07/03/24 - The Forum, Norwich.
From my notes taken at the time that I feel are relevant to my practice.
Mark Selby - PLAY (Keynote) https://markselbyartist.com/
What is play? The Big Question, often asked. Selby asked his 5yr old son who responded ‘It is something I do with my hands.’
Selby referenced: Brian Sutton Smith (As a lifetime student of play, Brian Sutton-Smith was one of the foremost play theorists of his time. With over sixty-five years observing, researching, and teaching in the fields of educational psychology and play theory - https://www.pgpedia.com/s/brian-sutton-smith).
Mary Flanagan and critical play (Mary Flanagan has a research-based, transdisciplinary practice informed by her methodology “critical play.” She investigates and exploits the seams between technology, play, and human experience to make the unseen perceptible https://maryflanagan.com/).
Johan Huizinga, a Dutch Historian who explored ‘False Play’, where the pattern of play is controlled and end result is already determined. Pre-war he looked at Nazi Germany the darker sinister side. Huizinga had concerns over play being appealing to the mass, ie Nazism. He was detained by the Nazis in 1942.
Selby discussed ‘What are the limits of play?’ and ‘Cultural Boundaries’. Looking at play and time, how he might put a limit on it and how it might be an alternative reality. Also how the desire for play is infinite. In his own work he looks at rule based structure, believing an Art Uni should provide the scaffolding that allows play. He also discussed the idea of having no boundaries which can encourage the spontaneous and surreal.
Selby approaches things as a cross between an artist and engineer (his background). Play being free and the Engineer side being serious and skill based.
He discussed ideas or scenarios when machines at play or when machines take over, even on a small scale: A pencil that breaks, A train that runs late, A glitch on a phone or network. A question posed was ‘Can you tell the ethnicity of a machine? He then talked about the play of a train set and the play is in the setting up, the arranging, the decisions made to link bits together, to decide the route, how the add elements to it, the landscape it, yet once it is running it has less interest - The same could be said of Lego, Mecanno sets, Models or even Sculpture - the making is the play. He went on to discuss the journey of a stone picked up on a beach and what it has taken for that stone to be there. Auto-assemblage - the random assembly of left over parts/elements.
When discussing his work Selby discussed the automated and digitised, which led to ideas of creating a random assembly when a piece of soft ware controls the break up of a digitised cube. He also discussed when working with machines and playing dripping white paint randomly (see pic at top of blog). - but questioning is it random or controlled. He also reflected on a digital watch that could record and be used as a stopwatch. Playing with it to start/stop on certain numbers. He repeatedly did this and even fell asleep with the watch still in his hand.
Another ideas discussed was the failure of a paper plane launcher. Does the failure/glitch and potentially the resolution become part of the play. Failure can be a catalyst for meaningful play. Selby then discussed the idea that every artist is an engineer as they are an active part of the play. Also he questioned the reliability of a Satnav. Is that a glitch, is the machine playing?
Selby concluded with the image (right) and stated how the electrical tether is the machine’s umbilical cord.
After the presentations there were questions. I asked: ‘Why is play considered a childish thing and as adults are we afraid to play? He answered discussing that children are innocent and just play. Adult play seems forced play. As adults we have to label and structure play and set boundaries.
Selby also discussed the idea of painting (as a sculptor) that he doesn’t like working within the constraints of a frame (even though he admits it doesn’t have to have that constraint), he had x36 small paintings on the go at one time and can then jump between them and feel more active in the creation.
Emma Denby -https://www.instagram.com/emmadenbyart/
Meaningful Play and its Application to Fine Art.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1996) stated that “creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognize and validate the innovation” (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2313&context=edupapers#:~:text=Mihaly%20Csikszentmihalyi%20(1996)%20stated%20that,validate%20the%20innovation%E2%80%9D%20(p.)
Denby started off discussing the idea of shadows and streetlights that mapped your movement - Thupco & RussioPlay as a tool for engagement. Denby discussed curiosity, interaction and how you can engage people in play. She discussed Mimecraft - how you can use this as a tool to play and the potential to use in schools to encourage the creation of music.
Denby then discussed the idea of Play as a Tool for Process and Imagination and how with people with Synesthesia - who can see colours when people speak or taste objects by looking at them.
‘Synesthesia is when you hear music, but you see shapes. Or you hear a word or a name and instantly see a color. Synesthesia is a fancy name for when you experience one of your senses through another. For example, you might hear the name “Alex” and see green. Or you might read the word “street” and taste citrus fruit.
The word “synesthesia” has Greek roots. It translates to “perceive together.” People who have this ability are called synesthetes. Synesthesia isn’t a disease or disorder. It won’t harm your health, and it doesn’t mean you’re mentally ill. Some studies suggest people who have it may do better on memory and intelligence tests than those who don’t. And while it may seem easy to make up, there’s proof that it’s a real condition.’ (https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-synesthesia).
Denby also discussed ‘Sirens’ by Liminal Creative (https://www.liminalcreative.co.uk/sirens) ‘Sirens examines the view of women in global society through the lens of ancient mythology. The inspiration for this project came from an article about the treatment of female characters within ancient mythology. Expanding on this idea, Liminal Creative look at the parallels between contemporary art, fiction, and real life. Liminal Creative partnered with Pan Intercultural Arts (a London based creative organisation) and commissioned their choir, The Amies Freedom Choir, to create the vocals which would become the soundscape for the piece. The Choir is made up of female survivors of human trafficking and led by director Adwoa Dickson.’ (https://www.freedomfestival.co.uk/news/sirens-re-presented-at-ferens/).
Denby concluded by addressing the art divide and how it is important to try to address this and to make bridges and connections. This is something ‘Sirens’ does brilliantly, as does much of Liminal Creative’s work.
Mariana Marimon - MA Textile Designhttps://www.instagram.com/mariana.marimon/
Creating Time for Boredom
Marimon began by discussing ‘How to Productively be Boring’ Allowing time for your brain to empty from everything and to allow a ‘Eureka Moment!’ discussing how Archimedes realised this moment and when relaxed. Eureka translates ‘I have found it!’
Historically many have used periods of boredom to create . Einstein was a level 3 technician in a lab - he found this the most productive thinking time - when you get bored you get time to think - I use my walking to allow my mind to drift, not necessarily boredom but the same point, it is the monotony of walking and the lack of the need to concentrate or have your mind filled with thoughts about anything else than what is present.
Stephen King started writing ‘Misery’ on a long haul flight after a dream he had. Boredom is a state of mind - A disengaged state, a dissatisfied state, an aversive state. It is time for your mind to become active and create ideas.The same can be said of meditation, especially if you are bad at it as it allows boredom and therefore ideas to creep in. Showers are also considered good time for boredom.
Emma Bidwell - MA Fine Arthttps://www.emmabidwellstudio.co.uk/
Time - inevitable, omnipresent and binding
What is time? Bidwell is interested in what is past, present and a future. Also in hours, minutes and seconds. Why are they a unit of time? Who decided?
How does time feel? You can’t feel it, you can’t touch it. She is fascinated that it feels inevitable and wants to slow time down and as you can with film, even freeze time, like you do with Photography. Nothing pauses, whatever happens, births, deaths, - time keeps ticking. She loves time but also hates time. The world is run by time and statistics. There have been 23,000 births this year. So many statistics.
She has lots of questions about her practice and discussed the Photographer Helen Rimmell (https://www.instagram.com/helenrimell/?hl=en) who as a Documentary Photographer took images of her mother through her dementia illness.
Time and Creating. Bidwell mentions Teresa Amabile and how people are less creative when fighting the clock. Julia Cameron, who discusses about stopping time in the creative moment.
What time looks like to me. Bidwell arranged loads of photographs in chronological order, then let them fall and turned over all the pics of people she doesn’t like.
Bidwell concluded by saying: Time changes/alters. It mixes/develops. It has layers/it covers/reveals. It wipes/uncovers. It stretches...
Rachel Collier-Wilson - MA Fine Arthttps://www.instagram.com/rachelmcw/
Out to Play
Collier-Wilson, a non-binary lesbian, who prefers to use the pronouns they/them. They started by discussing how they looked back to realise if they were allowed to play. What limits were there, what boundaries.
Play ofter features in their work ‘Show Your Hand’ is a pic taken that you can create your own interpretation of the hands on the cards. A house of cards is very fragile and can easily be knocked over and takes strength to build it back up again, potentially time and time again.
Collier-Wilson plays with how they look in portraits and pics taken. They discussed ‘The Dyke Who Would Be King’, Super Dyke’ and ‘Drag King’ - which needs a name.
They then discussed the image ‘Three Wise Monkeys’ (above) - And how each part of the image meant to them. Speak - What can you say? Is it safe to say that? Should I have said that? Peak - What atrocities can you see in the world? Hear - Shutting out the right wing comments.
Play creates freedom, a chance to have fun. In a piece called the ‘Exquisite Corpse’ Collier-Wilson explores gender identity in a 3 dimensional form, they use red and black a lot as well as within their clothes - it is a favourite and is seen as the colours of protest.
They will continue to play, likes the idea of painting big on a wall, something semi-permanent that can then be painted over. Collier-Wilson finished by saying that they believe ‘You can’t be it if you can’t see it’
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