelict-cum-community arts space in SE24

Performative interlude with Neither Am I, Live at The Apollo, 19 June

2009-06-23T20:36:00.003+01:00

the sign on my t-shirt........

matches the expression ;) dressed as for work

ok... this event, which was part of Live At the Apollo, a derelict video shop in Herne Hill, SE24, was during a month long residency of art, film, crazy golf, exhibits and much more. It is a project which has been really engaging with the community of the local shops and passers by, as well as bringing in the more usual art audience. great venture on your doorstep rather than having to venture up to central or east london.

My piece was a collaboration with Neither Am I, a spoken work collective who perform their material anonymously, in balaclavas and darkness, lit only by their laptop screens from which they read their filthy, dark, and very funny material. My performative interlude was due to happen before Neither Am I came on stage, while people were drinking, and milling around, a kind of scene setter, that worked with the site and what was to follow. In the end, it actually continued after. As soon as Neither Am I had disappeared, someone had slapped their vid on the counter to rent, so i was back to work......

I wanted to embrace the ideas of redundant shop, redundant technology, and your worst nightmare of an assistant to have to deal with, the extreme attention to detail, and deadpan seriousness, relating to Neither Am I's style. the rough score for action was thus below...i played around with this a little. brash, rudeness to max. i found it strangely fine to keep focused, not flinching at all into a smile. drew very much on stand up/ Neither Am I dark ideas of non-sensical world's colliding, overly bureaucratic attention to precision, questions on the membership form starting normal, then getting more absurd. text taken from Neither Am I's book and others also written by them, eg, Are you that bloke I met in Corfu, Are you for real? Are you down with the kids? Do you work in insurance? I did feel myself possibly getting too Catherine Tate though (Am I bothered?) and reverted a bit to when I was the wicked step mother in cinderella when i was much younger (get to be rude and shout. a lot.) i liked overly pausing when carrying out menial tasks, being frustratingly annoying, taking my time chewing gum, drinking dr pepper very ceremoniously, etc. reminded me when i worked for safeway on the checkouts and how pleased i was when i was told by a manager someone had phoned up to complain about me for drumming my fingers annoying when they were finding their purse and packing their carrier bag........was this revenge?

i think this was, perhaps, a new direction for me, drawing on elements of the The Space in Between Project, but, for the first time...drum roll.....NOT using photography. It wasn't needed here: the act was enough to make the point, it wasn't a lament for the old technology, as in a lot of my work, more a thank god its gone, wrapped up with every worse nightmare of a shop assistant you would hope not to have to rent a video from.

the best bit was smashing the vids. making others do it, and then taking over. the story of their actual video choice became incidental- death to it all. titanic was still in its cellophane wrapper inside, which made it feel even more strange to be smashing it, it also being now a literal smash hit.boom boom.

the audiences responses were very funny, i enjoyed playing with them. repeating the questions back, extending the boxes on the form to add further ridicule, checking all the semi colons in the right place. some people visibly flinched from across the counter, and there was a steady queue for customers.nice. i liked segregating my end of the counter from the bar end, the relaxed from the stressed.

the performing a character was very interesting for me, i just fell into it somehow, and developed as the time progressed and in response to the 'customers.' how much am i interested in this work, is this a one off or is it a new direction to run with alongside my other, natural self work, is this becoming too overtly theatrical, a direction i may not want to go?? (someone mentioned Punchdrunk in connection to this piece.) i think the thing here is how i played with the occupied site whereas much of my work has been conversations in the private site. here i was bringing to life the ghosts that served videos, matching the narrative mood of the event to take place afterwards.

it was also interesting to allow these photos to be taken, people had publicly chosen to 'rent' a video, and so it was ok to document this, it was not a private encounter like my other work, and the work wasn't about the demise of photography.

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SCORE:

The videos are stored out the back, the boxes in the display rack near the front door. H maybe chewing gum.

• Person queues to enter the shop, and arrives at the table in the entrance.

• They are given a NAI programme and asked if they would like to select a video and take it to the assistant at the counter. ‘There may be a delay, apologies, staff sickness.’

• They arrive at the counter and H asks them for their membership card.

• When they say they don’t have it, H produces a clipboard, opens it, and then proceeds to complete the form with H leading the questions and form filling. H checks all details are correct, and asks person to sign form.

• H asks person to step into the backroom with her to get the video. H gestures to the person to sit down with her on the floor.

• H puts on gloves and eye protectors, opens a tool box and H ‘does the deed as quickly as possible,’ ie take out the hammer and smashes it completely. Offers person the chance to assist.The smashed VHS tape is neatly swept up and put into the VHS box.

• H then folds the two copies of the membership form very neatly, and quickly shreds their membership form.

• H picks up the VHS box, takes the person outside and back to the counter.

• H gets out a temporary membership card from under the counter, asks them to sign the card.

• H puts the card on top of the box, and hands it to the person, saying ‘enjoy your film, if you are returning it, please post it through the drop box.’

• ……..or if person bails out at any point, H asks them to politely bugger off and return the video to the shelf. Membership form shredded out the back.

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the temporary membership card that became the business card to take away with the video.on the back was mine and Neither am I's web address.

Performative interlude with Neither Am I Friday 19th June

2009-06-17T16:00:00.001+01:00

Neither Am I: Live at the Apollo this Friday

Friday 20th June @ Apollo Home Entertainment, 29 Norwood Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24.

Neither Am I and their verbal puppet-show of minor-celebrity satire invite you to a splurge of high-end theory, low-end humour and middlebrow celebrity at the second live wordbath from south London’s most infamous literary nobodies.

Featuring a rag-tag assembly of world-famous authors, amateur wordscratchers and journeyman yarnpeddlars, the randomly selected and completely anonymous Neither Am I Performance Squad will be unleashing a hivemind monologue of verse and fable using only their voices in a virtuoso rendition of under-the-counter material and over-the-top delivery.

With the assistance of performance artist Harriet Poole, this one-off event will summon the ghosts of rom-coms, chick-flicks, soft porn and low-budget horror to frolic between the exhumed racks and display cases of the Apollo video shop.

Are you a member? Neither Am I.

FREE admission. Discounted bar opens 7pm. Neither Am I on-stage at 8.30pm.

Certificate 18: This spoken word performance contains strong language, long sentences and extended metaphors of a graphically sexual nature.

Queries: neitherami@neitherami.com
www.liveattheapollo.org

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department- Sketchbook 1- Third intervention

2009-06-13T10:18:00.001+01:00

so.. continuing with the postal sketchbook exchange (see some previous posts on this, here, here and here this month i'm experimenting with moving away from the negative printing of images, and recreating one of the particularly peculiar images (why someone would take a photo of a hand holding nails, and then why they would make it precious by including in a photo album?) ...not sure about this as an idea, but interested in seeing how E.Brass might take it on. I do feel we are still working quite physically independently in the book, although we are perhaps using similar devices, next month I feel I want to literally start taking it apart, layering ideas, expanding sections, storyboarding etc more. testing what's possible.....

SPRINT! Comments and feedback welcome.....

2009-06-10T12:22:00.005+01:00

well...its been a while on here as realised have been running never walking, assembling thoughts in my notebook and not on here so hence back blogging to follow. sometimes its good to do that, the ole ' in retrospect' dialogue.

So..SPRINT last night I loved. the downstairs space i loved playing around with, and the dynamics of the foyer- precision, image making, generating engaging conversations. Initial feedback verbally was very positive, as I left the participants, I had comments form them such as 'wonderful, thank you.' and 'awesome,' but in my book, only one comment, which was about the way i present myself in a blurb, intentions to be cryptic? this is a long standing problem i have, how much to say, what is too much, and how the theatre audience blurb needs to be considered differently to the art one.how? why? I think the cryptic idea works well, maybe it should be more so, should this have been an entirely unannounced, invisible thing? I remember at Duckie how I was trying to insist that The Darkroom wasn't announced, taking people off through the door marked private etc etc but that the compere insisted, it was part of the vibe there to keep the energy high about the events happening. I thing I need to spend some time looking at this, I also met at EEC 2009 the critical writing guru Rachel Lois Clapham of Open Dialogues whom i should contact. I think it's also hard for me as i do rely on comments becoming documentation, as i don't record the work visually (apart from the relics)- maybe I need to find another platform for gathering?

I need to digest the event for a little while (I'm currently thinking abut what is interaction versus participation in the context of my practice now and in the future- create more open ended work??) , before posting my thoughts, and have another show on Friday (am I mad?) meanwhile, thoughts, suggestions, questions, from the participants or otherwise most welcome, now or once digested too:)

Rag Factory show (in)visible exchange: set up and reflections

2009-06-03T16:21:00.004+01:00

photos are the set up and behind the scenes. due to the private nature of the encounters, this aspect is not documented.

Kiss Me Miss Me at Rag Factory. (in)visible exchange. An experiment in using scores for action handed to others to facilitate and personalise, taking place in and around the public and behind-the-scenes spaces. Following on from The Darkroom at Duckie, I wanted to try out handing over a score to see what happens, to people who have enjoyed my work. In my experience, most Live Art practice is devised and presented by the artist them self, with the more directorial role collapsed into the whole work process, and thus owned and facilitated live entirely by them. With this idea of handing over the art score to others, it raised interesting ideas about how much I was to direct the piece, it was not to be theatre. How much to guide and set the tone, and how much to let the facilitators find their own way? The whole handing over the work to others centered on the fact that what we keep in our pockets is often a universal thing. The work allowed mechanisms to enable the exploration of that real human connection coming from what at first may appear to be trivial, empowering a positive yet temporal (heightened through the elements of photo mortality) sense of exchange between what had first appeared to be, two complete strangers.

Co-performer-facilitators were Kerry Andrew, Lucy Thane, Madaleine Trigg, and Katherine Maxwell-Cooke. My role here was setting up the piece in situ, and then running through a score as an encounter with my performer-facilitators (as the build for the show was behind schedule, needed to spend most of the day making the space. This was exhausting, and nerve racking, I had very little time to negotiate the flow through the space even if it had just been me doing it, but I had the added pressure of having to then ensure my facilitators were ok. )

I found this method very interesting, and very mixed. I am extremely grateful to my facilitators for taking part. Some of my facilitators had rehearsed this in my shed at home, and we'd been through Q&A, and this meant that some were feeling more confident, had felt they were able to get into their stride with it well, others the time was very rushed, and so i feel i was at fault with expecting too much from people, they simply hadn't had time to establish themselves. To me the preciousness and secrecy was extremely important,and this element was upheld to a greater and lesser degree depending on how comfortable/relaxed the facilitator felt with working in that way, which meant my feelings about it ranged from being elated to a little sad. One person said they didn't need to do the work to have an intimate encounter with a stranger, they enjoyed talking to strangers all the time, which for me has shown me that they didn't really understand the nature of the work like i thought they did. They also felt it was my work, and should remain entirely so, what do i think of that, is that true, it comes from the way i read photography, no? Should I have done this experiment? What had been gained by using others and what lost? My basic rules were a scored sequence of actions e.g. the photographic, but it was up to them what they talked about with regards to the contents of pockets, and I didn't want them to share that conversation with anyone, it was to remain entirely private. Should I have set more 'boundaries?' Does this mean I needed to adapt a directorial role for this piece if I didn't feel comfortable with some of what happened? I also felt extremely exposed and detached from the work, meeting participants when they exhibited their photogram at the end, and having an odd, quite removed conversation with them, when normally I don't ever see them again, let alone in a post-encounter situation. Very weird. Maybe if I had had encounters alongside the others it wouldn't have felt so clinical for me. Isn't this piece about building up trust, a network, a sense of community between the performer-facilitators? i remember a friend who was collaborating with someone in an extremely intimate way spending a lot of time doing yoga and massage together, learning to understand each other more physically and emotionally.i think some kind of equivalent level of personal engagement could be of benefit, learning to understand the ethos behind the work. quite what that looks like i will have to think on.......

I need to talk more to the facilitators and pick their brains about it working on a larger scale, or if it could. i think i was aiming to work towards an entire site full of nooks and crannies engaging people in hidden encounters, or the idea of a large communal sharing with multiple facilitators present in the moment....what they might look and feel like i don't yet know..........

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department- Sketchbook 2

2009-05-16T09:48:00.010+01:00

Ok, so this is where it starts, the sketchbook i am sent to respond to. a joe bloggs man, very neatly recording his very ordinary life feeling obliged to take his kids to church in sunday, who works in insurance, wants a flashy sports car but his wife abi gets him this ferrari diary instead......who then goes off the rails and spends 5 months losing the plot gradually in hospital, fantasising about the nurse and scrawling his enraged thoughts across the pages til the end photo above climaxing in his 'bitch' wife selling his ferrari. to be honest its bloody funny, good little anecdotes and observations.

this is a real challenge to respond to, i want to bring the visual and performative into it. the whole concepts of diaries, why we keep them, these secret locked away worlds that is then shattered when others' sneak a look in, that we start with good intentions that then often peters out. the whole relationship to how this has often been replaced with online versions of real time recording our actions and thoughts in twitter, and use of blogs could also be of consideration.

in the next post i will show photos of how i have made my intervention......

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department- Sketchbook 2- First intervention

2009-05-16T09:41:00.003+01:00

so.... in continuing the postal art project with my first intervention into this ferrari diary i was sent, here's the entry I made about the trip away keeping the diary with me as though through the eyes of phillip gage, the diary owner, recording visually the accounts of what was experienced- sightseeing, restaurants, car parks. these images are intended as a mark made as piece of process, so encourage intervention, i'm not entirely sure they interact yet.

the last image 'attitude of a winner' i love. what a slogan, eh. i'm going to head to the spanking new ferrari store on regent street for inspiration (phillip gage's dirty dream no doubt) for the where next. it isn't online for the london store, but there are some gems here....meanwhile it's been sent back to the sketchbook owner for their intervention......

Site visit to Rag Factory for Kiss me Miss me event 30th May

2009-05-06T17:11:00.007+01:00

large performance space

other end of the gallery

one of the performance spaces

where the gallery will be

the kitchen area i am to use is through the white door to the left, with images displayed in the gallery.

Ok, so went to the rag factory to check out the space for the event I am taking part in with (in)visible exchange, Kiss Me Miss Me on saturday 30th may, 6-12pm. the space was in a bit of chaos in an in between state of building work, so the above photos are just to help me visualise moving through the space. more in the next post on the actual area, the kitchen i will be using.

the road its on is just off brick lane, Heneage Street, London E1.

my garden shed project

2009-05-03T16:45:00.009+01:00

so...here's the project i have been sooooooo wanting to do since my MA show and have been saving up the magic beans....having proper work space at last and also a camera obscura in the garden, and a performance space, and also want to host a shedathon over the summer, ha ha! got any ideas?......watch this space....

colour? natural stone is winning me over at the moment. have moved in temporarlily pending choosing colour.

i
garden tlc is starting, little by little....
how the garden was. actually it was a lot worse than that, huge dumping ground/ikea graveyard. big thanks and love to dom for all your help and patience x

Kiss me Miss me @ Rag factory- 30th May 2009

2009-04-27T22:28:00.002+01:00

Found out today have been accepted for this event on 30th May, (in)visible exchange. This is a version of SPRINT piece (final name changed from Private view) so will be great to work with this audience just before the festival, and try out simultaneous encounters.

"Kiss Me Miss Me present 15 minute factory May 30 / July 18

15 minute factory brings together new and cutting-edge acts blurring the boundaries between performance, art and music.

Submissions are currently sought for this four room event at the Rag Factory off Brick Lane.

KISSED: cabaret / burlesque / spoken-word / stand-up
MISSED: performance / acoustic / video
ON THE WALL: 2d work / video
OFF THE WALL: bands / djs / vjs

roaming performance throughout

Kiss Me Miss Me is the curatorial partnership of Katharine Fry and Jung Eun Yoo"

more to follow....

SPRINT Festival acceptance!

2009-04-16T18:58:00.000+01:00

whoop! gosh, how exciting. I created a revised proposal and was accepted for the preview launch event in June. The piece is a combination of existing elements of different shows as well as new bits too.
the proposal which i'm tweaking, and will do so further when i scratch it in site to create a final score, is as follows below:

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Private view @ SPRINT June 2009

1st proposal: Exhibition private view event.
(2nd proposal: Launch press night)

Rationale: Embracing the ideas of public and private, temporal conviviality with a stranger, being in the moment of photography, and then the moment that has passed, the letting down your guard. Playing around with ideas about private views, the public event, public persona and the behind-the-scenes of your pocket, the rehearsal room.

HP is in the normal ‘dress code’ of the event.

Movement through the site: Foyer/bar/exhibition space, into lift to basement, into rehearsal room, into kitchen, back out of kitchen, through rehearsal room, out the back door to the theatre and arrives at CP theatre in the front entrance, into the exhibition area. Accompanied by HP the whole time.

Usher/bookings: none

Outline of an encounter

• Begin encounter in bar/foyer/exhibition area

• HP asks an individual if they would like to see her work

• Asks until find someone

• HP gets out a mobile phone from her handbag and takes a phone photo of the two of them together in front of an artwork/ at the bar.

• HP plays back image and shows the participant the image. Mobile phone goes back in HP’s handbag.

• HP asks the participant if they would like to follow her

• HP takes participant to the lift and goes down in it to the basement

• HP goes to the rehearsal room door and opens it (with a key?), and switches on the side lights from the kitchen switch.

• HP sits on the floor of the rehearsal room with the participant

• HP asks the participant what they keep in their pocket/on their person, and if they'd like to share something with her.

• They then talk about the item, and associations, HP may share an item too or exchange stories triggered by the participants item.

• HP then gets up and walks to the kitchenette with the participant, opening up the serving hatch to let them both inside.

• HP pulls down the shutter, and turns off the side lights to the main room, to darkness.

• HP turns on the red light (lamp, plugged into side wall in kitchen)

• HP gets out photographic paper onto the kitchen worktop, and asks the participant to put their item on the paper. HP does the same if they also produced an object.

• HP then asks the participant to turn on the strip lights/HP leans on it and it comes on and exposes the photo paper.

• HP then gets out a cash box from under the shelves in the kitchen, puts on the kitchen worktop, and a key from her pocket and asks the participant to open the box, and put the photo paper inside.

• They watch the image appear and start to disappear.

• As the image reaches a point where it is not longer disappearing, HP gets out her mobile phone and holds it over the cash box so the image of her and the participant is seen reflected back.

• As the image completely disappears, she deletes the image.

• The box is locked and put away back under the counter.

• HP then moves towards sink, and turns on the tap, asking the participant to wash the image.

• HP then opens the archive room door and gets out a heater and asks the participant to dry the image.

• HP gets out a photo frame and bubble wrap from a cardboard box in the archive room.

• HP then pulls up the shutters, and asks the participant to stands the other side of the serving counter, with HP still in the kitchen side.

• HP puts the photo frame on the counter and frames it.

• HP gets out paper a small card exhibition label, asks the participant to write their title label to accompany their image.

• HP gets out the shredder from the archive room, plugs in and shreds the label.

• HP then wraps the frame in bubble wrap and fragile wrapping tape/parcel tape.

• HP gives this to the participant

• Shredder, heater goes back, archive door locked, lights off in rehearsal room, door closed.

• The participant and HP then leave the building via the back door fire exit.

• HP and the participant go round the front of the building and enter CP theatre via the main entrance.

• HP then asks the participant to put up the photograph as part of the exhibition.

• HP and the participant then leave one another

Event starts again.

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Considerations/to check or work out:

the flow of this needs scratching, the opening especially.
how to select people. stickers, bookings, random from foyer? find out about the launch event itself.
singular or multiple encounters happening simultaneously? what is gained, what is lost?
the photogram pinned up- will need to test pins in the surface or put up some board (eg area of white painted pinboard screwed to the wall) . Establishing wall for the photograms
how will the launch event be laid out (where dj etc)
will the other work on the foyer walls will be documentation of performances? Will there be exhibition name labels, as it could be good to match this if possible, or I can use foam board.
thinking about the piece working alongside another one hour performance - is this a stand and watch for an hour event? How to ensure that people are back in the place they need to be at a certain time.
check I will have the entire downstairs rooms and corridors (not the electricity hazard ones) to move through/be in - rehearsal room, small cleaners cupboard corridor as discussed,front stair entrance, back entrance, lift, and if needed the toilet spaces (with more performers it may be good to use these)

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department: third intervention (my second)

2009-04-01T11:05:00.003+01:00

so... here's the second intervention i made, inverting through the photogram darkroom technique and not fixing the resultant images. how much will they fade by the time they return to me? will it be obvious they are changing, what will the response be? am intrigued. i like the ghostly trail of these lost identities through the inversion, inspired by or the actual photos, from this book i bought on ebay. for the previous images I was responding to by E. Brass, and for more about the project see here

SPRINT Festival revised proposal: thoughts

2009-03-22T12:34:00.003Z

ok..so first thoughts:

what's the meaning of the spaces? Downstairs: sense of unease, dysfunction, industrial, corporate, redundancy, make do, rehearsal, preparation, props, not the real thing, refreshment,an in-between-room...Upstairs: waiting area, relaxing bar area, small varied gallery area, side office, doors to theatre

the foyer- access to basement via lift or the side stairwell. people would be in the foyer bar for the launch event nights in a jovial mood. taking them from their relaxing comfort zone (come out to be 'entertained, let hair down over a beer') and into the basement, guard up or down?

movement through the space, from maybe being part of the private view/launch night in public space to behind the scenes, the rooms with redundant items, traces of very purely functional occupancy alongside random items. in the rehearsal/kitchen room- peeling walls dysfunctional switches, rehearsal/performance wall kisses, and awake/sleep written on the inside of the shutters....spaces that were once a pub cellar bar, a youth club. was going to become the theatre bar but it has no windows. rumbling tube line sounds above. apparently you can hear the acoustics of the theatre, low mumbles of voices, lorry street traffic. use of the serving bar (my favourite bit) with the two sides of it allowing interplay between the server and the being served- do the sides change, the giver and the receiver? this is integral in potentially developing an exchange around it. the shutters- abruptly transform space from public to private, the kitchen becoming a light tight den space. use of sink, draining board, the washed up. like the brainstorm sheets on the rehearsal walls- brainstorm the pocket? playing with a non-sensical action- shred this as its becoming documentation?

the cleaning cupboard/ corridor: the unsavoury urine corridor smell, only partially lit, 'escape' markings on the stairs. taking someone in the cupboard full of redundant items, the cupboard no one can find, no one knows we're there, apprehension, danger? rummaging round in your pocket asked by a stranger to share the contents, all rather unsettling. expose and develop the image.leave via the unsavoury corridor, like spat back into the community. does this encourage an exchange, is it too alienating? would it encourage a human connection that is too sleazy or to play on that? walking along the corridor leaves a bad taste in your mouth? items in there: hoovers, heaters, cleaning products, toys, books, bus ticket

use the kitchen? make tea, eat biscuits, converse? photo-traces of the objects mapping them moving through space across the counter? use the movement around the serving bar as a way into the shuttered-to-red-light kitchen (can you get me something from the draining board, etc) . although this draws people into a false sense of security, or doesn't all my work- leading to a final sense of catharsis, am i still trying to achieve that here?

playing with marrying the momentary conviviality and temporality of encounter with a stranger with that of that-has-been of photography. use of the foyer for the dying photograms? display which extends the one-to-one experience or whats in it for this other audience? does it give the game away or encourage participation? becomes another product in itself

exploring the context of the archive- the room off the side of the kitchen. the debris of the encounter (photo/paper shreds if applicable) gets archived off?

enough for now. more tomorrow....need to think more about the server and the being served over the counter....

SPRINT Festival proposal- site visit- Part one the cleaning cupboard/ hallway/out the back

2009-03-22T09:29:00.000Z

ok, so to start to think about a site-responsive piece developing from my previous work, here follows the possible cleaning cupboard that is very tucked away (and which not even the cleaners realise is there)

cleaning products...and not

walls are quite delapidated

charity shop ticket, old toys- props, books, traces from the youth club?

the hallway stinks of urine. light only work in this part. door to right goes into the basement cellar/rehearsal room, up the stairs out the back of the theatre

"escape" written on stairs

half size door to the cupboard. ceiling light fitting inside is broken

like the arrow on the wall

heading out the back of the theatre: possible route in or out? like the idea that you only remain in the behind the scenes of the theatre

intriguing door to right

back out towards the street. turn left and your back at the theatre

SPRINT Festival proposal- site visit- Part two the cellar bar/rehearsal room

2009-03-22T09:28:00.000Z

rehearsal notes on the wall

really like the serving hatch and shutters and the air con noise. public and private spaces

lights- strip, side, spot

able to put on the strip light leaning on it....

bolt missing

used to be a pub cellar

side entrance

on Hampstead road

SPRINT Festival proposal- site visit- Part three: the foyer/gallery/bar space

2009-03-22T09:06:00.000Z

am working out if this will start like the darkroom, in the public space then move through into the private?

entrance to the theatre

etiquette @ cafe oto, dalston, 18 march 2009

2009-03-21T18:04:00.002Z

ps it didn't say photos not allowed, and it wasn't documented during, so apologies if not permitted, let me know.

interaction.participation.direction. actor.voices in your head. the portal of performance. a happening.the quirkiness. the getting it wrong. the real people taking part v the character they become.am i a spectacle?

what i wrote in the comments book; (which was very full i might add- by situating in a cafe, people sitting and reflecting and scribbling away over a coffee)

" i loved this in so many ways, being in and outside yourself and the table being so many things to so many places- real and imagined. liked getting things wrong. my partner was by nature an extremely emotional character so though the tears were real until she started clapping- so perhaps remove this element? this brings it into the realm of real human emotion and how much you want to do this. loved just being in a cafe having coffee, then taking part, and then digesting over another coffee. lots of clever play- blu tak'd heads nice touch. what is reality? "

am grimacing over the last phrase i wrote, bleurgh, the age old chestnut of live art performance;)

some other thoughts from my notebook and now a few days on;

the table, what is a table? liked this portal of performance to another world- a stage, landscape, cafe table here and cafe table elsewhere
liked being told what to do and not quite getting it all, the problem highlighted with communication/ mis-communication in life, not saying what you really mean, body language not quite right
my favourite part was the raindrops, the building up of a scene, sound overlay, transported to a hill side. interesting in considering the experience of this part of the piece, I was totally consumed by the voices in my head and the mental pictures, that although i was aware i was confused about what B was doing, it didn't matter. In discussing it afterwards with B it made me question how good an actor you should be for this work, or the fact that the opening part of the piece was on a stage, learning your lines, points directly to this fact being part of it. laughing at yourself in trying to convey an authentic furrowed brow
some people had written in the book they couldn't hear what their partner was saying, so we were told to speak up by the usher before we started- comments helping refine the piece for others' benefit.
the 'drinking of blood' the theatricality of my experience of that moment over B being told what it really was
loved the blu tak heads, making it personal to you. could imagine the improvisational fun in developing the quirky objects interactions, sat around playing with a blob of blu tak and seeing what it could become of it. what if we had actually been asked to make something out of blu tak??
acting v chance, interaction v participation. you are just told to follow instructions, but how people interpret those is interesting, i'd like to have sat and been close by when others' have taken part. i know a friend who went to see a version of this at the barbican who found this tedious, and started to play with the objects more themselves, invented their own scenarios, and for them that made it more interesting. was only chance elements in the way you act them out, no one is sat directing you to say that again with more umph, or also the chance element in the way you were told to make your partners head out of blu tak, open to interpretation.
the sense of being present v presence. physical presence observed (i am here in body) v mind wandering/ letting yourself escape into the headphones (i am not here, but there). mental in the reality of the event and in the reality of real life
layers of audience. you participating, you are also being a spectacle for the spectators in a cafe. the website talks about people not realising you're taking part...i think this is not really possible with the speaking out loud/doing odd actions/ not doing the usual cafe business of eating and drinking, even though you are sat at the edges, i felt very conscious of someone sat in the window a metre away. what about if in centre of the room- would have completely changed the piece, been entirely self- conscious
the booking the table- it has to be for two so to say you could do it with a stranger (website) seems a little odd to actually have been able to do, how about if it had been to book a seat at the table, but logistically this could have been tricky to co-ordinate
liked the low tech nature of it, the thinking you know what you're going to do with the objects by forming an impression looking at them, and then the pleasure in having this turned on its head. liked the use if the old school dymo mapping out the table
B said " liked the low tech object, simple, using the high tech object of our minds"
the aftermath, the coffee digesting it all.... changed my relationship to the cafe oto space, felt had more of a personal relationship, like having taken part in a secret pact and wondering if the other customers had too....starting conversations with those that had, that we may not have chatted to otherwise.
what do i remember now? did the narrative actually stay with me? i think this wasn't important, the quirkiness of it was intriguing enough and the exact nature of the dialogue wasn't important apart form the mental descriptive landscapes e.g. the hill and the rain. i don't think in retrospect the stage stuff at the start was necessary and more about the prostitute/old man/hill/cafe. the pace of the piece meant it was hard to absorb the dialogue
in thinking about this work before experiencing it, i asked myself, what it would feel like to be using a headset for my aural stimulus detaching me from my surroundings and enabling intimacy. I would say the work felt intimate to a degree, voices in my head, but the visual distractions being in a working environment meant i was locking in and out of the experience, i couldn't feel entirely detached the portal being i was rooted in both worlds simultaneously, it was a happening, like life in some parts but not life in landscapes of the mind.
the participants become the performers- no bodily presence of them. this felt good,not necessary, they were voices in your head. more like connections with being in a gallery and putting on headphones. the outcome/piece to encounter/experience not the artist bodily present.
ps i kept my bits of paper which were used in the event. sorry. it felt wrong to blog them though so they are kept secretly and safely.

so..for me? a possible way for relaying a score or having a live conversation through headphones? am unsure. perhaps people could develop their own images in a space through recorded or live instructions, or as my work has so many chance elements, is this potentially too crystal maze??!! where it becomes all about getting the tasks right and a real game show spectatorship ethic. any potential here in headphones for having an real time exchange? do you need to experience me? what about other more low tech conversational technology, e.g. tin can telephones? as my work is about photography is this becoming tangential? what i could also take from etiquette is the narrative integration and manipulation of objects- real and imagined uses. the real memory and the made up one. how much do people in my one-to-ones make up their stories in my pocket work? how much do people give of themself and take a risk? in the one-to-one of etiquette, mostly, you is at least mentally, safely hidden. unless you are faced with someone crying, is it them or another?

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the other thing that was suggested to me this week (and i remembered mentioning him in my MA blog about his choir 17 work with regarding temporality,) was bill drummond's 17 which is a book which amongst other things gives scores for action which are deleted afterwards, experienced only in the time and place it occurred.

Final shortlist for Sprint Festival, June 2009, at Camden People's Theatre

2009-03-13T16:15:00.004Z

way! am rather excited to have made the final shortlist of SPRINT at Camden People's Theatre. am hoping to go see the less conventional spaces to adapt pocket piece and respond to a site, outside a black box theatre space...none-the-less very excited to have made it thus far.......yikes am going to go now very merrily bop the night away at the little dragon gig at the jazz cafe.....hurrah

Proposal for den@Accidental Festival, The Roundhouse, May 2009

2009-03-12T18:06:00.001Z

so this is what I submitted to The Accidental Festival

Title of piece
den

Description of the work you would like to bring to The Accidental Festival
den explores the site of a child’s den as one of nostalgia, mischief and secrecy. This is through sharing stories between strangers connecting with our past through one-to-ones explored in narrative and photographic image making.

Provisional score for the work in "Any other relevant information" box.

How does your work respond to/correspond with this year’s theme of 'connection'?
Exchanging stories as a one-to-one performative exchange through human connections to our everyday lives, our past loves, childhood memories. Opening up to stranger maybe like you wouldn't to a close friend. Asking people to write a greetings card to someone who was important in their life and exchanging stories, finding common threads on our life experiences, and maybe giving closure to those who have left us.

Who are your target audience?
Passers by, the usual adult audience of the Accidental Festival/ The Roundhouse. Unsuitable for children due to the subject matter.

Please provide an overview of your technical requirements
This is a durational, intimate performance for one at a time (approximately 15 minutes per encounter) There could be multiple encounters happening simultaneously, which could have one or more dens with multiple exchanges, with more facilitators/performers. Ideally happening on a busy night, in a foyer, bar or open space, people socialising, waiting for a show, or after a show. Could also work on a pre-booked basis with an usher entirely in a given room, I have worked in this way before. A visit would be good to determine this and make the piece more site-responsive, maybe drawing connections with my other work such as shed (see http://www.harrietpoole.com/work.php.)

Set up entirely myself in a couple of hours/ an assistant I would provide if time is short. Creating a staged semi-light tight darkroom providing own equipment being child den type furniture- such as ironing board, chair, bedsheets, curtains, small darkroom (box) tray, photographic developer, photographic paper, safety lights, all materials provided myself.

Access to water nearby and electrical socket very nearby.

If possible I would like to view the space in advance of the event so I can plan for the right materials (eg looking at the ambient light, siting of table and size of den permitted) and any slight adaptations to the event if layout of space etc dictates. The den I have made for a current show is 1.5m x 3.5m and a 1m square table.

Please note- I have a lot of experience in constructing make-shift darkrooms if the above sounds horrendously off putting- and I am able to do it myself. There is no Enlarger or other traditional darkroom equipment, processing troughs etc, but would put down suitable protective sheeting as applicable, there is very minimal liquid and it is self-contained.

Any other relevant information
My live art work explores theories in the work of Roland Barthes and Tino Sehgal, the first for his theories of the ‘mortality’ of the paper based photograph as an ‘impossible’ record of ‘now,’ and the latter for the fleeting materiality of his art works. I work with principles of non-matrixed theatre (using a score with chance elements) and audience participation through the subversion of time/lens based media practices. I experiment with pushing the temporal nature of performance through marrying with the temporal nature of photography, placing the process of image making intrinsically at the heart of an intimate performative experience.

I often play with sudden temporal suspension jerks arresting the event back into a reality; in this piece all material is lost through erasing of the photographic image (it isn't fixed) and the greetings card is suddenly shredded at the end, aiding a cathartic atmosphere within the sharing of memories of those who have left us.

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Proposed score for den:

I’m inside the den. My shoes are outside.

Sign outside says if there are two pairs of shoes outside, “Please wait for someone to leave”, OR I ask via the walkie talkie ( second one on the table outside) if there is anyone there, and to push the side button on the walkie talkie to speak to them.

Once get a reply, ask them if they’d like to come in the den (walkie talkie), and/ or then stick my hand out to show where to get inside.

Once settled, I open and spread out the pack/bag of greetings cards.

Ask the participant to pick and write one to someone who was important in their life.

After writing it, ask them if they’d like to discuss who they chose, and why. Have a conversation responding to each other.

I ask the participant to place the card on the tray, get out photo paper, and photogram it using the torch light.

Bring in the shredder behind me from outside the back of the den and shred the card. Remove the shredder again.

Develop the photogram. Wash, dry and frame the photogram.

Hand the frame to the participant to put on the table outside. Participant leaves den and goes to the table.

Confirms via walkie talkie when then have left the table (if used,) places it back under the table.

Starts again.
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Please see www.harrietpoole.com and www.harrietpoole.blogspot.com for more information, images, archive, including the recent piece den, which would be adapted for this festival pending site visit. Please also note, use to the private nature of the encounters, I do not document the work: relics installations, comments, the process (blog) logs the work.

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department.....1955 family album- Second interventions sent back to me

2009-03-08T15:02:00.012Z

ok...so here's the february intervention into the sketchbook by E.Brass. Here's the links to the previous posts on this : The original book bought on ebay and then the First intervention by me in January

so..the additions by E.Brass are the drawings, which are very beautiful but I was disappointed to find that the intervention was a scanned not an original drawn one, although it fits with the photo printed paper aesthetic, and the scaled down replicates my flickr photo intervention. were the originals large, where are they, were they drawn especially? will they re-appear at a later date? they seems to be the old grandparent perked up playing with grandchildren kind of idea present which is reflected in the photo themselves.

the sense that the originals were, perhaps, too precious to place in the album, perhaps too scared to let them go and put them at my mercy, seems interesting for me to explore, i feel i now want to remove and replace them- ha! what will i do with them next??. i like the idea of a paper negative photogram of the scanned drawings, not fixed but partly still visible, and which will continue to fade to black, true to my aesthetic of the photograph gradually disappearing from our presence. That the 1955 family are being replaced by something else, something more modern (flickr) something representing it (drawing) and now its trace showing it was once there, like the family in that moment that was.....

I've also realised how it feels very strange to collaborate remotely and anonymously like this, its intriguing, you are given entirely free range and can be as bold as you dare...how will E.Brass take the removal of their image? will this encourage further removal? so...now to make and send off my intervention by 25th march.....

Gary Steven's Performance lab 21/22 February, Toynbee Studios

2009-03-08T12:28:00.000Z

ok, so in this Gary Steven's lab we worked with collaboration between people who hadn't worked together before, the first exercise on day one was to create a tableau with a single action. our objective become to centre on the door as a portal, how many ways we could see it, and the sense of impending urgency to leave or the desire for what's beyond.we played with the fun idea that we struggled or fought, but that actually the door was unlocked and you could just flick the switch and leave.

thanks to Ange Taggart for the photos

day two, different grouping slightly different, I'm so terrible with names, only remembering Megan and Aquila Rose (Aquila I knew). After improvising with a found balloon in the morning, the objective became to get everything out of the room in ridiculously complicated ways, first up, we came in and removed a piece of polystyrene as though it was the most precious thing in the world, letting it ebb and flow between our bodies. Then we tried to remove a piano, which was too heavy to move, until we removed the balloon inside it , naturally ;) I really loved playing with this non-sensical humour and improvisational chance elements; we had a score and then worked within this responding to one another.

turning on the audience....

and removing them...one by one

picking them up like the polystyrene

...and shoving them outa the door!!! then we go back in, with everything and everyone outside hehe :) for me, the day linked well with the ideas i had been bouncing around during my MA for bringing together extremes in stand up comedy, rather than any of my live art work, but a good day exploring scores and spontaneity none-the-less.

this workshop was for me much stronger on the second day i would have liked the more structured activities we did at the end of day two in day one. The lab drew parallels with the Objects and Atmosphere workshop run last year by Gerry Pilgrim, some of my MA blog posts are here on this- Part one, Part three, Part seven

the den @ not a f******* art show, trinity buoy wharf: the final installation and to the future

2009-03-08T12:06:00.012Z

den @ not a f******* art show

for the final installation of den which remains for the rest of the show, post the exchanges on the private view, I moved the table closer to the den. In retrospect it physically sits here better, proximity allowing it now as a whole piece to read and relate better to the issues in the exhibition of female, feminine, feminist. It's interesting the idea of the work being both a functional site of exchange and then a final installation, to be viewed finally as an art object- the audience shifting from participant to spectator- am not entirely sure it works in this duality. Perhaps thinking more about this now, this transformation needs further consideration as its not something I have concerned myself with, the entire site of exchange now becoming a public gallery installation. The latter given its surrounded by other art objects, did I need more written explanation as to what-had-been , or is it enough alone, dens by their nature are ambiguous (what's going on in there?) and in fact this parallels nicely with the ambiguous nature of photographs, we view without a context unless it is uttered/defined? the viewer is perhaps to read the black photograms with the sense of the moment that has passed but they are not party to what that moment was, as is the fundamental point of the work?? I think that if I am to situate my portable work in a gallery space again, I really need to think more about this. even a sign saying installation relic of the exchanges??

The neighbouring work is by Imelda Culleton in which she transforms the elderly as protesters into icons, and considers our treatment of them;

here's a close up of a final photogram;

the exposed beams and walls adds to the nostalgic and redundant aesthetic of the den

I have applied to the accidental festival with this piece or an adaptation of it depending on the location, acoustics, and the notion of it being made of fabric that its' walls have ears, a quite, comtemplative space or a very public thoroughfare or bar environment? need to consider if it is to be viewed as both a installation and a site of exchange, although the nature of it being a festival of performance and not a gallery may be enough and there may be a quick set up/ get out for the installation element to not be relevant...... if not may need to research practitioner's who work in this way. ...site of performance and installation....

to the future.....am very keen to consider the portability of the work and the domestic/commercial or non performance/gallery space. met at gary steven's lab the other day Ann Rapstoff, and we chatted about participatory work outside conventional spaces, and her takeaway project (take home/away an art work/performance from a takeaway food outlet) as well as artwash, a working launderette that brings in live performance and installation works.

den @ not a f******* art show, 4th March 2009, my reflections on the event

2009-03-07T15:37:00.004Z

den @ not a f******* art show

so.. here goes with thinking through the what happened on the night, i really enjoyed the experience and feel my work is getting stronger in its reduction of elements (yes, its finally happened- doug my MA tutor always said this to me) although the size of the den was a little too close for the use of objects easily but matches well to the whole notion of a den.

due to the personal nature of the encounters and my work situating itself within its temporal nature of in the moment (the act of photography and conversationally) I do not retell/document the very personal elements of stories.

some reflections;

the conversations were on the whole as an event, far more giving and engaging than my previous works, i think this was as the conversational stories came from the participant's greeting card message they had personally had space and time to consider and write, and therefore centered around them with common connections made and explored between us.

the exchange become centred around one object, the greetings card, i did not physically produce or share the same, this was a new direction for me, and great, i finally realised the merit in an exchange being purely giving something 0f yourself which did not need to manifest itself as an object, it was enough it had come from the participant's object. :)

I let the participant write their card in silence and then discussed it, this added to the length of the piece, but shouldn't hurry it, the quality of the experience being the most important here.

I centred around the idea of them reading the card out loud, and building on that, and then focusing on the last day they saw each other, this made the connection well to the photographic moment that has passed.

the spacing of the den and the table- this was done apart form one another to try to stop you hearing my real voice only mediated through the walkie talkie. however, this quickly became a nightmare trying to use it with trying to communicate on the walkie talkie and also people coming straight up to the den. In hindsight it would have been ok to leave it near the den, connecting it as a whole better. could have simply had a sign saying 'please wait if there are two pairs of shoes here.'

height of den- too low on my side, and too narrow, the chair in the scratch was wider, spacing and using the objects was difficult, although added to the den aesthetic and needed to take a short break part way through.

one participant wrote a card to a female who is rather than was important, so i asked them to write a second card, and they kept the original one.this worked well.

whilst most talked about someone they lost touch with for good reasons, a part of their life that once was, one participant talked about a loved one who had died. need to think about this more, was the shredding action too much for this, as they are still not to be forgotten? should i have stipulated they should still be alive (and how to do this, if this is necessary? this needs further consideration, it still fits with the cathartic nature of the work and a sense of release, how does it feel, maybe see if i can contact the participant)

liked bringing in the shredder from outside the den, adult item brought it to serve its function and then removed from sight as it took us back suddenly into the present from the past.

i loved the photogram image of text appearing and disappearing, like a blueprint. very poetic moment, watching quietly whilst the sound of the private view in full volume outside.

possibly could have used bigger photo paper, 10 x 8, so could see whole card, how important was the image on the card, the text only as was personal?

choice of cards- very mother/nan nostalgia orientated, people preferred the more modern, generic ones, happy birthday, just to say- use more of these next time? someone chose a card to someone they had never sent a birthday card to, they didn't know when their birthday was and wish they had of done.

other thematics of stories here and in the scratch included past lovers, past teachers, lost friends for example.

the walls have ears idea was good- having always had a lot of privacy with 4 solid walls around, perhaps brought a greater sense of intimacy between us, as we had to detach ourselves more. at one point with the noise of the shredder, the friends of a participant outside asked what was going on in there, were they ok- this was cool, the hearing but being denied the seeing, the not knowing, the element of mischief.......on the negative side, not having a sign outside, and people not reading the 'for one at a time' on the wall label, meant people were lifting up the sheet/knocking on the wooden foot stool (!) like it was a door. this needs addressing......possible side table with instructions in a frame??

the den last night @ electrician's shop, trinity buoy wharf- comments and feedback welome :)

2009-03-05T12:36:00.000Z

phew!! am going to be reflecting on here over the next few days when i get my breath back......nonetheless am feeling both really excited and really humbled about what happened inside the den and the where next of making dens' in other people's houses...hmmmmmm

any comments welcome: some from my comments book;

thank you very much- wonderful concept and very engaging
everyone wanted to know what happened to me when I went in. I WON'T TELL THEM. The den took me back to my childhood. A great experience and process.

meanwhile...hugest thanks to the participants for giving so much, and lora and imelda, and of course, roland barthes and the mortality of photography. x

Setting up for den @ not a f******* art show, electricity shop, trinity buoy wharf

2009-03-05T09:36:00.005Z

so...here goes, the set up for den, imelda very kindly transported my stuff to the site

foot stool to add weight to hold the sheets taught, and a brick is holding the base of the ironing board

side table- if had been central would have been viewed as an object (although not sure this is the best place still)

nostalgic fabrics

sitting inside the heights are good, not too low, however the uneven heights from the scratch looked like a more makeshift thrown together den

the table and den are apart to allow for the walkie talkies to be effective and not hear the real voice too much

About and images of the Trinity Buoy Wharf, East India Docks site

2009-03-05T08:30:00.000Z

"TBW is currently home to around 350 artists and creative businesses" see website and history here. My work has been site responsive, this show den isn't, bringing my own site in, but I would like to return here and consider using this space under the stairs;

entrance to the electricity shop where the Not a F*******Art show I am in is on

view of the dome

den the score (proposed)

2009-03-01T21:56:00.008Z

Set up: a table laid with a vase of flowers, crocheted doilies, table cloth. Underneath table is a kids walkie talkie. Nearby (around 3 metres or more) a childlike den made of old curtains, bed sheets, and furniture in orange torch light.

Inside den: orange torch, pen torch, cash box and key, tray, photopaper, cards, pen, moist wipes, cloths, towel, hand fan, scissors, frames, blankets.

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I’m inside the den.

I ask via the walkie talkie if there is anyone there, and to push the side button on the walkie talkie to speak.

Once get a reply, ask them if they’d like to come in the den, and then stick my hand out to show where to get inside.

Once settled, open and spread out the pack/bag of greetings cards.

Ask the participant to pick and write one to a female who was important in their life.

After writing it, ask them if they’d like to discuss who they chose, and why. Have a conversation responding to each other.

I ask the participant to place the card on the tray, get out photo paper, and photogram it using the torch light.

Bring in the shredder behind me forom outside the back of the den and shred the card. Remove the shredder again.

Develop the photogram. Wash, dry and frame the photogram.

Hand the frame to the participant to put on the table. Participant leaves den and goes to the table.

Confirms via walkie talkie when then have left the table, places it back under the table.

Starts again.

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how long will each encounter take? lora has said that there's a poet who has composed for the event after seeing a listing of it- so spoken word amongst the visual art with my work hovering somewhere in between..or outside... i will stop when this poetry happens.

sooo grateful to imelda another artist in the show who picked up the den load today. i really must learn to drive. and then i could become ultra photo-portable, like genius camera truck- imagine :) and meanwhile, am just excited about the shed man coming round next weekend to chat, er garden sheds for my garden, my true sanctury, hooray!!

am thinking this is the piece i will propose to the accidental festival, the thematic is right up my street. the web info in particular says this;

"What we are looking for this year:

We are interested in all kinds of art forms and particularly in work that fuses different art forms or disciplines to create performance-based work that is contemporary and innovative. This year we are focusing on creating and developing a community of artists and audience and truly celebrating performance in all its forms over the course of the three days of the festival. The theme we are asking artists to respond to is 'connection' as we are trying to create a network of artists interested in truly connecting with their audiences and exploring collaboration across disciplines. We aim to make the festival a place where artists and audience can exchange ideas and form lasting links. We are interested in both established works and ideas that are in development or 'scratch' pieces."

autoteatro

2009-03-01T21:23:00.001Z

quickly........must get to etiquette this month in my time off (a review here) , and other autoteatro experimental participatory works where they are bodily detached from the work which the viewer performs- am intrigued to see how this feels sitting on the other side as participant, how much is entirely acted and how much is open to chance? what does it feel like to be using a headset for my aural stimulus detaching me from my surroundings and enabling intimacy. i like the look of this too wondermart, brings back my hideous supermarket working days, which filled up my fine art BA days. the company, which i wrote about are showing at BAC at end of march. ant hampton also co-created the brilliantly-witty-yet-poignant, spoof live art programme at the ICA, True Riches, which like lyn gardner wrote,shows that the art form 'does have cultural urgency' with its offer of this virtual live art programming.

and must post den get on top of writing up some of the awkwardness-cum-frolicksomeness that has stayed with me from the NRLA.

One and other: Antony Gormley inviting fourth plinth live sculpture volunteers

2009-02-28T14:28:00.002Z

am really intrigued by this one and other project for volunteers to become a one hour living sculpture in the 'most public space in our land,' in the ideas surrounding 'it is entirely up to you what you do,' spectacle, exhibitionism. shall i volunteer? who will volunteer? what/how/why/what would i do/pose/ wish to literally or sculpturally engage with audience? the expected and the unexpected, the 'portrait of our nation.'

den show,scratch event in my lounge :)

2009-02-26T21:10:00.008Z

decided to trial two of the 3 proposals in the end;

in the den, asking the participant to get an object from the table outside, bringing it in and discussing it, putting the object in a pillowcase, and leaving its trace in a frame on the sideboard (objects on the sideboard are nostalgic feminine nan type objects including sweets in a side dish.)
in the den, asking the participant to write a birthday/greeting/blank card from a shoe box in the den, to a female you once knew,discussing its story between the female and the participant, photogramming it, tearing off the card front and replacing with the photogram, leaving its trace as a photogram card on a sideboard outside. possible shredding of card?? use of walkie talkie to attract attention of participant placed under the table

here's the setting up;

preparing the table- nostalgic feminine type food/objects

various chairs/coverings experimented with......

the photogram appearing from the den left by the participant

upturned furniture

inside...blankets, darkroom objects

feedback from participants;

participant one: option 1:

didn't like pillowcase, try squirrelling the object away under the blanket. (did this for the second participant, worked better, more kid like)
felt ok with only one object, equal exchange, as i brought my connection into their story- previous work has been their object, my object.
liked that it wasn't fully light tight, can see pattern of curtains and photogram technique still worked.
possible sew/tack together the sheets for a little less likelihood of collapse of the den
the two participants were both small women, larger men may find it difficult to sit up, need higher chair etc
this piece had a more fun, less serious element than my previous work, more playful like a true kids den
maybe say 'pick an object or part of the object and see you in the den'
really liked the fan

participant one: option 2:

liked the shredding idea: symbolises what's gone in your life well
liked idea of using walkie talkies, keeping me in the den all the time and being invited in
questioning how people would respond to the theme of a female who was important in your life- preoccupation with death, how would i feel if i was asked to do this?
liked use of cards, choice of cards and presentation of these

participant two: fedback after experiencing both options:

liked second one better, more personal, able to directly work with own material for the exchange. felt was something specific to hang onto, something meaningful
a journey that had been on to take away with them, and continue to reflect on
felt wanted to now get back in touch with the person that was important
finds it easy to talk to strangers, nothing to hide, no prior knowledge to bring
liked the shredding, very cleansing
didn't feel like therapy, wasn't guiding/encouraging them to resolve conflicts, i was sharing similar experiences
option one- liked way thoughts went from one onto the next, started and ended in completely different places. this was also centred on an experience with a male, instructions weren't clear- although conversation went on to that
found it enriching finding out about another
chose to write the envelope rather than a card- the card was quite thick and couldn't see the photogram of it (poss longer exposure?)
always had to be a was important? means it will always be able discussing loss, death, conflict, someone lost contact with
the photogram didn't work so well, liked the fingerprint mark left behind by them though
walkie talkies- liked me bring in there already, playful element, meeting a stranger in the half dark
hot in there- no air, can i be i there for 3 hours?
liked to have greater difference in heights of furniture making the den
get older frames, charity show, with a history
would have felt ok if had recorded this, liked the idea of someone going back in the den and listening to our encounter on headphones
liked the locked box, very kid like, secrets locked away
suggested i do it in her home for a girls night in, she liked the idea of an evening happening in her own home with activities and relaxing conversation around it. we talked about the ideas i have for it becoming a more portable event, den made from anything people have in their homes, or using their own private spaces

refelctions overall:

it felt sooooo good scratching my work again, i didn't do this for First Thursday Private View, and really felt it, now very much refinding the energy, revalidating and reclarifying my thoughts and centering myself back on my work.

decided to go with option two, meets more directly with the thematic of the show, about sharing female experiences. it also felt more personally heartfelt, and in keeping with my ideas around working with memories and photography

i need to now really consider making the space taller for bigger participants, finalising the furniture, writing the score out, and really considering how and why to use the walkie talkies, and how to start and end the piece without usher. do i really think this works best with me in the den the whole time: does however adds to the mystery of dens, and the element of meeting with a stranger is heightened, you don't know who's inside and what their private world is.

the space in trinity buoy wharf is apparently fairly dimly lit, which is good, and no dj in the end so noise levels with me talking. will however need a table lamp to see the images. how will it feel outside of my lounge in the space? and in relation to the wider experience of the thematic of the show?

more to follow in revisions this weekend......

developing the mischievous, reclusive world of den.....

2009-02-18T19:33:00.009Z

developing den for Not a F******* art show @ the electricity shop, trinity buoy wharf, 4th march 2009

the brief for this show, curated by an ex-student of mine, lora hristova who is currently in her third year fine art degree at central st martin's (and another who designed the website, sinem erkas, designer and D&AD new blood winner 2008) is thus;

"To coincide with International Women’s Day on the 8th March a group of sixteen artists will be exhibiting a diverse collection of work that focuses on the "fairer sex" without using the "f" word. A wide range of media from painting, sculpture, video and photography will ensure an exciting and eclectic mixture of work.

This exhibition aims to offer a platform for discussion for a variety of questions such as: How are contemporary artists portraying women in a post-feminist society? Can work themed around the female avoid being pigeon-holed as feminist? How is work viewed when gathered under the category of one gender? How do young female artists feel about feminism? What will male artists do when asked to contribute to a female exhibition? Is feminism still a dirty word?"

lora asked me to do this in response to seeing my MA show, shed in which i shared nostalgic connections to feminine objects. my initial thoughts were going back to undeveloped MA ideas about dens, and for thus having a darkroom den in the corner of the electricity shop into which objects and stories were brought and shared;

the portable den was originally going to be a portable NOVA darkroom structure, with some kind of nostalgic facade.cost was not what was first thought(!) this, coupled with the timescale for putting up the show is only a day for me,i started to play with ideas around the most basic, makeshift and highly portable kind of dens ( like a kid dragging easy-to-move things into the lounge) bedsheets, curtains, ironing boards, clothes driers, etc and away from other kinds using sofas and armchairs (this is also rather good for me to be able to carry there being a non-driver)

simple knotting together to join multiple sheets

bed sheets and lounge furniture

am thinking along the lines of den as a site of childhood, mischief, refuge, secrecy, hiding place, taking shed ideas but definitely positioning ourselves as adults going back to childhood, (and now considering how will this change my work.) this wiki talks about dens, and this article, The Nesting Instinct, discusses issues surrounding them. dens are a great things from my childhood, i used to like putting a tent up inside and hiding in there, as well as using sofas and having pretend tea parties, lining up and registering my teddies, and puppet shows behind and between upturned and sheet covered sofas.my 3 year old nephew recently came to play in my flat, and we spent a lot of time in the duvet den in bed looking for dragons- he initiated. he lives in dublin and the following week i went to stay with him, and found we were now searching for bears :)

i like the idea of playing on exposure, in that the image is exposed, and the temporality of the den structure, that at any time, it could be pulled down and expose the inhabitants....

potential ideas, to scratch with participants in my lounge next wednesday;

in the den, asking the participant to write a birthday/greeting/blank card from a shoe box in the den, to a female you once knew,discussing its story between the female and the participant, photogramming it, tearing off the card front and replacing with the photogram, leaving its trace as a photogram card on a sideboard outside. possible shredding??

in the den, asking the participant to get an object from the sideboard outside, bringing it in and discussing it, putting the object in a box, and leaving its trace in a frame on the sideboard (objects on the sideboard are nostalgic feminine nan type objects including sweets in a side dish.) [Note: this is implying the den is potentially at nan's house, does this matter? how much am i implying i am metaphorically transporting/ 'removing' the viewer from the Electricity shop space external to the den as well as internally, this is an odd question for me as my work has become much more entirely site-responsive and this piece is very much not so above the notion of creating 'a den site.' I like the idea here of objects you know you shouldn't have (e.g. ornamental/grown up objects going in to the den, to be come our toys we then give our own identity to)]

in the den, asking the participant to get an object from the sideboard outside, bringing it in and discussing it, putting the object in a box, and leaving its trace in a frame on the sideboard (objects on the sideboard are child birthday party type objects including cakes, biscuits, sweets in dishes...or is this too off brief?? or go with gender stereotyping of foods- pink cakes etc, am i interested in that though? i like this as the consumption of food parallels the consumption of the image though, and if not used here i definitely want to return to this) [Note: this is implying the den is in a family living room]

How does the participant personally engage with each option, are some more engaging than others? How light tight do I really need given the image disappears? proximity- how small is the den? Do I really need a sideboard? How interactive/ collaborative/participatory is the piece, and think about levels of these, where are the elements of chance versus following score instructions? How to consider this piece in the private view- music and noise, the fabric walls of the den with ears listening in from outside, (privacy levels reduced, will this alter the nature of the discussion?) and the outside noise going into the den.....

dolls house mini world back again?

2009-02-04T22:34:00.004Z

ahhhh, mini-me thoughts return. i own 3 metal cash boxes of varying sizes i have used as troughs. today in the hardware shop getting stuff for Private View, i found this really minute one. small enough to fit in a pocket..is there something in the idea of a darkroom in my pocket, truly portable?? thinking lisa cheung and her gift work, out on the street, perhaps a mobile darkroom? in working on my MA show i was really interested in total portablity in fitting with the total temporality of performance ideas. before i decided on sheds, i was thinking about making dens in participants houses out of whatever they could lay their hands on- this will be good to explore in my work den, in Not a F******* art show next month. more to follow on this......

Setting up for "Private View"- First Thursday, Regent studios

2009-02-04T21:35:00.019Z

here's the latest reincarnation of my secret-hiding-places-come-darkroom-den .......original site of cupboard at edge of studio

moved to edge of room near entrance

considering how to use the top surface- artist's paraphernalia- postcards, portfolio, comments book, built into the experience

now getting inside, looking out

and inside looking down. no shoes in here- letting your hair down :)

i really like this working cupboard, traces of its function, working within these

light leaks- needs eliminating- gaffer ahoy....

nasty nails made safe

how to sit, side on to each other? try this out in different body postures and proximities. i remember jordan mckenzie once saying to me in a tutorial i should try decreasing proximity to increase intimacy, i have found people saying that could be intimidating....how will this extreme physical closeness affect my work, will people actually let down their guard, be private in a private view?

making it den like- duvet and cushion inside found in the studio, although like the idea of using old duvet my parents gave me- 70s floral, fits with the stepping back into the nostalgic, memory lane ideas

the bar will be behind. opening shouldn't be too busy, keeping gangway clear

local hardware shop came up trumps with this cute pocket fan one pound bargain:)

presenting the relics

am keen to use this as an experimental platform, may switch between DSLR and mobile phone camera, see how each one works differently. vary how i approach a potential participant, how to approach those that know my work, treat everyone the same, is everyone to be a stranger?

zine, open for contributions

2009-02-03T21:53:00.004Z

am just starting out in a bit of a new art group coming out of some of the people in crystal palace artists group that was. linda duffy from the group sent me this; and to pass onto those that might be interested (are you a site/space/place artist that's interested? email at bottom)

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Point of Departure (Working Title)

A zine (an abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine; pronounced [zi_n], "zeen") is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier on a variety of colored paper stock. Wikipedia

Market
Emerging and mid career artists, writers, placemakers, urbanists. The publication will offer a platform for developing and sharing creative perceptions, critical contexts and projects responding to or departing from places, spaces and sites.

Content
Articles, graphic novelettes, photo essays, briefs for conceptual projects, discussion, further reading.

Production and Distribution
A series of 10 free, no-budget mini-zines, produced as 3-4 double-sided A4, black and white photocopies, also made available as downloadable pdfs via website.
The project builds towards a compiled version produced to commercial standard, distributed through specialist arts outlets and sold at a not for profit price point. Additional funding will be sought toward this stage of production.

Remuneration
Unfortunately we are not currently able to offer remuneration to contributors, as this is currently an unfunded, non-commercial project. We intend to seek funding to cover the costs of production, promotion and distribution of the first compiled version.

Critical Context
At a time of growing interest in work that is site-specific or responding to sites/places/spaces, it is useful to ask 'what is driving such work?'
In what ways is such work different to what has come before? How easy/difficult is it for emerging artists working in this way to find opportunities and situate their work within a broader critical context? What are the appropriate audiences for such work? Perhaps this zine could speak to such questions...
Furthermore, we ask how we value this kind of work. How do we create economic value for it? What value does it add to society (assuming it does)? How can the value added be remunerated? How might we consider these discourses and practices in the context of regeneration?

For further information contact:
John Hartley - johntonta@googlemail.com; Linda Duffy - lm_duffy@yahoo.com

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some initial thoughts from the top of my head.......

i particularly like "briefs for conceptual projects" as i'm really into my new toy of using scores for my work that others follow, it started with my Duckie show laura took part in. So, for me, perhaps a series of scores using sites, e.g. starting with 'find a closet and make it lightight' then going through a series of actions, with direct instructions and some parts more open to interpretation. when i did shed, i really liked the way that my one single instruction was ambiguous, " Pick a flower that mean something to you." Some chose a flower and picked it up still in its pot, others literally, picked it from the stem.this reinforced the mortality nature of my work, death of flower more immediate in the latter action mirrored in the death of the photographic image in the exchange.

I also really like www.learningtoloveyoumore.com where briefs are given and people submit responses, i have been using that a lot with my students. perhaps the zine for me could be an entry on a score and the responses OR just an offer of artistic scores, where i exist as the author, is there a way for dialogue post the zine, maybe i should try the zine way as well as a learningtoloveyoumore way hmmmmmmm......this could also be a way to create some kind of documentation for my work, the old chesnut that continues to stump me as i don't document the personal encounters.....ahhhh.....

the question, "how we value this kind of work" to me also asks why we value this kind of work. i like making the familiar unfamiliar as well as a different of familiarity, an ordinary closet of mops and tools into a den of secrecy...its the same site but not as we once thought we knew it.

we'll meet up again next week, hope to thrash out some ideas, i think i should investigate others' artistic scores, back to tino sehgal et al......

one-to-one performance and Etiquette, Oto cafe, Dalston

2009-02-01T19:00:00.007Z

two things i've found/been signposted connecting with the relationships that can happen in one-to-one performances;

One archive: Lyn Gardener's blog post, 'I didn't know where to look' (how does this sit, nearly 4 years on? NRLA in a couple of weeks with back to back performances/performative events will be a good place to consider this in 2009)

excerpts;
"Traditionally, theatre has been a communal experience, but Lois Keidan of the Live Art Development Agency argues that in the age of the internet, the opportunity for audiences to have face-to-face encounters in real time with real people is enormously appealing. "It feels more real than real life," she says, "and because it isn't a mass experience you know that nobody is going to have the same experience as you have. It makes the event unique and it makes you feel special."

Laura Godfrey-Isaacs agrees: "Home has done salon series before that have concentrated on the communal, but this one-to-one season responds to people's desire for experiences that are more direct and unmediated, and less formal. It often results in something very charged because the audience member is crucial to what does - or doesn't - happen. It allows both the audience and the artist to take risks, because they are the only people in the room. They are the only people who will ever know what really happened during the encounter."

like these key things to think about more from the article in my constant thinking about why that style appeals to me: one-to-ones are unique, (and what is unique in my work?, ) you are the only ones who know what really happened,(the re-counting the encounter can be chinese whispers, and the complete privacy is to me, an unspoken thing, i don't re-count it in fact) more real than real life (what does that mean?) you and the audience take risks.......

One current, I must experience this: Etiquette, at Cafe Oto, Dalston, London throughout February 2009 and possibly beyond. A Lyn Gardner "One to watch."

excerpt from website:

"Alongside their innovative stage works (Doublethink, Five in the Morning) involving instructions to unrehearsed performers, Rotozaza here invite the audience to try it themselves. Etiquette offers the fantasy of speaking with someone without having to plan what you say, and the resulting thrill of disowning responsibility in a performance situation. Conversation is shown to be a kind of theatre whereby 'audience' and 'actor' roles are imperceptibly assumed and exchanged."

It is recommended by Etiquette company Rotozaza to watch this Godard clip which i quite like, in thinking about conversations with a stranger:

I like the idea that in Etiquette, the audience and performers are 'removed' and both are equal participants, you can do it between strangers OR between people that know one another,leave that up to the audience that turn up to choose. personally, i'd like to try it both ways, as i do in my own work, (I have said sometime intimate things to strangers I have not told my partner or anyone, and have learnt humbling things about my friends/family in 10 minutes than i never knew throughout my relationship with them, question: why does it take my work to do this??) although unsure if the headset dialogue is the same each time, spoiling the surprise.
The performative instructions for narrative action/conversation are given via headset whilst sat in a cafe. I have been thinking post The Darkroom at Duckie that my scores could be used by someone else entirely, like ideas in Fluxus of the blurring of performance and reality, and Tino Sehgal using actors to carry out instructions. In my application to SPRINT I have suggested there could be multiple encouters at the same time. Do I want to remove myself from the work in this way entirely? Or can I actually do this? More of a directing role akin to theatre??

In reference to participation in art, I will need to come back to thoughts from Art in the Social Sphere, the symposium I attended at Loughborough University this week, with excellent speakers: writer/artist Dave Beech, APG-er Barbara Steveni and gift-girl Lisa Cheung.

First Thursday- my piece 'Private View' 5th February

2009-01-31T18:01:00.005Z

Harriet Poole: Private View, 8-10.30pm

ok, so here's the flyer for the event at the playground art studio of red shoe films. I'm enjoying developing and adapting my MA and Duckie work to site in new contexts, new challenges are presented and new surprises happen. With my new structuring method of working within a score and allowing chance elements throughout, i want to see how this plays out in different contexts. Lucy's studio very much allows for play and experimentation so a good venue for this :)

this idea has developed from the more literal draft title i blogged about earlier of inside out outside in, to consider more the site, that there are other Private Views going on in and around Regent Studios that same night, and the whole public persona nature of the evening.

i'm still thinking very much about the ideas surrounding intimacy, and in this piece taking aspects of (in)visible exchange, my Nunnery piece (see MA blog) which took place in the functioning closet of an art gallery, (mops, toolboxes and all intact) and rather than being a side room to the edge of the gallery, being an everyday cupboard found in the studio and placed in the centre of the studio/gallery/event space. the cupboard itself perhaps being seen as an artwork, but then the den where you enter into some kind of other world?
See Nunnery photos below;

What changes, what stays the same, what are the acoustics like, will being in the thick of the noise of the Private view force extreme intimacy through closed in proximity, how will this affect the performative exchange that results? Will it be too much?
The idea being: A performative exchange. Can you be private in a private view? How much are you willing to let your guard down?

In questioning our relationship to photography, and not holding on to the moment, I am looking to use DSLR photography, fitting with a private view, and not mobile phone photography, akin more to the pub/club scene.

However, unlike (in) visible exchange and more like The Darkroom, in that there will be many unrehearsed elements working to a score not an embellished rehearsed story, and responding, at least initially, to the participant's stories not my own. I'm running through/setting up on wednesday but the provisional score I like is this;

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Proposed outline of an encounter: the score
Set up: Cupboard with some usual contents inside on a shelf, plus cash box, torches. On top of the cupboard is an art portfolio with the artists' cv at the front, and a stand of the artist's postcards and comments book.

Initiator (Harriet Poole dressed up normally as a audience member of the studio) approaches a person in the studio. She has her DSLR around her neck.

HP talks about the private view event, whether they are an artist, general private view/art event type conversation with a stranger.

HP says, "Would you like to see my work, its called Private view." If yes, HP ask if she could have a photo with them. If yes, she asks someone to take a DSLR photo of her and the participant, if no, she moves on and starts another conversation from the beginning. HP plays back image and shows the participant the image. DSLR goes back round the photographer's neck.

HP takes them to the cupboard and climbs inside with the participant, turns on orange torch and hangs it in the cupboard on a hook in the ceiling. Shuts door.

HP asks them what they keep in their pocket/on their person, and if they’d like to share it.

They then talk about the item if they want to share, and HP may share an item too.

HP then gets out photographic paper from off the shelf in the cupboard, and asks the Participant to put their item on the paper. HP does the same if also told their story.

HP/participant then turns on the white torch light and exposes the photo paper.

HP gets out the cash box and key, puts it on the floor between them, and unlocks it.

HP asks the participant to put the image in the cash box.

They watch the image partially develop.

Performer then turns on out the DSLR and finds the photo of the two of them, and holds it over the image to kill it to black completely.The image of HP and the participant is reflected back in the developer.

HP then deletes the image in front of the participant. The DSLR goes back around HP's neck.

HP wraps/blots the image in a towel/flannel ?? and puts it in her handbag.

The two leave the cupboard, shutting the door firmly behind.

HP stands with participant in front of the top of the cupboard,and puts the photogram from her handbag into a small art portfolio which is on top of the cupboard, and offers the participant one of her artist postcards from the postcard stand. HP suggests it is put it in the participant’s pocket. HP indicates that the participant can leave a comment in the comments book if they so wish.

They are then back into the throws of the Private view/studio event.

The participant and HP leave one another.

Event starts again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

need to run through this with lucy red shoes and now think about tech set up...... :)

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department: The Second sketchbook

2009-01-31T12:08:00.001Z

ok, so this is the sketchbook I am sharing with M. Franklin. like the photo-sketchbook i created and have sent off to share with E. Brass, M. Franklin has sent this for me to work on this month and to mail back by 25th February.

Interesting how it's a moleskine which was my choice if i had worked with a blank book, as i love the pockets, i think i will start stashing secret things in there. i was excited by the cover, and panicky a little by its contents. i think this is going to be a good challenge for me as the work is very alien to my practice, although it does have photos in the mixed media. the first thoughts are returning to flickr (or is this just as I'm completely without idea and being lazy, OR should I see this as another photo-reading experiment?), i see barbed wire and autumn leaves, is there anything in any of this?;

flickr images from search here

the beauty of flickr is that you do get people's responses to images, through people leaving comments, and a dialogue thread sometimes between them, and captions people give to images, sometimes bizarre, sometimes perhaps, unnecessary as its quite visually obvious, although necessary for searches. can i make more of this flickr dialogue? shall i start exploring text? i used flickr comments to photos of graveside floral tributes in my stand up comedy act from July last year (see MA blog)

am also thinking of just simply collecting things i see in the envelope at the back and seeing if maybe there's a starting point there. maybe something, maybe nothing......material to use this month or in the future....my other idea is to work through and document mini-tasks in this fab book; Guerilla Art, through looking it up I found this book about how to develop/wreck a sketchbook by the same author!! Wreck this journal
One to tell the Class monitors running this project!!!

UPDATED 8TH MARCH 2009: This sketchbook was requested by the class monitors to exchange for another so I did not work on this one (a relief to be honest as it wasn't very stimulating to respond to)...it has arrived and is a written ferrari diary...more to follow...

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department.....1955 family album- First interventions

2009-01-30T19:16:00.009Z

Ok, so the intervention into sketchbook as site project begins.....the sketchbook is a 1955 family photo album (date inside cover), with missing photos. the photos presented in triangular corner mounts are of everyday family activities, eg bath time, in the garden...and with such events as christmas dinner and present unwrapping, and a few odd entries such as a budgie drinking from a glass of water on the dining table, a hand holding a pile of nails, a magazine stuck in the letter box. as the images cannot be brought to life in first person and have it could be said, been de-personalised, i.e. cannot be contextualised through someone who has a connection to the album, I decided that at first i didn't want to invent stories or meanings. maybe in subsequent interventions I will, but that i wanted to start by in part parallel their removal from context in a contemporary and impersonal way through looking at opportunities in an online gallery such as flickr. so..... I started typing in what i saw in the photos and these are the before and after results.....

So here's the first 'mark/intervention in the postal sketchbook project. I moved the third photo from left of budgie drinking from here;

to what was a blank double page spread here;

and from typing in 'budgie drinking' on flickr, found the inserted image in the photo below;

I considered many ideas about how to insert/change/personalise, and whether to give any context within the intervention about where it came from, eg writing web address on the back, but decided to leave it entirely open to ideas, and apart form shrinking to fit when printing it out on an inkjet printer, no image manipulation took place. This raises an interesting dialogue I hope for the artist who receives the sketchbook. Maybe they will consider: did I the artist, take the photo, why is there such a naff caption,(BOTTOMS UP!!) how does it read in amongst the other images, eg era, technology,what we take and record photos of.

Here's the second intervention- before;

And after.....

the original idea was to bring my own practice into the work- my cat crazed MA show, as there is a cat on the front on the magazine being posted, but decided to keep this intervention purely about photography...at least for the moment....

so...as i post off this sketchbook to artist E. Brass, i am wondering what will come of the album , will the artist that receives it feel it is ok or inappropriate to physically manipulate the images, will they worry it is my personal album, will it resemble its current self at all, how will they add their mark/intervention.. if they completely destroyed or manipulated the photos how would i feel? we all have albums like these, is it really that impersonal? how does it feel intervening in what is actually a historical document.......hmmmm..... intriguing....i will receive the sketchbook back by February 25th so will post the photos of the outcome then. incidentally, it felt extremely important to document its journey through photographing it, i hope this process will give me something for my own work and i need to be able to 'let go' of the photographs in between, my moment with them as was has passed...and what will become of them will become.......... ;)

Is this the ultimate the moment of photography has passed, its' becoming something else, potentially entirely?

Postal Art Collective- The Art Department

2009-01-22T14:18:00.001Z

I have recently joined an art collective, The Art Department, creating a sketchbook postally over the next 6 months. I don't know the artists I am directly collaborating with, only an initial and surname to send it on to. I hate working with a blank canvas approach, have never got on with using a sketchbook, (me I'm more of a notebooker), its not me, so initially thought it a little daunting. I eventually thought it to be a great opportunity to really explore how others' read and respond to images artistically. Here's my 'sketchbook' above, untouched. As I am constantly questioning photography, and continuing from my MA investigations into how we use and read photographs, and the removal/reinvention of its context, I decided to take as my brief how I work as site-responsive live artist, to respond to the notion of sketchbook as a site. I found a 1950s family photo album on ebay discarded for unknown reasons, it is not of significance to whoever wanted to sell it. I'm thinking back to the Tratchenberg Family slide show players who have been a significant inspiration to my work and who bring new identities to strangers lives through performing with found slides from car boot sales- the result is calamity, non-sensical, with a heavily vintage flavour. So..... this is the beginning, 12 entries will be made......below is more about the project, I like the idea of working to a set of rules, fits with my current thinking like using a score for actions in my practice.

THE RULES/ACCEPTANCE FORM:

The Art Department
Homework Project

Participants’ acceptance form
I would like to take part in ‘The Homework Project’ as described below:

The project operates on a monthly cycle and begins on January 1st 2009. The collective is organised in a postal circle by the class monitors.

All members are to provide a sketchbook – the only criterion is that it must be able to fit through a letterbox, otherwise the format it takes is open to individual interpretation.

Between the 1st of each month and the 25th members are asked to make a minimum of one ‘mark’ in the sketchbook they have. Consider the word ‘mark’ in the broadest of senses: a drawing / intervention / response / record etc.

You may make as many ‘marks’ as you wish in the sketchbook while you have it. If the sketchbook finishes during this time please send the completed book to the class monitors and purchase a new sketchbook to continue the project in.

On the 25th (or nearest possible date) post the sketchbook to the next member in the circle – this ensures that the sketchbook will be with them for the 1st of the next month.

Ownership:
Ownership is collective until the first meeting in 6 months. If at the first meeting we choose to discontinue the project all original sketchbooks are to be returned to their owners with the ‘marks’ made by others.

Changes to circumstances during the initial six months:
If you need to leave the collective during the initial six month period or you need to discuss other issues around the project, contact the class monitors.

The class monitors:
Self-appointed Art Department ‘class monitors’ are Elinor Brass and Tanya Paget who have developed the initial idea. They will oversee the initial project.

Review date: July 2009

I understand that by taking part in ‘The Homework Project’ I am also becoming a member of the visual arts collective; “The Art Department’.
Signed:
Print: Harriet Poole
Date: 6/1/09
Address*:
*This should be the postal address that you wish to receive your sketchbooks at.

East London- First Thursday 5th February show

2009-01-19T21:03:00.011Z

work in progress following site visit last wednesday for insideout/outsidein @ Life is Animated, 5th February 2009, part of East london's First Thursday,73A Regent studios, 8 Andrews Road, Hackney, E8 4QN. This photo-encounter invites you to sit inside a box with me oblivious to a studio full of people looking at art or just drinking.What we might just say or discover, or not, the awkwardness, the imposed. Trial variant of The Darkroom: what happens when the darkroom is not in a private location, it is in fact a cupboard, in the middle of a room,with a private view going on around it and live music and performance. bringing together two strangers within a box, to unearth/turn inside the contents of their pockets,and expose the objects to the act of photography. two people hiding themselves away from the hubub beyond, the cliche of the private view of the public facade you present, versus the private self that you may or may not expose inside the box. a very sketchy idea to start 2009...hmmmm a seed to plant and let grow a little :) time to explore the whole concept of 'box' and maybe some interplays on words.....

the theme of this month was very much artists that work with animation and participation. first thoughts were for projecting on the outside what was on the inside but am having trouble working out the concept involving a projection, and why I would want to go down that route when i never document the encounters due to their private nature.doh.but i always love the virtual versus actual. mobile phones again like The Darkroom, maybe this time a video of me with the participant? Durationally killing the black and white photo. how about me asking the participant what they think of the private view as a video? and this public reality then used internally to kill the image once talked about what's in our pockets? OR this mobile phone image is the only means to expose the image and then gone.

Projection- a fragmented reality projecting outwards? of me only? Perhaps this part is another event. my N96 does link up to a projector which is exciting.

test runs in situ on 25th january and 4th february. do i need another performer? run the event durationally 9-11pm? how will it feel being even closer to the participant than ever before; enhanced forced intimacy? these photos are of the lived in studio, room to be transformed for the event; cinematic screening, live performances, music.

other artists taking part;
Pia Borg screening her 10 min animated film (on loop) "Palimpsest"
Helen Schoene Performance and animation (7 mins, on twice 9pm and 10pm)
New Eakapong Rungruangkul: Filmed Performance/ Stills

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Frequency and Volume

2009-01-19T20:44:00.004Z

This show at the barbican in the curve gallery is described on their website as;

"Working at the crossroads between architecture, sculpture and performance, the Mexico-born, Canada-based artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is well known for developing large-scale installations in public spaces. His work encourages both social interaction and audience participation through the deployment of new technologies."

i really liked the way you as you walked around creating huge shadows tracked by the digital signal, you could 'play' the analogue stations though movement of your body. you became extremely self aware, your elongated presence and those migrating around you too, giant and looming across the curved wall. seeing the technology piled up in a glass windowed room and the mast at the edge was a bonus especially as i like process as performance, or in this case, as performance installation. slightly too sci-fi hollywood blockbuster in the red target but controlling sound like this very clever, through a system of mirrors and the layering of slight delay on the overlapping digital projection and real time shadow. good freebie. shame the barbican bar isn't quite so free :(

SPRINT Festival proposal

2009-01-14T13:44:00.003Z

This is the proposal submitted to SPRINT, the Camden People's Theatre event June 2009

Harriet Poole: Live Participatory Photography:
The Darkroom (or name adapted to site)

Preferred space: Starting in the bar/foyer/populated area moving to a small private, light tight space, and then back to bar/foyer. Small, light tight closet/office/bathroom/shed type space or small space that can be made light tight and into a photographic darkroom. Ideally around 8 foot by 3 feet but can adapt to space given. Using an existing working room with side bench or shelf as found would be particularly ideal (moving some items if necessary to accommodate myself and participant) e.g. mops, buckets, screwdrivers, old equipment etc welcome in the space. If two small rooms could be found, there could be a performance installation of the photogram relics. If the space(s) were more ‘behind the scenes’ or away from black-box theatre, this would be ideal, I have responded to sites such as redundant factory/warehouses rich with history situating my work in amongst other performance events.

Duration of work: Durational, intimate performance for one at a time (approximately 10 minutes per encounter) There could, and ideally would, be multiple encounters happening simultaneously. Ideally happening on a busy night, people socialising, waiting for a show, or after a show. Could also work on a pre-booked basis with an usher entirely in a given room, I have worked in this way before. A visit would be good to determine this and make the piece entirely site-responsive, maybe drawing connections with my other work such as shed (see http://www.harrietpoole.com/work.php.)

The number of artists involved: One (myself) or more (performers only). If taking place during a busy event around the area with a ‘found’ audience, I work with a score allowing for individual and fluid happenings around that and have worked with more than one performer having their own one-to-ones.

Description of the work (provisional, pending site visit): In The Darkroom, people are approached in the bar/foyer and asked if they would like to go to the darkroom. Using a mobile phone camera, the image of the strangers together in the foyer/bar is taken by another person in the bar, and then the performer and participant move to the private room in red light. Stories are told in the private room through objects from their pockets, the objects as a trigger for finding and sharing a human connection: for example, from the ordinariness of a train ticket they could talk about the funeral that it enabled the person to attend. The last person that was phoned and shouldn’t have been. The objects are laid onto photographic paper and exposed and developed- they surface momentarily through a photogrammed memory of the object but are not then fixed. The closet idea is about referencing those tucked away spaces maybe under the stairs, amateur darkroom in the attic, child’s den, inventors quiet paradise to be able to sit and consider one’s thoughts, make new discoveries, or share secrets. The fleeting exchange of memories between two strangers is, as is the problem with photography, of the moment that has passed. This performance thus culminates in marking this fact through the death of the photographs created, the mobile phone image’s light kills the photogram and is deleted. This denotes the end of a period of togetherness as two strangers then leave one another and the performer and the participant return to the foyer/bar.

The Darkroom has been developed from (in)visible exchange, the above piece is based on my Duckie show and could, I would hope develop further with SPRINT; elements have always been quite different. My work explores theories in the work of Roland Barthes and Tino Sehgal, the first for his theories of the ‘mortality’ of the paper based photograph as an ‘impossible’ record of ‘now,’ and the latter for the fleeting materiality of his art works. I work with principles of non-matrixed theatre and audience participation through the subversion of time/lens based media practices. I experiment with pushing the temporal nature of performance through marrying with the temporal nature of photography, placing the process of image making intrinsically at the heart of an intimate performative experience.

Technical: Creating a staged light tight darkroom providing own equipment being small darkroom (box) tray, photographic developer, photographic paper, red safety lights, blackout.
Ability to lock door or shut it very firmly so light tight.
Depending on room set up as to whether would need a bench or a table and depending on the height of these- chairs or stools or standing- I can arrange these where necessary.
Access to water nearby and electrical sockets in the room or very nearby.
If possible I would like to view the room in advance of the event so I can plan for the right materials, and any slight adaptations to the performance if layout of room etc dictates.
Please note- I have a lot of experience in constructing make-shift darkrooms if the above sounds horrendously off putting- and I am able to do it myself. There is no Enlarger or other traditional darkroom equipment, processing troughs etc, but would put down suitable protective sheeting as applicable. Depending on how much black out was required would dictate how long I would need to set up; if time is short I could get assistance.

Should hear by end of February whether successful or not....

new year update......and live stream video and gillian wearing confessions

2009-01-02T10:49:00.008Z

phew am back- long time no blog! a period of digestion and reflection post MA and what last year has given me, early seeds of revised and new projects (posts to follow shortly,) writing proposals, and thinking about both the independent and interrelated possibilities for artist-educator me. speaking to many people lecturing/teaching/ working in education who also find it is often incredibly inspiring and rewarding personally and professionally: for me currently, giving lots of ways of bringing my MA and post MA practice to young people, redefining the curricula to more visibly include socially engaged participatory practice, interdisciplinary art, live art. new projects to be piloted, strategies, initiatives both within the visual arts department and whole school, i'm lucky to be in a school which embraces change and taking risks.mid January, am meeting with the local council setting up site-specific installation and live art projects in derelict buildings for my students. it would be great if to the future this avenue could also allow artist-educator projects too. i work with recent graduates and practitioners who also wish to continue to practice but finding the time and head space is difficult, but so necessary for personal satisfaction, and growth and also to be delivering a contemporary curriculum. i'm lucky at least that i work part-time and this last few months have been re-adjusting to this and this year i feel to become more work-art life balanced: when am i an artist and when am i an artist-educator? stricter timetabling myself this year. i really enjoy being both but in my constantly thirsty and enquiring mind i need to find a way to balance and switch between it better:)

so...my work......The Darkroom @ duckie started something intriguing for me about using my mobile phone camera (N73) purposefully as part of the whole act of photography and the club nature of taking photos in this way, deleting the image later to maintain the temporality ethos to my work. this work was only experienced by the performer (myself or laura bean) and the participant. is there an opportunity, or indeed is it appropriate for a wider audience?

lots to be playing around with my new N96 phone have found it has lots of possibilities- see above this bambuser and also movino app is intriguing me(this boiled egg action is not a piece of work just a test!!) in terms of temporality of my work however, yes live streaming from the phone via bluetooth to web is exciting but how about the fact that it stores for playback the footage,is it just like when i deleted the camera photo in The darkroom? i go online and delete it? how could this or would it work? the mediated performance, where and why is the audience both physically local and online global? how does this challenge the intimate encounter- what is broadcast, audio and visual, anonymity? thinking gillian wearing, confess all on video although this work was made for the gallery, video projection as installation and not online. or would this be a live feed from one arena to another locally and NOT online? two "sheds," two confessional boxes like the walkie talkies in shed ?? what is gained and lost from being physically in one another's company as opposed to mediated- honesty? need to look back at paul sermon in telematic dreaming

my one-to-one work has increasingly become at times, about confessions to a stranger, things you may not say to someone you know. in duckie i spoke to a couple of participants, through the trigger of a train ticket, about my blood father's memorial in october, some things which i haven't told even my closest friends. i have been wondering why i did this. one thing i think was in immersing myself in my MA i detached myself from those closest to me, did not take on board his death at all during my MA (and am working though only now) and my work became a way of still maintaining intimacy in my life. for me this was the truth. for others and what they told me? truth, embellished, utter fiction? back to lyn gardner's post, in the theatrical confession box i looked at last year on my MA blog;

"Lyn Gardner in, In the theatrical confession box, Guardian arts blog (June 08) writing about recent trends in intimate performance, “….what a great number of these performances are exploring is not intimacy, but the illusion of intimacy and the loneliness of a world where communication is easy but real intimacy very hard. But I wonder about the ethical issues around such performances, particularly when they are set up in such a way that the power lies entirely with the performers and the risk seems to lie entirely with the audience."

did i have power and were the participants at risk? does this lie in more of the fact that this work was non-matrixed and therefore not a "performance" oh god, in knots now......;) need to process this.

in conclusion for today........in all of this current thinking, questioning the private/public fact/fictional nature of my work, how does diversifying the areas of photography and video further facilitate this?

The Darkroom @ Duckie 18th October 2008: Part two

2008-10-26T11:29:00.001Z

demo photo taken and manipulated to reinforce the private nature of the encounters and just simply show idea of the sort of mobile phone photos taken at the start of the piece

performance installation of some of the photogram relics drying pegged up in the laundry room/second darkroom

with the red light on

unluckily, both the darkroom safelight bulbs blew and I only had one spare, simon the duckie producer gave us a torch with a red gel, this added a focused light and uplight some of the photograms to cast a shadow on the wall, happy accident :)

selecting a peg

setting up the lines
stair case bannisters covered in fairy lights where we sat for the conversations

Note: As with all my work, the encounters themselves are not documented and remain true to the private nature of the things shared/divulged. The relics, performances writings including this blog and the rather lovely posts about Lucky Conkers and all by Pogonophile and The Darkroom and the whole Duckie night , as well as from Laura who co-performed, are the documentation so far- do feel free to leave your comments too to help me in future work:)

Some reflections of my own and in conversation with laura;

overall, despite not feeling 100% well, this piece felt my best yet, simple, and edited to the basics of human interaction and simple photographic elements. i LOVED the duckie crowd and the site was, i felt perfect for the piece.i LOVED seeing the digital image of the two strangers reflected back off the photogram in the sink. mitch set up the piece extremely well in his leathers and harness, as some of the crowd seemed to really be expecting a gay club darkroom (!), and often laughed in good humour when they realised it was a photographic one! i felt entirely comfortable working with a score as framework but without rehearsed story elements- felt very me and made me think about why i went very much into a very constructed and scripted, (more theatrical, if i'm honest which i don't feel comfortable with) piece for my MA show shed- hmmm needs to be evaluated. [If i went back to shed which I'd very much like to perhaps there are greater possibilities with the participants alone in the shed and elements of chance, passers by in a more natural environment eg allotment? the great thing about duckie was a living breathing site-offering me a truly site-specific response, the sheds i brought into an unnatural environment and invented a narrative for it based on the very concept of sheds rather than the site of a shed. that said, the photogram potted plant garden i did love and all the little cat kitsch elements, is it just to admit it really was just two shows in one? ]

conversations and stories. with the previous incarnation of this piece Mitch saw at the LADA EEC Platform i was re-telling the same story about a matchbox that once lived in my pocket as a defining moment leaving childhood behind. i then asked the participant to tell me a story about what was currently in their pocket- this felt odd at the time, unequal exchange, and too rehearsed (in run-throughs of this piece people said my story was 'boring' or 'unreal' so i found myself colouring the story to make it 'more interesting.') the piece at duckie through working with stuff i normally walk round with in my handbag, i found to me a more engaging experience as it felt more real, the object directly triggering the memory as it occured to me in the moment here and now. that said, i did know i had a train ticket to my father's memorial in my purse but i wanted to leave it to the moment of sharing, if i felt it to be right, to choose this item and say what felt natural to me, responding to the direction of the interaction. i also found that if i had the same item in my bag that people were sharing eg wallet, i too got out my item and rummaged through picking out bits and pieces making a connection with our everyday paraphenalia: we don't know one another yet we have lots in common. these interactions given that they were actually between two strangers, felt pretty genuine, sometimes startling, and on the most part, comfortable.

two performers/hosts. fleeting overlaps and different experiences. this decision was entirely taken due to the fact that duckie wanted to have 5 minutes per encounter and that the idea i had proposed would be more like 10 minutes. i felt really comfortable in working with laura who knows the piece very well and was also actually quite excited about the idea that a score could be given with a few guidelines and letting the person feel their own way through it in their own encounter. some differences thus occurred, for me i didn't want to have more than one person at a time and laura felt okay with this where it was a couple, so she did this a few times.the other thing that i found very interesting was how much the human connection was of paramount importance to me, actually in the end, over and above getting a high quality photogram image which is something i NEVER thought i would say. and in lauras case, maybe because she knew how my work centered around the act of photography, she found herself repeating photograms where they turned out less effective. repeating actions and/or overlong conversations in the bathroom, meant at times we found ourselves left waiting for too long to get in there with our own participant, a couple of my own conversations were drawn out a little too much as a result and total number of the exchanges (26, with i think, 32 participants) could have been more with use of another bathroom OR how about the office and cashbox developing tray?? loses the seediness of going into a bathroom together though like you get in a club.
gender issue- the only females who wanted to come to the darkroom, even if they had a sticker, were a couple of friends/contacts we had invited.

use of space overall. this worked really well en route manoeuvring through all the different rooms and bumping into other 'couples' being the other pair in an exchange. i really liked the starting and ending in the thrust of the club, starting off as strangers and then sharing a secret moment to then depart still as strangers, the did that really happen? the sitting on the stairs when they were occupied with another couple added to the mystery and intrigue of the piece. we both liked the knocking on the doors.

technical issues. the chemical dilution of the second batch, i think i mixed up wrongly resulting in lengthy exposures. the sink plug leaked water, so i used a universal plug. did we really need to let the solution run away each time? could it just have been kept filled as a processing trough- filled up more for me would have given a more even development as i ended up with tidal marks from a shallow sink. this element i should have tested more.

to the future;
i think this piece has still got legs, which in conversation with mitch, he agreed.

find out places to take this piece in an art-club setting, eg bistrotechque, bethnal green working mens club
research more score based non-matrixed practices, see actual examples eg tino sehgal, fluxus, happenings, i know they were used but not actually read them
practice photo-technical issues more in future sites in a walk through
consider how my role in my work may be expanding, what if i have even more performers/hosts/facilitators that i am directing? what do i lose, what do i gain?

AND FINALLY, I was so chuffed that Pogonophile really got the piece although the photographic elements seemd to be less significant, as they had also become to me. Was it obvious the digital image was being erased after its light killed the photogram? And these 2 comments on his blog just made this event for me, particularly as i have never performed in a club before (am excited about how transferable this piece is);

"That's the added ingredient to Duckie, the extra something that takes it from being The Best Club Night Ever to a whole different plane altogether."

"For me, it was probably the best Duckie this year, with music, cabaret and individual interactive art melding into one exciting, affecting whole."

what not to wear

2008-10-22T09:33:00.000+01:00

the event what not to wear at shed and a half gallery , shoreditch, on thursday 23rd and saturday 25th october has been CANCELLED. many apologies

x

duckie thoughts and website

2008-10-19T13:36:00.000+01:00

just a note to say, i will be reflecting on here my thoughts on The Darkroom @ duckie last night shortly and feedback would be welcome :) i'm feeling elated about the whole experience- a new departure for me- a much less rehearsed approach for the dialogue, just following a score for actions- feels good, i'm no actor, nor wish to be, engaging in real conversations being in the real here and now moment like the moment of the act of photography. and a huge thanks to the ever so lovely laura bean for co-performing my piece, mitch for the fantastic curatorial input and just generally great support, as well as the wonderful participants that we whisked off the dance floor to the labyrinth beyond, shared with us both so openly, a real privilege to have met you all.

...and on the website front it's in the process of being updated..watch this space as they say....
and meantime, as today is my birthday and i'm eating a big chocolate bear with my name on it, and off to the delightful camille at the roundhouse.

xx

The Darkroom @ Duckie: The score

2008-10-18T07:44:00.000+01:00

The score I set to follow of the 'happening' : Outline of an encounter

Mitch approaches a person in the main bar/dancefloor/outside area.

Mitch asks person “ Would you like to go to the darkroom?” and continues to ask until gets a willing participant and puts a sticker on them.

Performer approaches person wearing a sticker, gets out a mobile phone from her handbag, puts arm round them(?) and takes a phone photo of the two of them together. Performer plays back image and shows the participant the image. Mobile phone goes back in the performers handbag.

The Performer says/whispers “Come with me” OR lead by hand, and the two go to the edge of the bar near the club entrance, to the door marked “Private.”

They open the door and walk upstairs, across the landing and sit together a few steps up on the main (ornate) staircase. If there is someone already on the stairs they sit below/above.

The Performer asks them what they keep in their pocket/on their person, and if they’d like to share it.

They then talk about the item if they want to share, and the Performer may share an item too.

The Performer then gets up and walks to the bathroom with the participant. Performer knocks on the bathroom door. If there is someone in there they stand and wait OR return to the ornate staircase and sit.

They go inside and sit on the floor.

Performer gets out photographic paper and asks the Participant to put their item on the paper. Performer does the same if they also told their story.

Performer/participant then turns on the bathroom light/ gets out torch on a key ring and exposes the photo paper.

Performer then gets up and moves towards sink. She puts in the plug.

She asks the participant to put the image in the sink. She then opens a bottle sitting on the side of the bath/sink and pours it over the image. Performer gets out tweezers from her handbag, moving image around with tweezers to coat it fully.

They watch the image partially develop.

Performer then gets out their mobile phone and finds the photo of the two of them, and holds it over the image to kill it to black completely.

The image is then deleted by the participant. The mobile goes back into the performers handbag.

The Performer turns on the cold tap and as it fills up, takes the plug out and holds the image under the tap to wash it.

Performer wraps and blots the image in a towel/flannel and puts it [in a small wash bag] inside her handbag. The two leave the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind.

The two go to the laundry room. The photogram is taken out of the handbag to hang up on string with pegs in the laundry room with all the other ones.

The performer leaves the laundry room shutting the door firmly behind. She then walks down the stairs with the participant and stops by the door to the club. She gets out a business card form her handbag, takes off the participants sticker and sticks it on the back of the card, and puts the card in the participants pocket. She then opens the door back to the dance floor and the participant and the performer leave one another.

Event starts again.

Questions

Does the performer offer their story first or only if feels right to do so

How much do you need to gesture for the participant to move around the space, if performer sat down or walked in the bathroom would they follow?

How much developer to pour each time and how to sort out refilling. Using the idea of a bottle on the side of the bath OR perfume bottle? Test out half strength dilution in the chosen exposure lighting conditions.

Set up:

Black out bathroom, laundry room, Top landing (all single windows)

Hang up black curtain over the door to laundry room if needed and other glass door possibly.

Laundry room:
Set up red light. Hang up string for photo paper. Put pegs on the side.

Bathroom:

Set up red light. Clear space to sit on floor. Check plug fits if needed. Sort out white lighting arrangements. Test exposure and development time.

Walk through whole piece with Laura and Mitch.

Get dressed up for the club!

on the eve of duckie thoughts....'the darkroom'

2008-10-17T22:13:00.000+01:00

this week has been manic in sorting things for duckie...exciting though :)

laura bean kindly agreed to co-perform with me :) this means the issue of trying to get the work down to 5 minutes is not necessary as we can work between 5 and 10 minutes each. i'm also looking forward to those overlaps on the stairs, seeing each other in an encounter but trying not to overhear...

what not to wear- projection trials

2008-10-13T03:25:00.000+01:00

idea of live feed of image of an forgotten/past outfit that a participant once wore projected live from inside the shed out onto the roof garden onto a washing of t-shirts- temporal image as design on the t-shirt. the image registers on front and back. image erased live.

shed-and-a-half gallery upcoming show

2008-10-01T18:39:00.000+01:00

i'm also doing a show as part of Photomonth 2008 on 23rd and 25th October at the shed-and-a-half gallery, which lives on a rooftop in shoreditch...

here's the latest information from the shed and a half gallery website:

What not to wear? explores the relationship between the redundant and the nostalgic through the dual narrative of a past-industrial site of a haberdashery factory and redundant items of clothing we no longer wear. The two sheds of the gallery are also important as both a site of secrecy, and where forgotten or discarded items end up.

This show is a three phase event. Firstly, in CLOTHING there are intimate performances for one at a time in a staged darkroom exploring photograms and clothing. The private view event, PHOTOS, is then intended as a cathartic and collective experience sharing photos of audience members wearing forgotten/embarrassing/lost items of clothing, mediated through photographic manipulation of the live projected destruction of the clothing’s image within the Shed and a half gallery rooftop environment.

The FINAL EVENT will be a short viewing of the installation relics in the half shed, as a single group that would have met off site collectively and then go to a pub nearby for an informal talk about the work and feedback.

Wednesday 22nd October
2-6.15pm one-to-ones, What not to wear- CLOTHING.
6.30-9 private view, What not to wear - PHOTOS

Saturday 25th October
12-4 one-to-ones, What not to wear- CLOTHING
4.30-6 What not to wear- FINAL EVENT. Installation viewing 4.30-5, followed by post show discussion in a nearby venue tbc.

Event details:

CLOTHING: A participatory performance for one at a time. Participants are required to bring an unwanted item of soft clothing they no longer wear to surrender- they will not get the item back.

PHOTOS- Participants are required to bring a photograph of them wearing an outfit/item of clothing they no longer wear to surrender- they will not get the photograph back. Photocopies not accepted.

FINAL EVENT: Installation viewing of the final relics of performance and post show discussion, near gallery, venue tbc

NB All events strictly by appointment only and participants must agree to bring item(s) required. Please book asap to avoid disappointment.

Booking: via email stating in the header which event(s) you are booking for to whatnotphoto@rocketmail.com. You can come to as many as you wish! Any further information please contact Harriet on 07900 563631 or email as given.

Central to the work are theories in the work of Roland Barthes and Tino Sehgal, the first for his theories of the ‘mortality’ of the paper based photograph as an ‘impossible’ record of ‘now,’ and the latter for the fleeting materiality of his art works. Poole is researching principles of non-matrixed theatre and audience participation through the subversion of time based media practices. She is also experimenting with pushing the temporal nature of performance through marrying with the temporal nature of photography, placing the process of image making intrinsically at the heart of an intimate and participatory, performative experience.

About the artist:
Poole's approach to photography is to experiment with both the low and the high tech, from pinhole photography and photograms, to holgas and film SLR, to digital SLR and live feed and pre-recorded film, and found photographs and slides. She has a wide ranging style and use of technique that fuses the photographic with the performative; her work in her MA has put the spectator as participant directly in the process of image making in a staged darkroom in gallery and non-gallery spaces.

For further information on the artist's work please see www.harrietpoole.com

duckie night out- 27th september

2008-10-01T17:39:00.001+01:00

ok- so really enjoyed this night- great vibe, really good and not so cabaret/live acts, bit like a party in your living room with your student union old music- neneh cherry, kate bush, suede...dress code seems to be mixed- some dressed up, live acts were if it was part of their act, few burlesque ladies, mostly jeans wearing cute boys with beards and stripey jumpers ;) met the guy daniel who designed the duckie flyer, he lived the shed camera obscura idea for REAL as a kid- his auntie had a gypsy caravan with a knot hole....lovely

performance wise, i think anything would go down here- more provocative the better, innuendo and brash reigns. revisited the upstairs for noise levels- it was coming through the floor but not banging so voices still were completely audible for conversations in the upstairs space. was thinking about the idea of starting with me going and asking people myself from the dancefloor, if they wanted to go upstairs to the darkroom, then taking the photo, publicly of me and them, with the mobile phone picture on the dancefloor, before proceeding upstairs together for the rest of the encounter as per previous post. andrew thought it would be good to have a flyer on the door saying you may be propositioned to go to the darkroom tonight and so that people are aware, i could go round asking people is they wanted to go with me, if they say no move onto the next. thinking about this, i could waste a lot of time with this, a badge system may work better- wear it if you are up for the darkroom?

the other issue as i've been working on this over the last couple of days, is the issue of it being 5 minutes per encounter- i don't think in cases where people opened up and talked, that this would be possible, 10 minutes more likely, which gives issues for the 5 minutes set- some encounters may well be this or less though- does it matter? another performer? that would be good with the idea of bumping into each other/brushing past one another in both using the space- people appearing and disappearing into rooms, knocking on doors- soliciting connotations...just to think about for now...hmmm...

outfit? possibly my gun metal grey and black dotty netted dress, fishnets and heels and big pink rosette :) a dressed up self

developed from the EEC platform- thoughts on duckie show

2008-09-21T23:43:00.000+01:00

the laundry room to possibly peg up the photograms to dry as a performance installation

sink to develop image

staircase to sit and share story sat on

club itself- to the right is the private sign on the door you go through to get upstairs

ok, so here's the first post, post-MA!!!

i have shows coming up- see my website here which includes duckie at the vauxhall tavern, a gay cabaret and club night, on the 18th october

i was asked to do this show by andrew mitchelson from the live art development agency after the EEC Platform for Emerging artists in May (although this is not part of the live art development agency but a project andrew was asked by duckie to curate)

in chatting with andrew, am going for creating a piece which is max 5 minutes per encounter responding to this site, had wanted to go with sheds on the city farm next door but too costly :(

use the mobile phones idea here taken from my shed MA show at the beginning of september, and the forced conviviality references, as its very club technology, works in this atmosphere of strangers encountering one another.

very rough thoughts...(am going to duckie on 27th sept to see how i think this would fit in)

meet the participant downstairs by the private sign in the club, me/them take a mobile phone photo of the two of us. go upstairs together. we sit together on the main (ornate) staircase a few steps up- in the ambient light coming through the windows. i ask them what they keep in their pocket/on their person to share with me that they'd like to say something about- eg in pocket/bag/ worn. i ask them to NOT remove/produce the item in question. when we have talked about the story of it, why its' of personal significance. we go to the bathroom in red light, close the door and sit on the side of the bath/floor. i then ask them to reveal the object and lay the object onto photographic paper, turn on the bathroom light and then develop the image in the sink/bath.developer is in some appropriate bathroom beauty/ cleaning product container poured onto the image and let drain away down the plug after development. i then ask them/i turn on the mobile phone image of us together and hold over the image to finally kill it to black completely. the digital image is then deleted. the photogram is taken to hang up on string with pegs in the laundry room with all the other ones (performance installation) , the participant then is taken to the stairs to the club and leaves.