I walk past this view every morning, most evenings and stop frequently. I stand where instructed and look at the "Point of View". Something about this incursion into the public space of the pavement in West Hampstead catches my attention always. The labelling of what is an ordinary view, the backs of terraced houses intrigues me. More than this though, I always stop and think, what is the point of view, who does it belong to and who is instructing me to consider the view to be noteworthy?
Is this work, (no 1.1) part of a series, are there more points of view, should I have a reaction and be compelled to consider what it is that is being mapped for me? Further removed from this is the impact such a view and an instruction to view has on my day. I am sat here considering the point of view of a company of individual artists, considering my own point of view within the context of creating performance and my point of view on much else, my own context my own biography. The image above has become a fixed point for much of this thought.
The point of view of the artist, the viewer, the receiver, the spectator, the audience is the centre of my work right now and also focusses a lot of my research into notions of co-authorship and collaboration - which I will try and publish here later in the week. There is also something brilliantly engaging about making a mark on the pavement, in the same was as I can spend a lot of time watching pavement artists on the south bank or in Manchester. Above all of this though it is an attempt to promote the city, to encourage active engagement through looking that sparks my imagination.
This viewing or spectatorship - perhaps only observation is important. This week I travelled to the BAC for the Forest Fringe Microfestival and was expecting to see a lot - to have an opportunity to experience the unique spaces at the BAC in a new way - to view stories and witness performances that have been welcomed in to the many nooks and crannies of the vast building. However, there was something disappointing about the waiting, the looking at the space and wanting it to be filled. The lasting impression I had was the success of the installations, the emails on walls and clothes on hangers with note cards. Beyond this though, due to the organisation of the night and my lack of exposure to multiple works, it was the audience, the crowd that became the fascination. There was an energy in the air, an appetite for performance that was captivating. Many people became familiar faces throughout the three hours or so I spent there and although they all moved on into the night I am reminded of the importance of bringing people together and sharing a point of view.
