The studio is proving very useful as a meeting space. I lent 2 small easels to Lion Aid today for a sale they are organising to raise funds.
The dog is a bit better so I felt ok about leaving him while I did some work.
Haven’t been in the studio for a while apart from the odd meeting for 2 main reasons. First I’ve been working on my first short film and have been doing that at a production studio in Dover and second my dog has been very ill and I’ve had to stay with him and watch for worsening symptoms of tetanus. Hopefully he is now on the mend.
Finally discovered that the studio is 17×14 metres, which is a good size. Joanna and I were interviewed by the local press in there today and the question of the size came up, which we couldn’t actually answer without measuring!
The first weekly booking has been made by a photographer for a shoot – very exciting. Everything is going in the right direction.
Clare Smith's mixed English/Chinese heritage informs her perspective on issues of identity and categorisation. Her nomadic childhood and early adulthood have meant a somewhat ambivalent relationship to place, reinforced by the sense of ambiguity that comes from her mixed identity. Smith works with drawing, print media, collage and moving image to investigate this ambivalence, with references to craft, the importance of labour and the handmade. Through her choice of materials and approaches, she creates work which attempts to create a sense of unity, an interpretation of Homi Bhabha's "Third Space" - seen as a space in which different parts can come together to challenge dominant ideas of wholeness. Collaboration is part of Smith’s practice and she is also co-founder of Dover Arts Development (DAD) together with painter, Joanna Jones. This involves working with many different artists, curation, organisation, event management, creating networks across East Kent and influencing the public realm in Dover. Clare works from a studio in Dover. She has an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins and has exhibited nationally and internationally.
