In the previous post I spoke about the progress I had made with the possible presentation of the work, some inspiration for this, and the prototype display board for the negatives. If you’d like to see that post, click the link below.
While cutting up mountboard was going on in the background, I continued my research, and while working on the process of image creation I had decided to leave the naming of the project until I had made further progress. Titling a work can dramatically change the tone and meaning, and I wanted a title that would refer to the subject matter that was on display – the theatre of war. I also wanted it to reference the deeper meaning behind the project too, that being the false nature of the virtual world. My initial idea was to call it ‘Memories of a Digital World’, this was a reference to my first project which alluded to both of these. It was initially a decent placeholder, but the title better suited the work as an umbrella, covering my projects, past, present, and future. I needed something specific and meaningful for this one, and that’s always a tricky ask.
Eventually I decided to settle with the title ‘A Phoney War’. This is a reference to the name that was given to the period of time during the Second World War from September 1939 to April 1940. The German blitzkrieg attack on Poland happened in September 1939, after which nothing seemed to happen in Western Europe. Germany reinforced itself in Poland and no further combative military action occurred, at least on land. Many people in Britain expected terrible consequences following this, of course terrible events did follow, but at the time all seemed quiet, hence the name for the brief period was the Phoney War. This, as we all now know, was just the calm before the storm.
The reasoning behind the use of this name for my work comes down to the idea that video games and virtual environments are in a sense phoney, the wars and conflicts are acted out routinely and repetitively across the globe in memory and processors. Each is a construct, an act. However, just as with the real Phoney War, there was more happening than was obvious at the time, video games have an influence, even if it’s only desensitisation. Having a title set solidified the project for me and gave me confidence in its cohesion and merits. However, despite the naming process being somewhat of a success, there was much work to be done with the presentation, so it was back to the cutting mat. Part way though the mounting process I decided to experiment with a slightly different display set up. Instead of a flat piece, either hung or flat on a table, I wanted to see if designing a wedge-shaped display box would suit better. I worked the angled out for the elevation I desired, and began cutting out the triangular shapes needed to complete the wedge design to support the current two-dimensional frames.
The process was, as you can imagine, somewhat time consuming, and although the effect of the angled viewer was compelling upon first viewing, I felt that the design needed tweaking before it could be used for exhibition. There were two main reasons for this, firstly the object was rather delicate, and I first that it was unlikely to be able to survive the stresses of being handled. Reliability and strength is desirable when it comes to the unpredictable interactions the work would likely have with exhibition patrons. The second reason was that the change in angle decreased the quality of light that was able to pass through the diffuser, making the negative look busy with unwanted shadows, and somewhat darker.
At the time, I felt that further experiments were warranted with the wedge-shaped presentation box. There was something in it, but the design wasn’t quite right, and served more as a distraction than as an enhancement for the consumption of the work. Refinements to the defusing material inside, a more durable design, and a larger aperture to allow for more light to enter the box would serve better. Those were all thoughts and problems for the future however, and for the time being, I went with the simpler design with its many merits over that of the more complex wedge.
With the final (for the time being) design decided upon, it was a matter of putting together the remaining pieces and curating the final selection of images ready for review. Time was somewhat limited however, and I spent many evenings with a scalpel in hand and a slightly crooked neck. Eventually I decided to organise the images in order of creation and to present them in two parts, each stacked in archival boxes along with a title board in each. This, I felt, served the images well, bringing another layer of authenticity to them, making the viewer feel as though they have drawn a set of historical images from an archive. One can imagine cranking open the shelves and drawing the dusty boxes out – this was an experience I was eager to replicate and was something I would focus on in the next phase.
Britain’s ‘phoney’ start to the Second World War - Imperial War Museums. Available at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/britains-phoney-start-to-the-second-world-war (Accessed: 25 October 2023).
Progress was being made at last, and finally we have a title! We’ll see how the project continues to develop in the next post, but in the meantime let me know if you have any thoughts on the project so far! As always, lots more to come. While you’re here, why not check out some previous posts!
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