Collars
Alexandra Gillespie in collaboration with Somaya Langley.
Electronics and software engineering by Ben Lippmeier.
Collected collars, texts, electroluminescent lamps, 4 channel audio.
Collars is an immersive media installation combining sound, sculptural form, collected stories and memories. The viewer enters the gallery space populated by a group of floating collars positioned as if worn by invisible members of a social gathering. Audio and text illuminated from within the collars reveal fragments of memories, stories and reflections centred around the object of the collars.
At the centre of Collars, is the symbolic significance of the collar in its role as an indicator of power, control and social stratification. In collaboration Alexandra Gillespie and Somaya Langley have collected stories from significant others including friends, family and other artists. These stories are implanted in the collars, as it were; computer programmed electroluminescent lamps that project texts through the fabric. Through this multi-layered interconnected display of the technologies of spoken word, written word and symbolism, Gillespie and Langley literally shed light on complex personal narratives through the use of a deceptively simple, yet, loaded object, the collar.
- David Broker, Director Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Acquired from twenty significant people (associated with either artist being friends, family, fellow artists) is a single collar from a shirt, dress or blouse, along with an oral history interview retelling stories or emotions associated with the collar. In choosing the participants we were concerned with their relationship to us. Interviews were conducted with fathers, mothers, partners, best friends, school friends, studio mates etc, people who were personally close to us but not necessarily geographically close. Personal interviews were conducted with these people in a variety of locations Australia, Germany, France and the UK over about a six month period.
A favourite phrase from this interview was then chosen as the text to be illuminated in the collar. Inside each of the collars are electroluminescent lamps that are computer programmed to switch on illuminating these short printed texts that become visible through the fabric. The textures of the materials the electroluminescent lamps shine through effects the legibility of the words, one of the texts is hidden. Through this process of illumination thoughts, memories etc. become tangible via illumination.
The collars are arranged roughly in conversational groups according to the topics that came up in the oral interview with the participants and presented at the actual height of the wearer from neck to feet. Participants were asked a series of questions. What became apparent through the process was the very personal contributions that participants made – both in the contributions of their items of clothing and in the associated stories and memories.
Through initial concept discussions between the artists we became interested in the object of the collar it’s variety and ubiquity in terms of material used variation on colour, form and shape. And the notions surrounding the object for example such as emotional states, being “hot under the collar” or describing states of union such as marriage (“getting collared”) or judicial process “being collared” for a crime or position within society “white collar”, “blue collar”, “pink collar” etc. The collar is also a highly personal item of clothing sitting over the throat, which gives voice to our emotions and internal thoughts.
Exhibitions
2009 Showing Off, New Media Art Exhibition, curated by Daniel Kotja, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, 7 August - 20 September 2009
2009 Collars, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman House, 27 March - 2 May 2009
Download catalogue with essay by Dr. Melinda Rackham
Prototype Exhibitions
2007 reSkin prototypes, Foyer Gallery, School of Art, Australian National University
2007 Collars Prototype, High Tea with Mrs Woo shop front, This Is Not Art, Electrofringe Festival, Newcastle
Conferences
ISEA 2008 International Symposium for Electronic Arts, Singapore, artist talk Alexandra Gillespie and Somaya Langley
Sponsorship
E-Lite technologies Inc.
http://www.e-lite.com/
Sun Industries the Australian supplier of E-lite.
http://www.sunindustries.com.au