It is interesting returning to your old and own culture, with a refreshed pair of eyes. Before I left for China, myself and my partner had decided that after I returned, we would move out of London. It has been six years since I left Edinburgh for London, and I have loved it, but it is an expensive city, and when you work part-time, attempting to develop your career as an artist, money is tight. Money was not the only issue; quality of life, a sense of community, travelling times and openess of people. Over the last few years, I have enjoyed getting to know the Manchester scene, and due to cheaper rental, closeness to home, and having a few friends here already we have decided to make this city our next home. We are currently staying Cheshire with my partners parents, it is so quiet and relaxed here in the countryside, I am starting to consider never returning to an urban environment again.
Whist being on the residency, I was very interested in watching how people interacted. I read a lot about work/social life relations, and how these are much more intertwined. I thought initially that I would tire of this, but I think due to this attachment, I became close to many people (as close as you can when you don’t speak the language). Most of the people I met lived within walking distance, worked within walking distance – there was a real community. A ‘micro’ community as I called it within one of my map drawings. The constant bumping into each other became a supportive, reassuring mechanism.
On the last night when I walked to a dumpling shopwith Helen Kaplinsky, a British curator who is now on the residency, I bumped into Peng Bo another artist I had met before, and had given me a lovely drawing. He joined us for dinner. Later we met with other artists in the bar.
My social life in London happened when I arranged it after a 1 hour train ride. I first lived centrally in a house with friends, where we each had a room and no living room. As we wanted more space, I lived with my partner, and worked from home in a flat further out of town. Social life, as everyone knows in London, is hard to keep up without a load of cash or time,
Tonight I sat on the sofa watching Eastenders. In the last year, I have become an avid fan, also because I didn’t have the cash or time to have my own social life as much as I would have liked.
I felt a real sense of community in HuangJeping, and I think that really helped my work. Sometimes in London, even when I was on my MA, the environment, travelling so far, and so many people did not support my practice, I was left feeling tired and overwhelmed. I often think of the days on my BA in Dundee. Life was simple getting from A to B. Home. College. Gym. Lunch. College. Cinema. Home. College. Lunch. Gym. Dancing. Home. All within a small radius. All walkable.
YanYan told me that many people stay in HuangJuePing, live, work and sleep there- a micro community. Am I best functioning in this kind of community? It is definitely one that I am yearning for it feels. I hope living in a northern town provides what I am looking for. I love London and always will, but there are many aspects I can’t keep up with. I am down to earth girl at heart, who just wants to have the space and time to make work, that’s all.
