Basingstoke Ladies Choir, Lee Simmons, 2010 Punchbag Workshops were held in safe-houses, where women and children whom had fled domestic violence lived in hiding. Sessions were also held for girls in abusive relationships, in outreach groups. Exercises included using painting and writing, that was later developed into art installations in town and city spaces around Basingstoke and Southampton. In the pictured living sculpture words from the silenced women in safe-houses became songs performed by a choir in public space. The singers also wore the womens' hand painting. This took place alongside social art in a project led by Mary Swan, at Proteus Theatre Company. Further pieces included Martin Reid's photography, Jez Steven's digital art, and projection bombing with Roy Hanney. Writer Kefi Chadwick, worked with the women in their creation of poetry and sharing of their stories, and contributed to several public space installations that used their words. Links: Video: youtube.com/watch?v=05RRQoYDSQs Book: blurb.com/books/2010912-punchbag Project homepage: proteustheatre.com/participatory/participatory-archive/punchbag The below PDF contains the womens' words.
Anon, water based paint on paper. 2010
Project 33, Helium balloons in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, near the meridian line for Greenwich Mean Time London, 2011 33 Helium balloons were walked from New Cross to Greenwich via Deptford, London. They were then photographed in the foot tunnel at the foot of the River Thames, near to where the meridian time line is. Musicians / artists Robin Allison and Tom Richards helped with this birthday project and DJ'd at the next of these biennial events (the birthday projects happen every two years). Some balloons burst in the tunnel creating sounds like gunshot and some remained, whilst others found their way up the 100+ stairs and drifted off into the sky. Time and space brings people together and separates us; with writing, photographs and events capturing something of existences as they change even whilst the shutter of the camera makes it's click. 33, details of balloons above the South side of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, London 2011
The above image is a screen shot taken on 3rd November 2016, of a co-existence agreement offered to Lee Simmons (sole trader) by a Limited Company with a similar name.
This unusual experience of branding practices raised questions of artistic identity and ownership. 'A new design company trademarked the name 'Lee Simmons', and subsequently tried to stop me from using it (2016). I was prompted to look at branding issues and questions of artistic identity. My conclusion was to side-step potential problems by choosing a more specific variation of my name for artwork 'L.A.Simmons'; which had nothing to do with the company or their name: Lee James Simmons Ltd. At the time of writing they have surprisingly thwarted my efforts to put that plan (which one could expect them to be delighted by) into action. Despite finding this annoying, I considered the episode a useful push to think through my practice past and future, as well as how the creative landscape has shifted in recent years. It was a sharp reminder that business models are increasingly included as part of art and design trainings, and though human beings are inherently creative and art making will never 'stop', I am not without concern, as to how the changing landscape of cultural production in the UK will progress. When the company offered not to oppose 'L.A.Simmons' trademarks if I stop using my usual name online and for trade, as well as pass them my website domain name and email address (used since 2007); I stepped back and drew a line underneath what by this point had become a project in it's own right. Artists, usually, do not need to trademark their names. We own the copyright to our creative output by law of the land, we can officially use our birth names without further registrations, and we have human rights. ' Yi-studio have been wonderful in understanding issues and helping to come up with design solutions, Briffa have provided practical and patient expertise, and Artists Union England's support is also much appreciated. ' |