Windows to the World

When you think of an experiment you envisage Bunsen burners, test tubes and formulae. However, contemporary watercolourist Jeremy Houghton tells Nick Dines how he concocted an interactive artistic experiment that has provoked, inspired and captured the imagination – all in the name of art.

Working with miniature abstract watercolour paintings he calls ‘windows’, Jeremy Houghton has found a new way to get his artwork seen around the world. He has launched an exciting artistic project, The Experiment, sending 250 montages – each consisting of three ‘windows’ – around the world, including one to the British ambassador of every country.

Houghton’s bright, translucent ‘window’ paintings were inspired by his five years teaching art in South Africa, an experience that proved to be his stepping stone into the professional art world.

The purpose of each montage, or experiment, is to be looked after, appreciated and then passed on before eventually returning to its creator. “I thought about it whilst sitting on the tube when I worked in London,” he says. “The tube is such an unfriendly place. I just thought, imagine how random it would be to just hand a painting to a complete stranger, giving others a chance to give a work of art away. Quite an empowering act.”

With the use of his trusty viewfinder, Houghton admits each ‘window’ is very much a case of a lucky find.

“ None of the ‘windows’ are premeditated. I don’t paint a ‘window’ individually; I go over a previously produced painting, and if I find something within the viewfinder that I like the look of, I’ll cut it out. I love it that such a small thing can pack such a big punch.

“Often, because of the alchemy of the medium, you can find real hidden treasures, which is why I call them ‘windows’ – because ‘windows’ are what the African witch doctors call the trinkets around their necks, which they throw on the ground to predict the future.” With each experiment listed on his website, those who came into possession of a ‘window’ can update its status on what’s proving to be an insightful tracking device. Whether its Cuba’s experiment 40, cut up by customs, or France’s experiment 57, dropped from the Eiffel Tower for a lucky tourist to then pick up, with every emailed update comes a further fascinating anecdote.

Experiment 15 possesses an equally productive passport, clocking up an impressive amount of air-miles. Beginning its path in Beijing, it’s since taken in the likes of Melbourne, San Diego and Washington DC, and was last traced in Isreal. “That particular experiment has gone all around the world and was handed to someone in Jerusalem on Christmas day. A lady emailed me and said, ‘It was lovely to have your artistic work handed to me’.”

Its feedback such as this that has left him fascinated how the world can be brought together with culture.

“One experiment sent to the Falkland islands was handed to the commander of an HMS ship. Its now pinned to the mast and being taken around the Antarctic. I love that idea, as art through the ages in the naval world has always been used in flags to communicate. The experiment was all about communicating, so it ties in really nicely.”

Knowing that the likelihood of ever receiving an experiment back is looking rather slim, Houghton has continued in his quest to engage and inspire. “The page on the website is always fun to read. However, I wanted a way where I could receive something physical back.”

His belief in the concept has led to ‘Words for Windows’, a book filled with individual ‘windows’ aimed at stimulating poetic prose. Like the paintings, the book is being passed around from owner to owner.

With the experiment still in its infancy, Houghton expects the project to continue for a few years yet. “It’s a project that I now have to leave to get on by itself; it has its own path. I envisage an exhibition with the books, but I’ll also have a room dedicated to the experiments, tracing their journeys.”

Houghton is a self-confessed champion of watercolour. “I’ve always enjoyed watercolours as they’re forever conducive to travelling. You simply put them in your bag, get on your bike or go for a walk and plonk yourself anywhere. They are considered slightly out of fashion, however, so there aren’t many young artists using traditional watercolours and techniques. But I’ve always liked being different.”

Houghton has a busy years ahead, capped by a prestigious commission to paint the Queen at St James Palace, where she, too, will be a lucky recipient of an experiment. We’ll await Her Majesty’s emailed update with bated breath.

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