‘Choose Your Character, A Documentary’, David Blandy
‘Choose Your Character: A Documentary’ celebrated a particular sub-cultural obsession, the computer fighting game, by looking at the community that surrounds this activity. What drives people to seek to find themselves in these products of global culture and what authenticity and the underground mean in the internet-driven world.
A small group of selected participants, aged 18-25, many of whom not in formal education, employment or training, were taught all the skills necessary to craft their own documentary projects, from planning, filming, recording sound, and editing to publicity and the final presentation.
‘Choose Your Character: A Documentary’ built on David Blandy’s ongoing research into identity and its relationship to consumer and underground culture, highlighting the slippage and tension between fantasy and reality in everyday life.
The participants concentrated on making a video self-portrait, using their games-playing as a central motif. The films that were produced were edited in a series of group workshops, to form a film that creates a picture of a community through intimate portraits of individuals. For the final filming session all the participants converged for an evening of competitive games playing.
This project transformed the participants’ outlook on their lives. It showed them that not only are their lives and passions worthwhile, but that through dedication and hard work, change in the real world and in their daily lives, is achievable.
‘Choose Your Character, A Documentary’ was commissioned by HS Projects and funded by the Insight Community Arts Programme (2002 – 2015).
The project ran from April to September 2012.
David Adamo at Moorgate
HS Projects presented a site-specific exhibition of sculptural works by David Adamo in the lobby of Finsbury Circus House, in partnership with Ibid Gallery, London.
This is the first exhibition at Finsbury Circus House in Moorgate, London, part of a biannual exhibition programme that is aimed to engage, stimulate, and create dialogue in a multi-tenanted and much frequented building in the city of London. Finsbury Circus House is open to the public and is located between a Catholic church, with a historical connection to the building, and a tree lined square.
This project consists of four unique cedar sculptures by David Adamo. Vertical wood sculptures standing like columns, with square bases and capitals, and vessel-like works, carved from red cedar beams (historically used in the making of totem poles) with an adze, a physically engaging way of working, with the resulting sculptures retaining a sense of the body at work. The space’s simplicity and strong architectural lines gives it a monumental, almost mausoleum-like quality, while the combination of Adamo’s small scale bronze work with the wooden totemic sculptures makes for an interesting dialogue with the space, juxtaposing the natural and manmade elements, the roughly carved wood sculptures, and the unexpected small scale bronze sculpture of a clementine peel.
David Adamo was at Finsbury Circus House from February to June 2017.
Photo London Art Fair App
HS Projects, in collaboration with Festyvent, designed an App for Photo London as a useful resource during and post fair. The App was a two year project for Photo London held in Somerset House in 2016 and 2017.
In addition to addressing basic requirements of listing the exhibitors, programme, VIP, social media feed and buying tickets, the App helped visitors keep up to date during the fair with updated events and news, way finding within a complex fair geography, find other visitors, and exchange notes and images through social media and email.
The App enabled Photo London to see how visitors moved throughout Somerset House during the fair, identifying pinch points and low traffic areas enabling Photo London to respond in real time through direct messages to visitors.
Professionals attending Photo London 2016 and 2017 found the App content accurate and useful, especially as information was updated on a daily basis. The way finding section enabled them to plan their time more effectively.
Collectors liked the ability to plan their visit(s), book VIP programme events and talks through the App and re-evaluate their visit through the Favourites section.
Exhibitors liked the ability to notify visitors directly of in-fair special events, such as book signings, and the App’s flexibility to enable updates in real time during the fair.
90% of Photo London 2016 App users installed the Photo London 2017 App.
There was a 700% increase in downloads in 2017 over 2016.