WeirdTing Collective presents A bridge to TOMONASA a bridge to tomonasa
9 …....... the citizens of TOMONASA
…........ proposal for the actual setting
…........ initial plans for the gallery space exhibition
COLLECTIVE MEMBERS
Judit Molnar Jay Kang Jane Krylova
Laura Wong Kyle McKenzie Zsuzsanna Vigh
About us:
We are a multicultural group of illustrators and "citizens of Tomonasa" looking for a place to call home...
WEIRD T(H)ING COLLECTIVE
@weirdting_colective
An Odd, Frivolous Company
Crosses the Bridge (1908)
Oil on Canvas, Museum of Fine arts Budapest
Whythispainting? why this painting?
Meet Gulácsy: an eccentric artist with a tendency to dress up in different costumes roleplaying as a citizen from different eras, countries, or lands of fantasy. He even created his own world, Na’Conxypán with its language. His style is hard to categorize; dreamlike and dreamy, symbolist, sometimes a bit crude. Today, he would be called an “outsider artist”. Aptly, he died in an asylum.
The meeting of these two ingredients (the character of the painter and his painting) made this work the perfect choice for us as a collective. The Venetian carnival masquerade scene depicted is at once bizarre and surreal: the scene is vaguely familiar yet also resides within the realm of imagination. The title speaks of the disorientation of the painter; the composition is suggestive of an unknown (invisible?) destination.
For our collective, the oddness of the painting had potential to be used to reflect the real bizarreness of contemporary migratory experiences, something known to us all.
Being a migrant/holding a different cultural background means you often have a foothold in two places, both the place that has been exited and the place you are now residing in (in both a geographic and psychological sense).
We felt the painting of the bridge and carnival by Gulácsy needed to be revisited with this view, of representing a liminal, 'in-between' space. Which, when remade, could form a new space of multiple identities – some of it invented.
Self-portrait in Florence, 1904
Oil on canvas
Liminal (lat. līmen; "on the threshold",)
Characterized by being on a boundary or threshold, esp. by being transitional or intermediate between two states, situations, etc.
To cross over = transcendence; transition in space/time/figurative alternatives. connects but also separates (one might have to pay the toll, answer a riddle, fight the guardian monster)
Bridge symbolism: Unlike or it is “sideways” : parallel/horizontal movement.
Suggesting: not reaching a better/worse state of being but simply a different one; “other” .
To reach: otherworld/ parallel dimension/altered state; it is a shift in perspective ladders
A mask functions similarly: signifies "otherness" an alternate identity, ambivalent in nature:
equality (a smooth, simplified face)
OR
Archetypes (with exaggerated features)
Conceals AND Reveals
identity:double nature, two sides like a bridge
What is TOMONASA?
what is tomonasa?
Following the example of Gulácsy, we decided to engage in fun and lighthearted world building, to create our ideal land: the destination of our journey with its own eclectic culture celebrating inclusion and comradery. Thus, came to be the land of TOMONASA.
The name translates to weird/crazy/drunk + home/house/shelter/gazebo; in the conlang of toki pona, created by Sonja Lang. We agreed to use toki pona as it was created to be as inclusive as possible: with an easy-to-memorize (but limited) dictionary, and phonemes, that all languages recognize and pronounce.
Judit also created our own writing system, which can be used both in English and toki pona.
Our main aim is to celebrate cultural differences and liminal spaces, where all of these are visible, intermingled and exchanged. We also engage with the idea of a utopia, representing wishful thinking, hope, and escapism all at the same time. Less so in a political sense but more focusing on idealism and following our inner drives towards belonging. A nostalgia for someplace odd yet comforting.
For more info on toki pona:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toki_Pona
Meet the Citizens of TOMONASA!
meet the citizens of tomonasa
The Painter/The Wild Card
• from: Hungary
• character: Gyurgyalag Farkas
The Fabricator/The Catalyst
• from: Hong Kong
• character: Maru
Zsuzsanna
Jay baco
The Merchandiser/The Observer • from: Russia • character: Gavrusha
The transitory exhibition. Travels around airport to airport in suitcases. (All of it fits inside! )
The ideal setting: International Airport Terminals
international airport terminals
Contents contents
• festive decorations
• posters of destinations (fantastical; utopias)
• passports, postcards, etc.
• uniform/ costume (to invoke carnival but also group identity)
• masks: migratory animals/ culturally significant?
Additionally, to specify our message, we would display/perform mock interviews - on own language/sim language - with English subtitles that (don't?) match.
TheAirportisablankslate;theairportisa“thirdplace”; theairportisaliminalspace;theairportistheBRIDGE -
-this is to fit the elements of our mostly performance- based exhibition in the F block gallery space -the location is ideal, and consciously chosen to be the walkway, entering the exhibition space proper: it resembles a bridge, while the skylight invokes the aspects of an airport terminal's lounge
Come explore the bridge! come explore the bridge
Potential Hazard
Papier mâché archway
Airport signs
Who could be at risk and how?
group members, visiting public - move due to being knocked into, possibly too low (unlikely)
Actions taken to prevent/reduce the chance of risk
Make sure to completely stretch it across the width of the hallway to reduce the chance of it being moved. One of its walls is going to be secured and tied to the wall (softwood) for extra security. Added weights at the bottom of the archway to maximize stability. Measured and adjusted multiple times to the best height allowance to reduce the change of knocking into it.
group members, visiting publicpossibly too low, could fall
Bin/Post Box
Tablet and stand
Banner
Lanterns
group members, visiting public - trip hazard
group members, visiting public - trip hazard, colluding fall, cable entanglement
group members, visiting public - could fall, be too low
group members, visiting public - they could fall, be too low
Postcards Visiting public – entanglement
Its lightweight will allow it to be safely hung and stapled to the tunnel arch and the papermache arch with string and a staple gun. It is also measured to be above the general height to reduce the chance of hanging too low.
Due to its size and weight, the bin will have a very small chance of falling, and its upfront position clean edges and vibrant colour will make it less likely that people will trip because of it.
This will be stood next to the door, at the point of the entrance to the exhibition, and as it isn’t in the direct pathway of the audience, it will be of limited risk. Its cable will be run closely along the right angle of the wall and the floor so that it’s not crossing any walkways - thus keeping it out of the way of the public and group members as much as possible.
It will be secured with a weight that could risk falling, but that is a small risk only, as it is positioned close to the bannister to reduce the chance of people knocking into it.
It will be secured to the banister with tying materials and is also measured to hang safely above people going under it to prevent knocking into it.
They will be positioned near the sides of the tunnel to allow a comfortable path through the tunnel, and to reduce any incidents of entanglement, and any excess threads have been removed and secured to the tunnel to reduce any threads catching in hair, coats and bags.
https://www.instagram.com/weirdting_collective/
