The trouble with some people is…
Do you know..It never ceases to amaze me when people confront you with the question, “Why are you doing a degree at your age?”. I’m not offended by the question, it’s more of a shock and a realisation of some Peoples attitude to education, some ask “what’s the point?” or “What will you do with it?”. I am sure it’s partly because my area of interest is in the arts and we all know how de-valued the arts are in some quarters, when I try to explain to the people who question my motive I tell them it isn’t about getting a certificate or a rubber stamp, to me that’s a by-product ,it really is all about the experience, the engagement with your subject, the gaining of “knowledge” and the growth you experience as a person, how its a completely enriching environment to be in, these are the reasons for “doing it!”. I am then usually greeted with either a vague nod of the head or a sympathetic smile! Ahh well!
Enough venting, on to more important matters!
Let me introduce you to my own space in the studio…a little sparse at the moment, but, it’s all mine!
So, this week, after a faltering start, turned out to be pretty good. My tutorial on Practice work with Peter on Wednesday went well, our learning agreements will remain open to change and re-negotiation as the semester progresses, which seems to make sence as that’s what surely its about, as long as we log and record reasons for changes in direction. I am predicting my own work will develop and change as influences of other artists practise is bound to make me shift slightly to ultimately result in a better, more rounded conclusion to my project. I need, need, need to get over to the Liverpool Biennial in the next couple of weeks, there’s such a wealth of material there I can’t afford to miss it. An artist Peter highlighted to me was “Roni Horn”, I have since found her work on the internet and yes, I found her work very relative to my own practice especially the work titled “Are you the Weather”, a series of portraits of her niece taken over a two month period…
“The viewer’s relationship to the portrait is very erotic because there is eye contact and ambiguity, and in my mind the ambiguity is very much about the viewer—about what the viewer wants from the subject.” ( Roni Horn)
Related Articles‘Roni Horn: White Dickinson’ (search.japantimes.co.jp)
