Breaking Ground

THOUGHTS

Teamwork works.

Working underground makes me feel low.

Keep it simple.

A week is a very short time to make, display, publicise and talk about the work.

I love the big black bird. She is coming to CRATE.

We have to find somewhere to stay in Margate.

For me the Talk About the Work evening allowed me the luxury of instant feedback on the new work I'd made during the week. Some of the work had covered new ground and I was pleased to have one day remaining in the space after the discussion event, during which I was able to go back into my installation and take a new set of photos in the dark, with the benefit of the thoughts and ideas which the discussion event had raised in my mind.

The last few days have been packed with activity, discussion, drawing, photographing, documenting. So many images to look at.

At Drawing In The Dark our visitors drew on the walls and on giant blackboards or tiny postcards. They drew by torchlight and everything looked different for a day. My photographs are full of trails of light.

TUESDAY – TALK ABOUT THE WORK

Last night was the Discussion Event organised this time in conjunction with Claremont Studios' Talk About The Work. We held it downstairs in the Pine Gallery in the dark.

We had wine and Under Ground cake (made with ground almonds and chocolate) and people looked at the work, drew on the blackboards.

Each of us posed some questions and showed a short set of slides.

My title 'Dead or Alive' raised questions about the purpose of my practice – seeking animation, and setting up enlivening experiences, and the sharp surprise of how deadening the experience of working under ground has been. How quickly I had urgent need to spend time over ground in the air and sun like a plant. And raised too the purpose of participation by viewers, sparked by our Drawing in the Dark event and I questioned whether this enhances the experience of looking at art, engages viewers or only entertains.

YESTERDAY

Yes the Open Day for UNDER GROUND and Big Draw event Drawing in the Dark have happened. Plenty of people came tramping down the wooden stairs into the dark. Each collected a torch and looked, examined, drew on the boards or the wall. Batteries had to be changed, drawings blutaked to the wall. We talked to everyone.

At 5pm the torches were turned off. We left everything and closed the door.

Today is a day away from the gallery, to recoup and prepare for the Talk about the Work discussion tomorrow night. Lots of questions are circling in my head; about the work, about people's responses; about participation.