Feeling a little pissed off with myself for not writing my blog until now. I have been working full time in the shop for the past two weeks, which has left me little time to think/make/do my work. We had a meeting last week at the studio to discuss our open studio exhibition, which I really struggled with. I find it difficult to be around lots of artists, feeling tired and a bit down on my own work. To keep my practice going requires a certain energy that I am lacking with doing extra hours in the shop. For the first time in a long time I am questioning carrying on with my work. Does it really matter if one artist stopped their practice? I am feeling inadequate right now, and I feel bad for not having more to show. Most of the artists in the studios make tangible, art objects unlike myself and I cant help but feel like I’m doing something wrong in my practice, although I don’t know any other way of working. The studio for me has been a clean, focused thinking space not for the public to come and have a gawp at me. After my brief freak out I considered showing in other spaces and decided to use the basement currently occupied by a photographer. In the studio it has a large hanging roll of photographic backing paper and floor lights which looks like a mini film set. I was originally going to show one video although after re-visiting the space I think it needs more. My plan is to show three videos of performance documentation and hang up the performance wardrobe from each piece. I like the juxtaposition of the video documentation and clothes hanging in the damp, dark, dead space.
Open Studio, Mirabel Studios
Saturday 9th July 3-8pm & Sunday 10th July 12-5pm
14-20 Mirabel Street, Manchester M3 1PJ
www.mirabelstudios.co.uk
My performance on Saturday at the Bluecoat went well although started a bit fraught. My train was cancelled in the morning meaning that I arrived late for my initial technical set-up. There was a bit of confusion as to how I was going to meet and greet the audience. Although there was a sign up sheet there was no direction or meeting point given which I was a bit disappointed with. However I muddled through this it just made it a bit more stressful for me as I had to wander around the building to find people. In the studio was an open window and a set of lights that I used as stalling devices while the audience waited to enter the main space. For example I instruct the viewer to wait while I shut the window, switched the lights off leaving just them and me in the studio.
Nine people came to see the work and I could really feel people’s responses by how much noise they made even though my back was turned throughout most of the performance. Three of the nine people I knew which threw me a little bit as part of the piece was leading people to believe that I worked at the centre by wearing a bluecoat staff t-shirt. On two occasions individuals wanted to bring a second person with them which I went with and didn’t compromise the experience of the work. It amazed me how quite most of the people were, especially when two people viewed the work. This performance is a third version of the piece Departures that I have adapted to each site. For me this has been my favourite version due to the minimal look of the work and it not being overly ‘performed’, referencing more the performance of the everyday. It was only a year ago when I was adamant not to repeat performances. However I feel while the work feels fresh and relevant to the site/event I am happy to do it.
I have a meeting next week at Mirabel studios in Manchester as we are planning on having an open studio during the Manchester International Festival. I wanted to do a piece off site although my project didn’t get selected for Manchester Art Crawl. The project I proposed is too big for me to realise on my own so I have to re-think what I want to show at the open studio exhibition. My initial thoughts are to show a video montage from my China residency. I have also been thinking about a wall text piece, my own airline called ‘AEROFLOP’ which I intend to add myself at the end as a human logo.
I met with Rachel Goodsall and Tom Smith at the Bluecoat in the LIC studio space. It was nice to see the studio again as I have used it before but remembered it being bigger. As the space is a dance studio you have to take your shoes off before you enter. This worried me a bit as I don’t like space to feel precious which I then think will make the work seem precious which it is not. With the studio looking smaller the idea I had for using bordering lights just didn’t feel right for the piece. However I am able to use the corridor and the lift to lead the audience into the studio. We tested out the video projecting it onto my back, and a napkin surprisingly the image was strong. Although projecting onto my back creates contours in the image which if I don’t hit my marker will look very distorted. This did concern me, as when my back is turned I cannot be sure what the quality of the video will look like.
I have to remind myself that this work is part performance and also showing a video, which has to read well or else the audience will not engage with it. This has got me re-considering how to show the video and I feel if I used a neck scarf I could use it as a screen and have more control over the quality of the image. The work feels different now instead of turning my back on the viewer I am now offering them to see a video. I like this change as previous pieces have been performed intentionally awkward and a little antagonistic towards the audience. It’s funny how you have ideas, which you think are separate projects and then, a change in a piece of work merges ideas together. Instead of the viewer feeling like they are seeing an intense performance I like the idea that I will look like I work at the art centre when I meet and greet the viewer. I want to intervene into the viewer’s preconceptions of when a performance appears to start and assumptions made as to who the performer is.
Poolside Emergency 2, FREE performance/live art event @ The Bluecoat, Liverpool, School Lane L1 3BX:
http://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/9…
Since being back from Finland I am struggling to get back into work. I have to force myself into getting things done whilst juggling paid work and reflecting on what projects to go ahead with. I have lots of ideas however I then get to a point of confusion with which ones to take forward. Time is precious and I get a little anxious about what I can actually fully realise with little money. Most of my projects are small scale but sometimes I worry that I should be working towards something bigger. Living in the age of the spectacle I feel my work may be lost. Although I think this is a reason to carry on and to not give into external pressures. I have started researching the ‘Free Bus’ project that I hope to realise as part of the Manchester Art Crawl.
http://manchesterartcrawl.co.uk/default.asp
I feel this project has got legs and with some support could grow into a larger piece. I have been developing a loose structure to facilitate other people to create a short tour on the bus. From my observations on the bus I can then sub categorize them into actions and statements, which could be used in a script. I have a meeting at the Bluecoat in Liverpool on Saturday to discuss a performance piece called Departures 2, which will feature at Poolside Emergency.
http://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/9…
This week I have been editing the plane video adjusting the speed and scale of the piece. I need to experiment with whether the video reads well on the back of my t-shirt and where the projector/laptop will be placed. Questions I need to consider are: Were to meet the viewer? Can I use other places such as the lift or corridor before entering the studio? What to wear? Minimize or expand performance before viewing video? Were to buy cheap battery operated lights?
Just come back from a wonderful eight day holiday in Finland having mostly pleasure and doing a little bit of work. Mr Smith and myself enjoyed the great architecture of Helsinki and the wilderness of ‘the island’ that consisted of lots of rocks and trees surrounded by the stillness of the sea. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of what is really necessary such as eating, sleeping, walking and keeping warm. Although even in the wilderness I still want to make work. I have had this idea for a while of an image of myself in the pose of a plane that has failed to take off. My friend Anna thought it looked more bird like and in some of the photographs I appear to have been washed up on the rocks. We stayed with my friend Anna Puhakka who is an artist, writer and founder/editor-in-chief of a publication called Hesa Inprint (http://www.hesainprint.com/issues). We visited the gallery that she works in called Gallery Jangva a commercial exhibition space in Helsinki (http://www.jangva.fi/exhibitions.html). I needed to do a short rece of the space and sign contracts for The Evente, which I will perform in August as part of an event at the gallery. On the night there will be an exhibition of an artists work, myself performing The Evente, another performance artist and a band. I needed to check were best to place the stand and how to attach the balloons to the ceiling. I really like the idea of promoting the performance during the day on the streets by walking around the city in costume or having the stand situated in a busy part of town. This event will be part of Helsinki’s night of the arts, which I am really excited to be taking part in. Anna invited me to perform at the event and we also plan to go to her summerhouse in the forest a week before to make some work together. We have been friends since uni and worked together as part of the artist collective BaseNorth. We both make live art although I am seeing the curator starting to emerge in Anna she is one to look out for in the future.
