Chloe Doherty – Page 2 – The Collection Of…

‘Something Wonderful..’

Chloe Doherty / February 12, 2013May 13, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research

When entering ‘Gallery 3′ of The Usher Gallery, although it may go unnoticed, a faint ticking sound plays as the public view the art behind the glass casing. The sound is played from a small stereo hidden above James Ushers’ personalised pocket watch collection, which instinctively draws you towards the clockwork display.

The sound being part of Liverpool based duo Jonathan Raisin and Elizabeth Willow’s Something Wonderful event. As part of this event, Raisin and Willow intended to “include overlooked or forgotten places and objects” (Fish, E, 2012) into their work. By adding a soundtrack to a room which can be overlooked so easily draws much more attention to it, causing the public to focus in on things that they may not have noticed before. The duo were inspired by “things lost and found, second-hand objects, overheard conversations and snatches of sound, fragments, glimpses and everyday normality as well as strangeness” (Lincolnshireonereviews, 2012). The particular ‘snatch’ of sound which they placed in The Usher Gallery is attached:

Raisin and Willow – Something Wonderful

Due to the circumstantial playing of the stereo in The Usher Gallery, it is easy to mistake the rooms ‘soundtrack’ to be the sound of the pocket watches ticking away from behind their cabinets, as the sound coupled with the aesthetics of the room causes our minds to jump to that conclusion. So, what I would really like to know are your thoughts on Raisin and Willow’s Something Wonderful?, how does it make you feel when it’s separated from the imagery of a clock?

Author: Chloe Doherty

Work Cited:– Fish, E (2012) Something Wonderful, Online: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2012/11/artists-give-their-views-on-lincolnshires-best-bits/ (accessed 12 February 2013)
– Lincolnshireonereviews (1012) Raisin and Willow’s Something Wonderful, Online: http://lincolnshireonevenues.com/commissioning-projects/raisin-willows-something-wonderful/ (accessed 12 February 2013)

Initial Response to ‘The Collection’ and ‘The Usher Gallery’

Chloe Doherty / January 25, 2013March 5, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research, Space

After finding out our chosen site, we decided to visit The Collection as a member of the public to gain a firsthand understanding of the space. Whilst there, we explored the current ‘Past to Present’ exhibition and this inspired the beginnings of our ideas for possibly creating a piece focusing around the progression of time. A stand-out feature of this exhibition was the ‘Languages from the Past’ audio talk, which elaborated on different readings from Lincolnshire’s past. The use of headphones was a departure from the traditional museum experience. This ingenuity reminds us of the work of Janet Cardiff and inspired us towards the idea of incorporating audio and other sensory stimulants, moving our piece away from a purely visual field.

When exiting the exhibition, we noticed a faint whispering, only later to discover speakers integrated within the walls. We found this to be an interesting device to capture visitor’s attention without overpowering the rest of the exhibition.

The museum, however, was only half of our designated site so we ventured across to The Usher Gallery. This was an inspiring place with a number of contrasting exhibits; ranging from the classical statues of antiquity to a modern photographic interpretation of an African-American ‘Last Supper’.

‘The Last Supper’ by Faisal Abdu’Allah 2003

Incorporated in between these era’s, were representations of British arts featuring pastoral scenes. One particularly intriguing feature was the 1795 ‘Pineapple Dish’. The fact that something we consider as common and everyday as the pineapple was seen as exotic and important enough to have its own item of specific crockery, highlights how perspective can change over the passage of time.

L: ‘Pineapple Dish’ by William ‘Quaker’ Pegg 1795

The idea of time is something which was highlighted as the one constant throughout the Usher Gallery; almost every room featured some form of clock or timepiece. This triggered the idea of time as an abstract concept as opposed to something which we can attempt to define on the face of a clock. This led us to using the notion of time as a stimulus for our piece, focusing on the various perceptions of time such as: a historical epoch, something quantified by the use of watches and clocks, the aesthetics of both the inner and outer workings, and the way in which time can be used as a healer but equally recognized as a force of decay.

Authors: Chloe Doherty, James Barker, Shane Humberstone, Tabitha Hilton-Berry

Four Seasons

Chloe Doherty / January 23, 2013May 13, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research

After watching Janet Cardiff’s Ghost Machine in class yesterday, I thought I’d post about an installation which I saw at The Collection last year. Although it wasn’t a video tour, it did incorporate elements of an audio walk. Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s Four Seasons appeared at both The Collection and Drill Hall in the autumn of 2011, as part of the Frequency Digital Culture Festival (21st -29th October). Spring and summer were displayed at The Collection, whilst autumn and winter appeared at the Drill Hall.

“Four Seasons is a hugely ambitious four-part multi-media installation that looks to the seasons to reflect different stages of life.” (Ashberry, J and Stawson, K, 2011)

Four Seasons documents the life of a girl called Polly from the age of eight up to eighty. Each season is set out to represent a new stage in her life. As we explore the different seasons, our gaze is controlled by the constructed signs leading to secret passageways and voice played through the headphones supplied. Each season incorporates different elements of multimedia in order to give the audience the most authentic experience. For example, spring represents childhood, and therefore is the most interactive of the four. Summer shows Polly’s new found adolescence through a series of short stories written along the walls of her bedroom, accompanied by a set of headphones instructing the listener on what must happen next. The latter seasons incorporate much more audio; you are instructed to sit in front of the autumn installation whilst a voiceover of Polly plays, during which we hear her make an array of life changing decisions. Winter differs from autumn as we are supplied with headphones; this enables us to hear a description of how Polly came to lose her life, overlapped with the repetition of a classical score.

“People think the visual arts don’t do stories as much, but they can, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t.” (Beaumont, N, 2011). Four Seasons is a great example of how combining “interactive technology and sound installations” (Leary, E, 2011) can not only be visually pleasing, but can also tell a story. In my opinion, Metro-Boulot-Dodo have created a really inspirational piece of art, which is a brilliant example of how diverse sites such as The Collection are. This also shows the adaptability of certain sites and how they can accommodate a range of work, from historical exhibitions to contemporary installations.

Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s more recent projects, such as Call Me – When You Get There use a combination of volunteers, mobile phones and the creation of a virtual city. Again, this is reasonably similar to a company which we’ve seen previously, Blast Theory. Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? incorporates the same aspects into their work. Here’s the link to Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s website: http://www.metro-boulot-dodo.com/, I would definitely recommend a glance or two at their work!

Author: Chloe Doherty

Work Cited:
– Ashberry, J and Stawson, K (2011) Four Seasons in Lincoln Signals a World First, Online: http://www.cisionwire.com/shooting-star-pr/r/four-seasons-in-lincoln-signals-a-world-first,c9169097 (accessed 23 January 2012)
– Beaumont, N (2011) Four seasons come alive in Lincoln with art, Online: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2011/10/four-seasons-come-alive-in-lincoln-with-art/ (accessed 23 January 2012)
– Leary, E (2011) A surreal experience for kids: Four Seasons at The Collection, Online: http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/2011/11/a-surreal-experience-for-kids-metro-boulot-dodos-four-seasons-at-the-collection/ (accessed 23 January 2012)