For this new body of work Linington has attempted to perform physical activities that can be measured; by such things as the number of clothes he can wear at one time, the volume of sound made by shutting all the windows and doors in his house at once, the length of time he can hold a smile, or how closely he can walk the course of each letter of his name as it has been written across a map.
What is at first simply an attempt soon becomes a measure of endurance or a realisation of not being able. Linington eventually has to make the decision to stop, and therefore fail to realise his intention. It is the moment of failure that marks the point where the activity becomes the work.
In Holding a smile for as long as I am able, for example, the artist has a thought that will make him smile, he then tries to hold that expression for as long as possible. After a few minutes the muscles around the mouth and both cheeks begin to tire and spasm, giving his face an unpleasant and distorted appearance. It becomes too painful to hold the expression and he makes the decision to stop and let his face rest.
Holding A Smile For As Long As I am Able, Video still, 2010
Putting on all my black clothes, Video still, 2010
A Whisper Down The Lane, 2010
Rolling my body weight in clay from the studio to the exhibition space, 2010