17 June -2 July 2023, The Forum, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Gloucester
The space in Gloucester was very different again. The walls were black slatted plastic with a number of black square pillars, a counter and some large shelving units around which I installed Social knitwork. It had just one small, enclosed shop window, also painted black, to one side of the entrance, in which I installed my three knitted and stitched PVC sculptures, Parts of me 2021. It meant that my Living sculptures were further back in the space, but this time, for the first time, the screens were facing the entrance and were visible from outside.
Another interesting difference was the lighting. In Shepton and Weston both the spaces where my Social knitwork was installed had very low light which meant that it was very atmospheric, but hard to see to make! One of the unpredictable things about installing work in empty shops is that some things are outside one's control. I did rig extra lighting in the first 2 spaces, but chose lower lighting. In Gloucester, I felt that it was almost too light in the den, but it did mean that the making space was musch more welcoming. There was also less flexibility about the form of the den as it was dictated by the large rectangular counter...and there was just one entrance. Also, it didn't seem such a welcoming space as under the counter there were deep black shelves. I didn't see many people sitting in there!
I do wonder whether the better lighting meant that more people participated. I certainly facilitated the making of more pompoms than in either of the other venues. It might also have been that the presence of some pompoms on the netting, meant that they were more noticeable. I began to wish, in a way, that I had counted how many had been made, as most of them left with the happy maker. It was definitely the beginning of the pompom revolution. Interestingly, our visitors seemed much mre diverse than in either Shepton or Weston, with many intergenerational and multicultural groups working together, making pompoms. It was utterly wonderful to witness.
Living sculptures: For Gloucester, I chose a selection of videos performances from the other venues to show a range of actions and movements. The new videos then appeared as part of that reel a few minutes after they had been captured. I do now have a host of Living sculpture videos, most of which are utterly delightful. The glee is evident, and I absolutely love seeing how people move differently as soon as they try on one of the knitted sculptures. It's wonderful!