Wednesday 11 May 2011

Line Sandvad Mengers - "...so far I have failed in finding the right concept."





 
Line Sandvad Mengers - Untitled (Liva &) - Digital Photographs

The project consists of five photographs of a child and an adult.
In each photograph a new adult is dressed in the same/similar clothes as the child. The portrayed people are my daughter, Liva with other family members. Both are wearing their own clothes picked out for the occasion. I wanted the series to continue with more pictures of friends and relatives, but since I have never found the right model all I have is a failed project with 5 photographs from 2007.
At one point I wanted to make a calendar with the photographs, another idea was to make posters. A lot of forms have been considered, but so far I have failed in finding the right concept. I still feel the idea has potential, the subjects in question interest me and I like the photographs.

This is an example of the idea not being sufficient. To me the idea, media and presentation are equally essential. Even though I like the idea the project is a complete failure to me; something about the photographs is so wrong. They can easily be conceived as cute and the aesthetics are more family album than contemporary art.

Line’s Website

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Phill Hopkins - "It didn’t do what I thought it would, so it failed."




 Phill Hopkins - Untitled (Dropping the House)

It was going to be a piece called ‘Untitled (Dropping the House)’. I had this idea that if I made a very strong house, with lots of glue and nails, and then dropped it out of the window, it would just bounce – like a bouncing bomb. My wife dropped it from the bathroom window, as it was the only window that the house would fit through. She did the first drop and it bounced. She dropped it for a second time and it broke. It didn’t do what I thought it would, so it failed.

After this failure I’ve gone on to make things and then break them on purpose.

Phill's website