Social Resource Project for Tennis Clubs, Nottingham (1972 / 2022)

Text by Christabel Stewart

What does it mean to propose a re-modelled game of tennis? Artist Stephen Willats first conceived of this idea in 1972, when he was working at the Nottingham College of Art and Design, and set up the Social Resource Project for Tennis Clubs. Working with four Nottingham tennis clubs using a “question and answer” book, the artist encouraged club members to rethink their ambitions and associations with the game and the club itself. Pioneering in many ways, the artist deliberately engaged with audiences outside “exclusively” art environments, harnessing advertising techniques to improve visibility and responses from the different audience. He also created a series of “Super Girl Posters”, used in conjunction with the booklets, to guide participants. Nine posters were designed, each one depicting an aspect of the clubs’ coding patterns, which were displayed in the local neighbourhoods. A new poster was introduced each week and, like advertisements, were displayed for a month. Each poster consisted of a collage of cues so that project participants could use them to build connections with other posters’ contents, and so develop and formalise their own associations. Willats’ strategy cleverly brought into focus the human desire for social exchange – seen in club etiquette, sporting prowess, rules and conduct – that could bring people together in leisure time. In 2022, the Social Resource Project was revived at Bonington Gallery in Nottingham. One of the most interesting reworkings of the tennis game involved two tables, and placards replacing traditional racquet play. Cards bearing the words for actions that might usually be performed were held up, and audience members responded with boos or cheers. The tennis players or club members were, as in 1972, encouraged to analyse aspects of their social behaviour and how these behaviours might reinforce that belief structures that allow them to think they control or determine their life. Even 50 years on, the project continues to change perceptions and increase understanding of the environment that people too often take for granted. ◉