KID IN TRAINING

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"Kid in Training" is about a kid who is recalling what he/she/they has been practicing. Whatever that practice may be, the kid is reflecting and trying to learn from it hence, always in training.

"Kid in training" was intended to be an installation. The subject of which is a kid reflecting on his/her/their dextrous muscle memories that his/her/their limbs store. These memories can be from training under a certain sport, play or any discipline that the kid enjoys doing. Whilst it was under production, the UK decided on stricter Covid-19 restriction which heavily impacted the completion of this artwork.

To the left is an Illustration of how the artwork was to be installed within my designated space in Studio 3.

The artwork itself would consist of a human body either standing or sitting in the corner. The head would be tilted to face up as on the ceiling and the walls there would be many limbs in different positions, performing different gestures. Some limbs would hang from the pillar whilst some would protrude through surfaces; full limbs to only fingers appearing, there would be variation in every limb within the artwork.

Studying about the importance of locational identity within site specific installations definitely helped centre the concept of this artwork by redirecting my focus towards attributing the people who use the studio 3 space for all sorts of fun, creative and artistic pursuits. These creative acts would be more pronounced in this installation from the research I did on Cas Holman and the concept of free play; which can be found at the end of this page.

Most of the volume of this installation would be on the ceiling where I would've been able to occupy more space as we had to maintain social distancing on the ground.

The sculptural elements of the installation would have been made out of red organza; a see through fabric. This translucency of the material would emphasize the recalling, day dreamy quality of the artwork.

Illustrative ideas for the installation

Illuatrations made using procreate pocket

Slight changes were made to the above presented idea illustrations after material tests were conducted.

Material test

Initial tests done to increase the structural integrity of organza using wires, foil, tape, wax and glue.

The Organza, when mixed with a mixture of PVA glue and water, acted as a ductile netting which made it possible for the structure to bend and reform back to its original molded shape. This property is shown in the pictures below.

Since I wanted the organza to take shape of human body and limbs, I used a mannequin as a cast to mold the organza to desired shapes. Below is a picture taken whilst I was applying the PVA mixture and the fabric strips onto a mannequin hand.

Below is a picture of the physical state of the illustration before stricter Covid-19 restrictions were imposed.

-The fabric covering the torso would be removed after it had set.

Presented below are two prominent pages from my notes whilst creating "Kid in training".

Creating a mind map for "Kid in training"where books about children and self esteem by Dr. Abraham Twerski, Judging an art competition for young children to test Dr. Twerski's understanding first hand and researching about self esteem are highlighted.

Notes on Cas Holman; a toy designer who's practice captures the importance that playing has on creative interpersonal and social skill development; a key study that helped in developing the concept of "Kid in training".

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