In the summer of 1990 we made a show in an abandoned plot in Bermondsey, titled ON SITE. The site was fabulous – Buddleia, heaps of gravel, raucous weeds – something that rarely exists in central London anymore.
At that time I was part of the artists co-operative Red Cow Studios, round the corner. I invited approximately 10 artists; including Judith Frost, Tim Wright and Jules Mylius. We put on the show together. My work took place in a builders portacabin, which we somehow managed to arrange to be delivered by a council cherry picker. I made a sculptural installation with the found items in the cabin and clay dug from the site. The work I made involved digging clay out of the ground, and making sculptural appendages with this material onto the objects found in the portacabin – boots, cups etc…. The portacabin was plagued by a group of kids from nearby who eventually set fire to the whole thing.
I took a picture and then made a large photographic print of the three of the boys – ‘Are you still here when you close your eyes’, which I showed in 1995, part of the Rijksakademie annual show. I was travelling lot at the time and exploring how objects and situations could work as site specific/context based, as well as be shown, disembodied in a way, in a different place, another country, taking on an entirely new meaning.
Date
1990
Credits
Some of the artists in the show:
Jules Mylius
Tim Wright
Amanda Benson
Andrew Monks
…..