There has been a lot going on.
A common fantasy I have is that once all distractions are out of the way, I’ll finally get to have some precious time in the studio and will be able to focus solely on making art. In reality, of course, life’s not like that and the art gets thought about and made along the way, hand in hand with living.
I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by what life throws at me and just how many things there are to think about. I find it useful to separate and compartmentalise the various aspects and writing here, on this blog, as I’ve said many times before, helps me separate and park a lot of the thoughts and feelings. It often clears the way for a period of calm and focus and is another example of the benefits and the reflective quality of blog writing – how useful it is to have this space to contain so many of the thoughts buzzing around my brain.
Containment and being contained has been at the forefront of my thoughts recently, largely triggered by the recent studio move, which meant seeing my work en masse for the first time in ages. I was struck by the number of cages I’d used and how big a part themes around restriction and restraint play in the work I have produced so far.
Attending a symposium at the APT Gallery in Deptford last Thursday evening reminded me of this all over again. The discussion was based around many of the works on display in the exhibition, Both Ends of Madness. The show, curated by Angus Pryor, looks at the effect of well being on contemporary visual arts practice and the symposium gave the audience insight into the lives of some of the exhibiting artists. Conversations moved quickly, but my familiarity with the work of psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion and particularly his work around the theme of containment, meant that I was inspired and came away with much food for thought.
Thoughts around containment crop up a lot in my work, and specifically in relation to the many ready made objects with which I work – how much the actual objects themselves contain, through acting as receptacles of collective emotions – specifically those rescued from my Nana’s house, in terms of the stories and narratives associated with and attached to them.
There are many other important issues I feel I would like to write in terms of what’s been going on since I last posted here, but for now, at the start of a new working week, my main aim is to locate the objects I need in order to create my next body of work. I’m extremely grateful for the professional development bursary received from a-n which will allow me to take a completely new path in my practice, to have the freedom to experiment and not least, the financial support to pay an expert to help me realise my plan.
More on that soon, as things progress …
