Surface Service
was a social-service event that took place during The Liverpool
Biennial of Art, 2002.
Surface Service related to the urban space around Lime Street
Station in Liverpool a transit area between the city of Liverpool
and the main station. Each day crowds of people pass through
the site creating a flow of repeated movements. Surface Service
infiltrated this environment by adopting the already existing
role of cleaning staff. The scene was performed in the same
place, at the same time of the day and the same activity was
repeated throughout a fixed period. The concept of repetition
created choreography in routine and action, and Surface Service
slowly became a part of everyday life.
A situation between reality and the staged evolved, a detail
that elucidated the environment and emphasised the current situation.
The project examined the situation with a humoristic and ironic
view, and aimed to create a moment of distraction, a disturbance
in everyday routine.