A major thought had been running around my mind about the way to show my work ‘Insomnius’ so i decided the best way to evaluate the situation was to set out the sheep in every possible orientation, look/view, and then reflect upon… i would instinctively know which felt right..which conveyed the message/feeling behind the origination of the piece.
This, a message/feeling, a message related to emotion, physicality, and ‘time’, how best could it be translated to the viewer, who sees it and yet knows (maybe) little of the originator.
So, several hours later, after setting the sheep in a stand-by area and then placing them out like this… putting them back in holding area…. placing them out like that… putting them back in holding area… putting them out like so…putting them back in holding area…placing them out just like that… I knew which way worked and held the feeling/passed the message of what the piece was speaking about… Instinctually it felt ‘right’
Orientation of sheep decided…. and i am happy
Now i can move onwards to the next and dual choice, what would ‘the black sheep’ do, so i will set them out next, and let instinct/related thought guide me .
To be continued….
Wow what a day … The ‘ Insomnius’ series has continued at full speed, this is good and what i had planned is working ..i am happy with this.
Also, i had the option of displaying one of my photographic works as well as my installation ‘Insomnius’ ; which originally i was quite keen on ,then i viewed the only option of a display space and although not ideal, was prepared to make use of it.. but this, i decided later was down to enthusiasm, and upon having had a good think about it, was not good enough.. i.e. outside the doors of our degree show area (=no link to the degree show), compromised viewpoint,the space was intruded upon by a very large industrial box / housing (=distraction from the subject of the work and also confusing to the eye ) this option would not show the work off well or to its best advantage.. Decision done.. i have decided it is not a good idea to display, just for the sake of having it as an option. I also gained feedback on the idea which agreed, so,its a good decision made…
I have continued on with the ‘Insomnius’ series, having weighed and considered the concept . I used molten vinyl to create a ‘mother’ mould from which i could cast more sheep in one go…. it is so interesting learning all the time about the result of your actions/decisissions. The original plan changed dramatically when the box for casting the mould performed differently to what we had expected, i placed the ‘founding’ cast sheep in the box and did a pour of vinyl, all good and it fully submerged the sheep, very exciting.. then due to leakage caused by the extremes of heat, it contained half the original height of solid vinyl ( surrounding the bases of the sheep ) yet still coating the sheeps heads and necks and tops of backs. This action at the time, i thought a mould disappointment , was actually beneficial to the removal of the sheep, which because of the heads projecting into the mould i.e. creating a bend/offshoot from the easily removable basic shape makes it more difficult to remove. So therefore it became helpful. What might seem to be an unfortunate event may in fact be the first steps on a slightly different journey….
So, onwards it is……..
It seems to be such a short time that we are here… at uni ……..or maybe in any/another phase of life that can be documented ( anything is possible ) … that sometimes you cannot see it…. Time here as far as things are going is running out… we are all frantically running about getting ready for our degree show which i am sure is going to be great..! The ‘ Insomnius ‘ series which i have been developing is underway again and i feel good because governing factors have been changing and challenging my work. I am driven to positivity and to complete a work which didnt need an ending… There is not a need for an ending to a work sometimes, but also along the way you can see a reason for it to continue.
Anya Gallaccio is a british installation artist whose work i identify with and enjoy.. a core aspect of her work is change and transformation . Both the ephemerality and site specificity make it difficult to document. Gallaccio is careful to discard the material related to an installation once it is closed and resists photographic documentation. In this sense her work is anti monumental, unconcerned with a legacy outside the memories of those who witnessed it..
Anya has worked with such things as fresh flowers which were then left to naturally degrade, chocolate which was left to degrade, and ice which was left to melt.. creating artworks that focused on, and made evident, processes of change and are themselves impermanent. Intensities and surfaces’ made in 1996, was a striking example of Gallaccio’s exploration of the transient, sited in a 19th century water pumping station in east London, made from slabs of ice stacked around an inner core of rock salt, the sculpture melted over a period of three months. The title of the work points to the extreme qualities ( hot/cold, solids/liquids, immutable/transient ) that are at play.
I feel an affinity with her artwork as ‘change’ and the passage of time are factors i involve in my own work.
