Simulacra And Simulations

I've been researching ideas to construct a Mini Doll Art Gallery, and I realised that I know nothing of designing and making doll's houses, art galleries, architecture, modelmaking or anything which might remotely be included in designing, building and making a gallery. I knew that with Christmas being very busy that I wouldn't be able to sit down for more than five minutes to make anything without being distracted by over – excited children, and besides, being Christian, I disappeared to church for a Christmas Carol Concert, where the orchestra played Mozart's Toy Concerto – this amused me, and is typical of the kind of serendipitous occurrences that happen to me :-)

I was advised to speak to someone from the University about my doll proposal, but this has been rearranged for next week now, and I've been considering dolls whilst out Christmas shopping, deciding to utilise toy packaging as an architectural feature for my gallery – those boxes with acetate fronts should form features in my proposed gallery, and as such, I decided to wait to find out what toy packaging would be left over from Christmas before playing around with models. Strangely, the boys didn't get many of those kinds of boxes, but someone bought me one of those macabre looking jewellery holders – those headless doll bodies with metal trees coming out of the neck. The box from that is perfect!

The jewellery holder itself is this bizarre thing that I am contemplating with deep suspicion at the moment.

I find its motives unnerving, its existence sans tete most disturbing, some kind of H.R. Giger vision of horrific womanhood that I find uncomfortable.

I've been looking at the architecture of various art galleries, including the architecture of Lincoln's very own Collection, which was opened in 2006 and was designed like a white cube space but with the historic Lincolnshire stone of its surroundings. I've looked at designer doll's houses, revisited Archigram and Superstudio, who I've looked at before, and imagined a Doll Gallery enlarged to the full scale of a lifesize gallery. I went to Toys R Us and imagined it as a toy product. So will it be a maquette for a real gallery, or a toy? Hopefully both and more!

I've also applied for a residency at The Collection. I'm hoping I'm successful, because it will benefit the whole Doll Proposal and enable me to realise some larger scale works hopefully. After a few more business meetings next week, and once the kids go back to school, I hope to start work on the doll gallery proper. I might make a freaked out head to go with the freaked out jewellery holder!

All my thoughts about architecture caused me to notice that in the film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Elliot's room actually occupies an impossible space in that house. It would take too long to explain here, but believe me, the architecture of Elliot's house in E.T. is impossible!

hmmm…. I can't decide how best to design my Mini Doll Gallery, so I'm consulting an architect for advice…. (it's my sister!)

It should be as cutting edge design as The Guggenheim or White Cube galleries…. http://www.prodesigner.co.uk/modelmaking.html

Research is key!

I wonder how many other artists will be able to say that after graduation they designed, built, owned and curated their own gallery and exhibitions!!

Is it cheating? Probably!

Proposals are starting to gain momentum – I've been discussing ideas with colleagues to start some collaborative projects. Basically, most fine art graduates from Lincoln University have gone "home" since graduation and are having to take up other work to survive in their own towns. A lot of graduates seem to go to Nottingham, as this is apparently where there are opportunities for artists. However, I have children at school here, I don't have that option, and as such, I have started to research ways to build up a Lincoln-based artists' network that will encourage graduates to get involved locally. The problem is that the University is very very new, and as such there isn't an established community already in place, but it is growing, and there are opportunities here.

Since the Employment Fair here a few weeks ago, I've been in discussion with Sparkhouse Studios with regard to my Doll Proposal, but also for other business proposals I have in mind.

I am starting to gain interest from current 3rd years and others with regard to setting up artist's studios in Lincoln. Currently the main studio space available to rent is The Terrace, in the Cultural Quarter, however, the rent is really high there, and there is a long waiting list. Which means there must be many artists in and around Lincoln who are looking for studio space to rent. My plan was to re-open the student art shop as a graduate/student venture, as opposed to being run by the local art shop, who were operating at a loss. The main complaint from students was that they never stocked materials and equipment that was needed, and we generally had to trudge down the hill into the city to buy stuff from their main shop anyway. So I think there is a very viable possibility for that to be re-established.

Otherwise I'm still researching my doll proposal, but to be honest I need to start making more dolls after Christmas – if these are going to become as ambitious as the proposal, I need to work out an estimate of costs. I know that if I make small scale dolls it will require minimal materials, but where I propose to make large scale pieces, I will require collaboration with upholsterers etc, which is where my collaboration with Design Factory might be useful. These costs are difficult to work out, and it isn't helped by the various distractions I keep getting involved with!

For now, I will be concentrating on the small scale dolls, and am planning to make a mini doll gallery in which to exhibit them. This way I will be able to exhibit my work, own my own gallery (!) and not only that, I'll be able to take my gallery on tour if I wish and hold exhibition openings in random places, who knows!!

I have read through the opportunities in this month's a-n (it didn't take long, they're a bit sparse!), and there's something for Design Factory in there – what a coincidence, it's the same thing I picked up from the Grad fair – lucky I had already filled it all out, and it's also lucky that I wasn't working in a shop or office, because I wouldn't have made it to the Grad Fair, and I would've missed out!!

I've also applied to help John Newling for his residency, and sent off more illustration work to art directors, because where there are no opportunities for artists, there may be a commission as an illustrator ;-) – all of this is taking time, time that I would not have if I was working in an office, and hopefully, eventually, something good should come of it all!!

I have finally finished my entry for Coldplay's Lost video competition. It is here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGbbBp68rg

Even though I didn't have enough time to hand sketch each frame, it still took ages to rotoscope some additional video footage. I do not possess Flash, and this was done in Imageready – I used to think it was cheating to do this digitally, but now I have experience, I understand how much work goes into it, it still requires individual frame by frame editing, and for a short piece of film there are a heck of a lot of frames (to do all by myself!)

It's still quite effective in a Take On Me meets A Scanner Darkly effect.

But I do hope to do it justice and make a proper drawn version.

I just hope that Coldplay appreciate the effort.

So now it's back to doing proper work ;-)

In the midst of my video editing saga, I went to an employment fair at Uni, which offered some more potential opportunities. however I'm still wary of being made into a consumer. I ACTUALLY DO WANT TO WORK, but will wait until an opportunity arises THAT IS GOOD FOR ME. No, despite Government reforms that want to force lone parents back to work, I have stopped looking for part time admin work, as it's wasting my time, it's depressing me, and there are plenty of people who can do that without a degree. Instead, this week I will be going to speak to a nice lady from some local studios. I know it seems like I'm not doing much, but I've been researching loads of possibilities, gaining the information I need to make an effective proposal before I send it off, deciding which is the best way to go about things, reading potential residencies at the V&A that I would love to apply for – but can't, looking for opportunities locally, but only ones that relate to my shiny new degree or the work that I do. I'm slowly building up a knowledge base that will come in useful when I get going with everything, but I'm afraid I can't rent a gallery space without funding, I can't even work without funding, and so I'm going to business meetings and collating ideas wherever they come.