Knock on Woods Roving Residency, Mayne Island, BC
Cooler King
Taken from the movie The Great Escape, Steve McQueenʼs character spends his time in solitary confinement with a baseball glove and ball which he endlessly bounces off the wall and catches. Even though he is in a prison camp, this action appears to allow him some sense of respite and time to think, despite the circumstances around him.
Later he famously tries to jump the no manʼs land between borders on a motorcycle, but is caught and returned to solitary where he picks up the ball and glove and returns to this seemingly meditative action. I spent the day building a compound and posting signs indicating the no man's land associated with the site. I spent the duration of my stay in the dwelling with a ball and glove repeating the same action.
I have played with the idea of repetitive action and muscle memory in other projects and like the connection that sport ties into culture. I like the Knock on Woods idea of an autonomous space within claimed or occupied territory.
To see more http://thisneckofthewoods.net/knock%20file/KOWsitesandresidencies.htm check out Open Space, Mayne Island, Craig Willms
