1.

'There is a specific metaphor contained in the position of the viewer himself as well. He, the viewer, is either a complete outsider vis-a-vis the fate of the people inside the room- he is a 'person on the roof' - or on the other hand, dropping into any one of these rooms, submerging himself into an ordinary 'family' story, he understands that this is also 'about him' and he experienced the same things in his life, and he is just the same as 'they' are, the same as everybody else...'
(On the Roof)

2.

' the only way and means to lead a worthy human life is to have one's own project, [...] to realise it, perhaps, should be inherent in every person, the project is the concentration, the embodiment of the meaning of life, only thatnks to it can he establish "who he is," what he is capable of [...] It is only from the moment of the determination of his project that his true "existence" and not just "survival" begins.'
(A Palace of Projects)

Ilya & Emilia Kabakov
http://www.ilya-emilia-kabakov.com/

Baking a GingerBread House: A Series of Decisions

The Art of Living: Saul Steinburg.
Fantastic book of illustrations. one page in the book (not displayed here as i couldn't find it) depicts a scene from a house, with the front façade removed, revealing a glimpse into the events within. The goings on of the some 23 rooms inside include a range of mundane activities dramatised with line, submerged in a swamped mass of detail. These include a man having a shower in the lower floor bathroom, one upright piano with stool, three fireplaces, of which only one is working, one doll in a pram and a number of termites. The drawings hold a great amount of layers, and not only can they be studied to find a series of 'where's wally' type findings, but also their content encourages you to raise questions and form conclusions about the sketches themselves; their intention often illusionary. For example. The scene appears to be a house, which brings to mind a series of questions concerning the characters going about their day to day activities within. Primarily, there are 26 persons within the house, which by no means is a traditional nuclear family. This encourages us to search for clues within the scene that could give us a solution. A small sign next to the door solves the problem; displaying the words 'no vacancy.' It is here that the narrative of the scene begins to be unpicked by a series of clues left by the artist.

'Practice makes a difference through vectors, velocities and timing. The everyday exists through the practices that constitute it, the ways in which times and spaces are appropriated by human subjects and converted into physical traces, narratives and histories'
Sheringham, Configuring the Everyday: The Everyday

Washing machine symphony 1
(the rest coming soon!)

'The fairies went from the world, dear, Because men's hearts went cold:
And only the eyes of children see what is hidden from the old...'
Kathleen Foyle

Part of the poetics of noticing is engaging with the everyday world on a deeper level.
Considering all the unaccounted for coincidences and actions that occur daily, under our noses. Is there room for thought in a computer chip?
If we can help an object to communicate is it possible for us to relate to them, and understand their thoughts and feelings?

The tons of accumulated products that decorate the skyline in landfills across the world, are symptomatic of ‘failed relationships’ between users and products.
Is it possible that designed products can have a character independent of their function? Is individuality a personified concept? Or can it be applied to objects?




5000 ideas presentation (a light introduction)

This project began with a series of small, basic tests to find out if products where willing to communicate. Is it possible for an object to have an identity above that which is determined for it? Mass production is the complete opposite to nature. Nothing is left to chance. Every minute detail is considered in the manufacture of the product. Yet products never the less act differently, and seem to have individual personalities and capabilities. This project was about creating poetry within the hidden mysteries of the everyday.


When studying the products carefully, you can begin to see differences in their behaviour. There is no reason. They perform the same task, but do so in various bizarre ways.

The onset of the project was to design an intervention that could help a product communicate. This concept is however based upon the assumption that they are not already communicating.
I recorded and documented the actions of 4 washing machines and their particular behaviours, creating a series of movies about their activities. Their reactions are open to interpretation.

I also then played with the digital code created in the movies, and made a series of musical tracks entitled ‘The washing machine symphonies 1-6’

‘There are Intangible realities which float near us, formless and without words; realities which no one has thought out, and which are excluded for lack of interpreters.’ Natalie Clifford Barney.