(Im)Positioned
October 2001, Manchester and June 2002, Oxford
As a development from the instructions I created for my Degree Show exhibition, showing how to look at art, I created this live art performance piece for the launch of Sho1 in October 2001. Sho1 was a series of exhibitions and events taking place in and around Manchester and Salford, and the launch event, organised in conjunction with Flux Magazine, took place in an empty retail space underneath the Lowry Hotel in Manchester. As the event was going to be attended by lots of people, I decided it would be interesting to move around the space, interacting with people as they chatted and enjoyed the other activities taking place. I became an ‘(Im)Positioner’ for the evening. This role involved observing people’s stance and attitude in relation to the work they were viewing, marking their performance on a ready-made mark sheet. I decided to asses just fifty people, awarding them points for their performance, and presenting them with a limited edition mark sheet to take away.
I also took this piece to Vain Live Art in Oxford the following year. It was interesting to see how the piece changed in this new space, with different responses and challenges presenting themselves. The space was very busy, with lots of tables to negotiate and, with other performances happening at the same time, a different dynamic with which to interact. Something different that occurred here was that, when I started ‘assessing’ someone’s stance, they might start walking off without realising what was happening. I spent a lot of time negotiating legs and tables to catch up with my assessees!
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