A.M.Hanson / UCA Canterbury / Fine Art BA 2010-2013
Artist. Photo-related practitioner. Student.
NOW I AM MAKING THE WORK I WANT AND NEED TO BE MAKING, AND I WOULDN’T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE, EXCEPT MOVING FURTHER TOWARDS A SITUATION OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT, CONNECTIVE-NESS AND ACTION.
No apologies if the capitals look like shouting, they are not intended to be so abrupt. But – robust, clear and purposeful. I’m excited!.
With a month to go before the degree show deadline for marking, and then just a few short weeks before the private and public viewings, I feel ready to show and share my new work.
It has been a long journey, highs and lows, and I know I share this with many of my colleagues on the course. Each of us has come far.
For me this new period of research and study came at the right, perfect moment.
The structure of the studio based academic position, has helped me beyond anything I could have first imagined. Enabling a radically new productive, creative and thoughtful period of learning, work planning and making. It ain’t been easy!. And I’m glad for that. The struggle to bring on the new in myself, to aim for better communicative engagement with others and to, well, just make the work that feels real and improved and ready (and ready to evolve further) – it’s certainly been worth the sacrifices, even all those train and bus trips have (eventually!) become joyful.
There is much still to do to prepare for my installation, but I feel mostly on cue with where I want the current work to be. Sometimes i got it wrong, but now I feel often I made it right, by seeing the points of difference, moving on, evolving into a better frame of mind, to make the correct solo and collaborative choices, more coherent selections, processes and defined editing.
And, for these newly formed ideas and projects to be going forward in terms of concepts, in terms of thematic approaches, in ongoing development of an aesthetic, understandings of contexts, in opening up proper dialogues, in seeing better, thinking fresher and harder. All these things have happened and are happening.
There was a point where I didn’t think it would work out, not the work making as such (I’m primarily optimistic, I can’t stop the making), but the idea of going into an academic environment, being at art school, after a long period of solo practice (performance photography and post performance concept projects *), was an abstract alien feeling I wasn’t sure I was right for. Also economic reasons, even at one stage a tentative path of health, added to the uncertainty. Then circumstances improved, and the idea and will became stronger. Being away, from my home base, to be quiet and focused and open to change was the most important step I could make. I made a leap of faith in myself and others, realising that in order for new ideas and work to form, I really needed a new situation in which to push and surprise myself, to be able to communicate stronger ideas.
Much has been learnt being on this course, being in this situation, on many different levels. It’s now time to share this, and to look forward to newer challenges too, a more determined and purposeful, brighter future of work making production and transmission.
Over the next few days and weeks I will arrange a series of posts, in images and short texts, featuring the bodies of work that are forming into the final selection for the degree show. Also other projects, some ongoing, some strands of archival interests, but mainly here keeping an emphasis on the development towards the facets of UCA based material, as the show in late May approaches.
The images here are a brief survey from a range of projects made during my research and study period.
The works include evolving experiments and set structures, with the photo form, both in production and installation contexts.
A photo frame of mind. Part freedom from the rectangle and being involved in other notions of photo related contact.
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(*) for a sampler of earlier practice, referred to, including published and exhibited archive and more recent work, solo and collective projects, please visit; www.alexcalledsimonprojects.com
