Works on Paper : Collaboration 1

Ruth Payne

More experiments with spirals, a needle and paper

Alison Berry:

As well as thinking about and executing specific work for the paper project, I spend a great deal of time thinking in more general terms about collaborative working in the art world, the difficulties it presents and the potential rewards.

It is incredibly hard to let go of ownership of one’s art and ego, for example in a collaborative set up being at ease with amendments or even complete rejection of one’s ideas. With this paper project I find myself frequently making comparisons with the recent experience of being involved in improvised group storytelling. In such a situation where the results are instant you quickly learn the obvious importance of listening but also of surrender of self and generosity towards co-storytellers. Any addition to the storyline for the purpose of personal approbation rather than enhancement of the story as a whole is swiftly regretted as the story falters, the thread is lost and the audience is disappointed. However, if the group is genuinely supportive of each other, anxiousness and personal concerns evaporate and, against all the odds, an unexpected story is formed to the enormous delight of the audience and storytellers. It all comes together in the end.

Sonia Griffin & Alison Berry

Good progress has been made on our collaborative piece. Starting with two very different works in concept and in physical appearance, it has been a challenge to develop proposals which incorporate both works. Ideas have focused on assembling an architectural construction which references historical structures in literature.

Lindsay Connors & Val Bolsover

We are investigating indirect mark making – currently in the form of photograms.

Ros Barker & Ruth Payne

We are investigating:

red

sillhouettes

qualities of paper

shadows

templates

qualities of mark

More to come….