Chinese Whispers part 2 Moving Portraits Sat 12th March

The two responses above were offered for the same original set of words:

Perspective, alien, unsettling, interesting, pleasing... The one on the left identified the portrait, the one on the right chose a different one, who do you think the description is about?

The second episode of my Chinese Whispers style of experiment with transmission of information was an interesting development from the first session. As I considered the original responses to specific portraits, what was interesting to me was how words can be so subjective as to potentially offer a description which could represent a number of other pieces. In which case, could a random recipient of such a response be able to relocate the original source?

So this was my quest, to engage the Saturday audience with 2 tasks: take one description from an unknown person and see if they could locate the original portrait and then once they had made their decision, to find their own response to this portrait.

Who was this?

...the same person as the above two responses?... in fact the same as the previous two.... Duncan Alexander Goodhew portrayed through 5 pairs of eyes.

Two things were important to identify:

1. That it was a less a case of being right or wrong to identify the portrait from the description.

2. It was of greater importance to consider why a decision was made and what this brought to the gallery experience.

A particularly wide range of people took part, and all concluded that this extra focus encouraged their interaction and consideration of what a particular portrait was communicating. It also heightened their awareness of the very subjective assumptions which we make, when looking at such an image as filmed portrait, and how this influences our subsequent memory and what we might pass on to others about our experience.

The above response was to what was actually a response to one of Peter Gidal's portraits in Heads, but encouraged some amused dialogue between a mother and son about the nature of the Cactasia!, and certainly wouldn't have been a choice of focus without my request.

I enjoyed responding myself to different conversations and by making my own decisions on who to give which kind of a trigger set of words. More subtle and less specific for some, more playful for others, sometimes giving people a portrait which was different to one they identified most with, at other times doing the opposite to see if they could recognise it through a different perception.

The above response on the right was a great visual portrait and also accurate in tracing Wearing's 2 into 1, from a first description which was relatively straightforward.

In most cases I had added my own 'noise' to the transmission process, by removing words from the original response which could make it too obvious which of the portraits was being referred to. It was something of a revelation to me to see how many people tuned in to the correct choice. Many people were torn between a correct choice and a different one, so were instinctively able to track the path back.

These were responses to Non-specific Threat, from a quite poetic original set of words by an artist and writer from the previous session, whose style in itself then encouraged an interaction of depth and creative expression.

This therefore became an opportunity to move through the perceptions of others towards the essence of a portrait, seeing through their eyes then again through the camera lens and finally with a different view both objective and responsive to a charming elderly lady smoking and laughing, or a young woman crying etc.

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These words described Portrait of Ga, but were also thought to portray the subject of the Bee Fever, and who could argue with that. Thank you to all who took time to contribute, such as the art teacher Chris Mansell from Lewes, and for a great deal of intense concentration and interesting responses.

Gallery Interaction 5th March: Shadow Portraits 2

Roll up, roll up! This week's interaction felt like a circus sideshow, with people crowding round to watch the action and participate. There's nothing like a spotlight to attract attention: moths to a candle.
The process of creating the shadow portraits was the same as my interaction several weeks ago: a bright light throws the shadow of the portrait sitter on to paper: the resulting silhouette is drawn around with coloured pens.


There was a wonderful diversity of approaches to posing for the portrait on the part of the sitters. Many people decided to create group portraits, encompassing the whole family. Surprisingly, there were a number of people celebrating family birthdays, which meant that their portraits became a very personal record of that event.


The lovely couple below, took a romantic approach, kissing in front of the paper, creating shadows of tender togetherness, which were truly charming.


Others decided to take over the whole drawing process themselves, discovering in the process just how fast you have to work and how still you have to sit. However, nobody is ever completely still. The more restless the personality, the more the person moves, which means that you are constantly having to shift the line, creating multiple overlays - which of itself becomes part of the description of the person in the portrait.




As with the moving portraits in the exhibition, they way we move, the way we choose to pose - even when we are just sitting and looking - says so much about us. Capturing multiple, shifting silhouettes of someone is much more descriptive than we imagine. Everyone who participated began to realise how much of themselves was being revealed.


I was struck by how delighted the observers and participants were with the simplicity of the technique we used to create these images. Just shadows and a drawn line. No complex technology. What we were doing here is probably the same as our prehistoric ancestors did thousands of years ago with a piece of charcoal on a cave wall, in front of a fire. The exploration of the self is an eternal fascination.

In the course of the afternoon around 37 people had their portraits made. I would like to thank everyone who participated for making the interaction such an enjoyable and thought-provoking event, with a particular nod to Tracey, Richard, the Lynton Vakili family, Delilah, Louise, Ruby and Rosie.

32 Five Second Moving Portraits

Made over three hours on a Saturday afternoon, these moving portraits repeat the method of my last gallery interaction (22nd January, below). Visitors were asked if they'd like to design a five second moving portrait which I then shot on one of the Pavilion education department's compact cameras. Five second sections were cut from the original footage and simply joined up in the order in which they were made.

Feeling emboldened by my first go at this, and a bit more familiar with the video setting of the little digital camera, I played it a bit more fast and loose this time. So much so that the first two portraits are the wrong way around. Sorry, I've been a stills photographer for thirty years and obviously have some bad habits. The gentleman in the first clip, John, is a teacher of film and said that he didn't mind he liked it that way, so I felt better and then did it again.

I was less strict with duration this time, making longer clips from which to cut from, an intervention that I had tried hard to exclude before. Also, we (Penny Hobson, artist and De La Warr volunteer, and myself) were in a rush in a very busy gallery, dealing with people who weren't so willing to write a plan on a clipboard but were very keen to get on with it. There was a lot more improvisation from the sitters this time, and what a cast! Thanks to all for being such a pleasure to work with.

The modern digital snapshot camera makes data files that are the 8mm amateur cine films of our day. The big difference is that one isn't forced to discriminate with the digital camera. The tiny memory card is so vast compared to the quick, expensive and single use rolls of film in use from the 1950's to the 1970's. Nowadays, having method and intention behind what you put on that memory card is more essential than ever in order to make something worth saving. It might be this aspect of Moving Portraits, more than any other, that makes people respond so well to this exhibition.

Special film event The Human Face (1990)

Nominated for a BAFTA, The Human Face (1990) is an experimental 60 minute documentary made for BBC Arena. American poet, artist and musician Laurie Anderson narrates an examination of mankind's obsession with its own image, looking at the use of heads and the human face in art and sculpture, and at the prejudices applied every day based solely on a person's appearance.

Nichola Bruce, the director of The Human Face and renowned film maker, will give a special talk about the role portraiture plays in her practice, followed by a screening of the film. Thanks to Anthony Wall, Series Editor, BBC Arena.

Tickets: £5
For bookings and information call the Box Office directly on 01424 229 or book online at http://www.dlwp.com/.

Chinese Whispers meets Moving Portraits Sat 12th Feb

How much are we able to receive from the mass of information contained in a portrait? Add to this the possibility of confusing or intensifying the viewer's focus with the nature of portraits which are not static and the possibility for untold reinterpretations taking place becomes apparent. What does each viewer bring to the temporary encounter? Beyond the immediacy of the visible, can we connect to the subliminal layers which are part of the artist's own interpretation of their subject? What is contained in the reinterpretation which we take away as a memory. These thoughts prompted me to draw on the idea of Chinese Whispers, and the changes which occur in transmission of information to see if I could inspire viewers to find a deeper focus in responding to selected portraits.

A movement of responses to the movement within each portrait.

It was a fascinating afternoon being able to observe the public gaze interacting with that of the unseeing portraits. My initial reluctance to disrupt the silent exchanges taking place disappeared as each person or group approached, were interested to consider how and why the information we receive from a visual starting point is transformed and reinterpreted as it passes through those who receive it.

A series of intense conversations took place. Each in itself moving in response to the reactions collected to specific portraits. The subject ranged widely from the unusual nature of the exhibition, modern art found in a fortress in Cadiz, and the agreed handsomeness of David B.

My request was simple: please respond to 5 questions relating to a specific portrait with one word answers. I also responded to different individuals by loosening the constraints of the instructions to 5 words which came to mind. This allowed for a more emotional response, prompting the viewer to engage further with their own experience of particular relationships. It had the effect of expanding their sense of distance or connection to either the subject or the observing taker of the image. Sue Phipps pinpointed a moral dilemna which occurs when a strongly negative response takes place through a personal judgement defining the interaction. Do we have a responsibility to question our reactions? I pass this on for reflection.

The multitude of indicators for indifferent or strong responses ranged from the experience of having a father who was one of twins, contempt or admiration for the subject portrayed, the poignancy of a mother's recent death, to a love of dogs. The constraint of 5 words distilled the essence of a response experienced for an individual, but I liked the silent rebellion to conform, which many people exhibited towards a greater expansiveness. 2 companions who participated, Gemma and Sue, enjoy seeing art together, balancing each other as poet/artist and self described non artist. Their playful eloquence meant that they were happy to engage in reflective exploration of different portraits. They enjoyed analysing their responses and found that they developed a greater connection with the act of seeing from a more internal place. Other participants also found it intriguing to examine their responses and decided to return for further visits to maximise their experience of the exhibition.

The next stage for my interaction on Saturday the 12th of March will be to add my own transmitting noise to the information received, to pass on a further interpretation. Will the original portrait remain identifiable throughout this process of movement.......

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.