Project 4 Gallery’s ‘Toil’

At Project 4, British artist Jill Townsley turns dull jobs into through-provoking art.

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In the video "Satie 840," Townsley writes the numbers 1 through 840 on a chalkboard, stopping to erase each previous number with her hand before proceeding. The performnace was inspired by a short piece of music by composer Erik Satie that was intended to be played, in a bizarre feat of endurance or monotony, 840 times.

Jill Townlsey/Project 4 /

Townsley's video is accompanied by the "finished" artwork: a chalkboard containing the number 840, written on a smear of erased chalk. The piece can be read as a metaphor for the unseen labor that goes into making art.

Jill Townlsey/Project 4

Belying its pretty appearance, Townsley's "Polished Stones" is also a labor-intensive effort. The installation features 70 pebbles that the artist collected from a stream bed and, over the course of several weeks, hand-painted with a rainbow palette of nail polish.

Michael O'Sullivan/The Washington Post

In a parody of scientific fieldwork, the artist meticulously catalogued, measured and photographed each stone.

Jill Townsley/Project 4

An installation view of "Polished Stones."

Jill Townsley/Project 4

The highlight of "Toil" is "2,500 Till Rolls." The striking, stalagmite-like sculpture was made from 2,500 roles of cash register receipt tape, placed side by side on the floor. Paper from the center of each roll has been slightly unspooled, in heights varying from a couple of centimeters to over six feet.

Jill Townlsey/Project 4

Detail view of "2,500 Till Rolls."

Jill Townlsey/Project 4

From a distance, this "Scribble Square" looks like an unremarkable patch of black paint, yet Townsley made it by obsessively scribbling with a gel ink pen until the paper was almost entirely covered.

Jill Townsley/Project 4

In this close-up view of a "Scribble Square," you can observe subtle variation in color and texture. The drawing has an almost fabric-like surface. Bits of white paper twinkle like stars in a night sky where the ink didn't cover.

Michael O'Sullivan/The Washington Post

Installation view of five of Townsley's "Scribble Square" drawings.

Michael O'Sullivan

"Fulford in Fog" documents a walk through the foggy English countryside. The blurry photographs capture a sense of being lost.

Michael O'Sullivan/The Washington Post

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Project 4 Gallery’s ‘Toil’

At Project 4, British artist Jill Townsley turns dull jobs into through-provoking art.

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES