Blinded by ambition, and excited to have a professional body of work, I chose to code my own website from scratch on HTML with the help of my friend Adrian who dropped out of computer science at Queen Mary’s. Whilst fully functional and up to date, if not as detailed as desired, here is the result. I am still satisfied with my choice as I like to have control of the overall creative process over my work, whatever form it takes and right down to its presentation and distribution. Learning to code meant understanding the possibilities available for the aesthetical and practical documentation of my work which is extremely important to me as my practice tends to be process based.

Having created functional structures I considered functionalism as a whole and whether I could keep building spaces that would lead to experiences. My next challenge had two main reference points and many many many more referees that gradually popped up as I walked on the streets.

My first and foremost was the Lungomare bench by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue 'meant to merge the waves and sand dunes of the beach into an object.'' Its first permanent installation was at Parc Diagonal Mar in Barcelona 2001 however I first saw it in Italy whilst on exchange and was amazed by its ergonomic design. Aside from its concave and convex shapes that allow for choice in levels of privacy, its sheer size measuring on average 4 by 2 metres encourage social cohesion in the creation of a shared space. I was reminded of it at the start of the year seeing it in Valencia and later in Kelly Avenue Park in Peckham; this time it hit too close to home and I thought of going past an expectator position and giving it a go of creating my own.

• Figure 1: Me on Lungomare bench in Valencia, October 2023
• Figure 2: Me besides green bench in Holly Grove Shrubbery, Peckham, November 2023

Referring back to Arte Povera, I admired its roots of bringing art closer to everyday life; in its use of throwaway materials which 'challenge and disrupt the values of the commercialised contemporary gallery system' . I believed in reusing commonplace materials that had been discarded so that the public would not be scared of interacting with the work whilst reflecting my own situation as an artist who sources art where can be found needless of a high budget. Accessible to make and for public use. My bench 'make your mark' was meant to challenge and disrupt the values of the contemporary art education institution, rather than a traditional gallery system our show was to take place in our university. Its poetic intervention, or rebellious take, on the item used for learning being school chairs, is a challenge to the individualistic learning method that encourages competition and changing it to make a communal furniture. If I couldn't make public space indoors, I would bring the public together indoors.

• Figure 3: Mario Merz, 'Igloo di Giap' (1968)

A particular inspiration from the Arte Povera movement for me was Mario Merz who resists stylistic uniformity balancing nature and culture in both materials and concept. His nomadic practice takes the igloo as an iconic transitory dwelling which is reinforced by his use of indigenous materials to the work's site, in 1979 he used eucalyptus leaves to blanket an igloo for a show in Australia. The unlikely format recreates a 'humble economic system close to nature' whose circular shape and finish directly influenced 'Watermelon'. Such curves 'echo the contour on the lands of which they stand, rather than interrupting it as angular houses do' in the urban areas and white cube spaces they are found in, to bring a sense of harmony. Moreover, Merz' use of political and literary references spelled out in neon on top of the igloos relate to the more artificial acetate material I used to bring the colour scheme of Palestinian resistance to 'Watermelon'.

• Figure 4: Me on 'make your mark', May 2024

The title 'make your mark' is a direct reference to the competitive pressure of the degree show in utilising the opportunity's full potential to stand out, make history, leave your mark. Rather than having full control and profit I wanted the useful structure to have a shared use, authorship and impact in being communally used, altered and in turn designed. I wanted the public to be able to leave their mark on our show too.

Further issues addressed by 'make your mark' are those of learning by repetition and standardising. I chose to include writing at the back recreating a calligraphy book with lines made out of metal wire. The text which reads 'Sa… Sa… Sarita' encourages self-expression in me spelling out my chosen name rather than my print name hinting at the second aim of the bench: that of rebelling against social norms towards private space and fine art. Most people are scared of even touching artworks in the white cube space and from school we are told to keep our common workspaces such as tables and chairs tidy. My art however instructs the public to make their mark, should they choose to, and add personality to the furniture by 'vandalising' it.

Such issues of standardization were brought into sculpture similarly by Prem Sahib in his use of ikea sofas that represent modular living alongside puffer jackets as restraint of individual expression and mass consumerism. I've always liked his choice of such relatable items not knowing that using industrially produced items implied a criticism of individuality and conforming to a set design as being cheaper by being part of the mass. His installation made me once more consider my choice of repurposed materials alongside readymade materials such as plastic. I believe my practice to be not antiform as it is planned out, not monoha as it is not industrial materials or the explorations of manmade/man utilised materials but rather leaning towards arte povera: in using poor materials combatting the commercial art world.

• Figure 5: Prem Sahib, Puffer Desk III (2021)

My practice up until now had been about shared authorship and perishable products but now rather than taking something away I wanted the public to leave something behind. If art wasn't public then at least it could be perishable in being positively degraded. The result is a trace/proof/evidence of human interaction where 'Each particular artwork is a proposal to live in a shared world, and the wok of every artist is a bundle of relations with the world' both conceptually and visually. I varnished the bench after the show so that it created a time capsule of human relations, a physical memory now residing at Brunswick Park.

When it comes to experiences and interaction I believe all activities outside of the capitalist product-orientated framework to be an act of rebellion and art. Both rest and play come into this sector where not only are we allowed to simply exist but also can find the privilege of peace. In my work being 'interactive' or 'public' by being outside I aim to make it accessible to both my family and the exterior public away from the art institution and market. If art is rest and leisure, then it should be a right for everyone to enjoy themselves so I want to subtly provide a space for those who have no disposable time or income to participate.

As for the second piece I came back to a free sculpture I had designed in Year 1 of my course for a site-specific proposal a traditional Victorian circular window. Away from direct rest and more into play. Having learnt carpentry and to weld over my time at university I now felt confident in creating unprecedented objects that would still prove stable and structured.

• Figure 6: 'Watermelon' (2024)

'Watermelon' is meant to incite the awareness of simply being. The time of interaction by the public with it is a pause to routine that creates an appreciation of one's presence within the space. Via highlighting the surrounding landscape in its projections of colour rather than being a disruption to the space I want it to be an addition that compliments its surroundings in its contrast within the otherwise grayscale site.

Looking at the CMYK colour wheel red and green provided me the most stark contrast when mixed, resulting in yellow, and so I chose them for the final design. My work at later stages was now more directed, and so I looked at artists including Rana Begum, Daniel Buren and Dan Graham's conceptual spaces which guided my practice.

• Figure 7: Rana Begum, 'No. 814' (2018)
• Figure 8: Dan Graham, 'Triangular Pavilion with Circular Cut-Out Variation C' (1989-2001)
• Figure 9: Daniel Buren, 'Excentrique(s)'' (2012)

Both their play with translucency and conceptual interests let me know once again originality isn't real. I have always admired Rana Begum's dependency in light since having seen her takeover of the Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery. Every work occupied and complimented the space creating awe and peace. Similarly, Daniel Buren's installation add life to urban areas where it is unavoidable to stop and gape whilst Graham's smaller works gave me a closer look at composition and technical possibilities when working indoors, even if 'Watermelon is life-sized and to be found outdoors.

Past being aesthetically interesting and time-taking to understand, so that the public would have a reason to spend time in public space, I wanted to allow the public some editorial control over the work and so I created a rotatory structure. Powered either by natural forces, such as wind, or human intervention, in pushing the work, the structure had to be stable ready for its point of gravity to be fluctuating.

This shared authorship means people can influence the shadow composition created when positioned at different angles as well as allowing for many interpretations to be given to the work by its ever-changing form. My own take was given at the title 'Watermelon' which refers to its colour scheme that involuntarily matched my feed in the continued forced censoring of the colours green, red and white by Israel in its ongoing genocide of Palestine. It serves as a hint towards our further context being humanity as a whole by raising awareness of our position of privilege in being able to enjoy such colours and time together in peace.