- Venue
- Windows 204
- Location
Is it possible, as an artist, to critically review your own work? I think probably not. Through the construction of a work an artist will become emotionally or intellectually involved with it. So be aware that as the creator of ‘Through the window’ my review will be biased. Read this, look at the images, and make up your own mind!
204 windows is a new venue enabling artists to show non-commercial work that can be viewed 24 hours a day in the busy Gloucester road area of Bristol.
‘Through the window’ was made specifically for the venue. It is a long, drawn-out handwritten account of approximately five minutes of human activity that took place directly in front of the shop window in which it is hung.
Language is used in an almost filmic way, describing the often forgotten detail. The attention to detail means that a few minutes of happening can take much longer than that to read. It is generally easier to read around the edges and interesting to look at as a whole. Similar to how we absorb information in the world- we take in a whole scene but only focus on and remember those things that are unusual or of specific interest to us.
Its existence in the window invites passers by to stop and read. Some take on the challenging task of trying to read it all. Others scan and only read the sections that are of interest to them. Some start reading and stop when bored by the monotonous descriptions. And of course there are those who show no interest and walk on.
The responses to this work were varied and included ideas that had not been considered in its construction. Some viewers were interested in the voyeuristic approach. They felt that the work had connotations of the CCTV nation that we are becoming and the idea that we are constantly under surveillance. This idea made some people self-conscious as they felt like they were still being watched. Another reaction was bemusement as they recognised someone in it who might be themselves or someone they know. This was often followed by the proclamation, “No, it can’t be me! I don’t walk like that, do I?” Some have come back several times to continue reading where they left off, as if it were a book or magazine.
‘Through the window’ highlights the use of language as a form of documentation and its inadequacies when used to describe experience.
