“Public vs Public: The Pedestrian Gesture” presented by Collins
susan-collins.net
Symposium:
Presentation Title:
- Public vs Public: The Pedestrian Gesture
Presenter(s):
Abstract:
A kind of collision between the real and the virtual — a collaging of moving images and sounds onto real space — has formed the sculptural and conceptual basis for much of Collins’ work to date, with aspects of human behavior in public (including that of the viewer/participant), the subject matter so central to the work. Made as a response to a given site or situation, these interactive pieces—usually audio and video—aim to engage the viewer in an inquiry or reinterpretation of their role within specific and often everyday contexts. They are an attempt to make the audience recognize and question accepted behavior in public situations while also showing, of images, sounds, and site, the oddity of mundane social interactions.
The presentation will show documented examples of the presenter’s recent site-specific public interactive interventions on streets and in train stations including, Pedestrian Gestures, which was shown in Linz, Austria as well as various train stations in the UK; other works commissioned specifically for the gallery or museum including Tate Gallery St Ives; Tramway, Glasgow; Videopositive 95; Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. The presenter will also introduce a forthcoming project, “In Conversation” an audio/video interface between a street in Brighton and the internet, taking place in November/December 1997 (http://www.ucLac.uk /slade/sac) which is attempting to reintroduce these two very different kinds of public space for social interaction to each other. Collins will question the role of the public in the choreography, realization, and interpretation of the work; raise issues concerning the differences between the reactive and the interactive; and consider what might constitute a truly “public” medium.
