If I hadn’t been an artist….
I have been sorting through my slide collection. I have a small number of slides, beautiful glass ones as well as ones with cardboard surrounds from my grandparents collection. In early retirement they were enthusiastic travellers and in amongst the images are bridges, not so many as to indicate a specific interest but enough to make a small selection. It seems there is perhaps a universal interest in things that bridge.
We appreciate the bridge’s appearance, achievement and construction and if we think further or have a professional interest, the engineering qualities also. I have with my interest in architecture made a needle bridge suggestion. Its an exploration of a process and idea, how things cross over in terms of professions and disciplines. If I hadn’t been an artist I would quite likely have been an architect, but i was put off by the 7 years training as it was then. So I was pleased when I studies my MA a few years back now I explored ideas of conceptual architecture through the vehicle of a white shirt. I was able to explore my interest in structure and space but from a conceptual viewpoint rather than working to a brief. I was not concerned with the engineering of the structures I was proposing then or now with needle bridge – its so obviously under engineered. In terms of cutting edge architects Lebbeus Woods is well worth a look ( http://lebbeuswoods.net/ ).
I hope I’m not over extending the metaphor but see the whole project in this light – the bridge between art and engineering. The language and approaches of the two professions is really engaging and I’m continuing to work on my workpages as a record of this. Am starting to think about the exhibition of the outputs of this project which will be on show from September.
