Days till Degree Show – 14
We filmed a new Artist Charades to be shown. The artists include Jeff Koons, Grayson Perry, Francis Bacon, Annette Messager, and Joseph Beuys.
Here are some clips from previous artists we've done;
Days to go – 15
The sides of our cube which is going to house all of our degree show pieces have finally been made! After many weeks of planning, drilling, sawing and a few altercations with the workshop…it feels like a great sense of achievement to have it done.
The panels will be bolted together along with a base, aswell as rigging up our own lighting. It was important for us to create our own context/ space to present our work, as display has always been key to how each work is completed.
Within group shows the work you display will always react and be influenced by the work around it – by creating our own gallery space/ box we can have more freedom to play around with display. The 8ft x 8ft cube will look like a crate from the exterior but a 'white cube' on the inside. We are interested in it also acting as a holding bay for our work, displaying some pieces as though they might be in storage or in 'situ'. This unfinished aesthetic lends itself well to the way we work.
We have been inspired by Keith Tyson's installations and The Hut Projects modes of display.
We are just looking forward to getting into our space on Monday and assembling it now!
Days till Degree Show – 16
Had the last bits of work photographed for our portfolio today. The work all looks great it's just the statement that is hard work. It's difficult to not sound pretentious, self-depricating or plain stupid when trying to fit your work into the wider art-world. I know ours does have a niche, somewhere, it's just putting it in to writing. I worry that what we write won't give the work justice. It's all in our heads but getting it down on paper is another thing.
The necklaces are a new addition to our body of 'Whale' work – it's become a kind of logo for us. The necklaces were made using the laser-cutter and not only have a Tatty Devine (www.tattydevine.com) feel to them, were inspired by the work of collaboration Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan. We were lucky enough to hear them talk about their work at the Stanley Picker Gallery way back in 2007, but some of their concepts and imagery has continued to stay with me.
They have collaborated since 1995 making cartoon-style sculptures, objects and installations. The objects regularly resemble esoteric props from an avantgarde play and are designed to inhabit a range of scenarios activating their surroundings and cajoling the viewer into participating in an absurd kind of theatre.
The HEROIN KILLS motif runs throughout their work (see pictures) and too eventually progressed into a necklace. They have a show currently in Lyon (www.lasalledebains.net) I wish I could see it!
Days till Degree Show – 17
So the studios are empty and are being systematially filled by the 2nd years who have their show/assessment in some of the same space. It's strange that after three years of having a safe place, a kind of second home, it's been taken away. We all feel a bit homeless, and instead of frantically working there is often a confused, wandering fine art student roaming around campus.
I wonder how long it'll be till we get another studio, and when we do, what will it be like?
Today we were ceremoniously booted out from our studio on campus. 2nd Year Fine Art students use the space to have their assessment/end of year show. We went willingly though, as this feels like the beginning of the end. Here starts the countdown in earnest to the show.
Days to go – 28
Trying to tie up loose ends and complete work that we started seems to fill our days at the moment. We are getting our 'Week Apart' project professionally photographed and ironing curly screen prints so they sit flat so they're perfect when we have to put them in storage before the big day. The screen prints themselves deliberately give a sly nod to Barbara Kruger and her iconic text images in the 70/80's. We are also playing on the familiar scene at Frieze Art Fair, the 2007 Venice Biennale two years ago, and countless art exhibitions across the globe; posters stacked up on top of each other in an impressive looking pile, left, for the public to take. Generally we have no idea who the artist is when we take them, they're not even of a nice image, infact, when it gets home (probably a bit batter from the train ride home) it doesn't even go up on the wall. But we take them all the same, and if we don't get one, we eye up jealously the art-goers with huge rolls of paper in their bag.
Ours are a5 size though. A little insubstantial, and a little pathetic and, naturally, a little sarcastic.
