Using found imagery of squares and cubes from perspex sheet packaging, Lucy links the material's connotations of building and construction to create 'blueprints.'
These 'blueprints' adopt the minimalist style and basic concepts used in documenting architecture or engineering design. They each depict a space that is in discussion; a space for conversation, a space for artistic exploration and a space for listening.
Each 'blueprint' is a design for imagined spaces that Lucy has constructed.
The first, 'blueprint for think tanks,' is a space to engage in debate, be it political or cultural. Two separate spaces where individuals are encouraged to be in conversation without interruption or surveillance.
'Blueprint for studio spaces,' is a representation of a space for artistic exploration and discussion. This space acts as a performative platform encouraging a dialect between students, their art and the public.
The last, 'blueprint for a bandstand,' is a space for listening. The original bandstand, born out of the industrial revolution no longer has a place in society, and the sense of community has died with it. 'Blueprint for a bandstand,' would use digital modes of communication such as video chat and instant messaging to connect members of a community. It would be a place for connecting and sharing of ideas.
By responding to Michael Stumpf’s public artwork at the Amphitheatre, Rhiannon Ames and Lucy Bethel created a collaborative site-specific event that attempted to disrupt the space with performative intervention.
Lucy’s work focused on Stumpf’s use of the Amphitheatre as a space for discussion and debate, while also incorporating the idea of a public’s interaction with art. Using walkie-talkies, connected by a loop of string without a purpose – a digital tin can telephone – the public were encouraged to say whatever they wanted as their conversation wasn’t being recorded. This gave the audience a cathartic sense of freedom of speech, as once the button was released the conversation disappeared; only existing in the mind of the listener opposite. This highlights the imperfections in our current modes of digital communication. The walkie-talkie puts a temporary halt to the silent encroachment of a higher control of digital eavesdropping and CCTV. Making the audience self-conscious of themselves within the space, the Amphitheatre can take on the role of a discussion platform, blurring the lines between public and private space.
Rhiannon’s current practice investigates the balance of power and control between men and women whilst discussing their representations and roles within contemporary society. Her practice aims to highlight how patriarchy and the media prescribe gender appropriate behaviours, qualities and characteristics which continue to socially condition society to behave and think within a particular way. Her sculptural work aims to question the relevance of masculine and feminine genders whilst sharing similarities in form to Michael Stumpf’s tap dancing boulder ‘One Of Us’. Rhiannon uses the Amphitheatre as a platform for the work to encourage public interaction within the space. The work raises questions surrounding the possibility that identity is a performance through the audience trying on the different ‘heads’. These ‘heads’ play a role in creating an alternative temporary identity for the participant to step in and out of, suggesting that identity is a changeable entity.
The combination of these playful interactive elements addresses wider political views surrounding control systems within society.
Works questioning the white walled gallery space and disrupting it with playful interaction.
Installation piece using ephemeral barriers.
Installation using light
A collaborative installation based on a residency on the No5 Bus with Rhiannon Ames, Ellie Bea McBrearty, Kat Ridgway and Jax Robinson.
The installation comprising of video and audio was exhibited at Mission Gallery questioning a journey within a space, metaphorically and physically, being influenced by our own individual reaction to the shared journey.
An urban bus journey is a functional way to reach your destination but it also acts as a host to micro communities. The security of a familiar route and familiar faces allows exchanges that would not happen elsewhere. Embarking on a journey (without a destination), we travelled around and around a circular route perceiving Swansea and it's inhabitants in a whole new way.
Audio, video and photography documentation in repsonse to a day long residency on the No5 Bus and it's circular route of Swansea. The confinement of the bus as a public but also private space allows the work to focus on the gestures of a contingent community.
An urban bus journey is a functional way to reach your destination but it also acts as a host to micro communities. The security of a familiar route and familiar faces allows exchanges that would not happen elsewhere. Embarking on a journey (without a destination), we travelled around and around a circular route perceiving Swansea and it's inhabitants in a whole new way.
The female body and nude has been an ongoing subject in male-authored work. Focusing research on Millais' Ophelia, these works explore the traditional imagery of women in art, and their position in the art world.
They question what and how things have changed; do women have a voice in the art world today? Are female artists now able to reclaim their bodies from this art historical trajectory?
The distortion of the images hints at society's possible relationship with the female body, free from connotations of male power. However the work more directly suggests we as a society are still far from this. Uneasily the viewer watches, put in the position of the voyeur.
Consider the control mechanisms in operation within social spaces…and how these relate to the behaviour that an audience operates.
- Extract from editorial of Control Magazine, Issue 3, 1967.