For this project I used tape to outline objects around my flat to highlight them against other objects and see whether this made my flatmates more warey of using the objects. I was unsure of what tape to use. I originally started by using masking tape as it is cheap and doesn't mark walls. Unfortunately the masking tape was the exact same colour as the walls in my flat, making it almost impossible to see it in photographs. I tried to get around this problem byt drawing a solid red line down the tape.
I found that the red line wasn't quite effective to stand out as clearly as I wanted against the blank wall, so I chose to use thicker, silver reinforced tape.
I found that this tape gave a much clearer, more crisp and bold effect. As for my flatmates' reactions, they seemed confused as to why the objects were highlighted and originally thought that the people who run the accomodation which we stay in had taped around it for some reason. When I informed them of my project, their interpretations changed and instead said that it seemed as if the object had a place and couldn't be moved from that place. This supported my original intent to see whether I could control they way people interact with objects and places, just by using tape. From the photographs I took of objects that I taped around, I made a video (which can be found in my 'Context - Final result' post). I intend for the video to be played on a loop as a projection in a gallery space, perhaps just in a corner, not drawing too much attention to itself, just as a reminder of the 'red tape' society in which we all live in.
I would have liked to have taken this project onto the street and into public places to see the reaction of the public towards these ideas. However I did not have time to carry this out, and also it poses a problem with getting permission and also with weather conditions. At the moment it is damp quite often, which affects the adhesiveness of the tape, and also because of the time of year, there is a limited amount of daylight in which to carry the ideas out.
