Another slow start to the day. Without my morning runs I really notice how late things get going here. It gives me time for reflection and of course a pre-breakfast cup of coffee. My (regular) life is so structured – I follow the patterns and routines that I have set myself and those that I have invited in … how many of them are actually what I want to do? What might happen if I followed my feelings a bit more?
Yesterday’s workshop was a bit of a non-workshop … or at least it wasn’t what it might have been! When we eventually convened in the kitchen we re-capped on the pro’s and con’s of showing in an exhibition that one has organised. I am pretty sure that the aim was to ’consider’ these points rather than to draw any fixed conclusion or concrete suggestion for a way of working. Without mentioning specifics of particular situations and circumstances we circled around in some vaguaries citing context, intention, attitude, and frequency as relevant. Sometimes I find it hard to know when Andreas is being serious … a snow-sculpture competition was suggested – teams would compete to make the best snow-sculpture. Having seen the notes he wrote on the kitchen wall on the previous day … “more rules and competition in Art” … I assumed that he was being knowingly provocative and wanting us to realise that collaboration (the residency theme) within the teams would be the most appropriate strategy. What happened next was a surprise – Sorcha, who up to this point had been very quiet, said (correctly) that the kitchen needed cleaning – without skipping a beat everyone immediately stood up and started cleaning and tidying the kitchen! A few necessary words were exchanged and simple questions asked as everyone found something to do and just got on with it – collaboration in action? In less than an hour the kitchen looked better than it had done since we started using it! With that task complete we gathered again. Somehow cleaning had replaced sculpting … as there was no ’winner’ there was a lottery for the three competition-prizes (Supermarket t-shirts).
Kaspars set the next task: to go out to the lake and make individual installations inspired by our experience of the residency. My piece was a black hole through which a far horizon could be seen: materials, found object (car-tyre) and snow. Making it was good fun … I packed and polished snow into the grooves of the ’tread’ and built up snow around the concrete block on which I placed the tyre. It was simple … minimal(?) … and I was pleased with it’s form as well as feeling that it captured a great deal of my time here and what I will take back to my studio.
Sitting on the sofa in the kitchen while Andreas and Matthias made dinner I took out my sketchbook and the pens that I had bought on Thursday. I sketched ideas for new sculptural/installation works – abstracted flag(ish) forms inspired by the pieces from the project presentation – fabric draped over poles pools on the ground/floor, the poles are bowed, bent, or broken, the pieces lean on walls or hang on chains from the ceiling. Some of the fabric is pleated, folded … crafted(?) … some is trimmed with fringe or embroidered. Some of the flag poles are long while others barely extend beyond the fabric. There is a sense of flag but they are not flags. I am excited to get to the studio and start playing with these ideas.
In a bar later that evening Kaspars asked Kristjan, Sorcha, and me if were would be interested in being Black Hole partners – to arrange a residency in our respective home towns/countries. We all agreed and promised to investigate potential venues, funders and supporters. I would be delighted if Uppsala Artists’ Club could host such a residency and I looking forward to proposing it for the upcoming project/process room.
[no internet connection on Saturday morning, and on Sunday I was distracted with other things.]
