Central to this piece is the communication of data and ideas, coupled with the inherent compromises made in doing so. The fabric is reproduced from the 20,561 words submitted as my MA dissertation* however the gallery setting and form of its presentation fundamentally alters its function.
On the one hand, the structure distracts and inhibits the reader – the minimised font, cutting of numerous specifically sized and shaped panels, seam allowance, stitching and bias tape etc. limit the visibility, flow and comprehension of the text, ultimately reducing a complex and thorough document to disjointed and fragmentary clippings, viewed segmentally and in passing.
Yet on the other hand it is precisely this public availability and the non-committal nature of the presentation that permits and encourages a viewer to read at all. As a conventional manuscript, work of this nature remains largely inaccessible to the public since only the few individuals required to asses the work have need to read it.
The academic compromise, of sacrificing depth of understanding and exhaustive study in favour of public visibility and an easy read, is reflected in the structure and connotations of the traditional corset – an agent of attraction, constriction and restriction, favouring overt seductive form over optimum physical movement and function.
* Researching how older music fans balance their attitudes, practice and expressions of fandom with the demands and freedoms of adult life, and how they feel their fandom has changed since their youth.