The story is stretched from a questionable truth to a possible future truth. Even if the story's origins are not pure, the chance of a similar situation occurring is not too remote to be seen as extraordinary. It is this way that the story is incredibly unfortunate yet quite ordinary which keeps it tied to the everyday; it is ordinary enough not to attract immediate criticism. This level of reality allows the viewer to relate and connect with the work.

Whilst the retelling of the events are subjective, the interpretation of these stories is also affected by the added subjectivity of the audience, by the order that the stories are listened to and the by narratives which unfold from them. The audience's interpretation, and possible retelling of the work, will go through the same process that has occurred from the, possibly, many retellings that the story has already been through. From my first encounter with the story, on an Internet site, to my appropriation of the story, to the storytellers' versions, to the viewers' interpretation and possible retellings, this process of Chinese whispers results in the story becoming fractured, twisted and distorted, bent by the individuals memory, needs and subjective deciphering of the work.

Drawing from typical urban mythology, the story has traditional moralistic undertones; the daughter should have listened and honoured her parents, whilst the lesson of drink driving and accepting lifts from strangers and informal monologue keeps the story based in the everyday and contemporary. It is the intention of the work to undermine these morals or values, and the ways that these are communicated, reinforced and maintained.

The style of the films suggests local news reports, or more particularly, news footage before editing. In this way the films hint towards the questionable subjective activity of editing and how this may mutate the truth and its meaning. Although stories are retold again and again by the respective tellers, are the mistakes, the slight 'off' facial expressions and changes to the story innocent accidents or do they hint towards something more unsettling? The lack of a statement or explanation to the work sparks uncomfortable speculation and the idea that the piece is contrived comes into play: a process of doubt. It is only by the act of searching for the 'true' meaning of the work that these little 'flaws' appear and overthrow its quietude.

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE1 : The Gryphons

The Gryphons are two small winged quadrupeds constructed from various bones from wild rabbits and pheasants. This piece resides within the Hancock museum in Newcastle. Explaining to the curator that a member of Counterintelligence1 wished to install an artwork in the museum, the gryphons where placed within the large, old central exhibition space which housed the bird collection. Standing in their Perspex casing with no name, no title, no information at all, the audience create their own narratives. Later surveillance of the exhibition revealed mixed reactions from the audience: some where puzzled, others unaffected, some laughed, others missed it completely assuming it to be another exhibit.

Chris Borthwick

BA (Hons) Fine Art (sculpture)
University of Northumbria at Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne