I haven’t really had time to catch breath since returning from Supermarket. Today I have to start tackling those not absolutely urgent things that are fast approaching urgency … or perhaps that odd state where if things aren’t done within a certain window they become … odd in themselves … not exactly irrelevant or inappropriate rather slightly passed their best before date. The moderators’ feedback questionnaire is a case in point – it never becomes completely irrelevant but I feel that it becomes something else with each passing day. Not only is a good way for me to hear a little of how the moderators feel about the their meeting and the meeting programme in general, it is also a nice way to thank them again for their vital contribution to Supermarket. I also want to spend some time doing my own evaluation! Some of that will happen this afternoon when I have a call with Pam from Juxtapose.
With everything that has been going on: making the first of three train-station installations, making a presentation at Västerås Art Museum, arranging interviews for the administrator’s post at the artists’ club, doing my best to deal with a clash of personalities at the artists’ club that threatened to disband the management committee, finalising and preparing for the summer holiday activities programme in Enköping, I can’t say that I haven’t had time to think … but I have had to focus on doing – which perhaps is no bad thing.
Installing yesterday was a good experience … and I am pleasantly surprised with a particular aspect of the work that I had not anticipated – it feels a little uneasy to admit that, I would prefer to claim that everything was thought through and carefully considered. The piece is not what I would call site-specific in that the components of the installation could be shown elsewhere … hopefully they will be! … nor do they have a relevance to just that particular place. However placing objects in a room in such a way that the room is activated … animated … introduces new aspects to the work. The vacant ’unit’ in Arboga train station and bus terminal is dominated by straight lines and angles. It is not usual in this however introducing the large soft and curving artworks makes a stark contrast to the hard and stiff the architecture and draws attention to it. It is the extent of the curves that I had not anticipated – with weight of two tightly woven sheets producing considerably more bowing than I had imagined. Had I had time to test the pieces in the studio I might have been less surprised but I would more than likely have been more nervous … or even tried to find alternative poles. As it is I think that the piece is stronger for being what it is … for challenging the order and discipline of the space … for softening it up. I could go so far as to say that the piece is far more queer than I had imagined with it would be … and for that I am very pleasantly surprised. More than surprised … I am inspired and pleased that I worked with the materials rather than with my idea of what the work would … should … be. The piece is the result of what happened between me, the materials, and the room – and that I find is very exciting.
Driving back in the glorious evening sun these thoughts began to take form, writing them here is clarifying them and helping me understand the relationship between those three elements: the artist, the material, the location.
There were some comic(?) moments yesterday, such as when Kajsa (the wonderfully helpful, enthusiastic, and charming arts officer) and I returned from the library with a significantly higher ladder than the modest step-ladder that I could fit in my car. We discovered a plumber replacing radiator pipes exactly where I had decided one piece should be placed and very close to where I need to be to install another. I busied myself with other pieces and decided that I would only become anxious if it looked as though the plumbing work would not be finished that day. Not long after that cleaners turned up to clean with windows – something that was definitely necessary. They worked very efficiently though it felt like the wrong time to be laying out and pressing the sheets as they dashed about with buckets of filthy water. I had imagined being the space alone, not having to take other people into consideration as I moved around with four meter poles and ironed pieces of clean white fabric (each approximately 3 x 2.4 meters) on the floor. I am glad that I didn’t get over concerned, the inside of the windows were soon clean and dry, and the plumber was suddenly packing up and cleaning after himself. Everyone was friendly … in some way I enjoyed those few hours being there with other professionals who were also just getting on their work.
Exhibition information in Swedish
