This notion is only temporary

Vinyl lettering invites viewers to take a scoresheet, clipboard and pencil to answer the scrolling multiple choice questions in the video projection. By answering these questions, they may, quite possibly, change their life.

This notion is only temporary (video)

Vinyl lettering, Video projection (58 minutes), scoresheets, imprinted pencils, 9 clipboards, 12 plexiglass brochure holders, printed images

This notion is only temporary (video)

After answering as many or as few multiple-choice questions as they wish, viewers are directed to the letter on the wall which corresponds to their most frequently chosen answer.

This notion is only temporary (rocket)

By taking away the relevant diagnostic sheet, the viewer can follow a few simple directions and change their life.

• + Send a Postcard
• + Add to Collection
• + Share this work

This notion is only temporary is a new mixed-media, site-specific video installation which was shown in one of the project rooms at No Name Exhibitions @ The Soap Factory, Minneapolis, September- October, 2004.

The work references pop culture and our inevitable, endless search for answers within the realm of horoscopes, self-help books, diagnostic magazine questionnaires etc. By answering a series of questions, a personality type is assigned, based on which letter-answer the viewer selects most often. There is an implied seriousness and scientific basis for the allocation. However, solutions are offered to assist the viewer in resolving their issues, worries and problems with an arbitariness that rivals that of the Fortune Cookie.

A video projector projects a large-scale image onto a blank wall. White text on a black background scrolls ceaselessly upwards. Seemingly random questions are posed with a choice of six answers to choose from, labelled A-F. The questions are not numbered, but there are 250 of them in total. The questions themselves range from reasonably straight-forward (Which of the following authors do you prefer?) to somewhat non-sensical (What is your favourite dental hygiene tool?). They directly refer to the questionnaires found in books and magazines which attempt to diagnose and resolve personality issues, relationship problems, etc.

The viewer is invited to participate in the exhibition by marking an individual score card with the letter-answer to each question. Wall text informs the viewer that they may answer as many or as few questions as they wish, but more accurate results will result from answering a greater number of questions. The score card allows them to check a letter category, A-F, as each question scrolls.

By totalling the number of each letter-answers checked, the viewer will be able to receive a somewhat personalised response and diagnosis, according to response type. Around the installation space, areas are labelled A-F with large vinyl signage. Viewers are instructed to go to the response station which corresponds to the letter-answer they chose the most frequently. At each response station, there is a brochure-holder full of printed cards, which may hold the solution to all of the viewers problems and issues. The viewer is encouraged to take a card and follow the directions carefully.

Each letter, A-F correlates to an iconic motif which is detailed on the cards. A is a boat, B is a rocket, C is a suitcase, D is a car, E is a trash can, and F is an airplane. Each card has an image of the icon which can be cut out and assembled. Instructions printed on the card detail how this should be done, and what to do with the resulting paper model. If the directions are followed, the viewer is offered a means to rid themselves of all their troubles.

PAPER SHIPS AND POSTCARDS: PROJECT ROOMS AT THE SOAP FACTORY
September 24, 2004
Collier White


http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=48621

Installation Artist

http://tectonic-industries.com/tectoni... 

The desire to stay versus the inevitability of change
Do nothing, that is the second best option
The longer I sit, the less inclined I am to stand up
If you wait long enough, something always happens
I could do that (as I'm already up)
It’s always good to use first person in the narrative (Variations on a theme)
My wife is so proud of me...
All it takes is a little willingness to make the necessary adjustments
And then I woke up and it was all a dream
4065 Fortunes
This notion is only temporary
Tuesday Night, 8pm
I never said I didn't like you.
Perpetual Personal Navigator
Can you see me now?
Wild Ducks of North America
2003 Wisconsin Outdoor Squirrel Convention
House Documentation System