Timothy Chapman Exhibition

Boys will be boys? [2008-2010]
Large format photographic prints
Needlework (cross stitch)
Ceramics (slip clay)
Video
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'A boy stands alone in the playground.

Columbine style start, has toy gun in his bag, silouete shape on the ashphelt. Teacher catches him. ‘no blocks outside and no toy guns at school, you know the rules.’

Axes dangerous. Boy wants to chop wood. Mum says no. climbing trees?

Cutting down a tree that was his favourite climbing tree. Tree hut. Arm in a cast, fell out of tree. Knitting needle, itch under signature of male teacher. ‘next time test the branch first’

Finding a gun under a pile of sticks.

Knitting needles should be one inch longer, one inch longer with a small curve at the end; that would be perfect. The itch is not hard to find, just to get to.

It’s just to the left of skull and cross bones – left and slightly up. Almost directly under the ‘r’ that ends Mr Frasier’s signature, scribbled in blue whiteboard marker across the plaster along with the advice he gave: ‘test the branch next time’ – next time. The men in the back yard look hard at work – one cuts one loads. The blade catches the sun as it’s raised, then comes down with a thud and a crack… then again… and again. Mum said it was too dangerous to help. ‘Too dangerous’ – just like the tree. We don’t even have a fire. At least they’ll change the cast tomorrow, the new one will be coloured; maybe a blue one.

A pair of cold blue eyes survey a busy schoolyard.

Scanning, they flick from face to face of unsuspecting kids enthralled in their recess activities. They glance downward at a back pack held by pale hands, pink at the knuckles with nervous anticipation. The bag conceals something prohibited, and its owner is well aware of the consequences if caught. The eyes continue scanning and come to rest upon a boy in the yard. A hands slips into the darkness of the bag and curls its fingers around the handle inside. Scraping past the plastic zip the contraband is drawn and levelled at the boy, a cold blue eye staring down its sights.

‘Jeremy Spencer!’

The eyes dart around and see the stern face of Mrs Ashby looking down at them.

‘Jeremy, you know that you are not aloud to take blocks into the playground, and making guns and playing shooting games is against school rules! Now break that apart and put it back with the toys and you can spend the rest of play-time sitting next to my desk.’
The eyes return to the other boy who has quickly hidden his block gun and is pretending to play jump rope with some girls. Watery, the eyes turn back to Mrs Ashby’s shoes and follow them into the classroom.

Its owner knows the bag conceals something smuggled into the schoolyard that is against the rules.

- Timothy Chapman [2009]

Event listed by LAPS

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