Shrimp in a box

Shrimp in the box came about after I had to help Jodie Smith carry a plinth upstairs for her work in the show 'Everything wrong with the world' in PS3. After I realised I could fit in the plinth I realised that this was going to become Spontaneous Performance Piece #2. (see below for Spontaneous Performance Piece #1) The name 'Shrimp in the box', obviously refers to the toy 'Jack in the Box', where a handle is turned on a box for a certain period of time before a clown jumps out of it. The idea of these toys is that the player of the box will not know what is going to jump out at them and when, and this then provokes a reaction of shock, and then usually, laughter. 

I wanted to find other ways of displaying this spectacle in a gallery environment and also incorporate a performance aspect. I like these short performances because they require no commitment and I can see how ideas might play out really quickly and easily. For the end of term film screening during the briefing I submitted the really really really short film above, and there were multiple giggles and laughs from the audience, which is what I wanted; for the audience to not know whats going to happen and whats going to jump out of the box, and for this to then provoke some sort of laughing reaction. 

During the mental preparation for this short performance - the spectacle is very, very warm to wear - I was actually rather cold, so put it on as a blanket of sorts. Jodie realised that wearing it in this way could potentially lead people to believe that it is actually some form of avant garde fashion piece, because of the way the appendages fall into shoulder pads and the way it drapes around the body. Whilst not the intention, I like the fact that this spectacle can be appropriated to suit many different contexts.