Milan Perera, Deputy Editor
Elaine Robinson is an artist extraordinaire. Her mission as an artist is no less than raising the consciousness of humanity to what lies beyond temporal affairs. Her motto is simple: We are one!
Elaine is a Bristol-based artist who holds a degree in Combined Arts from the University of Leeds.
SPOTtimespotTIME, her magnum opus, is a monumental artistic endeavour that transcends social and ethnic barriers.
My own connection to the project goes back to August 2023 when I first met Elaine Robinson during a civic ceremony at St Mary Redcliffe honouring the leaders of the Bristol Bus Boycott. I was first curious, then I was interested and then I was awestruck by the sheer magnitude of the project.
Conceived in 2015 as part of the LIGAR II project, SPOTtimespotTIME aims to explore changing identities and societal shifts. LIGAR II is a collective name for seven pieces or emerging and produced art.
Elaine at times, spends entire days gathering fingerprints from various sections and areas of society. She is comfortable in a fruit market in the north of England, on a rainy Tuesday, as in the House of Parliament with all its pomp and circumstance.
These fingerprints are then preserved in clear resin panels, forming a unique artwork.
I have been meaning write on SPOTtimespotTIME for a while, but each time, I am struck with a sense of inadequacy wondering if I could ever do justice to a monumental work of art such as this. But here is my feeble attempt to capture SPOTtimespotTIME.
Themes and Impact:
Human Identity: Initially centred around human identity, the project has evolved into something much larger.
Speaking to Epigram Elaine said: ‘What concerns me is the real sense that the present is disappearing. Our ability to look into a real sense of compassion and empathy. Emotional cauterisation by the bombardment of disturbing information is so overwhelming. For many, it’s easier to numb by the use of anxiety-reducing activities like social media, drinking drugs and inane fascination. We all do it.’
One key theme is conservation and biodiversity. She elaborated that ‘it now records a shift in acceptance that we all play a role in conservation and biodiversity; our connection to all life on Earth is fundamental to our identity.’
She said: ‘I don’t think we have ever kinda been so connected with an emerging network consciousness apart from nature and the ecosystems. As humanity, we are kind of attempting to imitate nature.
‘If you imagine the complexities of the ecosystems under the earth and the nature all above doing their part to work instinctively. Then imagine the invisible cloud network and the ability to talk to people in different parts of the world so easily (although more recently - this has become much harder)’.
She is over-conscious of humanity’s race towards total annihilation and is willing to use her platform as an artist to drop a thimble of ointment into a gaping wound. Elaine said: ‘We have created combustion zones all over the world and we have the ability to report so quickly now. This causes a frenzy and increased disconnect and anxiety. Time is becoming twisted and exasperated.’
The collected fingerprints serve as a relevant social document, reflecting the changing political landscape and our shared responsibility.
She firmly believes that despite the differences in time, opinion, and individuality, fingerprints unite us when it truly matters.
The completed artwork will be exhibited nationally, emphasising themes of unity, conservation, and the unifying language of art.
Elaine has travelled the breadth of the UK, gathering fingerprints from various sections and areas of society. Her journey has taken her to cities like Liverpool, Cambridge, and Newcastle, where she invites people from all walks of life to contribute their fingerprints to her collection.
The collected fingerprints are then meticulously preserved in clear resin panels. These panels serve as the canvas for her thought-provoking artwork. Each fingerprint becomes a colourful circle, representing a unique individual.
Elaine’s project transcends mere art. It symbolises unity, conservation, and shared responsibility. The fingerprints, whether from the rich and powerful or homeless individuals, come together to create a powerful social document.
The completed installation will comprise hundreds of these fingerprint-filled circles, each levelling and equal. Elaine’s journey through pre-and-post-Brexit Britain captures lessons about division, togetherness, and interconnectedness.
Notable figures, including Big Issue founder John Bird, Melvyn Bragg, Justine Greening, Baroness Ruth Lister, and Prisons Minister Rory Stewart, Lord Melvyn Bragg, Professor Evelyn Welch and Marvin Rees have contributed their fingerprints to this nationwide emerging artwork.
Elaine’s vision emphasises that art, expression, and comment are for all. Each city represented by a different colour adds to the rich spectrum of humanity captured in her work.
Her project has taken her to far-flung places in the United Kingdom and beyond. She has visited all the Parliaments in the UK (except Scottish Parliament which she is visiting in winter 2024) and the EU Parliament. She has met policymakers, Lords, Baronesses, ministers and people from all walks of life. Her ability to put everyone at ease has been an asset to this once-in-a-lifetime project.
The collected fingerprints are then meticulously preserved in clear resin panels. These panels serve as the canvas for her thought-provoking artwork. Each fingerprint becomes a colourful circle, representing a unique individual.
Elaine’s project transcends mere art. It symbolises unity, conservation, and shared responsibility. The fingerprints, whether from the rich and powerful or homeless individuals, come together to create a powerful social document. Her journey through pre-and-post-Brexit Britain captures lessons about division, togetherness, and interconnectedness.
She concluded: ‘Morality and kindness need to be our currency, our energy - our life force if we are to survive as a race.’
Featured image: Elaine Robinson
Have you added your fingerprint to SPOTtimespotTIME?
