A couple of weeks ago I carried out my second residency day this time visiting Nelson, a neighbouring town of Colne and home of The Shop. I’ve previously mentioned The Shop, a creative space ran by In Situ, and the support that they have been offering me.
For my research day in Nelson I used The Shop as a base which changed the dynamic of the day quite a lot in comparison to the visit to Colne. In practical terms it freed me up as I could leave bulky items and bags at my work space and wander without the extra weight. Having a base to work at also meant that I was able to create plates and collages directly rather than waiting until I was home to make responsive work.
My approach to documentation altered slightly in Nelson – I planned less only pinpointing a few areas on the map rather than plotting specific routes to follow and I refrained from setting specific tasks to follow. I found that during periods of exploration I was less inclined to document through drawing or writing preferring to work directly onto plates or photograph areas or items of interest. In some ways this felt better as the work felt less forced; making observational drawings in Colne didn’t come as naturally as I expected as I wasn’t interested in the architecture, landscape or people as whole entities but rather as starting points to transform, combine or manipulate. In Colne I still went through the motions of capturing scenes or figures in a literal way however while working in Nelson I missed this stage out and responded in a more abstract way from the very beginning.
On reflection I feel that I let myself down slightly by skipping this step and although I’m happy with the experimental printmaking that I’ve been working on in response to Nelson I feel it is lacking something in comparison to the plates produced inspired by Colne. I’m unsure however whether this is solely down to creative approach or whether it’s because I’d visited Nelson a few weeks earlier so I was already familiar with parts of the town. It might also have been due to the fact that I had contacts and a location to work from; I didn’t feel quite so much like a stranger, the sense of anonymity wasn’t as strong in Nelson. Obviously the differences in the work will also have been caused by the differences in the towns themselves – there were similarities between the two but Colne definitely had a stronger connection with the landscape and wilder countryside whereas Nelson felt man-made. It’s hard to express in words exactly what that means but it’s a feeling that stuck with me.
Since the residency day in Nelson I’ve developed further plates and responsive collages using the photographs and written documentation as a starting point. I’ve been struggling with time however so I don’t feel as connected with the work as I’d like but I’m hoping to push through this and keep making when I can. As much as I’d love to dedicate longer periods to creative production, research and evaluation it’s just not feasible. I think at the end of the project the work will reflect this struggle with time and will serve as a learning experience for the future. This will be an important part of the process and I need to remember that my personal and professional development is the aim of the project rather than the production of a finished series of works.
