A New Studio
I have taken another positive step towards rebuilding my practice. I have a new studio space! I am sharing a studio with Katie Goodwin, with whom I worked with successfully in the past during the MA. We curated a project or two last year, spent a week using the Centre for Drawing as a studio and then spent the Summer working in a space which became our MA show space. I am glad that I am able to share a space with somebody who knows my practice well, and we already know that we can work together. She will also kick my ass if I am not making good work.
We are now based at ASC studios in New Cross. We signed the contract on Tuesday. The space isn’t massive, but we needed somewhere to at least make a start, and we have plenty of room to make work and experiment. It is our hope to move on to a bigger studio further down the line when circumstances allow us. There is a window for a bit of natural light, and also high ceilings, so ideal for long hanging paper pieces and towers.
The key things that made this studio location so desirable are that it is close to my flat, just one direct short bus ride, and it’s also within easy reach of London Bridge which is my station of choice on days when I work. It has been 7 months since I last had a proper studio, and that kind of feels like forever without a dedicated work space. I am one of those people who cannot work for home. I need a separate space to live/sleep and work.
So far in 2012, I have relocated back to London, started a new job and now I have got a space to work. Getting this studio space is a big step forwards as I continue to rebuild my practice. Now comes the more challenging phase, managing my time effectively and blanancing my life and studio time in a way that prioritses my practice. I have done all this before of course, but this time it seems a little more daunting.
Before I get too carried away though, we need to get into the space over the weekend to strip that wallpaper, paint the space and put some shelves up. Then I can start on a new series of works.
Relocation Relocation Relocation
A big part of rebuilding and refocusing my practice has seen me think about where I want to be based. The questions that I have asked myself have been what is best for me? What is best for my practice? Where do I want to be?
Two weeks ago, I moved back to London, started a new job in an art gallery and re-connected with some of my fantastic and supportive artist friends. It’s been an extremely hectic couple of weeks, but I’ve been made to feel really welcome being back. It’s a totally different feeling to when I lived here last year, and this is a really, really good thing. Although London is expensive, I felt that it was important for me to base myself here for the time being, as this is where my peers from last years MA are. I felt that it would be a waste to be away from them after spending so much time and energy building up good relationships.
The first week was pretty crazy, especially as immediately after moving into a new flat, I took part in the second roving post Wimbledon MA salon, which took place at James Petrucci’s and Alex March’s studios at Space Studios in Vauxhall. I showed my ‘Ascent’ piece from earlier in the month and got some good feedback. It was also good to see what the others had been up to since September. The plan is to hold another of these salon/crit things in another two months.
I finally made it to a Zeitgeist Art Projects DIY Educate talk, the A – Z of surviving after art school last week. We had talks on this topic before, during the MA, but this one was the most realistic and down to earth I guess. It was a good evening and it was good to meet Rosalind Davis and Annabel Tilley.
I took the opportunity to explore my new local neighbourhood of Peckham during the South London Art Map last Friday which was good fun, and really good way to find out what galleries and events are happening on my doorstep. My highlight was Anton Zolotov at the Hannah Barry gallery. There was also free beer. It is funny how you recognise so many people at private views in such a big place as London, and it was also fun bumping into lots of Wimbledon BA alumni too.
My head is all over the place at the moment whilst I settle in. The plan for the coming weeks is to gather my thoughts, and make plans towards finding a studio space. Then it will be a case of getting myself organised and prioritising my practice. This first quarter of 2012 has been really positive though, and I feel as if I am moving forward and taking strides towards rebuilding my practice.
