Edward Norman
BA (Hons) Fine Art
Fanatic's Library
Embodying the persona of an obsessive football fanatic, my practice revolves around the relationship between art and comedy, and comments on the absurdity of British football culture, and its hyper masculine connotations. Using books and popular culture as reference, Fanatic’s Library displays these books as part of the installation in the form of an interactive reading space, where viewers are invited to read the books that have motivated the artworks, sitting on the chair provided, in doing so embodying the persona I have created within the work. The artworks displayed are consistent with the technique of my previous work, using a pointillist style to generate the images by repetitive stippling in a similar fashion to the way images are produced in printmaking. The work, Gary Neville Takes the Plunge includes a fictional narrative, discussing a niche moment in football culture, written as a diary entry by the football obsessed character I have created. The work Bobby and Jack’s Microwave Pudding combines the idolisation of famous figures in football with British food culture through the vein of absurdist humour. As a whole, the work addresses the problems of being a football fan. Football culture is historically violent and oppressive, often excusing the wrongdoings of players and fans and encouraging the idolisation of morally questionable people. By discussing football fanaticism through absurdist humour, it criticises the nonsensical idolisation of players and other important figures by fans. The work also shows a lot of respect for football as a cultural staple, showing how it can be the bridge between British subcultures. Prints and one-of-a-kind artworks are available on my eBay Shop.
