Iain Cheesman

Terminus.

This was a great experience for me, both with working with a group and with a project that for me extended over three sites: Nelson, the Port of Dunedin and the Hocken Gallery (also in Dunedin). The group experience was interesting and at times demanding, as we had to understand each other and perhaps question our own practice and quickly confirm these to go forward and make 'work'.
Terminus began with ‘We are your friends’ a video sculptural work that I had time to work on, The Pearly king and Queen of St Clair (aka Myself and my partner Sarah) became video projections atop a lime washed plywood ramp, The King and Queen wave in greeting and in goodbye (thank you Laurie Anderson) and broke their waving with Music by comb and text panels scrolling in humour and in warning. I also made an LED welcome mat with the text ‘We are your friends’ and this sat outside the gallery room itself under a portrait of Captain Cook, a mix of sarcasm and mock regal fakery. Terminus Nelson was more performative and unplanned, The King and Queen stopped people on the mainland and invited them to join the pearly republic, after signing up 30-40 people the King and Queen promenaded Haulashore Island with their two favorite carpet corgis, hoping to be admired and thought highly of…. The corgis seemed to enjoy the attention.
Terminus Dunedin was a few days of industrious making and reusing props from other sculptural works… ‘The pearly gate’ and some lurid red/pink carpet, the work floated not on land but on a pontoon and the gate was rigged up to open on the low tide mark, it was flanked with two signs IS and LAND after Janet Frame.
If I had to say briefly what was realised for the three shows was that the King and Queen were noted as never quite claiming any land and at times they never even set foot upon this land. A most unusual Royal Visit.

Yours truly,
Iain Cheesman