‘It’s so obvious when I think about it – how much my mood is affected by the environment in which I find myself and how that in turn, impacts on the work I make. Caught up in the general busyness of life, you sometimes forget these things.’
Post New Year’s Day and looking back. I’ve just looked to see where I left things before heading away for what felt like a much needed break. I wrote the above in my last post here, in December. Today, on the second day of the year, I’m writing this from Scotland, where I’m more acutely aware than ever of how much my environment affects me. It’s not just about the physical environment, one which I love and feel completely at home in – it’s also about the people who live within it. Warm, open people on the whole – Scottish people, renowned for their warm welcome and friendliness.
On a more personal note, visits to Scotland are also about the people who no longer exist. So many of the family homes that for years had been the focal point of visits to my Dad’s birthplace in Ayrshire are no longer there. I’m lucky to have family connections and a place to stay in Edinburgh, but I miss the familiarity and closeness of my Dad’s relatives – the warmth and a true sense of belonging.
Loss is always very much at the forefront at this time of year – Christmas card lists emphasising who’s no longer living, set places at the table highlighting who’s no longer around to join in with family meals – sharp reminders of just how fragile life is.
Callander, December 2016
I’m ending this post with a quote from a new year’s tweet from Harry Leslie Smith, an activist for the poor and for the preservation of social democracy. It feels apt in terms of my New Year’s resolution to be more hopeful and optimistic:
‘Keep faith in love, friendship and democracy & never surrender your human light to the darkness of demagogues.’
Happy 2017 everybody and here’s to everyone getting what they deserve.
Another studio move …
Considering so much of the work I make responds to what’s going on around me, the place in which I create it and store a fraction of my collection (my work material), is clearly important. Signing on the dotted line of the new contract yesterday reminded me just how important my working space is to me. It’s so obvious when I think about it – how much my mood is affected by the environment in which I find myself and how that in turn, impacts on the work I make. Caught up in the general busyness of life, you sometimes forget these things.
On the move (again) Photo: Kate Murdoch 2015
The new studio is light and airy and despite having virtually an entire wall of windows, is slightly warmer than the one I’ve just left – and it’s a half, as opposed to a quarter share, so there’s a little more room to spread out while I’m working. That’s the key, really – having sufficient space to move around in, to be able to stand back from the work and to see it with some degree of space around it. A bigger studio inevitably costs more money, but I’m prepared to sacrifice other expenses in order to try and make it work.
My focus is currently more outside of the studio and on the making of the short film, ‘I Always Wanted To Be …’ (documented on my ‘Keeping It Moving’ blog, here on a-n), but I felt the need to document the new studio here – to mark it as an important event. Just as starting this blog questioned whether or not I’d be able to sustain writing it, at the same time as being creative in the studio, I’m curious to know how much of an impact this new space might have on my work in the future. I’m already excited about working in it in the new year.
So, new year, new start … I’m not wanting to wish the time away, but I’m already excited about the start of 2017 with an improved new space in which to try out new ideas.
The quote below by psychoanalyst, Hanna Segal is taken from her interview with journalist John Henley, published in ‘The Guardian’ in September 2008:
‘But the important thing is to keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden. I find this extraordinarily helpful: we live in a mad world, but for those of us who believe in some human values, it is terribly important that we just keep this little fire burning. It is about trusting your judgement, and the power of love. A little trust, and a little care.’
The word ‘surprise’ has been used a lot in the media this past week in connection with Donald Trump becoming president elect. Just as in the UK’s General Election result, the information and predictions fed to us in the lead up to the USA presidential election seem to contradict the final outcome. I didn’t expect Trump to win on Tuesday, any more than I expected the Tories to be re-elected in 2015.
It’s very much a head in the sand response, but the plinkety plonk sounds and the pretty, twinkly dancing girls of the music boxes in the meantime, are providing a welcome relief from being fixated on world politics. More future updates to come as the film making and editing for the “I Always Wanted To Be …’ short film continues.
neglect
verb
. fail to care for properly
. not pay proper attention to; disregard
. fail to do something
noun
. the state or fact of being uncared for
. the action of not taking proper care of someone or something
. failure to do something
Bread and Roses was created as a response to the General Election result of May 2015 and the subsequent threat of severe austerity measures.
Since then, the gradual decay of the bread and roses – from fresh to their current, decayed state – has been documented. These images from October 2016 clearly portray the impact of neglect.
Neglect, as we know, can have serious consequences.
In terms of keeping it going, I’ve just added a new post to another blog I started in August of this year. It’s called ‘Keeping It Moving’ and was started in order to document the making of a short film (working title: ‘I Always Wanted To Be’ ) which revolves around my collection of vintage music boxes. The making of the film has been made possible by generous funding, awarded by the a-n Artist Information Company as part of a professional development bursary award. This has enabled me to pay for an experienced film maker (Henrietta Thomas) to help make the film. Read about the progress we have made so far here:
https://www.a-n.co.uk/blogs/keeping-it-moving/date/2016/10
