Unit X: All set up and ready to go (Almost!)

Yesterday was a trying day! Since we didn't have much of a chance to finish setting up the knit installation on Monday, luckily we had Tuesday morning as our fallback day. Just one problem. We are a group of 9 in total and even when that was reduced to 6 on Monday afternoon, there were still far too many of us in the small exhibition space, all trying to be helpful. I appreciate that they all came with the best of intentions but in some ways I think this may have been a bit of a hindrance. For the majority of the time that we were setting up, half the group had little else to do but to sit around waiting for their turn to be of help! I think this caused a lot of distraction for those of us that were actively engaged in installing the knit and perhaps the whole thing would have been a little less stressful (and me and Lizzie might have been a little less snappy!) if the task had been left just to the installation sub-group.

Nevertheless, it is done! We finished setting up around lunchtime, ready for Robin and Eleanor on their Unit X inspection rounds. I think they were happy with the final outcome but one thing they disagreed on was the use of lighting. A main focus of ours was to direct lighting towards the knit so that it would cast shadows around the space. This was something that Eleanor seemed to like. But because nothing we do can ever go smoothly and without disagreement, Robin felt that the room looked better with only the television screen in the centre of the room. And just when we thought it was all over, nice one Robin!

 I see where he was coming from, because the dark room did make the knit look more menacing as it became a little more difficult to distinguish from the background. But I can’t help but feel that there was something quite beautiful about the intricate shadows that were cast by the knit and it would be such a shame to lose this. Also I fear, though a little selfishly I might add, that if the installation is less visible it becomes secondary to the film when they are both of equal importance. Far too many hours have gone into knitting those pieces and frankly I will not be pleased if it can’t be seen!

Before I get too agitated, I think it just might be possible to reach a compromise. We are looking into sourcing additional lighting. It was suggested that we could just bring in torches and position them around the room so that they still strategically project just enough light onto the knit whilst keeping the room fairly dark as a whole. I guess such are the perils of staging an exhibition, every little detail must be taken into consideration. We’re nearly there though!