Author: beth
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Inflatable test and developing my piece; bringing the birthplace of democracy into the conversation
I created an inflatable tube man using ripstop fabric and took it home to experiment with a fan I had sourced from a sparky mate.
It was a valuable testing process because it gave me loads of clarity on the technical aspects of the installation; for example, the power of fan needed, the size of the air escape aperture that needs to be left in the inflatable seams so that it has the right amount of pressure internally, and how the base units that hold the fan and support the inflatable need to be constructed.It also resulted in me revising my overall plan for the inflatable structure.The wacky wavy mans arms won’t move with a quiet/ low power fan, and having a low noise output is a requirement of exhibiting in a group show. Also, without the movement, they just look like big silly sausages. And while this is fitting satire for certain elected representatives, it has not got the presence that I want to achieve. It looks amateur. And it looks too ridiculous with the fan restrictions as they are. I also don’t like how the arms, static as they have to be now, draw so much focus for the eye, because this will be fighting visually with the lettering I plan to stencil onto each column.I did some sketching and brainstorming and came up with the idea to instead create a loose Athenian temple structure, adding a lintel and some basic edging detail to the top of the 2 outer columns.
My choice of inflatable as a medium still gives the piece a satirical and clown like quality. But it feels more fitting and developed/ resolved to bring coding of ancient Greece into the structure of this political activist piece; because it is the historic birthplace of democracy. I hope that my new design will make my piece look literally monumental and give it a real sense of presence and power.
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Hine Hall gardens, May, 2025
I really appreciate this dappled light effect and want to experiment recreating this in installation next year. -
Using Adobe Illustrator to create stencils and IT skill development
I’ve been trying really hard to embrace AI and their whole suite in general more. Lets be frank, it’s a basic and essential aspect of my tool kit as an artist and I just have to bite the bullet and learn it. I bought a second hand iPad recently and plan to spend the summer familiarising myself more with the Adobe suite and also Procreate.
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Architects of Air
I have long enjoyed the inflatable installations by AoA, the Nottingham based arts organisation that has achieved global success and notoriety. Part inverted bouncy castle, part light labyrinth installation, their pieces bring joy and wonder to many.Here are some images from the last installation of theirs that I visited in March 2024, Luminaries, exhibited at the Lakeside Arts Centre.
Their ability to create an immersive experience in this way is unparalleled and its an excellent example of how you can commercialize arts practise.
I know Alan the founder through mutual friends and enjoy our occasional chats at the Pakistan Centre on Woodborough Road when we both end up there for a curry lunch. -
Planning the inflatable base structures
Each inflatable will need a base piece to anchor it, and to contain/ hide the fan and cables.This is a visual reference for a 30cm diameter round, which is the rough proportion I’ve chosen for width related to the 2m height of the inflatable pieces.I’ve thought about how the piece could be curated, both for this show and for future shows. For flexibility, and also, pragmatism, I’ve decided to have each unit stand alone. So I need to source 5 plastic containers of this dimension, weight them slightly (with concrete?) and then cut in the wiring holes at the back. Something like this bucket would be perfect. I can cut it to height preference and spray it cream to match the inflatable fabric.
I’ve not yet figured out how to attach the fabric inflatables to their anchor, but my instinct is that extremely strong adhesive velcro is a good shout.One thing occurs, a bucket is basically a drum, and this anchor choice could potentially amplify the sound of the inflatables fans. I will just have to test it this weekend. I can explore sound proofing options that won’t overhear the fans if needs be. -
Text and colour experiments
I printed out the letters to be included in the piece using different fonts, layouts and sizing. Some inspired by counter-culture, some inspired by other artists work.It’s a political activism piece, but it’s also satire. And so I’d like to bring the clown archetype into the visual coding. Clowns are a disruptive and mirroring archetype that allow us to reflect in a unique way. Their home, the circus, has a long history of political activism efforts. On a different tack lot of current world leaders are, sadly, an absolute joke and need fucking clown shoes. And lastly, but by no means leastly, it indisputably feels like the whole world’s turned into a dystopian circus of late. For all these reasons, I feel that the clown tone is heavily relevant to this piece, and that visually coding this effectively will connect with my audience.I’d also like the gravity that the piece explores to have space, and so including elements that make it feel stark and utilitarianalso feel important.
Should I include a clown prop? Or is that too on those nose. (I’m not sorry). I don’t think I will, it’s a bridge too far.Spray painted red dot dripping?
Having all these options tumbling around my mind felt overwhelming all of a sudden, and I felt a loss of confidence in the piece as a whole.So I gave my head a wobble and grounded myself by sketching out some options.On reflection, visually I prefer the last image. The childlike garish colours evoke the clown, which creates paradox when written in a stencil font; a typeface that is reminiscent of ulititarian and functional signage, as well as of DIY and protest signs. I like the tension that creates. I think the lettering needs to have presence, scale wise, to really carry this forward.I am planning on spray painting the letters at this stage. It’s a physically light technique so it won’t weigh the fabric down, it’s affordable and quick for my work flow and it will stop the piece looking too tight by giving it a bit of edge; because it’s got street art and industrial connotations. I’ll drop in on Dilk at the Montana shop and pick out some colours this week.I’ll see if I can get some custom stencils made using the laser cutter.
I’ve always got good old fashioned cardboard and my Stanley blade if not.I’m choosing to order the text in a similar way to the text work of Christopher Wool, as above. It will help the 5 inflatable pieces, all of which have a different letter count, feel more cohesive visually. It adds complexity to the text, which reflects the complexity of the situation I am discussing, and references the impenetrable word salad so often spewed by politicians. And it feels childlike, which creates yummy paradox; playful innocence versus the shadow aspects brought to mind by the piece. They are simple, almost guileless questions after all, not dissimilar to those that a child might ask.It would be really interesting if other words could be pulled out writing the text in this way. Or if the same action resulted in adding stress to intentional words and, or created unintentional but appropriate words too. I’ll play around with it.My instinct is that a cream textile background is needed to elevate the piece. Whatever I do to it, cold white is still giving Halloween/ Christmas inflatables too hard. Cream is synonymous with calico bandage. Wound and healing.
