more screen printing...

Susan Stockwell

I have this idea to take latex out to Kenya on my next trip; it would be brilliant to use latex that was abstracted from a tree there. I am really excited about this as I think my frustrations with how my work is read contextually will be lessened if I veer away from documenting using digital media and concentrate more on material. I’ll look into the work of Susan Stockwell to help me to engage with materials. My only concern with this matierial is, if my use latex is contextualised as making a statement about something more political, for example contraception. However, it makes sense to be using latex for me at this time in my practice as it is such a malleable material and I can be making a really interesting trace of my own western gaze without using photography. I really need to veer well away from being concerned about how work is read to enjoy creating whilst letting things happen fluidly. I also really must bear in mind what Louisa said about the school being “a perfect and safe environment to test” (Minkin 2011) my ideas and to engage with other peoples perceptions on returning.

...and binding the book

Lydgia Clark seminar

What an incredibly interesting and inspirational way to start the day! This weeks print seminar was with a visiting artist from the Royal Collage of Art Trish Lyons who predominantly works with sound, music and performance. I felt that this seminar would be quite separate from my practice and wasn’t sure how well I’d engage with it. I often shy away from sound and music, as I automatically relate it to technology, which I need to get over my irrational fear of using, and I’ve never used performance in my practice before either. I definitely need to reconsider these choices after this morning. Lyons spoke about the work of Lydgia Clark and we all participated in recreating a performance piece by the Brazilian artist, titled Baba Antropofagica that was one of a series of her “psyho-sensorial” (Rehberg 2006) experiments. Our participation involved one student laying on the floor, whilst the rest of us stood around her decorating her body with saliva stained coloured thread from the spools we has in our mouths. The performance felt oddly ritualistic, especially being inside four white walls in an institution. The lights were off so nobody could see the effect of the laying down of the threads, but the sound of the clicking of the spools against our teeth sounded like the clicks in some dialects or the call of a rare bird of paradise perhaps! This idea of hearing and “feeling the work rather than seeing the work” (Lyons 2011) is a really interesting concept, likewise with the using other parts of your body to create the work, these are some methods that I’d like to explore. When we turned the lights back on we were able to take photos of the event, it looked almost as if the body had been pollinated and was ready to grow beautifully coloured flowers, it also alluded to masks or maybe skin grafts. There was also a strange correlation to the way the thread was left scattered and the way I had used thread in binding my book!

Instalation space

Over feedback week i stitched together some photo documentation from Kenya together, highlighting with the stich the gaze of the people depicted. I had in mind that I was later on going to bind this into a book. However, after making these stich marks in the photographs I decided that the imprint of the stich both on how it was intended on the front, but as well, how the imprint of the stich on the back turned out was all too interesting for it to get lost within the boundaries of a book. I decided to take the unbound makings of a book into school to see what came to mind to do with it. Seeing that the exhibition space was available I decided to make the most of it by hanging my unbound book in there.

...and finally getting round to using latex

Silk Screening

I’ve spent the whole day preparing and pulling prints from my silk screen. I got really involved with it and haven’t prepared for formative feedback… ooops! I feel quite stressed now. I must get on with writing my artist statement to ensure it encapsulates what I want to say. I have just considered why I’ve left this till so late to set up for the feedback. Reflecting on this time passing and me steering away from making any changes to my studio space in terms of setting up for formative feedback probably has a lot to do with trying to take ownership of my practice, and having successfully made my studio into a space where I feel at ease and comfortable, but also inspired to get on and create more. This is something I obviously find it difficult to now move away from. I need to back down on this and embrace movement and change; just like how I had to consider setting up for the world book day exhibition thinking on my feet, and more site specifically.

Silk Screening

I’ve spent the whole day preparing and pulling prints from my silk screen. I got really involved with it and haven’t prepared for formative feedback… ooops! I feel quite stressed now. I must get on with writing my artist statement to ensure it encapsulates what I want to say. I have just considered why I’ve left this till so late to set up for the feedback. Reflecting on this time passing and me steering away from making any changes to my studio space in terms of setting up for formative feedback probably has a lot to do with trying to take ownership of my practice, and having successfully made my studio into a space where I feel at ease and comfortable, but also inspired to get on and create more. This is something I obviously find it difficult to now move away from. I need to back down on this and embrace movement and change; just like how I had to consider setting up for the world book day exhibition thinking on my feet, and more site specifically.

World Book Day Event and Exhibition