This immersive installation invited visitors to enter a world populated by robotic ‘Mobile Suits’ – a term widely used in Japanese Manga which refers to large wearable exoskeletons worn by characters on epic adventures. Visitors explored the bridge of a cartoon-like spacecraft which appeared to exist in both outer space and the real world of SE15 at once.
Embedded in the control panels of the shuttle video screens showed humorous and poignant animated stories set against the backdrop of an alternative Peckham. These animations starred the alter-egos of students at Harris Academy, Peckham, inhabiting their own invented Mobile Suits.
David worked with these students during autumn 2012, inspiring them to get inside their own metaphorical Mobile Suits and explore stories of their potential lives. Working with professional Manga artist Inko, a long-time collaborator of David’s, the students created exaggerated self-portraits to star in the tales from this animated world, incorporating visual elements from the Academy, Peckham High Street and the local area.
David said:
“The idea of designing huge Mobile Suits is an attempt to take the young people out of their usual conception of themselves, to build something that represents their self-image through the distorting lens of Japanese Anime. I wanted the participants to think about themselves and their environment, how Peckham is a factor in shaping their lives.
I also thought the Mobile Suit was an interesting metaphor for the way we construct an external identity to shield our vulnerable selves. Being a teenager is a time of flux, trying on different identities to see how they fit. They are often the pilots of Mobile Suits in the Japanese anime that I am referencing, their emotional issues impacting on their adventures, just as street life often impacts on school life. The Mobile Suit Academy is a search for self in sometimes adverse conditions.”
