Just looking at the picture of my wheels and bell jars has got me thinking about that project again. I have a rather grand aim – I want to make a whiring, moving, spining sculpture that you wind up with pedals, that takes its inspiration from the circular movements of the solar system.
Ambitious I know. But I keep coming back to it.
Most recently I've been looking at the hairbrain drawings of Heath Robinson. I want it to have a playful feel, like the cause and effect piece that Fischli and Weiss did. I've put up one of their posters in my office to keep reminding me of this.
Progress I've made thus far:
I have managed to find a good source of bicycle parts and someone that has offered to do some some welding for me. Maybe I could do the welding though?
There is a metel suppliers locally that stocks the rods I need.
I have a space in mind to make it in and, if I'm ambitious, a place a I would like to exhibit it in.
In some ways, this idea seems to be a natural progression of my projection performances. I will be looping and playing with light and I do see the outcome as a sort of performance. What I'm not sure about is whether to aim to make the sculpture in its entirety or to make a film which uses the sculpture the elude to what's in my minds eye?
My plan was to do a little summary of the different threads I've been working with, in order to be able to reflect and move forward..so I will continue.
Newspapers
A lot of my source material lately has come from newspapers. Articles and pictures often capture my imagination or spark up a reaction and its only recently through screenprinting that I've found a way to use them. So an ongoing little project of mine is to collect these snipets; and either run with the idea straight away by photocopying, printing and manipulating them, or simply file them for later.
There is something satisfying about this process. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be able to respond to the politics of now in an immediate and personal way. The politcial artist is something which intrigues me. There is such a fine line though between commentary and propaganda.
This is from a diary in May that was the inspiration for this blog.
I have just asserted that I am an artist. I am still an artist. It has taken me since February to decide upont that. I am a mother and I can still be an artist.(Its exciting.) I felt like maybe I was pretending. But I'm not. Its me and I feel alive. I have just given up my studio (its being demolished) but I'm just going to have to be more creative about finding space. I did grieve it for a little while. And then I did a car boot sale to free myself of some clutter. Now the unsold clutter is in my living room. My projectors are stashed in a cupboard in the barn at work. But I feel optimistic. This is because even in the face of exhaustion; motherhood, starting a new full time job; relationship negotiations; I have still managed to be creative.
I went to the studio four times.This wasn't a lot, but enough time to be unfurling some rusty tenticles in terms of creating my own little domain, a space that I could walk into and feel inspired. It was enough time to be getting the coggs whiring in my head about bicycle wheels and bell jars and to be actually walking around and tinkering with materials. It was enough time to spur me on to research kinetic sculpture and talk to people about my ideas.
Travelling is always better than arriving.
As a starting point I'm going to try to do a summary of the ideas I've been playing with lately.
Screenprinting
Usually I take a concept linked with an object as my starting point. This is how I made most of my degree work. I enjoy the research that comes with this and the experimentation that follows. My work starts slowly, then gathers momentum and then becomes something I'd never have imaged but still holds true to the underlying idea.
example : my work with contact lenses and the idea of layered seeing and changed perception.
Now existing outside of Arts education (its been 3 years); I've often envied those that can start with materials and just let them evolve into work. Saying that, I do think that work that revels in process can be a little dull – like the basketmaking exhibition I saw a while back. Anyway, Screenprinting was a departure for me, I have been learning the process and have deliberately not let my self get anxious about the concept of the work nor what the outcome will be. It has been a freeing experience and surprisingly, some of the outcomes have been pretty exciting. I will upload some pictures soon.
