Secret conversations of racquets - an observation about what we miss out on.

Trying to teach the older generation a new language. Of course, all these racquets are vintage, somewhat worn and even warped, lending an extra frisson to their performance. Taking the volley from the court (squash or badminton) to VR ...

OH = (a Dunlop TOURNAMENT MODEL squash racquet with worn vinyl grip)

NO = (a Slazenger CHALLENGE POWER squash racquet with rewrapped Prince tape grip)

FOMO = fear of missing out (a Dunlop COMET tennis racquet with vinyl grip, age chips as well as worn tape on head of the racquet)

NO = (a Dunlop BLACK MAX squash racquet with rewrapped Prince tape grip)

MO = ie more (a Red Star JONAH BARRINGTON squash racquet with rewrapped Prince tape grip)

FOMO = fear of missing out (a Dunlop ROYAL CROWN tennis racquet with original Dunlop leather grip)

Behind this piece

I was sitting beside an incredibly insightful friend of mine several years ago talking about our fears and worries and art practice. He shared some thoughts about social media, the difference between reality and a facade and then how you might deal with that (well, that’s what I heard anyway) It resonated so much that I had to (re)use his headline.

Behind the Strung Up collection

The mobile phone and our need to constantly be connected is a phenomenon commented on in popular culture. Regardless of how we feel about it, being connected digitally is a current reality for almost everyone.

As an urban artist working on both the digital and handcraft realms, the digital connect/collide is a thought provoking challenge. Classic examples of digital ‘disfunction’ are seen in family meals and restaurants, on beaches and at moments when you would expect quality connections, often they are disrupted by digital devices. One response to this is to go on ‘virtual Lent’. Clearly not practical as much of modern life is on line. It is this very dilemma that ‘Plug In Better’: A Manifesto' explores.

The manifesto asks people to “approach our time online with the same kind of intention and integrity we bring to our best offline interactions. … What it requires is careful attention to the sources of our discomfort; to the challenging qualities of online interaction, or of simply living in a networked world. Looking at those pain points, and finding a way to switch them off, is the new unplugging.”

It is this background that has prompted the concept of some provocations or a threaded conversation using short text and the result is 'strung up - millenial style'.

Technical Information: 

These are found sports raquets brought out of retirement and repurposed