The Self-Isolation Residency 2nd may 2020: Day 34

Exploring Installation No. 4: 'Paper, Scissors', Rock', Chinese Arts Centre (CFCCA), Manchester 2010, Antony Clarkson

As I'm still considering my self portrait, tonight we wiil review another of my installation pieces. In April 2010 I was delighted to be invited to produce an new “situation-specific” installation to be exhibited at the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester(now the CFCCA) by visiting artist and curator Wang Jun as part of his “Scholars Rock Project”.
“Rock-paper-scissors is a universal folk game that dates back to ancient times. Players substitute the three elements of Rock, Paper and Scissors with representative hand gestures and the winner is determined by following the rules:
Scissors cut paper (scissors wins against paper)
Paper covers rock (Paper wins against Rock)
Rock breaks scissors (Rock wins against Scissors)
If both players show the same gesture, the game is tied.
Wang Jun has commenced the game and has presented ‘Rock’. He has created two ‘Rock’ based works in his studio at Chinese Arts Centre. Participants from Manchester’s artistic community are invited to challenge and respond to Wang Jun’s work which can be viewed at Chinese Arts Centre. Wang Jun hopes the work will explore the relationship between cultural differences, psychological status and historical variation.
In the game ‘rock-paper-scissors ’, Wang Jun is eager to meet your challenge and view your response.”

Paper, scissors, rock was my response to this challenge; it was my intention to explored the whole game in this one piece, particularly the possibility of what can be considered the moment of ultimate stalemate which comes about when three people play the game and all choose different elements. I however do not see this as stalemate but a moment of harmony, when the game can be seen to be in complete balance and it was this unanimity which I wanted to bring to this work. The resultant piece is exactly as stated; first there was the paper, to this is brought the scissors and the result is the rock. Nothing else has been added and nothing taken away. This is the purity of an installation or sculptural piece of this kind, the fact that the work is totally self-contained; the fact that nothing superfluous is added and that nothing has been subtracted or left out.

I will as a final note mention that this piece was made at exactly the time of the 'Northern Rock' crash which precipitated the global economic crisis, due to excessive banking 'trust, 'that we experienced over the last ten years before our current lockdown. I leave the observer to pass judgement of the fact that the piece was made from the Financial Times shares index.