I enjoyed the rest of my time in London, finishing up on friday lunchtime at a group crit with fellow artists with Harriet Hill and Hannah Westwood. I discussed my project and experiences in China, against the noisy friday traffic outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall, as both the RFH and QEH were occupied with Vintage Fair events. We also discussed our upcoming exhibition at Hatch, MULTIPLE OCCUPANCY in October, which we need to get going on. I have recorded all my talks and crits when in London, so I will forward you to the online versions when I am happy with the editing
I also managed to catch the Pablo Bronstein exhibition at the ICA, which was well worth the trip across town with my filming gear.
This weekend, I have been gathering all documentation for my project, editing them, and finishing off my activity report for the Arts Council. Here are some excerpts from the written report;
My project ‘Redirection and Network Timeout’ at the 501 Artspace, Chongqing, China, was very successful in relation to achieving the initial projected research and studio based outcomes. I also undertook extensive opportunities to network and learn about the current Fine Art environment in China.
I followed my research plan, beginning in the first week by documenting (in visual and written form) the local urban architecture, site visits to historical architectural Ming Dynasty layout towns, and holding discussions regarding digital occupation and censorship. The interviews relating to government control on-line were sensitive and challenging due to subject matter, and also due to translation and communication constraints. I documented research in progress through written log, photography, drawings and a daily blog on a-n ‘Artists Talking’, which was the most visited blog of June 2011 in their monthly top ten. I received feedback through comments on this blog, and also other feedback that was sent by email directly to me.
I met with local Chongqing artists and curators on a daily basis through studio visits, learning of their practice and the conditions of working as an artist in China. I also documented many of their practices on my blog. I intend to create a multi user blog to sustain these relationships, where previous artists from the residency programme and local artists in Chongqing can exchange research, ideas and new work on-line.
I also visited the Degree show of the Sichuan Fine Art Institute, where I discussed delivery of Visual Art Higher Education in the UK and in China with members of the Fine Art department and graduate students.
In Week 2 and 3, I developed my drawings into a series of 3 Wood block prints, which I printed using the facilities at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute. I further developed these prints with drawing, paint and three dimensional cardboard relief. I also created a series of 3 pencil drawings on architectural paper which explored navigation through digital and physical spaces in the local environment. I additionally constructed a large map drawing, ‘Old Habits Die Hard’, which outlines the separate social networking sites in the UK and China.
I created a series of 3 external spray paint installations around various routes in the Huang Jue Ping area where my studio was located. I also constructed a spray-paint installation in the entrance hall of the 102 studios where I worked. I finally made a large installation using paint, pen and foam board, entitled, ‘Attempts to enter theForbidden City’ situated in the 501 Other Space, where I exhibited the final works. The final exhibition, ‘Redirection and Network Timeout’, was held at the 501 Other Space, 102 Art Loft, Huang Jue Ping Street, Chongqing, China, which opened on the 28th June 2011 until the 9th July 2011. I exhibited 4 drawings, 3 Woodblock Prints, 1 large wall installation, and four photographs of the external site installations. I gave an Artists Talk about the research residency at the Opening on the 28th July 2011, which was translated into Mandarin by YanYan the Gallery Director, and Jenn Be, his assistant.
