Squaring each other to fit as the space will be tiny, the days will be long was realised during lockdown. Could you tell us how it developed?
George and I spend the confinement in one bedroom of a shared two-bed flat. For us, the space became a living room, dining room and bedroom, as well as a studio ‘equipped’ with low ceilings because of a mezzanine. Every day was a challenge to organise us and our objects. We had the most troubles with ourselves: there were just too many limbs for a tiny room.
Tetris has served as the basis for various scientific research project due to its tendency to thicken the cortex, improve brain efficiency, and develop problem-solving skills. We got used to playing it every day. It was a way to accept that we might not have any answers to COVID, but we can change the elements around us. We had to adapt, conform and contort to the limited capacity as each of us was making and claiming space. As we improved in our game, we harmonised our interactions and attitude to each other. With regular flashbacks of pieces falling into place, we built the virtual tower of building blocks for our relationship. Our focus on Tetris and its endless tasks seemed like a challenge to tackle, which was manageable with conscious control. It was our competition – an outside challenge – that the mind needs in a life that has temporarily been transformed to take place inside the game and our headspace.
To convert this metaphor into a project, we matched Yoga postures to fit the Tetriminos (the four-square configurations of the game). Hand-drawn shapes were overlayed onto the images, printed, cut out and positioned upon papers from our recycling. The process was an opportunity to depict balance, completion, and harmony of action by adjusting shapes. Frequently we struggled for equilibrium: these compositions revealed the weight-relations when one of us was more affected, emotionally or mentally, in the situation.
How is this series embedded in your practice?
I am always curious about the possibilities that photography can provide: layering images, using various textures, montaging and experimenting with printing techniques. Collecting found material is also an integral part of my practice. When we entered the first lockdown, I was given an old printer, so I started printing on different materials I had saved up during the years and printing on the paper that we would put in our recycling.
I also like the ‘texture of age’, and I am intrigued to include old materials in my work. I don’t strive for my photographs to be neat, sterile or in any way perfect. I think some blemishes and some history will allow the prints to be more individual. I like little surprises while creating new work, so I test and alter each piece until I arrive at an outcome I am pleased with.