Ok I’ll Do Angels Instead, shoes, angels, plasticine, dimensions variable, 2017

Stockroom - solo show

Kyneton

 
Below is a talk I gave at the exhibition’s opening. I no longer use ableist language like ‘insane’.

Hi everyone. Nice to be talking to you tonight. And Lovely to exhibit with Siri and Erica.

Jason was a teacher of mine at TAFE, and I proceeded to get the shit kicked out of me by him. I loved it. He would drive me insane with guessing what I was going to write next till I was laughing so much I had forgotten what I was going to say. It's nice to be doing a show in his gallery. He said all those years ago "not fucking fairies" so I thought "what about angels?"

This space is perfect for me with lots of cracks to put plasticine in so that's why Jason suggested it. I have a thing for rock and anything rock like. The idea of me seeping in to it is something delightful. It's stillness soothing every nerve. And plasticine is this oily substance that is continually malleable. I like the contrast between the hardness of brick, brittle china and the plasticine made to look like the bricks is also funny to me. Or kinda like the bricks, it's turned out a bit ice creamy. 

I have been working with plasticine for a while now, it started with me replacing the marrow of bones. I find the plasticine a great recorder of touch, and then that touch could be put on other things. Also the playfulness of plasticine is something I am really enjoying. 

I stuck gummy bears in plasticine, I put plasticine in to shapes in wood I had routed out, I made plasticine into large balls and stuck it on some wool and then fishing-style stuck stuff to them from off the ground, I had plasticine on windows for the light to shine through it, stuck plasticine in my ear. I'm probably going to do everything with it.

I often encourage the viewer to touch and become part of the work, at  West Space many people sat on the work because it was along the window ledge, which was awesome. This time I'll ask you to be careful because some of the angels are a bit delicate.

I have worked with china figures before.  Last time I just picked anything I liked from the op-shop and covered them in plasticine, choosing what to hide and what not to hide - in a way I was editing them. I thought this time it would be funny to get a bunch of angels and cover them in plasticine except their wings.

I did not realise how hard it be to find angels in the op-shops. I had months of asking them with only little success. I kept saying no that's a fairy, no that hasn't got wings. I went through my old ornament collection and only got two. I gave in at the last minute and did a $2 shop raid and got the rest.

The idea of having wings that are exposed to the world, beating, enfolding and warm. The projection is of me breathing under white plasticine, the finger marks of the plasticine are visible. Sexuality is a big part of my work and no less so here.  

I had a great interview with Fiona from the ABC. She said something to the effect "I understand why there are wings in your work, you must want to fly". I thought O fuck I did not think of that. My concept was about being funny, sexy and being one with the brick, but could suddenly see a whole other side reading that was "O Sammy wants to fly" which was totally not my intention, but could see it now damn it. What had I created. It was upsetting and funny because it was something I really did not intend.

The shoes go way back to Jason's class, I had an operation so was able to walk again. I walked along the footpath chalking my steps as I went along and that became the work. I have since had another operation that went wrong leaving me wheelchair bound. I have since done other works with shoes, and I thought this exhibition would be perfect to say good bye to my shoes with plasticine instead of chalk around them becoming all thick and as Rebecca said the spotlight is like the transportation rings in Stargate, they just forgot my shoes. Jason pointed out again that the chalk and the plasticine made it look like a crime scene. I like that.

That's enough about Jason and that's me too.

Thank you for listening. 

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