Title: The uncoordinated behaviour of self-serving individuals

Media: Plaster casts

Dimensions: Variable

This installation displays a chaotic array of toy model boats cast afresh in pristine white plaster. The presence of the boat points to the activity of play. Yet, once removed, from mass produced plastic toy to handmade plaster cast with classical connotations, and from the world of children to the world of art, the boat, a model of a model, defers function and meaning: this boat is not designed for play but as a signifier of play. Whilst the installation suggests a possible connection between art and play, it does not conflate them.

In this version, the boats have been arranged across three large square platforms. In another (not shown), they have been displayed directly on the floor on a long strip of white paint. The installation relies on scale and quantity for its effect, as well as on a strong projection of light in order to produce a dizzying and disorientating spectacle.

The boats have been arranged in clusters of activity across the designated areas. Turning this way and that way, the boats frequently face each other and make contact as if they are engaged in endless chatter. This conjures up a certain kind of buzzing energy even though they are perfectly still and motionless. As a toy originally designed for young children, the boats are cute and benign looking. However, the crowded chaos of too many boats in a small area begins to suggest something more uncomfortable and unsettling: they look eerie, even deathly, in their illuminated white excess.