Marcus and Ron explain the Collaborative Contemporary Art Wink Work they have made together. Puppet Artist and Human Artist called, Title: Covid Social Distancing Marcus and Ron explain their collaborative artwork. Covid Social Distancing
About: Marcus Clarke has always been interested in Duality. Inclusion and Diversity. Being a Performer and a Visual Artist. A Puppet Maker and a Puppeteer. On one level that’s not surprising and he himself identifies as being both English and Canadian. But he's also interested in schizophrenia and the two men on one horse. The King and the Priest. Loss and Memory. Reliquary and Irreverence. These are all influences he's been able to bring into his Visual Artwork over the past 10 years. Collage style Artworks realised by conventional Artistic means with the addition of Puppet Making Materials. Faux Fur, Toy Eyes etc. usually on Canvas, a fabric. Utilising his Puppet Making Skill-Set. Added to these materials has been Found Objects and Antique Jewellery all bound together with the unique employment of vacuum sealing technology. But attempts to add Puppetry goals such as embuing these artworks with expression, life, have been less successful. And so Marcus decided a new approach was needed. Marcus's lifelong Puppetry work has centred around creating the illusion of life. Making an object seem to be alive, something usually attempted using a purpose built Puppet. It's something a Ventriloquist tries to achieve with their purpose built Vent Dolls. Drawing on these two performance based art forms, Marcus envisioned a new collaborative way of creating art, artworks. Utilising a stream of consciousness to unite two very different senses but to just one sensory and creative end. This is the artwork Covid Social Distancing. Acrylic Paint on Canvas with simple coloured plastic tokens stuck on to serve the title. But more than this is the information provided by the Video.
In this particular Artistic endeavour and Video the characters Marcus and Ron are both Artists and Artistes. They are presented as two separate elements. Behaving as two artistes and artists collaborating in partnership as one artist to create one artwork together. Jointly creating an artwork in concert, in tandem by taking it in turns. Sharing. Although, as it always is, it's Marcus that instigates the work with an initial idea or concept. It's important then that we the viewer, the audience know that these two artists are just two sides of one artist, Marcus. Hence Ron rarely looks into Camera while Marcus addresses it.Technically this presentation and Video could have been realised with the Puppet Ron seen traditionally being puppeteered as, 'an alive Puppet' with Marcus in and out of shot. Or they could have had Ron's vocal track added later to make Marcus look like a brilliant Ventriloquist. Or Marcus could have learned Ventriloquism to make this a true Vent Act? Shari Lewis is a great example and inspiration to Marcus. But the originality and art here is in the viewer and audience realising that Marcus is one artist separated into two trying to create one Artwork. That needs to be established as soon as possible. Like a Comedian making the deal with the audience that he will at least try to be funny, perhaps with a trip. Hence the initially obvious Cod Ventriloquism. Comedian Sandy Powell inspired. Erratic Ventriloquism works best throughout though and seems to occur naturally with Marcus's existing Venting Skills. Though possibly and alternatively it could be his own subconscious controlling the Ventriloquial presentation to make it varied in particular or specific ways for emphasis, on certain phrases, words etc. Whichever, whatever it totally suits the ends and so this creative partnership becomes a Cod Vent Act. The question then I suppose is, is it Art or is it Cod Art?
If you think this Art is all about identity, too dependent on video, words of explanation, is critical of establishment figures or institutions. Is Marxist. Diverts from established art methodology. Is difficult to put in a box or ticks to many. Lacks focus, craft, polish or any skill. Is just a rambling jumble of ideas thrown up in the air and realised in arbitrary, disorderly, chaotic, erratic, haphazard, unpredictable and unsystematic fashion. Then it’s probably Contemporary Art. Hopefully its a new genre. Please help us name it.
