ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [29 April 2009]

Hi and welcome to my blog! I would be very happy for comments to be posted here.

The themes I explore in my work are: family, relationships within families, shared space, history and identity. I make installations using second hand clothes which I stitch together by hand. It is important to me to do the stitching by hand because it is a very time consuming and feminine activity, maintaining and running a family is a very time consuming job! We are all more or less 'stitced' and tied to our family. The materials I use are very much chosen because of the easy access to them. Having a family myself restrict me in some ways, and I have learned to work with this restriction by choosing materials I already have in the house. It is my wedding anniversary today so I will go and spend some time with hubby, will post pictures tomorrow!

# 2 [5 May 2009]

I am trying to illustrate the uncomfortable, restrictive and claustrophobic feeling being a member of a family can be. After looking at countless art books and the internet I have decided to make a tunnel through which I want the viewers to walk through. The tunnel will be made of second hand clothes and stitched together by hand; the clothes will symbolize impressions that are put onto us every day; and it could be by people or the media. The stitching will symbolize how we all are bound together in our family units, and I also want it to give connotations to the craft element with references to the female creative history. The tunnel itself will be life, walking through it has to be uncomfortable so it will have to be a little bit lower than the average height of an adult. I don’t want it to be straight; it will be winding itself round in the gallery space, the length will be proportional with the amount of time I have to stitch it together. Like life it will be winding itself around the space. Inside the tunnel I would like to have an audio piece playing, and at the moment I think it will be the sound from my mother’s birthday party, this is the sound of my own family, so using this will make the piece a self portrait because these people in the audio piece is the people that have influenced my life in different ways, they are a part of me, some even genetically (my children, husband, parents, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunties, uncles and cousins).

# 3 [7 May 2009]

Something funny happened yesterday when I was speaking to my mum on the phone, she was asking questions about my work and I was trying to explain my ideas to her. She became very offensive and argumentative she very clearly found this theme hard to talk about and most definitely was of the opinion that she had done something wrong because I wanted to work with this subject. I found myself justifying to her how having these restrictive and claustrophobic feelings about the family didn’t necessarily mean that I had ‘shit’ childhood. Very strange, I never expected to have to justify my work to her; it is not about her it is about how I see the world; she will obviously have provided me with some of her inherited behaviours but that has happened and not necessarily a bad thing! It will be interesting to see what she thinks when the installation is up!

# 4 [12 May 2009]

In my last essay I have decided to examine the term ‘participation’ when it is used by artists in their practices. It is very interesting how audience participation has become such a great part of the contemporary art scene. And it was very enlightening to discover how this is a reflection of the time we live in. Life in our society is very much dictated by instant access to information through the technological appliances such as computers, mobiles and televisions. This quick pace has meant that we now expect instant answers. We are all individuals with individual needs and ideas which creates a very ‘selfish’ society. We don’t need to see ‘real’ people; everything can be done from the comfort of your own home, no need at all to get out. Everything from shopping to dating and socializing can be done in the virtual world.  By letting the audience participate in a piece of art will give them this instant and very personal experience of art.

This is exactly what I want with my piece for the Degree Show. I want the audience to enter the tunnel and the experience of being in it. I won’t be able to control what will happen to every single person who enters, because they all bring their own life experience with them. It will be interesting to see if people will enter the tunnel at all, or they will remain outside. I have decided that the title for the piece will be ‘Roots’; I think that captivates the idea behind the piece. It is about family and relationships within families so I think that it is the right title.

# 5 [24 May 2009]

I have been trying to solve the problem regarding incorporation of the ‘tent’ in my installation for the Degree Show. Because it won’t be possible for me to hang the ‘tent’ like I did in the studio, I had to think of some other solution. I found myself constructing some complicated structures, before coming up with the idea of using the frame from one of the very cheap gazeboes that can be bought in all DIY stores. Because I want to keep the costs down it was the perfect solution if it would work. If I had to make a great wooden or steel frame it would be far too expensive. It also has to be a structure that easily can be taken apart and reassembled in the Gallery, so transport to the Gallery won’t be too complicated either. In college I assembled the thing and I very quickly realized that the structure would be far too big. I decided to try just to play with the different pieces, and I managed to make a small frame by only using some of the pieces provided in the kit. I didn’t like the look of the white metal frame so I wrapped it in socks and tights. I am very pleased with the outcome of this little experiment and I will definitely use this method for the installation.

# 6 [25 May 2009]

I have decided to knit covers for the breeze blocks that support the arches in the tunnel. I started of with knitting torn up duvet covers, but after some time I changed my mind and started all over using some very delicate cotton tread. I really like this and was quite exited when the first one was tried on a breeze block.

They work really well and the knitting is a symbol of the time that is invested in families plus the fact that members of a family all are bound together. The covers are however very time consuming to produce but is one of those things that can be made almost in the dark in front of the TV! I am not entirely sure if I have enough cotton but I will have to cross that bridge if and when I come to it, I am sure I will have a solution.

# 7 [26 May 2009]

The family have left me for Scotland this week, to give me time and space to work. I am trying to get as much out of it as possible by spreading out all over the house. It is a great luxury and somehow I can't help feeling a bit guilty, even though I don't have to. It seems that being a mum always comes first, so it is hard to put them all in the back of my mind.

I have finished all the written work so I can focus on the practical when we get into the gallery. I just want to get in there now. I feel prepared and as ready as I will ever be.

 

# 8 [4 June 2009]

I have been awake half the night thinking about all the things I need to do before Monday. I still get ideas and I have decided to see if I can manage to incorporate them before entering the gallery. This always happens, I seem to get a boost of ideas last minute but I usually manage to include them. I have brought the 'tent' home so that I can add the finishing touches.

I want to stitch some of my Grandmothers crochet onto the tent. I want her to be represented, she was the great matriarc of the family and she was the one who taught me to knit and crochet. Including her somehow link the present to the past. The materials I have used have all been donated by family and friends and by including knitting and crochet symbolizes how we all are linked/knitted to eachother in both the present and the past.

 

# 9 [6 June 2009]

Went to college yesterday to collect all my stuff, so I have it all ready for the gallery on Monday. It was really quiet like still before a storm, which I suppose it is! I want to transport my things to the gallery myself, I don't want anything to break or get lost, I have spent to much time making it so I want to protect it. The work has become one of my children!

I spent some time adding final touches to the tent. And I finally finished the knitted breeze block covers, they look great. I just cant wait to see it all up. The whole show will be fantastic, everybody has worked so hard and it will be great to see it all come together in the exhibition. I am feeling both exited and sad, we have had a great 'class' and three fantastic years, I really hope that we will stay in touch!

Only one week to go!

 

 

# 10 [13 June 2009]

I have done it, after a very hard week with no sleep and not enough time, the tunnel and tent is up and working in the gallery. It certainly does not get much more exiting than that. Even though it was very hard work I enjoyed every minute of it.

The opening of the degree show was last night and I am still on a high. It was so great to see how it all came together in the end. Just as this time is exiting it is also a time for reflecting. I am happy and sad at the same time, happy about my installation and sad because of the fact that I won't be seing people again. We have had a great 'class' and hopefully we will stay in touch.