It's been a funny week - I do this thing in my head where I estimate how long it will take to do something then I double it but then it takes twice as long. On Monday me and Kate and our friend Ian - the guy at the centre of the picture above are going to Gainsbourgh to explore the utopia of Ian's childhood on the Middlfield estate . It follows a series of fairly dispersed street interventions that me and Kate have worked together on over the years. I've always ended up making something - a Anish Kapoor inspired Stone henge portal to the past A photo booth, a G plan inspired mobile film unit and a succession of street parties. Now we are going full 1970's retro I've realised that all our street interventions are slightly 1970's, perhaps we are all drawn to the time of our childhoods a time of forward dreaming and potentials.
Anyway alongside this hobbling together we have been talking about Validation with Axis web and me and Kate have been thinking a lot about what people mean by quality. In making our intervention, as that is what I need to call it - set is to per-formative- installation to grand, I have made lots of decisions and they are all compromises. Firstly it has to fit in my car as I don't want to hire a Van. secondly it has to be cheap - I got worried i had spent to much money - bits were adding up so to save on proper pebbledash I mixed sharp sand, cement and PVA - it stuck like shit on a stick or dried weetabix on the kitchen floor but lacked texture. In a moment of inspiration I mixed yellow lentils in the mix and spread the super-texture on 5 doors I had carefully built into a room corner. I was pleased but Alice my daughter came out and asked why I had stuck lentils all over some old doors- I grew concerned that it looked a bit shit so had to go to the shop to buy a nobbly boberly to cheer me up.
I don't know if we are making something of quality or something that is just good enougth. In my film making I like to think I am making something slightly better than expected - I'm not sure if this is an aesthetic or a trick to get people to look. As I painted the title on the side with black paint I consulted my images of hand painted signs which is considerable - I'm pretty pleased with this bit.
I also like the woodchip - painting woodchip with magnolia paint and a roller was a trip back in time - as I did it I thought we could measure off peoples height with a book on their heads and write their names - these lines should only be drawn on woodchip and should never be painted over. It reminded me that stuff comes from stuff and without making the big thing in my yard I might not of had this small idea which I think is good and will work and hopefully connect.
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