day sixty two

boo hoo; i didn't win the alice prize; disappointed naturally; i understand why; it was time the alice foundation had a digital a/v-based work in their collection; as the award is acquisitive; the work that won; is of this ilk; a simple projection; at bad resolution; all the gallery needs to do is plug in and turn on; mine-too much fiddling; i stood around my work; listening to punters comments/reactions; repulsion; interest ; amazement being the commonly heard; was chuffed that some people were so disturbed that they couldn't look at it; for this presentation of the installation i projected into sump oil filled 44 gallon drums; the oil was filled to 3/4 so people had to look in; was a very different aesthetic; causing very different response to the initial presentation in Melbourne back in July 2007 where i had projected into water-filled wooden hot-tubs;

best thing was ainsley and i went of 3 day road trip in the desert; uluru; kata tjuta; kings canyon; annes gap; jessies gap; fucking amazing!

below is a still of the wining work; Icus; Pip McManus; DVD; 55 mins; Pip is an Alice Springs local; the work is a ceramic piece placed in water and she filmed (video) it's disintegration; i remember seeing this type of work in 90's by an american ceramicist;










35th Alice Prize 2008 - Judge's Review (excerpt)

Pip McManus’s DVD Ichor [The ethereal fluid flowing in the veins of the gods, but poisonous to mortals], was for me, the stand out work. In this hour long DVD, an androgynous ancient-looking ceramic figure, to the perfect accompaniment of a cello, slowly fragments until it collapses into the earth from which it derives. Transformational and compelling, Ichor is also a work of great beauty, integrity and lasting visual impact and one which demonstrates McManus’s practice as a ceramacist developing in new and exciting realms. It is a very fine work of international standard.