Shed video installation October 7, 2010

Come with me, into the garden, I’ll open the shed door. Now take a seat. I just need to tuck you in with this crocheted rug. There’s cushions behind your head and the screen is above you. When you’ve finished just push the shed door open.

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You are sitting in the dark inside a garden shed looking up as some titles slide across the screen. The video begins, what’s going on, why are you sitting is a shed at the Southern edges of Tooting? You came to the Wandsworth Artists Open House (London, UK) and have seen some great paintings, jewelery, pictures, sculpture and crafts.

When invited to see a video in my shed “be gentle with me I’m quite old”, “There’s witnesses incase I don’t come back”, “This is a bit scary”.

After being seated in an old Loyd Loom chair in a darkened shed. I lean in and cover them with a crocheted blanket and say “Here’s something to keep you comfy – there’s a cushion behind your head so just lean back”. People said “Are you going to lock me in?”, You’re not going to take a picture of me and make me look stupid?”.

The video lasted 10 minutes. I stopped telling people this as they kept thinking it was to long. So I said it took roughly 5 minutes and I got a lot more takers. I had three people waiting their turn last Sunday and today. Only one person left the shed before the video was finished. I was usually in the kitchen when they came through the back door. Most people said they thought it was good, interesting, a very clever ideas, a genius idea. “I’ve seen a totally new perspective on walking down the street”, “I couldn’t stand the lack of control”, “don’t lamp posts look amazing”, “I wanted to know where I was”. “it took me a while, but a finally worked out what I was looking at”. One women suggested I post in on YouTube, I said it’d be hard to get people to look at it from below, she said she was a health visitor and thought it would be useful to show parents a babies perspective so they didn’t leave them for hours under a plain ceiling. I had a few good conversations with people who seemed quite inspired by the experience. A toddlers perspective of a dog was suggested as another project…

With a a couple of exceptions if someone saw the video they encouraged their friends to take a look too. Successsss The video of the shed experience is now ready to see on Vimeo.

Films – reccomended September 26, 2010

Miracle in Milan
Cinema Paradiso
Life is beautiful
Europa Europa
The Icicle Thief
The red balloon
City of Lost Children
Static (only american film so far!) – why aren’t american films classified as foreign films in the UK?
Mad Max
Dead Men don’t wear plaid
Gallivant