Update: 08/06/22: Although I was proud of my work for Interim at the time, looking back now that I have installed in my space for degree show, I can see how far I have progressed. I can also see how much more professional and impactful having a larger number of drawings, in addition to a more considered installation, with different a wall colour and more considered and accurate layout makes the work. Looking back, there is so much more I could have done for Interim, and that I am really glad that I have made the effort to do for the Degree Show.
The above image is of the two illustrations I exhibited in Interim. Although it may not be obvious from the outset, I didn’t exhibit the drawings themselves here, rather I exhibited digital prints of them instead. Doing this allowed me to make sure that the originals (as they form part of an ongoing collection/series) remained unspoiled by the viewers – as I displayed them mounted directly to the boards, without any form of protection.
However, displaying the prints created their own issues – the first one being that I had to carefully edit each image in order to make sure that it portrays the work in the most accurate and clear way possible – I didn’t want the meaning and message of the work to be lost in the digital reproduction. This involved editing, trial printing, re-editing and trial printing the works before being happy enough with the outcome, as the works did alter in looks when they were put through the printer. After achieving a print which was as close to the original as I was able to accomplish, I was then faced with the new challenge of the works themselves being curved. As the printer used one large roll of paper to print from, the prints naturally curved, which meant that the method of hanging that I wanted to use originally (tape and nails, in order to further evoke the idea of the archive) was unusable, due to the fact that the prints reverted back to their curved state, ripping through the tape which held them to the board. I therefore had to quickly change tactics, and instead use command strips, which were strong and secure enough to hold the prints flat against the wall. This was undoubtedly effective and the right move to make for this exhibition where I used the digital prints, but for the degree show, I know that I would much rather use the tape and pins method, as it does evoke the idea of the archive, as well as creating a bit more of an edge to the method of display – almost like framing them.
Having reflected on the exhibition, it appears that there is much that I wasn’t happy with, and that I will change for the Degree Show. Although this might be the case, I am none-the-less proud of what I achieved in this exhibition – I believe it had the power and impact that I wanted it to have, as well as being an achievement for me – to have my work up in such a public place, to be admired and thought about by the general public.
