Observatree
OBSERVATREE is a kinetic, wearable, interactive sculpture and performance with the performer at the still centre of a maelstrom of circling spheres, evoking a sense of calm within the chaos; Strong yet delicate like a spider’s web or cocoon and inspired by the celestial globes, the roots and crowns of trees and crinoline underskirts, the sculpture is made to be self-sufficient, adaptable and easily transportable for performances/installations in unconventional sites. Community response to events/workshops influences and informs the final work.
Watch this little animation sketchbook of a recent R&D into kinetic wearable sculpture maquettes.
OBSERVATREE is in many ways a response to ‘overwhelm,’ something many people can now more immediately relate to, given the experiences we’ve all gone through over the last few years; and is born out of my necessity to be centered as I witness, with empathy, the chaotic imbalances of the World. It features a performer, myself, held within a kinetic, wearable, interactive sculpture. Light and sound will be fully integrated into the sculpture itself so that the performance can be entirely independent of any outside infrastructure.
Maelstrom is a strong word, associated with energies of great confusion, violence and destruction, with water whirling and sucking in strong circular movement; yet it also reflects the power and grace of regeneration and rejuvenation.
The sculpture will be fully interactive so that when it is touched by the audience the light and sound respond to that touch. The experience I want for the audience is ultimately uplifting and restorative.
OBSERVATREE gives me the opportunity to further explore interactive technology and ways to bring in spectators to engage with the sculpture and the performer.
Body-modifying costumes and dresses appear a lot in my work.
I’m fascinated by the all-holding structure of the crinoline underskirt and how it can combine with the bigger perspective viewpoint of celestial spheres and artistic representations of the Tree of Life.
Observatree embraces micro (e.g. my inner “dyspraxic” self) and macro (a much bigger picture) consciousness at the same time. Also percolating through is my heritage of having been born and brought up close to the Greenwich Meridian and the Greenwich Observatory with its colonial claims to be the overriding point from which time is measured and asserted. In OBSERVATREE, the centre is poetically shifted from a colonial dominance meridian to the diverse and subjective viewpoints of each individual.
Audience interaction with Observatree must offer a sense of creative possibility and, importantly, agency. I’ll work towards diverse audiences experiencing Observatree. In embodying my specific neurodivergent viewpoint, I wish to inspire.
Threaded through and embedded in the process and outcome is participatory engagement work with diverse communities to help inform the development of the sculpture and open up opportunity for participants to create their own work for future exhibition.
The Project
Watch Jo's pitch for Observatree from 2022, introducing her work and how the project sits within it.
