Final Artefact; P.A.I.R. Performance, Atmosphere, Impact, Representation

I am very pleased to present my final artefact, P.A.I.R. (Performance, Atmosphere, Impact, Representation), P.A.I.R. is a sister project to my previous project S.A.H.R.

P.A.I.R. is an unconventional reuse of discarded fabric and an abstract representation of Wymering Manors history, and the impact and atmosphere of the manor through kinetic fabric art.

P.A.I.R. is a combination of kinetic art, kinetic movement art, mark making, lino printing and sewing in the form of an installation piece for Wymering Manor, following on from my previous project S.A.H.R. where I developed Wymering Manor into a museum inspired by the 14 Henrietta Street Museum.

Made from lino printing and hand sewing, P.A.I.R. focuses on creating nostalgia and familiarity through the patterns. Similar to Amy Hiley's lino prints, P.A.I.R.'s patterns focuses on simplicity of form, bold design, and transforming experiences, impact, and atmosphere into a single image. They create a sense of nostalgia as the patterns are quite recognisable as they are very unique, and represent the atmosphere and impact of the Grand Hall and the manor itself. The patterns are pulled out of my mark making and performance piece in Wymering Manor. 

Similar to Suna Imre, half of P.A.I.R.'s patterns represent the playful and abstract documentation of the atmosphere and experience of Wymering Manor through mark making responding to bird songs. Inspired by Heather Hansen, Trisha Brown, and Max Sheets Johnstone's The Primacy of Movement, the other half of P.A.I.R.'s patterns represents my kinetic performance piece in Wymering Manor captivating the impact and atmosphere of the Grand Hall. The sense of familiarity and nostalgia is further encouraged by using the Grand Hall as the space for the kinetic performance piece, as well as bringing a part of S.A.H.R. to life. 

P.A.I.R. builds upon the idea of old vs. new through the traditional methods of hand sewing and lino printing used within itself compared to the abstract, modernist kinetic performance art, representing how a historical building such as Wymering Manor stands out amongst the modern housing and community that surrounds it. 

P.A.I.R. builds on the idea of a glimpse into the past / future through its representation of Wymering Manor's history. Inspired by  Lill Tschudi, the coloured lino prints represent key moments in time within the manors history. The Roman helmet represents the Roman settlement that existed at Wymering, Portchester Castle represents the Roman outpost that was at Wymering to defend the castle, the open book represents the Domesday book of 1086 where Wymering is first mentioned in history, the pair of wedding rings represents the change of ownership of the manor in 1570, where it passed from the Waytes to the Brunnings through marriage, and the backpack represents the moment in time where the manor was leased to the Youth Hostel Association and people from around the world would stay in Wymering Manor. 

The hand sewing used in P.A.I.R. gives it more depth and texture, inviting you to touch, interact, and play. The final two dates on the bottom of P.A.I.R. are sewn to show the importance of these dates; they are when Wymering Manor Trust gained ownership of the Manor and when the first community open day was. These dates are a pivotal moment in time; this is when the manor has finally had a chance of repair, care, readaptation and reuse.

P.A.I.R. represents the importance of adaptive reuse, unconventional reuse and new materialist thinking in terms of historical buildings such as Wymering Manor. Adaptive reuse encourages a sense of continuity and connection to the past. It allows for the integration of new functions into historical buildings, revitalising urban areas and enriching communities. Unconventional reuse encourages architects and designers to think outside the box, challenging conventions within architecture and design, and embracing creativity. Resulting in unique and unexpected architectural solutions, breathing new life into historical buildings, and creating unique spaces that people can enjoy. New materialist thinking encourages architects and designers to engage with the materiality of historical buildings, respecting their authenticity, and understanding their unique qualities. The importance of these concepts in architecture and historical buildings is in the ability to bridge the gap between preservation and progress. They allow for the preservation of historical buildings while enabling them to evolve and remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. 

In the United Kingdom, there is a common trend of people that have no qualifications and are unemployed. Adapting historical buildings such as Wymering Manor gives people job opportunities, improves the community, provides a form of education, and is more environmentally friendly than demolishing and rebuilding. There are a lot of historical buildings like Wymering Manor across the United Kingdom that are not in use, or are not structurally safe to use, that could be restored, protected, and adapted into museums or other functions. By adapting these buildings like Wymering Manor into museums, it gives the community the ability to learn about their local history as well as giving them a local heritage to be proud of within their community.  

Along side P.A.I.R., I developed and worked back into my performance piece, The old vs. new butterfly, it captivates the impact and atmosphere of the Grand Hall through the combination of kinetic performance art, mark making, and the lino prints. The old vs. new butterfly builds upon the idea of old vs. new as the prints have a vintage, traditional look to them, which contrast the abstract, new age performance piece, similar to how Wymering stands out against the modern housing that surrounds it.

(All photos and videos taken by me.)