Serena Korda's Domestic DIY Art

Serena Korda’s latest work, 'Decosa Traditional, Stockholm Kiefer/pin', draws upon a range of topics in an effort to challenge perceptions of day-to-day routines; our understanding of weight and size; the material; traditions in sculpture and mankind’s interpretations of bestiality and physical expression. For Korda, domestic DIY, planning and architecture are linked to our inclinations towards expression in every day settings; drawing light and colour from the mundane. During her month long residency in the Camden Arts Centre, Korda invited participants to build sculptures from blocks wrapped in a rare material called Decosa: a light substance that gives the appearance of a fine grained wood surface. This weekend sees four professional dancers interpret performances based on the finished products to mood music from multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan.

Dazed Digital: How did you come across the Decosa material?
Serena Korda: I was doing a residency in the Czech Republic in a small town called Klenova. I was in the mountains most of the time but came down to the town centre every week, to go shopping in the Tesco for food and OBI (the German equivalent of B&Q) for art materials. I was trying to find some rope in OBI and got lost in its labyrinth of aisles; I ended up in the wallpaper section and saw Decosa. I totally forgot about the rope, bought a pack of Decosa and went back to my studio to make a fake block of wood.

DD: Who are the professional dancers you chose for the performance piece?
Serena Korda: The dancers are Florence Peake, Sally Dean, Alex Howard and François Testory. Florence and Sally work together a lot and are particularly interested in the relationship between dance and objects, so they were an obvious choice. Alex Howard choreographs and François Testory is an old friend who has worked with Lindsay Kemp and DV8. All were open to experimenting with an artist who knows nothing about choreography!

DD: This, as an installation, has crossover appeal; blending improvised sculpture with performance art. What made you choose this unconventional method?
Serena Korda: The material dictated the path. I am interested in the fake and in the idea of creating invented traditions. This often leads to the development of performances that have a tendency towards the absurd and impossible – in this case, the contradiction of a material looking heavy but being as light as a feather drew me in. The residency at Camden also offered me the opportunity to focus on issues I hadn't been able to in the past.  I have always been fascinated by rituals embedded in the everyday, and combining this with the relationship between ritual and dance.  I also think the influence of being in the Czech Republic has really come out in this piece; the element of folklore combined with a history of communism and new age capitalism. I see the DIY superstore as a new tradition, especially for the people of the Czech Republic: it appears to represent freedom and choice.  
 
DD: How did you recruit for the building aspect of the project, and was it easy to convey your ideas to participants?
Serena Korda: I invited specific groups to come to the gallery during the residency. I was interested to see how people from particular professions; bankers, scientists, artists and so on would approach it. I was usually there to oversee proceedings, but the space was always open and some passers-by were brave enough to have a go at rearranging the blocks. I am interested in observing the way people interpret things in different ways, so misunderstandings are always welcome - accidents often occur and add to the outcome.

DD: What are the key themes you aim to address?
Serena Korda: For me, the piece points towards the emergence of new traditions within contemporary culture. I am always struck by the mass exodus to the DIY mecca store in a trading estate somewhere off the A10 on a Sunday afternoon. There is also the idea of the fake and its place within contemporary culture: Decosa stirs up issues of personal taste, special effects and man’s desire to conquer and mimic nature.

DD: How does Daniel O'Sullivan's music blend with the feel of the act?
Serena Korda: The music is key to creating an ominous and apocalyptic atmosphere which contrasts the elements of humour represented by the blocks of wood and the costumes. There is a fairy tale quality to the piece which is enhanced by a sample from an original Baltic folk song combined with minor viola overtones. As mentioned, I have no knowledge of choreography, so Daniel's music was integral to the development and structure of the dance.  I wanted to manufacture the feel of a DIY store, so Daniel did some field recordings in a B&Q.
 
DD: Is there anything you'd like to compare the piece to, or anything you feel inspired it strongly?
Serena Korda: J G Ballard, Czech Republic, Decosa, surface design, automatons, Nijinsky and DIY stores.