I've had a bit of a summer break from blogging, but not from activity. In fact I have been extremely occupied in arranging my Breaking Boundaries event
upcoming on 1st October, and so it's about time I updated progress.
There have been dozens, hundreds of tasks to do, and I am still ploughing through.
theViewergallery - I have started a new blog:
I was going to make it an actual website, but now I think a blog is a great idea - I have also seen plenty of other similar enterprises in blogs, and think it is appropriate. It also doesn't need to be perfect to make a start. I think of my own website much more as an electronic portfolio which doesn't change and alter as much, and which is updated occasionally.
theViewergallery is to be my long term platform, onsite, online, popup, occasional. Some equipment I already have I now consider belonging to theViewergallery - the nuts and bolts of showing work - signs, stands, cables, etc. Every time I walked around local streets I have been looking for a certain kind of plank. Eventually I found it, brought it home, prepared it and made it into theViewergallery sign. I hope to bring that with me wherever I show work as the gallery. It is a physical manifestation of the gallery, which transforms whatever space it happens to sit in into theVewergallery space.
I spent a few fumey evenings burning the name into the wood with my pyrography burner - a pleasant, slow task which engenders thinking through intentions. It may seem almost an irrelevance to the overall task, but something like the plank, once I have the idea spark in my head, I will carry out as a sort of loyalty to myself. In fact, I would say that is a strong ethos in my entire art practice - to trust or honour such ideas and make them or carry them out, reinforcing trust in my instincts. I have done this since I was young, in drawing, writing, and other things - knowing that if I have the impulse, it is them my task to match it as best I can through my hands and effort.
I have also come up with the signage solutions that I will keep for the future. My event is in an upstairs art gallery within a library. It is also just off a busy shopping area, and so I will need alot of arrows to place around the area and within the building on the day to direct people. I have cut arrows from sandpaper, stuck, laminated, and ironed them together. The blond kind of sandpaper works best as I can write on them and wipe them off later. I also have made green and black ones. I've not talked before about my fascination with lamination - I can hardly explain it - it is one of my favourite activities. It transforms the slightest thing into an object - INTO AN OBJECT! Perhaps it gives it an extra dimension, another physical property. It transmogrifies, transforms, transubstanciates. It gives paper, leaves, scraps of fluff, sculptural properties. It allows them to show properties they are not normally ascribed. Laminating is magical. And to use object-like sandpaper gives these arrows a feel, a look, of substance. The aesthetic is just right for theViewergallery, and for me - handmade digital, contemporary vintage. Paradoxical. Details, certainly, but overall, and for the future, I want to create a moveable dinstinctive gallery, which all agrees with itself, and with me.
Next for theViewergallery is finalising what cards or fliers I will make.
theLongLine. The drawing activity is almost prepared. I have trialed templates to print out. I wanted something repeatable, so I have used A4 paper to cut in half, or basically A5, with little marks at the side where the view divides into thirds - sky, land and sea, and a faint theVewergallery and date, etc at the back. Still to buy good quality paper for printing and the right pegs to hang them all up. Also still to finalise whether it will be just pencils or colours - harmony of look will help the idea of rearranging, and that expert can sit easily by scribbles. I will hang all pieces across the gallery on a washing line. Still to finalise exactly how activity arrangements will work - examples, posters of instructions, etc.
theProgressiveImage. I have thought and written a bit about what I want this project to be, and how I imagine it may develop. This initial idea is to show Moving Image and video art work around drawing. I am choosing from artists entries what I will show, and, again, I plan to repeat this many times in the future. As well as showing an interesting and diverse screening of work, it is part of my own research into defining what Moving Image is - very much according to me. I realise that I have spent some years in coming to various revelations about my practice and the form it takes. The Moving Image form is still very much open to interpretation, and I think it will help me greatly in my own work and my communication of it, if I work on clarifying and simplifying all that. Much more to follow in forthcoming essay, and in fact future art practice.
New boundaries for me have included putting out a call for work on artists sites - artists newsletter and artquest. I decided to keep it to that as I do not want to be innundated with work. Already I have received about 10 entries. Some are really great and interesting work which I am delighted to show. There are a couple of entries which are completely irrelevant to drawing, even in background process, and there has been no attempt to try to link to the theme of the screening. That's quite a waste of everyone's time. I myself have occasionally sent work to opportunities which I have known has not been exactly right, but which may be a way they could go if they choose. However, these works are just videos about other things. Fascinating. I had thought through how I worded my call for submissions, and taken what I consider to be good practice when I send work. There are always different ways to word things in the future.
I myself already have about three suitable works to show. All works are under ten minutes. Already several put together comprise a Moving Image screening, and create a context about my own work and what I think moving Image is. I have things ready, but actually getting files in the right formats from the artists, getting stills and details may well be time consuming, so I have assigned time for that, hoping all else goes well.
I am bringing my projector and screen, and there are big movable screens available in the gallery to block the light a little, and create a small screening area, perhaps with a few chairs. I have my black TV ready as back up - still a good solution for showing Moving Image. Again, there are details like signage and information to finalise, and to actuallyput the screening together digitally.
Absolute Magnitude. Still a secret. My showing of the travelling MA postcard exhibition is all ready for the package to arrive from Alexa. I'm really looking forward to seeing them all as I envisage them, and to see how everyone else has approached this. More to follow after the grand reveal. I hope we all do more of these - I don't see why we couldn't do this annually.
Overall. Signs, information, visitors book, helpers, fliers, posters, materials, timing, documentation, transport, money, evaluations, comments, possibly other drawing activities, maybe a small table-top pop-up art shop for cards, etc, and probably other things.
I realise that I am using the entire Breaking Boundaries project to set up repeatable, prototype events and platforms that I intend to evolve. It's all about creating the context I want around my work and activities, rather than constantly trying to fit in to other projects that are not quite right. It also appeals to my efficienct instinct.
Funding. I recently heard that I did not get my Arts Council funding. Can't be too surprised at that - they are notoriously difficult to get anything out of as an individual. I know I got near, and can get more feedback. All that practice will come to fruition one day. I understand more and more how to fill in these forms, the language they speak, the boxes to tick. Not quite there yet, but I know I did a fairly good application. Not getting the funding sparked off a whole other train of ideas which I will blog about soon.
MA group. Over the summer I have had some skype conversations with James and Jonathan about our Breaking Boundaries tasks. These have been really interesting and useful to hear and share plans and ideas. I think we've all gained from them - sometimes it helps to hear thoughts aloud, sometimes to spark ideas, or indeed to reinforce thinking. We have also been using google docs to share notes and comments - a good and functional system which I would like to become more familiar with. The last conversation ended with publicity and inviting ideas. At my university degree show, I had invited 300 celebrities, really as an interesting project - artists, actors, musicians, politicians - all sorts of people in the media. I still have my folder of replies form Harry Hill, Judy Dench and others. We had at least Tracey Emin and Maureen Lipman turn up on the night - frankly the place was packed and no one was really keeping track.
I always thought that it was an idea I would do more with. As artists and MA students I think we, and by we I mean I, can sometimes be a little shy, a little unbrash. However, suddenly, through that conversation, I realised that I should always do that - why not just invite all sorts of people, likely and unlikely to all art events - they may come. At some point someone will come. It's all about people. And anyway, contacting and involving the possiblity is part of spreading art practice itself. So as well as my list of listing sites etc to send my press release to, I am hoping to still find time to source and invite other well-known artists. Although I do have nearly three weeks left before the event, and so in theory could, I must admit to being a little pressed for time - did I mention I am also organising my wedding which is in Scotland on 22nd October? Anyway, it's all project management now, so I hope to plan in some inviting.
Multi tasking - I love it. It's all about thinking ahead and keeping up.
11th September 2011
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