Darius G Rodrigues
English artist, filmmaker and poet living and working in London
I Do The Cooking In My House
installation - print on card, 12.5x12x0.5cm
On BBC Breakfast, presenter Charlie Stayt was told in conversation by his guest he would have to ‘tell the cook in his house’. His response was ’I do the cooking in my house.’ I noticed a vulnerability in his voice and in his moment of reflection that followed.
Subsequently, I investigated Charlie Stayt’s personal life and managed to speak with him briefly on the phone, but not long enough to ask questions.
The installation is my exposition of that single moment of sadness. The reason why he was sad is unimportant, what became more important was the act of revealing the vulnerability of a normally strong ‘character.’
The diminuitive size of the installation induces sympathy whilst the minimal presentation allows the viewer to focus on his vulnerability only. Stripped of his studio background and slightly lifted off the wall, fragility is implied as well as presenting him as a ‘sculpture’ with whom I have interacted and have a relationship with, rather than a 2D ‘profile.’
