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MICROmacro OBSERVATION STAGE (10') This video and photos show the project's first stage. 150 artists attended talks given by a bacteriologist. Encouraged to relate this experience to the world around them, they are given one month to prepare proposals for a project that will form part of the the MICROmacro exhibition. |
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LABORARTORY , Armenia 2008. Given my father’s profession as a bacteriologist, my childhood was influenced by the clinical analysis of the human body. Unconsciously I developed an attraction to the unseen, to the microscopic, life’s essences and its beginnings. This continues to influence the way I see the world and humanity and it inspires my creative processes.
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Arising from these early experiences has been my desire to reveal what we don’t see, or perhaps what we don’t want to see, and to express this through my art. This observation point has also allowed me to see art as a tool to discuss the human condition from a social perspective.
LABORARTORY is an opportunity for me to thank life for giving me the possibility to analyse life itself. I presented a group of artists with the opportunity I had, to penetrate the microscopic world of which we form a part under the guidance of professional bacteriologists. Following this experience each participant was asked to propose an art project with a social emphasis. During a two-month workshop period I emphasised the importance of the ‘development process’ as a way to grow both personally and professionally.
The process and outputs are being documented through video and photography and will be distributed after the final public events. The participants are encouraged to find alternative public places to show their work in order to find new audiences in the region who don’t generally come into contact with art.
Each participant has designed their own page for this publication and it gives an idea of their work, work created after having observed something as complex and simple as a cell - the beginning of life itself.
This project forms part of an initiative Laboratories of Investigation-Creation funded by the Ministry of Culture, Colombia.
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LABORARTORY combines elements of art and science and is divided into five stages:
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1. Observation. In the first stage, participants are invited to observe life and death through the microscope and encouraged to draw comparisons with the world around them. Observation does not stop on leaving the laboratory but continues on many levels through interacting with the external world. Observation goes beyond looking.
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2. Questioning. The principle of questioning ought to be implicit within our world. As art can transmit ideas, thoughts, concepts and realities, questioning the world around us is necessary if we are to be clear in transmitting a message. This can be translated into the popular expression ‘don’t swallow it whole’. Frequently the mainstream media invades us with half-truths, so questioning is essential.
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3. Reflection. This is the stage to stand back and take a break in the path, to think about and reflect on observations and to question thoughts and concepts. During this time the participants start to think about how their experiences relate to their art in the context of a wider social framework.
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4. Developing an Idea. After the period of reflection and following personal tutorials, each participant develops
an idea. All the practical details of presenting a final work to the public are thought through and the artists concentrate on producing their work.
A publication is produced at this stage and serves to document the processes and acts as an invitation to see the final outputs.
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5. Materialisation. As it’s name implies, in this stage the artists materialise their ideas using video, photography, sculpture, painting and performance amongst other media. The participants have chosen a wide range of sites to show their work depending on who they want to reach. Sites range from market stalls and coffee farms to the town hall and main square in Armenia.
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