For Monument’s Sake!
A Patchwork Approach to Monuments
"For Monument's Sake!" reinterprets the concept of "patchwork." It understands "patchwork" as a series of fragmentary (patch) unheroic actions (work). Through these actions, I am exploring alternative approaches to traditional monuments and their representations. The statues "Albert Memorial" and "Physical Energy" in Hyde Park, symbols of British imperialism, inspire me and my collaborators to create a series of artistic reinterpretations. These reinterpretations take the form of digital and textile patchworks, sculptures, interventions, and letters.
“For Monument’s Sake!”
2022
In collaboration with Alexa Chow | Lilac Emanuel | Leonid Hrytsak | Sofia Sanchez
f.t.t.b:
Installation:
For Monument's Sake! Royal College of Art, 2022. Fabric, print on fabric, thread, cardboard, foam clay, wood, metal, metal strings, reclaimed rack on wheels. 4,80 x 4,00 x 3,70 m.
Walking Monument. Royal College of Art, 2022. Performer: Alexa Chow. Garment by Franziska Windolf and Alexa Chow. Variable Dimensions.
Leonoracle. Royal College of Art, 2022. Gold plated bronze. 13 x 8 x 5,5 cm. In collaboration with Leonid Hrytsak.
Notes on Balloons.
Performance „For Monument‘s Sake!” Royal College of Art, 2022. Including the installation and „Leonoracle“. Performers: Alexa Chow, Lilac Emanuel, Franziska Windolf, Sofia Sanchez, Leonid Hrystak. Duration: 1h
Digital patchworks:
Shawl 1&2. Royal College of Art, 2021. Digital collage. Variable dimensions. Image source: www.wattsgallery.org.uk.
There are many called XXX. Royal College of Art, 2022. Digital collage based on a photo of hand-modeled wax figures, rolling pin and laptop. Variable dimensions. In collaboration with Lilac Emanuel. Text and image: Franziska Windolf.
Intervention:
Throwing Little Alberts at Big Albert. Royal College of Art, London. 2021. In collaboration with Lilac Emanuel. Video Stills by Lilac Emanuel and Franziska Windolf.
Portable Albert Flounder. Royal College of Art, 2022. Textile, print on textile, reclaimed leather jacket, thread, rod. 176 x 117 cm.
Revisiting Little Albert. Textile, print on textile, thread, cardboard, foam clay, metal string. 176 x 117 x 5 cm. Hyde Park, London, 2022.
Exhibited at Royal College of Art, Battersea, London, as part of RCA2022 Graduation show 23. – 28.09.2022
Supported by Gilbert Bayes RCA Award 2022
Photo credit: Gabriel Mansfield, Leonid Hrytsak, Franziska Windolf
“Leonoracle” (see below) is a reinterpretation of various representations of the body, including the equestrian statue “Physical Energy” by J.F. Watts in Hyde Park and Leonora Carrington's surrealist depictions of horses. The title of the sculpture refers to an oracle and visitors are invited to explore the possibility of giving advice on the future of the statues. They are invited to turn “Leonoracle” in their hands and write down their thoughts and wishes on balloons.
The digital patchworks (see below) focus on images of the "Albert Memorial," which was designed by George Gilbert Scott between 1864 and 1875, and the "Physical Energy" statue by J. F. Watts (first cast in 1902), both located in Hyde Park.
“Shawl 1&2” is based on a digitally manipulated historical photograph. Instead of featuring the rider, I introduce a fictitious textile titled “Shawl.” I explore the physicality of people, statues, and other elements, examining their abysses and potentials from a historical and media-reflexive perspective.
The piece titled "There Are Many Called XXX" is a digital reinterpretation of a photograph depicting a scene with a rolling pin, modeled wax figures, and a laptop screen displaying the “Albert Memorial,” referred to here as “Big Albert.” In the text accompanying the digital collage, I describe the components of the scene as interacting actors.
Big Albert's golden glow made their backs supple, slowly caving in. The sound of the letters jumping on the keyboard anticipated a sudden spin of the rolling pin. Forestalling the collapse of their poses, they happily gave in to Big Albert’s siren call... .They found themselves thrown against a window with direct view on Big Albert, never reaching their desired fusion. Only the whopping punch of their bodies suggested Big Albert was a hit indeed. (Text: Franziska Windolf, 2021)
With portable elements of the installation “For Monument's Sake!” I move outside to the monuments in Hyde Park (see below).
