Research on 'Little Whitehead'

'It happened in the corner' 2007, Plaster/Wax/Foam/Hair/Clothes

Little Whitehead 

When speaking to Stephen Boyd he gave me this artists name to research . In my final piece I wanted to engage the audience and trigger a reaction, therefore I am going to look into 'Little Whitehead' and their strategic use of sculpture to prompt a reaction from their audience. 

'It happened in the corner' 

When Little Whitehead created this piece, the inspiration came from the city's working class and post industrial culture. The dark humorous sculptures explore the phenomenon of violence as an increasingly normalized means to identity and community. This piece is an installation of a gang of hoodies congregated in a thug-pack stance. In their presence the viewer is made a complicit witness to banal terror, while the predators are similarly made victims, silenced and stilled, staying in the corner, a hunting site of Blair Witch-cycle urban legend monstrosity. 

After producing my piece for the exhibition concentrating on a similar topic to Little Whitehead which is also looking at the 'Hierarchy System' and society's class division, I am really inspired by his way to draw an audience closer. 

Its really interesting that he has focused on the working class and taken its dark humor and presented it in a way that would attract attention and make the viewer go up and see whats happening  Whereas, if this was happening on the streets we may be more inclined to pass by ignoring the gang. Therefore, space in the exhibition in my opinion is a crucial aspect to this illusion. 

I tried to do the same thing with my group of actors and sculpture. By placing the pieces in corners of the exhibition, it draws attention from the audience as there are mulitipul piece creating a dey-ja-vu feeling. 

I am intrigued on how Little Whitehead channeled fear and terror from a static piece which is extremely interesting. 

I definatly want to keep looking into this society division that Little Whitehead has captured and the reasons behind it! 

Also I am going to do some research into the 'Blair Witch-cycle urban legend'. 

"http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/little_whitehead.htm?section_name=new_britannia"