Duffy was questioning both the established art ethos as a whole, what he saw as "the banality of much of the 'Modern Art' being produced at that time" and the radical issues concerning Live Art within our perceptions of the gallery space. He was already incubating the beginnings of ideas concerning 'visual dialogue' and the promotion of 'live art' in galleries which included the practical involvement of the audience and other artists in the creative process.  His student work was innovative and at times was discomforting to both his tutors and other students. Armed with his 'tool box', a small brown suitcase, containing string, tape, staple gun, chalk etc., he would create on the spot 'installations', both in the college and the surrounding urban environment, using only 'found materials' - the general detritus of human life.

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