I felt totally unprepared for this session. I had many questions about my practice and where I may wish to take it.
Are the 3D prints working?
Have I moved too far away from language?
Do I need to review my Area Of Interest and Question?
How can I start making more work that I enjoy?
This feeling of being creatively lost and unsure of how to progress wasn't helped when I could see for this session the majority of my peers had clear ideas of where they wanted to take their work and not only that, many of them also had an idea of how to show the work in an exhibition... I wanted to question and understand each person's work and their intentions.
A few studies of the existing 3D print outs. The red object was aborted after over 50 hours of printing and had only extruded 20% of the object.
First up we have discussed how this student was developing his ideas of matter transformation, which I really like the concept of. They also have a similar graphic design artistic background to me I also appreciated the way he portrays his ideas visually. As an extension to his current thinking he had been looking at how a moment in time and an image of that moment, could be frozen while the world moves on around it. Ideas presented were of poster sites that visually replicated what you could see as if you could see through the poster. I commented on how it was a capture of approximately 1/125th of a second, while everything around carries on ad infinitum, which links in with some of his other thinking of how objects could become other objects over a millennium. Nothing stays the same and nothing can ever be completely destroyed, it just turns into another form. I questioned the idea of taking an image of a window and freezing that image in time, thinking it would be better if that image was placed where the window is.
Next was a student who has a clear ideas of what they want to explore and is looking at the market space of Great Yarmouth. They want to reflect the changes and make a comparison from when it was a 'true' market to the gentrified version it is now. They referenced the work of Hannah Höch, although this was a visual reference and a style point, rather than having a reason behind the imagery. The questions of DADA and how that was considered a hope for the future after the carnage of the Great War give such a substance to the work of the time. It couldn't be said of a photomontage that is looking to document historical changes. I was finding it increasingly frustrating at how the aesthetic was becoming the reason to develop a piece of work and not the concept behind it. I wanted to question people's thinking and approaches.
Then came a student who has a clear area to investigate with their Traumatic Brain Injury suffered as a child. They previously used Psychogeography to explore their issues with memories and directions. They want to continue to use their research as practice, looking to see if there is a way they can develop this into a career, post MA. They want to bring a new angle to the research by being a researcher as well as a sufferer, although it was discussed that any research into TBIs will involve those that have suffered an injury. I suggested they made contact with one of my former tutors Dr. Karl Foster, who as a practising artist has suffered from a brain injury following a fall. Although he may not still lecture at the university I know he is still part of a collective with his wife called 'Sorhed' (https://www.sorhed.com/), the details of which I have passed on to Jo. This is a very personal investigation into their issues and I wonder if there is more that could be developed, ways to record their thinking, movement, tracking their walks, especially when they often involve wrong turns. Strava would be ideal for this or Google Maps. It is something I have considered for future work myself, using the tracking of the walks I do to create loops, patterns and links. I walk a lot, averaging 7 miles a day or more. This I use to think, it is my space, my time, I am not distracted by any work issues, I am away from the office and emails.
The next student brought in a set of images of plantlife using an infra-red camera. The idea being that by using the infra-red it would show elements of the subject matter in a way we can't normally see them with our eyes. I questioned whether the images, that were printed on photographic paper, seen through our eyes, which can't see infra-red, do they still show what has been picked up by the camera. I also questioned how some of the images related to issues of the environment. Others seemed to be looking at the images from a purely aesthetic point of view, which is fine, but I wanted to understand how they depicted the subject. I also mentioned about how some of the insects, parasites and diseases show in microscopic detail or filtered can look beautiful even though they are actually destroying the plant or flower, which would normally be considered the thing of beauty. I wanted to separate the aesthetic from the depiction of the issue.
This student has been questioning the idea of transparency and opaqueness in people and in particular well known people. It was discussed how her interpretations, were particular to them and that offering others the opportunity to decide what they thought could be the work. It is very difficult to ascertain how truthful anyone is. I had a question I was looking to explore earlier in my MA that was 'How true are we?' I wanted to look at how much we hold back, how much we give out and how controlling we may be with truth, even to those closest to us. I was also looking at the idea of how language can be used to misinterpret meaning and also understanding. It becomes almost impossible to get the absolute truth. They wanted to focus on the eyes of the selected people and how different eyes could determine how honest, or not, someone might be. This interested me as I was starting to think about how you could swap eyes around and how that can completely change the way someone can be visually perceived. We use our eyes to look at another's eyes to try and read into that person. The eyes are seen as the gateway to the soul but there are a lot of filters on the way and indeed barriers.
Next came a student who discussed how they had taken a 'slight swerve' from using thread as their means of exploring. This has been quite prolific and a vast amount of work has been created exploring in a variety of different ways. They have been looking at their son's room as he left it departing to uni. Having experienced myself this twice with both of our children leaving for university I can totally understand how they are feeling. The feeling of loss, almost bereavement when one of your children flies the nest. With this student there is also more to unpack because of the state of the actual room as it was actually left, including damp towels from the morning's shower, empty takeaway boxes and clothes strewn everywhere. I made notes when the student was discussing what they had been doing, which was taking prints of items, physical and de-bossed impressions. They had also wrapped and encased things found in the room - an odd sock, a broken computer mouse. I made notes about shedding skins, cocooning, absence, swaddling, mothering, preserving... I mentioned these observations and you could clearly see that it really resonated with them. They knew it was all about this but hadn't said as much, almost keeping it within as if to let it out was let things go. It was a very emotional moment and difficult as I thought I may have upset the student but it wasn't that, it was that the work had clearly signified all these emotions. Super work, very personal and rich vein to mine.
Next up was a student who is very prolific and creates a lot of different outcomes, someone who can see ideas in virtually everything they interact with. They have used projections before and are looking to develop this method with their current explorations, even creating the frames from found items or tubular metal fencing and the screen from dried and stretched PVA, although the frame is not there to constrict, with the image flooding beyond the perceived screen area, not just through it but around the edges. Sometimes I find it hard to pin down what this artist is exploring and then I see that is part of the joy, it is constantly flowing, changing and morphing from one thing to another. They have a very visual language and almost speak in images. It will be intriguing to see how this work develops, especially as they always seem to go against the grain and constantly throw you off the scent.
The last student before me is exploring the idea of ornamentation and disruption, how it has been used but also how they can use it within their work and questioning the use as well as the level and in many pieces of work the ornamentation is the work, not something that has been adorned. They discussed the thinking of Adolf Loo and Neitzsche's condemnation of a decorative culture, which included the use of tattoos and how particularly Loo believed these to be for 'criminals and lowlife'. With this artist much of the work is about patterns and decoration across 2D and 3D work, it is repeated, deformed, developed as well as disrupted. They have a religious upbringing and this comes into play with the work looking at the very decorative Catholic iconographic pieces, as well as how religion brings power and authority. Lots to unpack and another prolific artist who creates a lot of work in many different forms and mediums.
Then it came to my turn. I had very little to show, I had no idea what I wanted to do, no idea where I was going and not necessarily enjoying the course, finding it oppressive and a block to creating any work. I wasn't sure if the area I had been exploring was the right one and whether I should continue. Elements of it where producing some unknown outcomes and potential ideas to develop but I was also hitting technical dead ends when things wouldn't 3D print, or couldn't be 3D printed because of the issues of how complicated some of my objects were and the time they were taking to output. I like to make things, I like to play but I am struggling to find reasons to play, feeling constricted by my own questions and parameters. I was pointed towards Desmond Brett's lecture about his struggles with his Doctorate and how he felt that he was trying to create something they wanted and not necessarily something he wanted to do. Maybe that's where I am? A lot of my work is about control, control I like to lose but in doing so I restrict myself, I need to release the restrictions, have more fun and bring more joy to my work. I am always thinking of ideas and developing them but too many times this is in my head and not actually physically doing them as I don't see how they fit within my own remit. Perhaps it's time to create first and reflect later as things progress.
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