I feel like my mind is working like one of those films that don’t start in the beginning…or the end… or the middle really. Just snippets are put together in the hope of it all making sense.
The last three weeks have just been crazy – I can’t even think of any other words to describe it.
To try to remember it all, I’ll run it backwards…
Haleh Jameli, the artist in residence for the ‘Translating the street’ project at the studio, left yesterday. She stayed at my house for the week.
Born and raised in Iran, she had been living in Scotland for a few years before moving down to Sheffield. Although it was important that a Farsi speaking artist such as Haleh, could converse with the shop owners, the ACE funding we received, would not stretch to overseas travel.
It worked out really well. Haleh went to the Grocers daily, to document and record conversations – some of which of which she would relate back to me in the evenings.
I learnt so much myself from the project….about daily life in Iran for instance, even though I was really only a bystander.
By working six days last week and taking just one day leave this week, I was able to spend a few days in the studio with her and also have the freedom to get out and about. My short working week though was still tiring as I was asked to prepare for a Matisse talk (which I will give tomorrow) I just couldn’t get my head into that study type of mind set though with so much going on around me.
My day off today was spent running through the talk again (in my head) while trying to get through things I’d put aside -like getting through the mountain of washing that I couldn’t tackle in the week while I had a visitor.
I still haven’t posted the work back to everyone from the ‘Doesn’t look like a book’ exhibition at The Williamson that ended a couple of weeks ago. Its now mostly packaged up and all of the artists have been contacted to say that the work will be with them shortly… that’s all I could manage.
Before Haleh came, I had a day out to Manchester with my friend. I hadn’t been there for absolutely ages. As well as the Christmas markets, which were fun (but way to early to celebrate Christmas!) we went to the Manchester art Gallery. What an amazing building! I just loved the glass atrium, with its Anthony Gormley figure dangling precariously overhead.
While there, I also wanted to check out the Portico Library, as they had been advertising for artists to exhibit. The library was beautiful, smelt of burnt wood for some reason and the guy showing us around was super friendly.
I was disappointed then on getting an email after I’d applied to say that they had received hundreds of applications. I was also a little surprised and wondered how many artists had actually checked it out before applying? It wasn’t a ‘no’ though, but now I’m wondering if it was really what I wanted anyway?
This is the problem. Too many artists…hardly any opportunities.
The rest of time preceding this is a bit of a blur. I’ve worked, I’ve had a bad cold, I’ve been sorting work for a small group exhibition in a Theatre in January…..and I’ve been tired. Very tired.
Images from the ‘Translating the Street’ project can be found on the studio facebook page : Alternator Studio
