Tom Malek and Ira Ferris Residency

Artist and curator occupy the Frontyard library for 2 weeks.

Each day, 5 hours after arrival into the space, artist “punches the clock” and places an analogue collage under the glass cabinet.

The collage is inspired by and made from the things found in the Frontyard library (and maybe on the grounds of Frontyard). Neither artist nor the curator can bring any of their own materials nor tools into the space. The collages are made only out of things found there. Texts and images found in the library books are used by photocopying them on the Frontyard library’s photocopier. No book is damaged.

The tools used to make collages are also only those found in the space (i.e. if there are not scissors there we use hands or kitchen knifes to cut).

Artist can make only one collage a day resisting a desire to over-create and a societal pressure to over-produce. The size of each day’s collage can however vary (there is no limit to the scale). Maybe there is even a day when only scraps of paper are placed under the glass cabinet.

Each day the collage under the glass cabinet is replaced with the new one (like changing of the guards).  The photo of the day’s collage (sitting in the cabinet) is taken by the artist (polaroid style photo) then printed with the time and date (time corresponds to the exact moment the collage is placed under the cabinet).

At the end of the residency, on the 14^th day, the guests are invited over for a dinner and to see the final day’s collage exhibited under the cabinet + 13 photos of the past days collages exhibited in the dining area.

Other kinds of happenings might occur during the final dinner if the 14 days residency inspires other ideas - perhaps there is a reading, a discussion, a poem…

A photographer is invited to the final dinner to document the event. 

During 14 days of the residency a video camera is stationed in the room to record the process (this camera can be moved around if and whenever the artist and / or the curator desire). The recorded video functions as the documentation of the process.

Alongside video recording there is also an audio recording (via zoom recorder) of the conversations that the curator and the artist (and maybe other people found in the space) have. They bring in the space stories of the day; perhaps they talk about these. Perhaps the audio records the comments they make as they go through the books and the objects in the library. Curator might be asking artist about his process and decisions he makes. Perhaps they talk about some philosophical concepts. Anything could be recorded. Perhaps there is a lot of silence too. Like video recordings, these audio recordings are also a document of the residency.

Curator can consider writing an essay as part of the process to be printed and given to the guests at the final dinner. This essay is perhaps a reflection on the process the curator and the artist went through; maybe a philosophical reflection on some of the ideas they have explored.

Once the Frontyard residency is done, the artist and the curator go back through the audio and video recordings and create:

1. A sonic collage (duration tbc)

2. A video collage (duration tbc)

3. A sonic and video collage merged / collaged together (duration tbc)

Once these are done there is an exhibition (in the form of an installation) at the Alpha House Gallery (likely to take place in early / mid August 2018). This too is a form of collaging (if collaging is seen as bringing together) as we bring together two institutions (i.e. Frontyard and Alpha House) into collaboration.

The Alpha House exhibition will consist of:

1. All 14 original collages

2. Photographs of 13 (or 14?) original collages sitting under the glass cabinet with the date and time of the photo taken (which is exact time when the collage was laid under the glass cabinet)

3. A sonic collage

4. A video collage

5. A sonic and video collage merged together

6. A curator’s essay

7. A documentation of the final dinner (photos)

8. Performance might or might not take place