Here’s Looking at You: R&D (HLY) took place throughout 2021. A first stage R&D project provided time & resources to test the feasibility of delivering & presenting HLY as an artwork. The R&D phase was designed to explore technical possibilities, physical & geographical requirements & challenges, whilst identifying, negotiating with & recruiting potential collaborating artists curators and venues. It would hopefully point to the size of the challenge ahead if such a visual poetry machine as my imagination was suggesting could be built and if so, how and what would this look like?
‘Here’s Looking at You’ R&D was made up of four main elements:
- Researching and developing a model for a digital platform for the creative use of CCTV
- A residency with a group of artists exploring CCTV and the possibilities for a new creative approach and platform.
- A series of one-to-one professional development sessions for artists
- Public presentation of ideas and idease/notions generated through the process
Some of the outcomes from the HLY R&D phase to date include:
- A new film documenting a performance lecture at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- A new illustrated blog at Disability Arts Online
- Artists’ blog posts written during the Lab week
The current status of the project is that I am now further developing drawings, models and concepts for what I call a visual poetry machine; a hybrid of video surveillance, public sculpture and semi-autonomous auto editing manifest as a continuous film broadcast. Somewhere in conversations, discussions, ideas and designs there will be an opportunity at some point in the near future to present a new artwork that’s grown from the notion and position of a more chaotic but democratic use of the rapidly changing idea of the ubiquitous Closed Circuit Television.
If you are interested in supporting the project as a partner, commissioning organisation or collaborator, please get in touch using the contact page.
‘Here’s Looking at You’ R&D is supported by National Lottery Funding through Arts Council England. My thanks to Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Disability Arts Online for their continuing support.
