Testing Installation Methods
In considering ways to display works without a frame, Algae based bioplastic is quite challenging to find ways to install if looking at more conventional ways of display (i.e. on a wall). If pins are used as a way to hold a work in place, the weight of the work will cause the pins to slice through the work much like wire would slice through cheese. Double sided tape or glue doesn’t stick to the work to the bioplastic. I considered magnets as a way to display works without damaging it. Magnets can be manmade or natural however I do not have natural magnets and and am unsure how strong they are. The strongest natural magnet is magnetite and they were used in the first compasses used, which perhaps creates a link to the ocean as far as a compasses use in maritime navigation. The Earth has a magnetic fields which the conductive saltwater of oceans interacts with and also influences tides. The Earth's magnetic field also helps to maintain liquid water on the planet's surface. So while a shiny metal magnet may seem at odds with a natural artwork, there are connections between Earth and magnets. Using synthetic magnets relates to the idea of negotiation which is something I am constantly doing with my material and nature in creating the bioplastic works.
The magnets that I had are 8mm in diameter and 3mm high. They have a hole in the centre and can be screwed to a wall. The work can be placed between that and another on the surface of the work. Four magnets held the thinner works but I think if the works were to absorb more water from the atmosphere as it does with its hydrophilic nature, this size magnets would struggle so I have ordered some larger magnets to try. The images 1-4 below show the use of these magnets to display work on a wall. I also added some small lights above these works, while they are not the best lights, I quite like the effect they had when all other lights were off in the room. I felt it added a more ethereal effect to the works and highlights the natural contours within them.
In researching ways to hang work, I also discovered a system used for hanging posters. This consists of strips of wood which have 3 magnets inserted along the length. Using these I was able to suspend the works. Again I think this system would benefit stronger or larger magnets to ensure the work did not slip out especially if the work absorbed more moisture from the atmosphere and became heavier. Having the work suspended enables light to pass through the bioplastic and the textures created within the pouring process of the bioplastic can be seen clearer. It is quite different to the read of the works pinned to the wall. The Australian artist, Jessie French, tends to suspend her large sheets of bioplastic. This decision on her part seems to be for the purpose of allowing light to travel through the sheets, highlighting the colours and the textures within her work.
These two methods of installation are both viable options for testing at the April Seminar.
