I’ve been preparing my space. It has its wall and projector box – hurray! for UCS technicians and all their support. The box looks rather tall, and although the projection area looks as I imagined, the rest of the space appears to have shrunk. I can’t wait to finish painting so I can practice placing work and make final decisions about what/how to display.
While I was busy filling holes I had a chance to discuss my plans with my tutor Jane Watt and whether back projecting, or suspending the projector so it cast over viewers’ heads might also work well. I have seen only one back projection, at Whitechapel Gallery, onto frosted plastic, which had looked clunky, and dull compared to the luminescence of the voile fabric I’ve discovered. I have tried using tracing paper, but it is just as dulling. I wonder if there is enough length in my space to project from the back at viewers, successfully capture the image on the kind of luminescent surface that I fancy, and also get a comfortable viewing distance. I had thought it was impossible to project a small image from that distance with the equipment we have available, but I will double-check early this week. This is a critical time to play with the space and see what is possible in case there is a better way to show my work than I’ve imagined so far.
I’m worried the projector box is so tall it will be a distraction between viewers and a screen. It is the best height for the projector, but it looks taller than I planned. At least it isn’t too small! Once I’ve painted it white, it may look fine – if not, I shall have to find a way to make it shrink…
Here is the bench I’m thinking of installing to complete my viewer experience. Unlike my box, it is average seat height.
Having said all this, the original ciné films would have been watched around a projector that enriched the activity with its noise, heat, smell and central presence, and added to the experience of the screenings. This is one reason why placing it between the viewers and screen seems natural and consistent.
I’m trying to keep calm and make progress by writing lists of jobs and decisions, but our Degree Show will be the end of six years work for me. I’ve learned so much, and been challenged in so many different ways that it feels like I’ve been climbing some kind of fantastic think-mountain. I won’t miss my exhausting drive to and from Ipswich, and I’m full of plans for the future, but so many lovely people, and all those delicious ideas…! A friend described finishing this course a couple of years ago as ‘like falling off a cliff’ – and I’ve got a nasty feeling my mountain might be a cliff too.
