This month marked the first time in two years that Perfume as Practice was side-lined in favour of another project. But, as Scents of Our Time gathered momentum in the form of a residency, Perfume as Practice wasn’t totally absent as it was taken to two art fairs; Walk of Art, Horsforth and Wakefield ArtTrail.
I generally find it hard to engage with audiences at art fairs as they tend to focus on finding something to buy (in my experience anyway). While there’s nothing wrong with this, it does rather negate the conceptual implications of my work and why I make it. That said, it is always nice talking to people, who always seem supportive even if they don’t ‘get it’ and a little extra cash from sales never hurt anyone.
In fact, seeing my work laid out in front of me does make me appreciate the sheer reach of the project. I’m not just dealing with portraiture, as often cited, but I’m also dealing with colour theory, with historical contexts, with sculpture, with astrology, with love and with the Greek Gods themselves. The act of laying out your work proves a useful exercise, even if just to see how far you’ve come.
