Progressive Action (2015) Interactive object: Cardboard, plastic bottle, tissue, selfie stick, wooden rod, self-inking stamp, string
140 x 85 x 28cm
In the work Progressive action, I use a play on expectations to create a distancing effect. The work resembles a sort of miniature catapult. A mock Molotov cocktail appears ready to be projected by a selfie stick as part of a mechanism, activated by pushing down a stamp. However, When the object is activated, the work falls short of expectations as the work fails to throw the bottle and instead remains attached to the selfie stick as it moves up to a vertical position before pathetically falling back down into place. The object literally brings theaction to a standstill in mid-course and incites the participant to take up a position towards the work. The stamped image reads, ‘I showed dem’.