This week has been quite exciting as we have been able to move into our spaces that we have been assigned for our degree show. Packing everything up and making decisions about what is needed and what is not, cleaning, lifting and moving. It is physically demanding and as everyone was doing it at the same time, it felt a bit manic. However, once the moving was finished and the fuss died down a little, it was time to look at the space and plan for the next two weeks.
Two weeks is an extremely long time to set up a show, so there is also plenty of time to finish up other jobs long the way. Setting up a working table in the new space and continuing to work on other things seemed like the best thing to do before beginning installing.
I find you become accustomed to doing most things for yourself, as is the nature of higher education – you are in charge of your own learning and development. Also in life after college, there will not be the support network that is usually readily available, so it seems right to be able to solve problems and work things out yourself. That being said, accepting help is a good thing. Just in the past few days the assistance offered from tutors and fellow students (especially from the lower year) has been great – its an exciting time for them too, and I suppose being able to be involved doing stuff is fun. I think its a case of remembering the show is not just about us final year students as individuals but the whole thing as a bigger picture, with all that comes with that.
Working through my to do list and enjoying the last days in my current studio. Next week work begins to clear out the spaces where our final shows will take place. The college is quiet, you can walk through the corridors without seeing anyone, which gives the place a different feel to before, as all the other undergraduate students have moved out in preparation for the final show.
I am fairly happy with how things are progressing in terms of planning and preparing for the final show. I feel that once I am in the space, things will become even clearer as it will be easier to imagine how things will work.
I have also been deciding on things like documentation of work, drawn research and how I want these things presented at the final review. I enjoy these parts as when you have a clear body of work, it is so satisfying to see it come together in a tangible way and as a complete project.
It has been a good week as I also received notification that I have been short-listed for a national prize that I applied for in January. It is really satisfying to have my work validated in this way, and the bonus of having an exhibition soon after graduation is a great challenge.
After a week away, the real countdown has begun. With just under 4 weeks left until the end of this project, I did what usually works best in these circumstances: make a to do list.(!)
Really, it the best way to time manage and prioritise which works for me. As much as with any large project, there will always be the feeling that you could have done more, but at least if you are organised, the things that really need to be done will get done.
Alongside planning for how the show will look, I have been spending time on documentation, editing and preparation of this for final hand-in. This side is a large part of the final grade on my course. It is good professional practice to do this stuff anyway, but can be quite time consuming.
With just 5 weeks until our final show, I am beginning to plan with some degree of certainty the installation that I´ll complete.
I don´t like planning things too exactly but by exploring a number of solutions, I feel I´ll know the space very well and what may or may not work visually when I get to the point of actually creating it.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of things I can do to prepare, work that really must be done in advance. I am making a series of “props” that may or may not feature in the final installation. The objects are placed in the installation and become a part of it and can be changed around and different combinations can be trialled before deciding on the final composition. So I need to have a number of possibilities that I will work with.
Through this, an exploration of materials continues – I just tried some cut-out vinyl to stick to the floor. This offers a number of possibilities, which are so different from a painted surface.
On the academic side, completing contributions for our catalogue, press statements and the continuation of documenting work for final presentation. Although this side of the work can be time consuming and sometimes separate, I think it provides a good balance to spend time reviewing work and its presentation. If it is viewed as part of the process, it becomes a necessary and important part.
