For me, the act of falling is deeply symbolic of our every day human experience. Our failures, our fears, our self destructive behavior. Bas Jan Ader acknowledged our insignificance - by falling from a tree, off a roof and into a canal, Ader becomes human, his actions the inevitable result of the universal force of gravity. In Leap into the Void, Yves Klein plunges from a building, embracing both the liberation and the pain that comes with a fall, both physical and metaphorical. Kerry Skarbakka sees the act as an illustration of uncertainty - he explains that "This lack of control from an individual perspective is a big part of the message". Skarbakka's photos become all the more poignant when you know they are self portraits - a moment of personal vulnerability yet a relatable human experience is experienced, a moment that I am trying to achieve in my own falling work. When an artist falls, there is an immediate moment of engagement on the audience's behalf - surprise, fear and amusement were all evident when I performed I FALL, a piece in which each individual audience member, one at time, witnesses me fall to the floor. I am fascinated by this paradox - the point at which comic and tragic meet, where suffering exists behind a slapstick facade, humour as a tool to convey sadness. When Charlie Chaplin falls over, we laugh because it's funny but he frowns because it's not. From this, there is a tension, an atmosphere to be drawn in the relationship between art/artist and viewer that I am interested in exploring further through performance and installation works.
LISTEN: Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul - Fallin'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOmdg3epcic
LISTEN: Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul - Fallin'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOmdg3epcic