Do Better
Trigger Warning: This artwork deals with racism. Please take care of yourself and others when considering this material.
As part of Black History Month, this October we revisit Suzanne Williams’s campus installation, Do Better (2020). We have created an online gallery of images related to the artwork and invite you on a self-guided walk to see the installation.
Suzanne Williams's Do Better (2020) was commissioned as part of the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail in Scotland and curated by Wezi Mhuru. The outdoor installation is located on Stirling University campus by the entrance to the Atrium as you cross the bridge over the Loch.
Do Better self-guided walk
1. Start at the Pathfoot Building. Walk from here towards the loch. Cross over the road at the crossing and continue along the path with the loch on your right until you reach the footbridge.
Possible Questions:
- This is a text-based artwork - what does the phrase, 'Do Better' mean to you? Why might language be an important component in this work? Does the language used in the installation make you think about any other artworks (they could be visual, audiovisual or text-based)?
- How does being on campus make you feel? Have you noticed the art on campus?
2. Pause for a long view of the installation at the beginning of ramped access to the footbridge.
Possible Questions:
- How does Suzanne Williams play with perspective in the artwork? What do you see from here?
- Consider the form of the installation: what might be the significance of the colours chosen? What do the abstracted figures remind you of from this distance?
3. Now walk across the footbridge towards the entrance of the Atrium to view the installation in closer detail. You can walk on the grass so feel free to look at the installation from as many angles as you like.
Possible Questions:
- Think again about how the artwork plays with perspective, colour and form. What do you see from here? What might be the significance of Suzanne Williams’s use of colour and cutouts? What materials has Suzanne Williams used and what significance do these materials have for you? What do the abstracted figures remind you of now?
- The installation is part of a wider Black Lives Matter Mural Trail across Scotland, and part of a wider global movement. Reflect on these statements from Suzanne Williams's website:
“My piece is about focusing on black men and women who have been overlooked.”
"As soon as the idea of being part of a larger collaborative effort to speak to the racial injustices of the world, in her mind, Suzanne saw a line of people, different sizes, different colours and different issues. She knew her piece would need to not focus on BAME people themselves individually but rather the society in which they live and have continuously been let down in."
Thank you for taking the time to join the Do Better self-guided walk.
Context
If you'd like to learn more about the artwork and Suzanne Williams, please have a look at the following links:
- Learn more about the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail, curated by Wezi Mhuru. Do Better was one stage of the trail with artwork temporarily installed throughout Scotland during lockdown in 2020.
- Learn more about the artwork from the Stirling Art Collection curation team.
Do Better gallery
You can click to enlarge the images and scroll through the full gallery.