Linking the Exploratory Project process together

In the future, as explained elsewhere on the blog, http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/connective-tissue.html, I will be aiming to be more open and explicit about process as I go along, however, I am still in the process of understanding that change, so will have to tack it on retrospectively.


As an exercise, when I have time, I thought I would go through past work and write up its process, and hopefully thus figure out a good way to do so as I go along.


For the EP I started with two things - a desire to make a finished piece of work, and an area to explore - the feelings, research and context of antiquated items and museum settings.


I started off with the idea of riveting ornate material onto tin cans, and weathering them. This immediately struck me as an idea suitable for multiples, but I didn't take it further as I wanted different resources to develop the fabric ideas. As it is, I am continuing my collection of cans and material for development at a future time, as there are aspects about this project I find fruitful - it is almost a variation of my multiple bottle Vessels exhibition, and it begins to reconnect me with much work I did in past years with textiles. In artistic terms it references work of some artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Cathy de Monchaux. I had also read in the past texts by such feminist theorists as Roszika Parker, "The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine". This was a revelation to me at the time, and a rewriting of history, also very apt for revisiting museum ideas through a contemporary context. I feel I will take this work further another time, or incorporate it into other work. I was also left with very interesting weather/rust stained stones - a whole new medium to explore.


Already I was starting my video projection trials, as I have been rather longing to immerse myself in moving image matters, having been busy, or making vessels, or involved in other things for quite a while. Again, I feel I reconnected with trains of ideas from previous experimental work. I often find that an amount of work has to be imagined first - anticipated and visualised. Then art is made by a judicious mixture of striving to match that inner vision, with the inevitable happenstance along the way. Projecting like onto like, or edges, surfaces, screen, dust - these are all not work in themselves (though they could be) but more to add to the palate of when I do make and show work. Projecting video onto screens, and with moving image or old movies playing, however, lead me to developing the idea of old movies photos.


Before that, however, two other related things happened - I visited the V&A, and there was the MA making day. I went to the V&A to immerse myself in the haze of ideas and thoughts I get there, and to take photos, partly towards ideas of how I would subtly project video in such an environment, given the chance, to alter and create new layers of meaning. I also attended a seminar there about their artist in residence programme (written of elsewhere in blog http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/v-artist-residency-seminar.html). Now that I know what this could involve, I feel I have a definite focus and context to aim for, to work in such environments - my work already is involved in such concerns. 


In the MA making day I started another seemingly unrelated project, of using new, vintage and antiquarian items and bits of metal together, and covering them with aluminium leaf within a frame - another project to be picked up and developed given the right opportunity. Only after these activities, the cans, the video projections, the V&A photos and the making day, did I realise how directly they were all connected, that they are all dealing with integrating new, old and older objects and imagery into my own work and thinking of now. They are different ways or manifestations of the same enquiry. I knew there were strong feelings and logics urging me towards each activity, but it only in looking back the obvious links and progressions seem clear.


All this has lead me to my current activity - collecting, sorting and making a piece of moving image using what I call old movie photos. (http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/old-movie-photos.html ) I may after all conclude the project with a finished piece of work, an aim I abandoned in favour of experimentation, but which is again relevant. I will at least have some footage to show, if not a finished work. There is no point in rushing this - I will continue with it, and I need to consider and work at many elements. I have not really worked with appropriated imagery before in my personal artwork - I feel there are things to avoid. I've probably given myself a whole new practice.


Part of the project was communication through group conversations and crit. http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/group-crit-april-v-ghost-objects.html
Our group of four didn't really get going. We had an email thread, which was good for sharing initial suggestions, but not everyone was keen or participated, and skype suggestions didn't happen to an arrangement or by chance. Basically it's hard to be in a group by yourself, and if there was more group activity going on, then I didn't know about it. I think we are missing out on the coffee shop system of last year's LMS, where it was easy to pick up threads, updates and comments whenever logging in to anything about the MA. The google system has not replaced this facility. However, the group crit was rich and had plenty of food for thought, and I have read other student's progress in their blogs.


The final link in the chain of the Exploratory Project is my recent dyslexia needs assessment.(http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/connective-tissue.html)
There is a process of change going for me - isn't there always. I am reconstructing how I organise information, perhaps digitally, on paper, and in my mind. Naturally this will take some time. And I am applying this new structure retrospectively, in the hope of adopting new, more integrated ways of organising and understanding information in the future. Confused? You will be! Thoughts in progress.


30th April 2012