An eventful week. The big cast has now been transferred to the exhibition space at St Thomas’ Church, Philadelphia, Sheffield. Only a few bits broke. The scaffolding was a nightmare to put up, it just would not sit straight. Eventually, we had to sit it at less than a right angle, but I am not sure that anyone cares about that except me. Perspective on these things can easily be lost.
The projection of coloured light I had planned, (a timelapse of coloured frames starting from blood red, through dawn colours to searing white) did not work. The (old) projector gave every frame a greenish hue, and the rectangle of light looked odd. Scrapped in favour of four coloured LED lights, set to red and orange inside, and a purple for the outside during Holy Week. On Easter morning I will get there early and change the lighting to a blinding white, so the imprint of the body can clearly be seen. I hope the lighting will add to the possibilities for this piece.
Having recently visited the cast room at the V&A, I now plan to spend time drawing and photographing this devotional object, in true old school art student fashion.This practice also links in with the devotional meditation encouraged by the Medieval and Renaissance Old Masters.I will leave a book for others to contribute their thoughts, poems, drawings in.
I have also been sowing grass seed into foot casts, which has not sprouted yet. There is something going on for me around absense of the body combined with growth, change, life. I am also exploring the possibility of projecting images or live reflections of water on body casts, which I think is where my next piece is heading….
