Lift the Lid using Chinese Whispers.

"My Chinese Whispers Story"

The first Lift the Lid session for the Moving Portraits exhibition was full of intense activity. The grey and rainy Sunday was a perfect time to be exploring the topsy turvy world created by following a journey of "Pass it on" with Chinese Whispers. So what was passed on?

With their ticket 'to ride' in hand, a constant stream of friends and families took as long as they wished to follow 4 simple questions relating to a selected portrait in the gallery. Returning to the workshop, the words chosen to answer the questions were whispered back and forth between each member of a group until the words were transformed into something more magical or mysterious.

These new words then inspired a surreal picture story to be created using drawing, words and collage, drawing upon the original portrait viewed in the exhibition. The next part of the journey was to swap portraits and then go back into the exhibition to try and trace the portrait which had been the source. One family completed the journey, but couldn't find the original portrait before tea and cakes became an urgent activity to attend to. A communal Chinese Whisper snaked its way around the room from time to time, helping to maintain the theme.

The objective of the theme was to explore how an original piece of information can be changed as it is passed on or ' transmitted', and becomes something which is a combination of the original memory of the word and what is perceived to be heard. In the same way each person will relate to different portraits in this exhibition according to what they think is being communicated and aspects which are personal connections or preferences. What would participants in the workshop bring to the exchange of visual and oral information?

Below are 2 different versions of the portrait of Duncan Alexander Goodhew

whose portrait was extremely popular.

These were just two of the wonderful ideas and art work which were created as a result. Other favourites were The Screen Tests:

A temporary gallery of these portraits, became physically 'moving portraits' as their owners removed them to take home or to reposition them. Parents, grandmothers and other adult members of the groups identified that it was a really positive outcome to see their children being encouraged to take notice of the details of a portrait and then use their memory and imagination to be creative.

The next part of the journey will involve taking the idea of shoes as interesting portraits of all kinds of information about an individual. Wearing and creating dance steps with individually designed shoes will turn them into...moving portraits.....Don't miss this opportunity!

Saturday Interaction February 5th. Moving Portraits: Watching Guy Sherwin

What a busy day and thanks to everyone who brought their enthusiasm and eagerness to help make this short video piece. The idea behind this interaction was to add to the narrative and concept behind Guy Sherwin's self-portrait, short film called, "Portrait of Parents". Using a 16mm film camera he filmed in 1978, both his mother and father for the duration of the 16mm roll of film, approx 3 and half minutes. It's considered to be a self-portrait as Sherwin can be seen reflected in the mirror shown in the center of the movie, with his parents situated, one on each side of the mirror. The DV we produced at the exhibition on Saturday is in keeping with the time scale being of similar duration. Participants were filmed for about 30 seconds and during this period they watched closely and interacted with myself and discussed the complexity of the ideas behind Sherwin's film.

The continuous winding motion of Sherwin operating his camera created a bouncing type of movement, so the screen appears to be bobbling up and down. Some participants moved in response to this, some felt a sort of sickness motion. The film instigated a physical movement in many watchers when they were encouraged to immerse themselves fully. Trying to forget that I was filming and the other gallery goers were watching us filming, was a challenging exercise for some. Encouragement was offered to those particpant's who wanted to overcome shyness and help was provided to find strategies to help distance themselves from the distractions . Others unpicked the concept and found it interesting to include themselves within the extended narrative. We discussed the position of the viewer in this movie and whether the participants of our movie, felt more or less relaxed than Sherwin's mother and father. Most thought that because of our greater familiarity with the process of being filmed, the nervousness and obvious tension - although the parents seemed to enjoy the process - would be less apparent. The concensus was however, that the participants in our movie still had to make a concerted effort to ignore the process of being filmed and relax into the viewing process.

In essence, each participant was observing Guy Sherwin and his parents whilst Sherwin was observing himself. In turn whilst filming, I was observing all the viewers throughout their own viewing process. Confused? There's more! When viewed online - as you are now - one then extends the concept even further by viewing this new film, collaboratively made. Perhaps someone might like to video themselves viewing themselves in the video we made on the computer and then whoooaaaa...........

For my next session participants will not only be the viewers/actors but the producer as well. Couples, friends and families will be encouraged to take the position of both camera operator and subject.

Next interaction dates are 26th February and 26th March.

Gallery interaction: Shadow Portraits

As a visual artist, rather than an film-maker or photographer, I designed an interaction which brought drawing to the exhibition - but a form of multiple-image capture which could mimic the dynamics of a moving portrait. The idea was to draw round sharp shadows of the subject, in a series of poses and/or a restless moving line of shapes in response to how we are never still.

Each shadow portrait was a truly collaborative affair: the choice and number of poses, colour, as well as the number of people, or props in the portrait, were art-directed by the subjects themselves. Inevitably the variety was limitless: a complete family portrait with the shadows nested like matryoshka dolls; a child holding a beloved toy bear; a precariously balanced homage to Patti Smith (who had performed in the theatre the night before). What was intriguing was how individual choice could create such a highly personal record, despite the fact that we were only working with silhouettes.

The large-scale of the works, as well as the special light conditions needed to create the portraits, meant that they were very difficult to photograph. However, the images above give a small sense of what we achieved.

Talking to visitors about the exhibition itself, I was very struck by how many were already on their second or third visit (the show only opened a week ago). There was great enthusiasm for the variety of work - everyone seemed to have completely different favourites. Such is the ubiquity of moving image in our everyday lives that only one person I spoke to raised the subject of whether a filmed portrait can be seen as art in the same way as a painted portrait.

Moving Portraits. Gallery Interaction

The De La Warr Pavilion's new exhibition of video art began today. Good turnout, opening speeches by director of DLWP Alan Haydon (on right in picture) and the director of The National Portrait Gallery Sandy Nairne, who declared the show "of national importance". And he's right, there's not been anything before that can be directly compared to it.

My task, as part of this years interpretation team, was to enhance visitors' experience of the exhibition. I decided to do this by asking willing visitors to design a five second moving portrait as a way of thinking about possible decisions behind the work on show.

They did this by filling in a short form (point of view, what happens, stickman sketch of composition etc). We then filmed it on one of the Pavilion's little digital compacts, usually in one take, later simply presented in the order in which they were made. Thanks to all who are now famous for 5 more seconds and Penny Hobson who assisted and recruited.

Twenty Two Five Second Moving Portraits. 22 January 2011.

(best viewed nice and small, not full screen).

Beckham arrives at DLWP

One of England's national treasures, world-class footballing legend David Beckham has entered the DLWP building!

OK, so it may not be the footballing legend in the flesh but Sam Taylor-Wood's David (2004), an hour-long silent film of David Beckham sleeping, gives us a glimpse of the star away from the cameras, in a precious moment of 'down-time'. The film was shot while he was taking a siesta after an training session with Real Madrid and shows an initmacy with its subject that the viewer does not usually see - even with the deluge of paparazzi and celebrity images taken over the years.

You can enjoy this fascinating portrait alongside Andy Warhol's series of screen tests featuring friends, colleagues and acquaintances such as Marcel Duchamp, Lou Reed and Edie Sedgwick and Peter Gidal's 1969 work Heads; filmic portraits of British personalities including Marianne Faithfull and David Hockney. You'll see experimental works, works with well-known sitters as well as more personal portraits of friends and family. Click here to read more about Moving Portraits: sixty years of portraits on moving image (22 Jan - 27 Mar).

To accompany the Moving Portraits exhibition, a programme of biographical and character-led films will be shown in Gallery 2 during the day and on Thursday and Saturday evenings. There are memorable classics by international film-makers, Hollywood productions and a selection of films by artists. Click here for a full list of what's on.

Tickets: £3 afternoons / £6 for a ticket + glass of wine or half pint of Peroni at evening screenings. Box Office: 01424 229 111 http://www.dlwp.com/

Image One: Richard Billingham, Fishtank, 1998; video installation (video still), produced and commissioned by Artangel, 46 mins 40 secs. © the artist, courtesy Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London.

Image Two: Sarah Purcill (UK) You be Mother, 1990, 16mm col, sound 7min.

DLWP sets sail with Catherine Yass

It was a cold but near perfect day to sail out to sea on a boat. Catherine (Yass), Alan and I set off at Eastbourne Sovereign Harbour on a charter boat. The lighthouse is 5 miles away from the harbour which takes around half an hour each way.

I have been very curious - as have many others I'm sure - to see this structure which stands in the middle of the sea, all alone. It's only just visible from the Pavilion on a clear day and difficult to judge the real size of it. Catherine and I took many photographs for research, looking at the way the strucutre has aged and its access possibilities. We will have to wait and see what Catherine's artistic outcome from this research trip will be, but it's certainly an exciting start to the project.

Jane Won (Curator, DLWP)

Lift The Lid family session: MMXI

The final Lift The Lid accompanying Myth, Manners and Memory. The Pavilion was very busy with people from far and wide catching the show before it closes and getting over Midwinter cabin fever.

The session had a nominal theme of describing hopes, wishes, predictions or expectations for 2011. However it was also intended to be a bit of a free for all with an emphasis on colour and collage. It's a bit unfair to ask someone who's only been alive for 4 or 5 years what their opinion about a whole year might be, so let's just open that glue stick.

Many thanks to all who came for all your brilliant work and also to our excellent assistants, Nik Medhurst and Ben Wade.

Myth, Manners and Memory: Photographers of the American South has been a very well liked exhibition. Both as a photography show, for which there seems to be a definite current appetite, and also as a vehicle for issues and approaches that seem relevant or interesting now. For me, that has meant a lot of very interesting conversations in the building and the pleasure of working with an exhibition that rewarded multiple viewings.

Lift The Lid is the De La Warr Pavilion's free drop in session for families on the first Sunday of every month from 2-5pm.