'Defamiliarization'

'The purpose of art is to force us to notice' according to Viktor Shklovsky, a Russian Formalist who explored the technique of 'defamiliarization'. Through this technique one can step back from the habitual way of thinking to make the familiar become more interesting by promoting an awareness of ones perception. Defamiliarization allows us to engage more with art and re-enhance the world around us. Instructions As part of this exploration the instructions below were given to artists locally and globally. • An artist responds in 10 words to the word ‘defamiliarization’ • This response is passed onto another artist in a different location • The second artist alters/ changes/ adapts the words • The second artist displays the interpreted words in a setting which represents their city/ country; a place which is familiar to them. • They then take a photograph/s of the new words in their new place • The photographs are then returned to the original artists who are re-introduced to their defamiliarized words in an unfamiliar location.