Venue: Tron Theatre (booking office) Description of artwork: 'Behind fiction' considers the fictional limits of the linguistic construction and articulation of subjectivity and within this context, the relationship of representation to reality: how the articulation of subjectivity ( ërealí or ëfictionalí) relates to existing representations (ërealí or ëfictionalí) and the individuals perception of reality or fiction. The work consisted of monologues edited from live interviews, conducted with the general public, in public places, in Glasgow. The participants, asked to interview as an (aspirational) fantasy self, proceed (with some guidance) to describe their ëcharacterí in appearance, personality, lifestyle, employment etc. The resulting ëself portraitsí, (between one and two minutes in length), variously relate to the ërealí character and range from the ordinary and plausible to the fantastic and the fictional. The listener has no information on the ërealí character and can only engage with the ërealityí of the character the story presents. The work was presented as an intimate sound installation, consiting of 13 tracks and will be located on benches in front of a full length window, inside the booking office of the Tron Theatre. There was two ëlisteningí areas, which consisted of a portable CD player, fixed underneath the bench (inaccessible to the viewer), a playlist, a set of headphones attached to the glass panel and a remote control, allowing the viewer to play, fast forward or rewind tracks. The existing benches were utilized for the viewer to sit whilst engaging with the work. Statement about current work: christine COLLINS explores the articulation and construction of subjectivity through language (what might be considered a linguistic self portrait) and more particularly, the conversational language that surrounds identification with a particular activity or occupational role (hobby, job, profession, passion, pastime). Within this context, she explores the relationship of the verbal to the visual and of representation to reality, exploring the descriptive and fictional limits of communicating identity: how the articulation of subjectivity (ërealí or ëfictionalí) relates to existing representations (ërealí or ëfictionalí) and the individuals perception of reality or fiction. Recent works are have been developed from an initial engagement (through interview or survey) with a particular group or community. Edited contributions from participants become the basic material of the artwork, interposing issues of originality, appropriation and authorship and a relationship to documentary or ethnographic formats. Biography of artist: christine COLLINS is an Australian artist who lives in Glasgow. She completed a Masters of Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art, with the assistance of a Samstag International Artists Traveling Scholarship. Christine has recently exhibited in group exhibitions in Rotterdam (Tent) and Mexico City (National Centre of Arts), at the Tramway and Intermedia galleries in Glasgow and with Bowieart, as part of the Portabello Film Festival, in London. She has also exhibited at Artspace and Centre for Contemporary Craft in Sydney and in the Australian Textiles Biennial. Later this year she will undertake a research residency at the Market Gallery in Glasgow. |