Trevor Richards
ASK
June 23-July 27, 2001
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Over the last 3 years the general direction of my work has been to make
connections between late modernist painting, design and popular/mass culture.
The BYOG project has allowed for a commentary on the relationship between
art and the everyday, in the conception and production of objects. The
common thread that links all the work in this project has been the use
of four specific colours (dark blue, yellow, orange and olive green).The
Kellerberrin Project was based on a simple premise - to involve the local
community in the making of the installation. Residents were invited to
contribute objects of any shape, size and material. The limitation was
that these objects were to be coloured one of four specific colours. Swatches
of each colour were provided to schools, senior citizens and interested
people. A few weeks later these offerings were collected, sorted into
like colours and assembled onto the walls of the gallery.Like colours
were grouped to show differences and reveal the characteristics of each
colour, the orangeness of orange, for example. The installation was intended
to be like making monochrome paintings, with the colour carried by the
material that the assembled objects are made of.The colouring seems to
have attracted certain types of objects. The yellow and orange displays
have a predominately plastic, industrial, domestic quality, whilst the
blue and green objects connect with the body - clothing, hats and bags.
Shown as a mass against a wall, and separated from their usefulness and
normal places they become vehicles of colour. However, viewed in isolation
one can imagine each object's place in a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or
shed, and the use they might be put to.Objects from my collection are
also displayed in the same space. The Ironing Boards apply a minimalist
painting approach to a domestic form. This also connects with the formal
beauty of designer consumer goods, such as the Orange Set. BYOG Drapery
refers to the former use of the building.I enjoyed the spontaneity and
surprises offered by this project. I am indebted to the community of Kellerberrin
for providing most of the raw material for this work. In particular I
would like to thank Mary Burns for her assistance in installing the show
and Donna Dransfield and Pauline Scott from IASKA for their efforts in
collecting objects.