Artist, Martin Creed: Hello. My name is Martin Creed. And I made The Lights Going On And Off. It's Work No. 227.
I see art galleries or museums as being theaters for art. And I see the experience of viewing as a live theatrical experience. And that goes for looking at a painting as much, you know, experiencing a room installation. The piece, The Lights Going On And Off, is a real attempt to try to engage with the theatrical situation which is all around you.
I mean it's almost exactly like a piece of music. It exists as a score and instructions. And the piece, like a piece of music, needs to be played or made in order to be experienced.
Music's a very important part of my process of working. Trying to write songs, has affected a lot of my visual pieces.
One of the ways that this piece came about was just thinking, ‘I want to do something in a room but I don't know if I should have the lights on or off’. You know? I suppose in the most simple way, I think that's what the piece is about. My song, I Don't Know What I Want is, about well, not knowing what I want. (Laughs) Which I don't. You know, I'm totally sure that I don't know what I want.
[Song]
*I don’t know what I want
I don’t know what I want
I don’t know what I think.
I don’t know what I think.
I don’t know what I see.
I don’t know how I feel.
I don’t know what I want
I don’t know what I want*
Martin Creed: I work because I'm looking for excitement and fun and joy. And I hope that other people will be able to use the objects and things I make to find some excitement, or thought, or a little experience.