KATHERINE M. WATERS > Timely Perceptions

In October 2002 I was invited to be the Artist in Residence and Curator at Lichfield Garrick, the soon to be opened brand new theatre in Lichfield.
So what does an artist in residence do when attached to a new theatre and gallery complex? Spoiled for choice I could have looked at the workings of the space and people within the buildings, concentrated on the development of particular pieces of drama and the acting process, or looked at the layers of real life dramas involved in the opening of a new public building.
I decided to create a narrative which could be interesting and hopefully exciting to people of all ages and interests.

We all approach drama and art in differing ways, dependant upon our age, culture, gender and experiences. The drama which consumed ‘Our Time’, whilst I was at the Garrick was that of the growing gulf between the externalized versions of Islam and Christianity as seen in the Gulf War and Israel / Palestine. I have become fascinated by the manipulation of information by both sides in order to justify their actions and concluded that an investigation into the subjective nature of information and hence history / power could be a worthy and interesting path to follow.
 But how does one represent such a study in a decorative and believable way? I decided to fabricate a comparative study on how women from different eras perceive and then analyze the same visual information. I would then use this information to create a series of drawings, sculptures, textiles, performance and props in order to illustrate my findings.
My first job of course was, of course, to create a lie.