A cup and string.

Idea : stretching the cups out in between two boards, crossing string paths, challenge set for viewers to find a pair and label on each side.

Since my initial statement my project has rapidly changed. Rather than exploring and transferring text from the Internet I am now transferring and exploring the pure foundations of the Internet, that being communication. I realise that this is very different, but it is naive to think your work wont change from your initial statement, after all it isn't a set brief, it is a starting point, an expression of your first ideas and views. I feel that if I had carried on along the lines of what was said in my statement that my project would lack energy, inspiration, diversity, challenges and pure artistic expression; the project would have turned stale.

After finding Alexandre Bettlers work I knew that I wanted to create something interactive. Focusing not on how statements or blocks of information can change when taken from the Internet but rather how our interaction can change. I wanted to create a piece that asked to be used, and that could be used by multiple people at any given time.

I decided to go and speak to my friend Tash about how my project had changed, whilst talking we decided to try and think of uncommon ways to communicate which I hadn't explored previously. I wanted something fun and light hearted. Something people would immediately want to interact with. And whats less intimidating than the childhood toy of a cup/can and a piece of string. Yes my new idea is a simple cup phone.

Now it had been awhile since I had made/used one of these so I asked Steve if he thought the women who worked at the cafe would be willing to give me a few cups to use, he decided to write a message asking them to help. Once I had the cups I found some string and spent the rest of the afternoon playing with my new communication method! I found people asking if it really worked and asking to try it, surely this was a positive reaction!

The next day I made a trip to Morrisons and bought around 48 polystyrene cups. I then spent the morning making small holes in each cup and passing around two meters of string through two cups to make a simple phone. I know traditionally some people think that tin cans should be used, but being on a students budget, worrying about people cutting themselves on any sharp edges and for appearance wise I decided that cups may be better.  

This way they may be forced to communicate to someone they may not know. When on sites such as facebook we have control of who we socialise with, we can ignore a comment, decline a friends request, close a conversation or secretly look at an individuals profile. I wanted to take this level of control away from the viewer. I am interested to see how how the public will react when the control is taken away, will they feel liberated and have fun talking to people they may not normally chose to, or will they feel intimidated. I personally hope the it will have a positive effect, but either way I find it interesting.

I began to try and find a way that I could display my cups. To begin I liked the idea of suspending them mid air at mouth and ear height. I could then create a circle of floating cups, by putting multiple cups next to one another this would encourage multiple people to use them and hopefully this would allow two strangers to get caught talking to each other. I began to test this method out in the studio, I suspended them by threading see through thread through the top of the cup, this thread was then taped to the ceiling, I then did the same to the bottom attaching this to the floor to create the tension needed. However this process took a long time since as all of the elements where quite delicate. If I was to display this in the exhibition they would need to be alot more secure since as people would be moving around them constantly. As I was suspending my cups an ex student who was currently studying her masters came to speak to me, she spoke to me about how I needed to make sure the suspension of the cups didn't take attention away from the piece, we both agreed that the idea of mic stands holding the cups would be nice touch as this would encourage people to pick them up and use them, however we wondered just how hard they would be to get. After she had left I spoke to my tutors about how I could display the cups. I liked the idea of the string being made a focal point by using something to separate the cups and the string, by putting the string through two walls it would create a strong look, the boards would also help to keep the tension. By crossing over the cups I could also entice people to use them by setting them the task of finding a pair that were connected. Whilst talking to my tutors they liked the idea of the tension being created by these two boards and wondered that if the string was tight enough would it actually manage to keep the boards upright unaided? This would then create an interactive sculpture.

After thinking this through I like this idea and I think I will use it for a finale piece, however I will only make it once as I would like it to be sight pacific. However I worry whether it will be safe to have the string holding the boards weight when it is meant to be used by people. But I will cross this bridge when I come to it.