Had a good day at the studio – sorted out a few things, threw out some useless bits I'd been hanging on to for years (when did I think a bag of plaster splattered dried out clay was ever going to be useful?).
I want to concentrate on installations and objects this year. The studio isn't really very suitable for the installations I have in mind – they're very 'clean' and the studio isn't! Kim and I discussed this and the subject of drawing kept coming up. In recent years I've kept notebooks rather than sketch books, and the studio has a desk but no wall surface I could draw against. It feels as though the drawings should be BIG – the kind that demand big movements, the kind I'll stand back from, the kind that leave me smudged with charcoal, chalk and pastel.
My installation at Leroy Street needs re-thinking. I wanted to install spy-holes in the floor boards and ceiling. (Those spy-holes that people put in their doors to see what's the other side.) However the floor and ceiling is reinforced concrete – with a thickness of about 25cm. I thought I'd have to carve away a bit of plaster to get to floor boards from underneath, possibly remove some insulation – but major demolition wasn't in my mind.
I really feel for Sarah – who's been trying to secure a vacant shop for an off-site project. Perhaps it's just a London thing but it's virtually impossible to use these 'alternative' spaces. Even if you find a supportive landlord the issues of public liability and council licences can halt a project. I had the same problems last year when I tried to use vacant commercial properties in Crystal Palace. While everyone from the artists through to local council wants to see creative use of empty high street units the shere amount of discussion, administration and financial support required for a three week show make it an unappealing venture for the aspiring artist/curator. Sarah is now looking at putting the show in a gallery ….
