Art:Work

Alan Armstrong
Tuesday 24th March 2009
The Collection, Danes Terrace, Lincoln

Art:Work approached the notion of work through the act of mopping a floor. The humbling action played on perceptions of cleaning as an undesirable entry level vocation and the tedium of working as a cleaner. The piece derived from the temporary nature of work Armstrong was undertaking at the time acting as a recreation to his morning routine which although monotonous provided the space to think and develop artistic ideas.
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Through ART:WORK the act of mopping  transformed not in action but in status. In no other common practice is cleaning regarded, or observed in such a way as through the performance. The once solitary occupation became a spectacle, with an audience observing the mundane activities of mopping a floor, reading a newspaper, and drinking a cup of tea.