Space Invaders (2014)
Space Invaders showcased new work that explored the limits of representation, the creative potential of household detritus, vintage Meccano and the googly eyes found in every craft store. Made specifically for this show at Mik's Front Room at Primary in Nottingham, a space which is part artist's studio, part gallery and part physical blog. The work had as its starting point a willfully literal interpretation of Richard Hall's suggestion (in The World as Sculpture) that contemporary sculpture has as its primary mission the physical invasion and occupation of space. This notion spawned a series of small sculptures, and an accompanying cycle of digital images that were inspired equally by space toys, cartoon aliens and the bestowal of ‘life’ and ‘character’ that the addition of googly eyes to almost anything instantly confers. I also built a large-scale structure out of discarded painting stretchers during the course of my time in the space (Unjumping the Shark, 2014), as well as producing a textual sculpture (Extra-terrestrial Auto-correct Fail, 2014) and premiered a new sound piece (Beyond The Solo Cistern, 2014). All of these works sought to embody a sculptural stance that is a direct descendant of Max Ernst’s notion of ‘Whiskey-Marine’, and Wittgenstein’s philosophical strategies of displacement in that they are (to quote Ernst) ‘humorous and very serious at the same time’ and very much driven by ‘the effects of a systematic putting out of place’. They were also intended to enter into dialogue with Mik’s work, and to produce a new artistic whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. And be fun. A short accompanying text can be found here UPDATE: Space Invaders are now in residence at x-church Kitchen in Gainsborough and can be seen during cafe opening hours for the foreseeable future. |