mid point reviewvideo Mid Point Review: My Video alt="My practice is concerned with "hybridity", "mimicry", and the "third space". These concepts are normally associated with contemporary post-colonial studies, and with the work of Homi K Bhabha. However, I am applying these to a visual world, a world where the cultures are graphic elements. I start by developing a set of doodles to explore these concepts. In this initial doodle, I envisage possible outcomes that could result when the visual plane contains two elements that interweave with each other in various manners. I then explored what would happen in a world where the protagonists are lines and curves, and the possible hybridisation and new forms that could emerge from their interaction. Developing my visual world further, I searched for alternative representation, and for potential physical materials from which it could be constructed. Based on experimentation, the material that I chose to work with is fiber. I use it in two different forms: viscose raffia, and yarn. The selection of these is quite deliberate, as is the way that I use them. They are combined into a sculpture, a hybrid of the two, each forming a distinct component. The spectator is invited to explore this work on many layers. On one hand, the two materials have contrasting attributes: the color: solid against variegated; the texture: smooth versus rough; the sheen: one silky, the other mat. the shape of the fiber: flat or round. In these pieces the configuration of the two fibers is highly geometric, and reflects back to the concepts developed during my initial doodles. In the following pieces the emphasis is on the materials and _not_ their configuration. Instead of combining the fibers in a geometric pattern, a simple bisection of the space is done. The spectator is invited to consider the materials, their history, and their production. This is where the concept of mimicry appears as an additional layer to the work. Although the raffia appears to be natural, it is _not_. It is viscose raffia: a synthetic that is pretending to be a natural one. In this piece the yarn is made from recycled sari silk, and raises questions of ecology and economics. The raw materials come from recycling old clothes that would otherwise end up in a landfill, and is spun by a women's cooperative in India and provides a valuable source of income. In this piece, the yarn looks industrial. The thread is highly uniform and very stable. The fibers have been well prepared before being dyed, carded, and spun. It is, however, handmade bespoke yarn from virgin wool. This shows that quality that can be achieved with hand spinning, and is something that industrial yarn tries to mimic. In the following pieces, the yarn is industrial: a blend of natural wool and synthetic fibers. But on another level, industrial yarn itself mimics the process that was developed by hand spinning, and the variegated color is an attempt to simulate the effect of hand dying. These pieces are larger than the previous ones, and the spectator is now invited to explore an element that was starting to appear in the smaller pieces. Something important is happening with the dividing line between the fibers. The line takes a life of itself. It embodies not only hybridity but also alludes to the third space. While making these pieces it is possible to maintain some consistency in the division, but there is always a slight variation, and this adds to the interest. In this piece, the upper-half has reduced control resulting in deliberate deviation in the division. In the lower-half, it is more controlled, with less deviation. And finally, I have begun to explore the qualities of the dividing line though a series of doodles that may be a source for further work." Here is the script Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Previous Next