The Sally Barker Empire
Having built The Sally Barker Gallery as a way of showing mine & selected artists’ work, my next step is world domination! I am in the process of building The Sally Barker Empire; an excercise in self-promotion & empowerment by way of architectural hijacking, annexing, squatting and the imposition of my sculpture, in model form.
The Empire consists of models, drawings, photographs and postcards: visions of galleries, studios and structures designed and built in my name to promote my work. Some of these are hi-jacked famous art institutions, subsumed into The Sally Barker Empire, such as “Hi-jack Tate Modern” and “The Sally Barker Wing at Guggenheim, Bilbao.”
Some models are total inventions, idyllic, imaginary spaces to house my work, like the mini series of imaginary oil rig conversions. Inspired by the Thames Estuary Forts off the coast of Whitstable and deep sea oil-rigs. I have a fascination with male dominated industries and the oil-rig conversions continue the same thread that The Pylons and Cranes pursued, i.e. the appropriation and emasculation of structures from a male dominated area.
Some of the models began by using the initials SBG and building upwards in the same way. The original Sally Barker Gallery began by using my signature as a template for the foundations of the building. Some have then added custom built studios for friends, incorporating their initials. All have been constructed totally, or mostly, in glue using my glue gun.
In the vein of exaggerated immodesty, I have recently coined a new term sculpitechture. This describes some of the models which fuse architecture and sculpture. Whilst some have a playful and tentative connection to architecture in the form of a studio or gallery, and flirt with the appearance of function they are all inescapably sculpture. I have no desire to ever have them built, they exist as tiny monuments to artistic vision. The intention is to offer total creative license, both with the models and with the ideas they potentially house. The Empire has no financial or technical restrictions — to myself or other artists I show.
Fred 2005
In October 2005 The Empire took over the iconic landscape of The Lake District, as part of Fred : an annual “art invasion across Cumbria” : supporting around 30 artists with the opportunity to make work anywhere in Cumbria. The commissioned work for Fred consists of a set of postcards featuring specific locations around Langdale Valley.
Locations were chosen, photos taken, models of studios & galleries were made and these images were superimposed over the location: appropriating the spectacular landscape into The Empire. The resulting postcards were then placed in local venues around Langdale, like pubs, cafés, notice boards, shops, phone boxes as well as laminated and placed on walks where the sites could be seen. A fictional landscape make-over. This is my way of placing myself in the landscape & acts as a point of reference to my increasing ambivalence to urban life in London. It also highlights the way in which we access & consume the landscape and, of course, builds on the tradition of the artist taking inspiration from nature.
The Empire at Deptford X
The Empire has appropriated Deptford via The Deptford X Open, 2006.
Artists inspired by The Sally Barker Empire sites, wishing to show in the magnificent gallery spaces or put forward a proposal should contact at sally@sallybarker.org.
A glorious Empire tattoo is available, in full colour ,for those wishing to be in The Sally Barker Empire. Contact the email address. The tattoo is temporary and was part of the Chaim Soutine show at The Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlour.
