kelvinatmadibrata

The final month in VSSL! Time flew!

I am so very appreciative of this residency, especially as it happened during lockdown that in many ways, it really did keep my practice and thinking process going. The past eight months I have been devising on this project and I really do enjoy to have ample time planning for a work, without any rushed deadlines or exhibition dates pinned beforehand. I feel that the result of this residency has gone beyond the work itself (or at the very least, the blueprint or sketches for the work), but also discovering a more patient method of producing works. I keep going back to my first two years in the UK, touring Forcing Hyacinth which at some point accumulated to twenty two presentations within a year. Reflecting upon it, I felt it was not sustainable despite very productive and encouraging. I hope the experience with VSSL could expand my practice and the pace of it into more matured and concrete results.

So, following last month's entry, I've finally settled on all the different elements, in fact I've added a new one, but details below!

The works will be presented in VSSL in the first week of September though dates have yet to be confirmed. But I used m last few days in studio to plan the installation, especially in regards to how the works will respond to the space. The work is without a doubt, a response to the gallery/studio. Initially, I intended to have #2 to be performed in a duet, but decided to stick to 1 performer but the number will increase if the work were to be presented in other space in the future.

The formula for #2 would be:
for every 4x6m space, there should be 1 performer; hence the bigger the space, the more performer is required to activate this element.

I have also decided on the requirement of the bodies:
1. Male-identifying persons
2. Chinese or Southeast Asian Chinese descent

A video trial of the action will be ->

Initially I wanted the performer to be facing the audience, but decided to have his back facing front instead. I feel the disruption of gaze from the performer will intensify the quality of fatigue and also I hope it will lure the audience path towards the corner of the room, where a new work #5 will be installed on the floor. This is a new addition that will follow my usual 'drawing as performance documentation' and also continuing my ongoing series 'Command', where hand gestures are accompanied by a phrase written in repetition. The drawings and texts will be drawn onto the note books which will then submerged in water, hence hopefully result in a crumpled object, a rather sculptural approach to the usually flat pieces of documentation.

I am still working on the descriptive texts for the work- which won't be finalized til the presentation day itself, but this is what I have so far:

WARNING! The final boss is coming!! is the first of trilogy project by Kelvin Atmadibrata exploring the situational narrative of a 'transfer student'. The first chapter of the series is heavily influenced by Naoko Yamada and Reiko Yoshida's 2016 anime 聲の形 (or also known as A Silent Voice), which in itself is an adaptation of a 2013-2014 manga by Yoshitoki Ōima of the same title. Hence, this performance-installation work is arguably the artist's fan fiction or translation of the mentioned canon.

Kelvin is interested in the entity of a transfer student, inspired by his recent graduation and temporary settlement in London, but the figurative concept can also be extended onto non-school situation. The trilogy project aims to cover the three stages of schooling, the first day (this piece), mid-term holiday and eventually graduation.

I will still be summarizing the work into texts- if it is ever possible but unfortunately, the above are the stage where it is right now.

month 8