After the assessment and the Pecha Kucha presentations that a number of us did recently I have been reflecting on where my practice is and what form my MA show could take. Up until now, my interests, at least within my critical practice has concerned the urban environment, modernism, and the problems and phobias that came with it, such as agoraphobia and claustraphobia.
In a throwaway line in my last critical practice essay, I mentioned that Mans creation (the city) was turning on it’s creator as seen in many a sci fi film. This then led me off on a whole sci fi themed road for a few weeks. I made a visit to the ‘Out of This World’ exhibition at the Britilsh Library, which was ace, really interesting and very useful in terms of my practice and for writing my dissertation. I need to return and spend a bit more time there, there is lots to read, particularly about utopia and dystopia.
I am now thinking about technology and Mankinds arrogance. The Hindenberg, which exploded. The unsinkable luxury Titanic, which sank. The Challenger shuttle, which exploded. The Challenger is an interesting one, particularly after reading that the test shuttles came equiped with ejector seats, but were taken out of the final build due to the feeling that the shuttle would be so safe. I see these failed blockbusters linking the the idea of a failed utopia.
In the studio I have been playing about building a tower. It may be a drawing, it may be an object. I am considering the materials and what they can suggest. A tower made of used wood, that is rather precarious and buckled can suggest collapse perhaps, without making the structures as a collapsed structure.
In terms of spaces for our show, I have been part of the curatorial team helping to plan where everyone will be. It’s been tricky trying to put artists whos work would work together in the right places, but I’m confident that we’ll have an exciting show that flows.
