Well the deadline for choosing our spaces for the degree show has hit us and hit us fast. The mad scramble to get ethics forms and health and safety signatures was yesterday and now we simply have to get our application forms emailed off by the end of today.
Northumbria University has a professional gallery called Gallery North which students can apply to exhibit work in for the degree show. Students can choose to mount their entire exhibition or just a single piece of work in the space. It has a certain amount of prestige attached and is a completely different space to the studios which we would exhibit in otherwise. Unfortunately there is a seperate application process which involves a more detailed proposal and professional photographs. These final requirements are what I have been hastily completing over the last few days after contemplating whether I wanted to exhibit work in the professional space.
The clincher in the end came from talking to the Grad Fellows who spoke about the conversation that could be brought up between my grass work and the cultivated lawns outside of the large glass windows to the west of the gallery. There is something very artificial and ornamental about the lawns – students are never seen on them and I believe that my work could comment on the use of private green space in the exterior and interior of the university. The professional appearance of the gallery could also strike up a complimentary dialogue with my use of traditional materials, however subverted they may be…
The only thing which slightly worries me is that I haved asked for quite a large space (the space that my studio is actually located in now) to mount the main part of my show, with the Gallery North space as well I hope that my work isn’t spread to thin. I have always wanted to construct a large immersive space and having work in two areas of the university may stretch out my ideas. I’ll soon find out what application has been successful.
I’ve attached some of the photographs from my application, this is also the piece I am sending on a 30+ mile journey into Northumberland! I’m hoping it will make it there in one piece…
