Social Screens

This installation by Ryan Foote took place at Flinders Lane Galley in 2007.

This work consisted of an array of large delicate contemporary changing screens created in the vain of the classic Chinese stylized screens, each made up of tree lined landscapes finely etched onto the surface of the clear Perspex upon closer inspection you are suddenly aware that all the delicate etched tree lined landscapes have a subtly tonal variation, housed within the first layer of the landscape is a take on the classic wallpaper pattern work that emerges the closer you look as you look even closer you will notice a third layer of hidden imagery concealed within the wallpaper layer are an array of contemporary images taken from fashion, art and design, worlds of current popular culture for instance sneakers, shoes, models, bottles of vodka etc all hidden within the positive and negative space of the etched surface.

Like most of Foote’s artwork it has elements that play with art and design in an ironic nature, the idea that a changing screen is used to shield yourself as you change behind it or to divide a room to gain some privacy, is flawed and rendering function-less as design.
With large amounts of the screen un-etched with transparent areas Foote creating a sense of voyeurism as you peer into and through the artwork all at the same time.

Foote’s artwork walks the fine line of conceptual and aesthetics with content encrusted, layer upon layer within the artwork if the viewer does not take the time to look that bit closer they might just miss the expanding universe of layers concealed within the work.