Whereas my last studio was too cold and poorly insulated, my new space is too hot due to lack of ventilation!
Having come in early in the morning the space was unbelievably humid and totally non-conducive to art making. Not to be deterred, I decided to move my materials outside and work there instead – an interesting proposition in light of previous discussions which site the importance of the studio as a containing space.
Relative to last week, my studio session today felt sluggish. The scope of my activities was limited to shredding, gluing and winding paper into reels as part of a series sculptural forms that are inspired by Bion’s theory of containment. It’s a production process that I’ve become well-versed in even though it feels somewhat repetitive and unvaried. I started to wonder why am I doing this?
Subsequently in watching What Do Artists Do All Day? and hearing Cornelia Parker’s own rationale for being an artist; and the contentious relationship between work and play, I started to consider my own approach to art making. Hence should the business of making art always be fun or; does being an artist, imply that fun and intuitiveness are always tempered by other external factors (e.g. material costs, time restraints/ deadlines, the availability of equipment, other commercial pressures….etc)?
‘My theory about why I’m an artist and why I do what I do is play was a guilty pleasure and so I think I’ve chosen a career where play is ok although it’s hard work. It’s as if work and play are very conflated in my work’
What Do Artists Do All Day? (BBC iPlayer, 2013)
…. The relationship between work and play within the context of art practice is definitely worth revisiting. Moreover why might notions of play be pertinent to art therapy as well?
Related links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b02tg2z2/What_Do_Artists_Do_All_Day_Cornelia_Parker/
After a momentary interval I find myself in an altogether different studio space in Elephant and Castle, London. Having arrived early on a Monday morning I struggle to negotiate my new set of keys and the myriad of padlocks, doors and shutters before eventually entering into the building. The space itself is quite basic – a box room complete with carpets and a strip light for illumination. The windows have been boarded up but one of the other artists has fashioned a small shutter allowing for the option of natural light. Having met with some of the artists based there I feel this could be the potential for striking up friendships and peer-mentoring although I feel this will largely be dependant on me and how often I can get into London both during the week and on a weekend. Subsequently knowing that I’ll only be here for a few months; and having been at Gallery@49 for 6 months, my thoughts turn to finding somewhere more permanent. At this time the floor of my studio space is peppered with half-opened boxes which can be packed away and moved at moments notice. Although I’d love to be able to put roots down somewhere and have a permanent space where I could repaint the walls and bring in my own furniture. Feeling slightly nomadic at the moment and thinking about September when I’ll have to contend with the thought of moving elsewhere (again). I’ve also been struck by innate ability; particularly as an artist, to accumulate stuff and would be interested to know how other artists have circumnavigated the tricky business of storage.
Limbo
Having been on hiatus for a while I thought it was good time to revisit the blog and take stock of where I am. It is probably a little overwhelming to unpack everything I’ve been up to in the interim although I will try to provide a brief overview of my activities with the view of unpacking some of these experiences in greater detail once I’m back in blogger mode.
Incidentally the title, Limbo refers to the sense of transition I’m in on a number of fronts. Firstly I have completed the first year of my MA and enjoying the benefits of not having to drive to University at 6:45 on a Monday morning. However whilst the course is finished I’m continuing to do my placement; a scenario that has left me feeling strange…. Up until recently being on placements served a very specific purpose, it formed the basis of my clinical placement report. However now this work is completed; and the course has ended, it feels slightly peculiar to be continuing on.
Limbo also reflects the way in which I have taken a break from personal therapy with G during the summer with the view of restarting in October (coinciding with the start of the course). If I’m honest, the personal therapy has been my favorite part of doing the course. Although it sounds a little cliché, I’ve grown as a person and a major catalyst for this has been my weekly interactions with G who has been a listening ear and a mentor. Evidently I was worried that not being able to meet with him might leave me feeling a little bit strung out in the wilderness. Since we parted company at the end of May I’ve ended up making all sorts of dramatic life decisions, many of which will be unbeknown to him when we reconvene after the summer. I’m actively earmarking things to talk to him about when we next meet in 4 months time.
Limbo also refers to the ways in which I find myself moving between studio spaces at the moment. Having had to relinquish the space I’d had with Gallery@49, I now myself moving into a very different space with Hotelelephant in London. The result of which has left with loads of boxes that I’m warehousing in my bedroom until the eventual move. It seems quite bold to base my studio in London when I still reside in Bracknell though I hope the move will provide the sort of camaraderie and peer mentorship that I’m so sorely in need of.
Exciting times!
It’s been nearly a full month since my last month, due in part to essay deadlines and being in the throws of writing my clinical placement report. Nonetheless the blog has never been far from my mind.
Retrospectively it’s been a great vehicle for interacting with other practicing artists and those working within the field of art psychotherapy. It’s been particularly useful in terms of fleshing out my understanding of what art psychotherapy is. Adversely in working with adults with learning disabilities, Mair Rees suggests that in spite of training and education initiatives there is still this misconception that art therapy is for relaxation, for amusement or for people who are good at drawing (2004:16). Furthermore how can its affects be proven or evidenced?
Subsequently in reading around these issues I’ve picked up a really interesting book called Materials & Media in Art Therapy: Critical Understanding of Diverse Artistic Vocabularies. Although I haven’t read the book in its entirety, the little I have read has been massively encouraging to me as a trainee. I’m particularly interested in one of the chapters concerning the use of Art Therapy media in the digital age.
As a disclaimer of things to come there have also been major developments in terms of my studio space (though not the good kind). In June next month I will be looking to move out of my studio at Gallery@49 as the buildings being knocked down as part of massive redevelopment plan in Bracknell Town Centre. As previously mentioned the studio became a bit of necessity given the cramped working conditions at home. It was also hoped that this space would assume the function of a ‘container’ for all of my thoughts and ideas related to art making related to being an artist and a having a creative practice divorced from other facets of my day-to-day life.
Evidently the thought of moving all of this ‘stuff’ back into my bedroom doesn’t inspire although maybe it will provide me with the impetus to find another studio space elsewhere.
References
Rees, M., (1998), Drawing on Difference: Art Therapy with People who have Learning Difficulties, Sussex: Routledge
Useful Links
Hyland Moon, C., (2010), Materials & Media in Art Therapy: Critical Understanding of Diverse Artistic Vocabularies, Sussex: Routledge
I’ve recently been reading Art Psychotherapy Groups where Sally Skaife and Val Huet cite Bion’s concept of ‘containment’ (1962) in which the group is a container both during the verbal and the art-making process. They go onto describe the art work as providing three phases of containment: projection, digestion and re-introjection. ‘Material is projected and represented in the image. It is then digested within the process of art making and during the group discussion’ (1998:6).
One of the things I’m increasingly thinking about is the function of the container to detoxify thoughts and feelings that are harmful or painful. I have been listening to a podcast about the paintings of Frank Bowling. It’s made me think about the viscosity of paint as an art material and something that I increasingly wanted to experiment with in studio practice. One idea has been to make casts of bowls using different colours of acrylic paint which are poured or ‘swirled’ around the bowl. Having tried this out during studio time, I’ve started to think about containment in terms of digestion/ digestive processes and stomach acid. It’s made me think a lot about bodily functions or bodily fluids. I’m imagining the bowels or the stomach churning though anatomically what does this look like? What colour is stomach acid? The colours are important.
I’ve also started to think about the work I’ve made regarding self-contaiment. Perhaps this sense of being trapped (that is synonimous with the imagery) relays my own experience to being left exposed/ open within the therapy setting.
References:
Skaife, S. & V, Huet, (1998), Art Psychotherapy Groups: Between Pictures and Words, Sussex: Routledge
Tate, (2012), Artist’s Talk: Frank Bowling, Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/talks-and-lectures/artists-talk-frank-bowling, (accessed: 01/12/2012)
