Pippa’s installation reflected, in part, the process of post-art school artistic development. Since graduating from Elam in 2004, much of Pippa’s development has taken place not only outside of the art institution, but also outside of the studio environment. Places to work have included a fruit processing warehouse in Marlborough district, a local Wellington park, and the backyard of her flat in Christchurch. A great strength of this artist lies in an ability to see artistic possibilities in objects from the everyday environment. A lovely example of this process was the image on the invitational flyer: a backyard work comprised of gardening stake, hula-hoop and blanket. These objects were so assembled so as to take on a feeling of presence. The glorious colours employed demanded attention. The exhibition at HSP was comprised of a generous amount of works constructed from stakes, cloth, paper, a plastic bag and other materials. Upon entering the space one was confronted by a looming figure – a gardening stake veering out from the wall topped by a red (Warehouse) air-filled plastic bag. Pippa admitted to being frightened by the ‘figure’ when entering the gallery at night to continue installation. She concluded from this that installation was going well! While the invitational flyer hinted at a human figure, in one corner of the gallery was situated a work more suggestive of other mammals – four gardening stake legs and yellow cloth. The fragile fabricated gestures alluded to a potential collapse, both physically and conceptually. At times these comic gestures were likened to Whilie Coyote’s make-shift traps (employed in his never ending quest to catch road runner). At Christchurch’s first ‘Pecha Kucha’ night recently (May 28) Pippa spoke about the post-art school experience as being somewhat of a challenge to navigate. The difficulties of navigation were implicit in the HSP installation: Works came at the viewer from every angle. The difficulties were emphasised by haphazard masking tape lines on the floor. While reminiscent of the tape employed by public galleries to prohibit close proximity to valuable works, Pippa’s lines alluded more to the navigational complexities of her own journey.
