Work
We’ve been in Cordoba for three weeks now and it still doesn’t seem quite real. I find myself drifting from one magical occurrence to another, a shower of pine needles in an ancient square while sipping on mojitos, then being drawn into an exquisite courtyard and watching an informal flamenco performance by candlelight.
The daytimes are pretty amazing too. At the art college, our daily routine is to arrive at 9.30am to start work. At 11.30 we have a half hour break in a local bar and drink freshly-squeezed-orange-juice and sometimes eat a second breakfast. We then work again from 12 until 2 when our working day is over! Then off to lunch which is cooked for us just a few doors away. This may sound like a rather utopian working life (and in many ways it is because the people can spend time with their children, have siestas and such) but when you’re trying to get something done, it can be a little frustrating.
The art school is very traditional and we’re all learning new skills. This, combined with communication difficulties makes for rather slow progress at times. I wish I could spend more time there but the college closes completely at 3pm each day so we wouldn’t make it back after lunch. We also have random distractions like being sent off to watch a film and not really knowing why. I think it was a treat in connection with book week. At least it probably improved my Spanish a little…
For my project, I decided to make a geodesic dome that you could climb inside, made from ceramics, using bush-craft techniques i.e. entirely held together with string! This is inspired by our sustainability theme, my love of dens, being in the ceramics department, and all the incredible geometry which dominates the aesthetic of the city, ancient and modern. I want this sculpture to look anachronistic, appearing to strangely fit into any time frame.
I initially planned to make the structure from branches but these are apparently impossible to get here at this time of year as all the pruning is done in very early Spring.
I was therefore encouraged to make the wooden structure from ceramics also. I decide after a bit of thought to embrace this idea since it enhances the terrifyingly delicate appearance of the piece. After I had started work on my final ceramic maquette I was told that I couldn’t make the piece from ceramics after all due to the scale I was planning on and budget constraints. I felt terrible about this as I was expecting to pay for my materials anyway having studied art in the British system. I felt embarrassed that I’d inadvertently asked for too much.
When an interpreter from Academia Cordoba came to the art school I managed to negotiate that I would pay for the clay needed for this rather ambitious project and was relieved that this would be fine.
I’m really enjoying making the maquette having manufactured hundreds of little bone looking pieces and hundreds of tiles to be delicately tied into the framework. Whilst my plan was to make a large one to leave here in the grounds of the school, as a gift, I’m now having second thoughts. I know I can make the structure from wood anywhere, and it would be much easier to allocate at home. The ceramic tiles would be much more difficult to make at home without all the wonderful facilities though.
However, having been walking around Cordoba and soaking it in, another idea has come to me which would really make better use of the facilities and the knowledge of my wonderful mentor Valle (pronounced Badgay). I’m going to continue giving it some thought…
