Work is a daily occurrence for most of the general population. It can be a privilege for some but a nightmare for others. John Vea had grown up in Herne Bay where the younger population was exposed to factory work early on. “you kids should only experience this for a moment – don’t be here for a life like me”, is an exhibition that focuses on the relationship between working conditions of labour and how long mundane hours in these conditions can affect workers
Vea portrays long monotonous tasks, carried out by factory workers on a daily basis. By creating the true atmosphere of a potato chip plant, he allows the viewer to put themselves in the shoes of a factory worker. The exhibition is situated in a darkened room, with big plastic flaps on the walls, and a roller conveyor with potatoes being moved around. Occasionally Al Jazeera would appear on television. The slow and ongoing process of this gives us insight to the dull realities of factory work.
For laborer’s in these positions, the illusion of time is long stretched, where each day becomes repetitious and down time becomes respite instead of relaxation. The luxury of a break is taken away and replaced by a time loop of work vs sleep
Good blog post, and reflection on labour Michael. John Vea is a great artist to look at! It would be great to see blog posts around your timetabled studio engagement, as well as any further lens based practise you’ve been working on in relation to the Downtime brief.