It’s half term, which means no college for me but also means my boys aren’t at school (which equals mayhem at home!). I have been trying to get on with some painting/creating during the day, dipping in and out of it when I get a chance, and have been saving the dissertation for night time when it’s quiet (although I’m not totally convinced I’m at my most coherent at 11.30pm).
I’ve been working on some small canvases, experimenting with some mixed media (acrylic, pen, pencil, collaged photograph (scanned, not original) and white cotton… and a little bit of chalk). I’m playing around with some ideas about the relationships between our scientific, biological side (our physicality, mortality and genetics) and our emotional, spiritual elements (memories, religion, soul etc). Getting a bit deep and meaningful.
I had a tutorial with my tutor last week, which was really helpful to clarify some of the ideas I’ve been thinking about, and to give me the confidence to go ahead with them. I think I’ve been holding back a bit for fear of doing something ‘wrong’ but I guess you just have to accept that while some ideas will work, others won’t, but rather they might help you figure out a way of doing something different. So I need to stop worrying about things and just do them.
Frieze art fair was completely mad. There was so much to see… I woke up the next day with what felt like an art hangover. I’m really glad I went to have a look, and there were several works that really inspired me (and many, many more that left me completely baffled!). I enjoyed just milling around, dipping in and out of the spaces that caught my attention, and so for me it was totally worth it (although the amount of money that some people have to spend was an eye opener too).
I feel like my ideas for practical work are changing all the time and I don’t have enough time to try them all out… I guess this is a case of being more selective about which paths to go down.
My ideas regarding memories have evolved into an exploration of what happens to thoughts and memories after death; this has led to looking at the cycle of life (this is where the “cells” animation comes in) and an interest in microcosmic/macrocosmic structures.
I’ve been pretty busy collecting things; I picked up some great vintage books from Oxfam (a 1940s midwifery handbook and some gorgeous illustrated children’s books) and have been rummaging through my mum’s box of old photographs for some image sources. I’ve ordered a microscope, which I am hoping to use to enlarge things (obviously!) for using as starting points for some drawings (I’m hoping it works ok… it’s only a children’s ‘toy’ one – I thought my boys could have it when I’ve done!). I’ve also bought an old ‘View Master’ off eBay, which I plan on making some reels for, using my own drawings – I thought this would be an intimate, novel way for the viewers to look at my work. It’s probably been done before, but nevermind. I like its instant connection to childhood, and how the viewer is completely visually immersed in the image. Also, potentially, it could be like a really slowed down version of the stop motion animation I’ve been working on. I’ve found a website that shows you how to make your own DIY reels so I’ll be having a go at that!
In my mind, I am still planing on creating the layered structures that I discussed in my first post – I am just working on the individual layers at the moment. The plan is for it to all come together in the one structure. Not sure how yet.
The dissertation is taking shape – hoorah. There’s a lot of words now but I need to spend some time reorganising some of it. Despite what I thought was meticulous section planning, I think I may have gone off on a few too many tangents…
At college, we have been experiencing the same frustrations as the past two years – all technology/computer related (and the fact that nothing seems to work as it should). Thankfully, everything seems to be sorted now, and I am getting to grips with using Premiere to animate a sequence of chalk drawings. This is intended as a ‘test’ animation (before attempting a longer version) although I had not anticipated it to be so time consuming.
I have several other ideas buzzing around, but am very conscious of the pressure to produce ‘good stuff’ now that I’m in the final year (whatever ‘good’ means… ) and it seems to be making me nervous. I’m full of self-doubt at the moment.
On a positive note, I’m going to Frieze for the first time on Thursday – I’m intrigued as to what it will be like. If I have enough time, I’d really like to go to ‘The Future Can Wait’ in Shoreditch too, but that might be pushing it.. I need to be home in time to pick my boys up from after-school club!
