Portobello Market - Finding the Public SpaceThe purpose behind visiting Portobello was primarily to

Portobello Market - Finding the Public SpaceThe purpose behind visiting Portobello was primarily to experience its atmosphere, capture its spirit and vitality, but also to find a way to exploit it’s role as a public space. Myself and two other classmates (James Fish and Laura Rowe) brought materials from a collaborative installation we had constructed earlier in the week, that explored creating an interactive but suspended space in a studio. We brought elements of this piece (specifically insulation material) to the market to explore how it would fit into a public space, where people could view and react to a somewhat peculiar addition to the surrounding area. We placed the shiny material around some railings (link to video here) and waited for people to react to our ‘temporary installation piece’. After  a few minutes of patiently waiting, we watched our embellishment be unkindly disregarded and shoved into a bin. It was a somewhat negative albeit slightly amusing reaction, however a reaction all the same. This led me to believe that what some people can construe as an enhancement or decoration, others can construe as unnecessary litter that clutters an already cluttered public space. Artist Edson Chagas also suggests these ideas with his ‘Found not Taken’ series of works, encompassing the idea that our intention wasn’t to take from the market but to find, explore and interpret.  I was also particularly attentive of the people who were visiting the market. I believe people watching was an important part of experiencing the ambience of the market,  and understanding the atmosphere of the space we were exploring. Overhearing people’s conversations, (link to video here) watching people shout at their dogs, haggling with the market sellers and observing a man pouring mozzarella liquid into a discarded strawberry carton in the middle of the road were all events that suggested to me that a raw vitality and perhaps disposable attitude existed in this space. The market was located on a road, and cars were constantly struggling to weave through the bustle of people. This made the market feel very exclusive and temporary and almost imposed an element of risk. Additionally, it was interesting to contemplate the contrast between the aesthetically pleasing display of the market stalls, compared to the rubbish strewn about on the floor and next to the market tables. I often felt more inclined to observe the ‘rubbish’ as i believed it was more of an honest representation of the market itself and the types of people that visit such a place and choose to find and sometimes also take from the space.Video of the market -- source link

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