ARTISTS TALKING

# 8 [3 February 2010]

Lifelines 

 from February 17 to March 13

Salisbury Arst centre

A few months on and the Limits of my project have proven endless; I am currently working on Lifelines, commissioned by the Kingfisher Writing in Health project, based at Salisbury Hospital ans salisbury Arts Centre, and this has stretched my practice to a bran new dimension; I have used the line to create a journey liaising words and architecture in this 13th century converted church.

Lifelines is an attempt to anchor the spirituality of the poems to the physicality of the place. The project has been running for the past 10 years and the words seemed to be floating in the space. It was a matter of making them visible and alive.

I used the ribbon in Limits , exploring physical, mental and social limits. I wanted to further its life; the collaboration with the Kingfisher writing project was a great opportunity for me to do so, as well as try out the potential of a large scale work.

I have always been aware of the self healing purpose of  art. It is the first time that I have been able to express it in such a physical way.

Kingfisher says;

"Lifelines is the second of three visual arts commissioning projects, celebrating and making visible the work of the Kingfisher Project. Laurence Rushby’s response to the brief has created a site-specific installation at Salisbury Arts Centre using a lifeline of red ribbon to link a multitude of personal stories to the architecture of the building. Fragments of poems written by The Kingfisher Project’s community group participants hang in the air in this striking and thought-provoking new commission celebrating the importance of art for health and wellbeing.

# 7 [27 September 2009]

A bit of quick news about the project and my practice; first of all, I feel that I have been, in the past month , working harder than ever on getting out there. I have attended one to one surgeries and conferences to view other people's work as much as to test my own. This has been precious and I have just redone my cv, my statement, and have put all of this work into little files with names on top.This was crucial to gaining an undertsanding of the work and finding ways of puting it out. I am also in the process of stretching the work into public art domain .This sounds promessing.

I am still busing with ideas to continue this work .In the meantime, I am organising the open day 17th of october .

Thanks Anthony for your comments; I think you saw through the work very well as the line has now taken a life of its own and the work has become a lot more playful and free.

I saw your project is also taking a new direction! I am looking forward to view what comes out of it!

# 6 [15 September 2009]

I haven't been on the blog for over two months; not just because it was summer and I was desperatly waiting for the sun to come out and get a bit of Holiday feel but mostly because , as the sun did not come, I kept working inside the studio. All the work I have developed indoors seems to be very intimate and profound ) so I have been reflecting on the work in depth and decided not to loose myself in writing for a bit.

However, In my last post I was mentioning the possibilties of returning to painting and I have done so.

I guess I needed to reconnect with the material and simply explored the moment of creation; keeping in line with the red line theme, I attempted to grasp the very instant when , despite of all fear, reflexion, consideration on judgement and wish to keep control of everything, you suddenly cease to think in order to create. This is the time when you jump off a plane or off a rock into cold sea, the time you are born or the time you give birth,  the moment you enter the space of the blank canvas to make your mark.

The time when the red line snaps and becomes loose, and all tensions cease and in this time, only the space you give yourself is the Limit.

I have also had a lot of not so profound moment of inspiration and created a series of spontanious events which I  am presenting with all of the work on Limits  in an open studio day, 17th of Otcober, 10 to 5.(see it advertised as artist event in this website)

# 5 [9 July 2009]

Just got my authorisation to explore the restricted area. walked to the row of buildings I had been looking at from day 1 with my camera. when arriving at the entrance, I chose to go back to the studio and take the red line a pen and some paper as to hold my breath and force myself to look ,with something like a newly found wisdom.

I felt like I was breaking into a virgin territory(at least to my eyes).

I spent a few hours in there ,took 100 pictures and came back with a strong desire to paint.

I did not use the red line.

# 4 [25 June 2009]

Re integrating the studio offers a mix of excitment of being there again and having my space and a certain embarrasment and inhability to express in " Justesse".

I filmed my first attempt of performance last week and the reality of it seemed far from the first  idea.

It gave me an outside view on how my body moves now with its new limits and also still in the recovery process.It looked alsmost too real with clumsiness and struggles. 

It certainly matches how I feel inside though.It made me sad and frustrated.

On the other end, I decided to keep the flow of the project and do a bit of work outside where it all seems playfull and adventurous.

something in the view from the caravan has caught my attention; an open door to a set of buildings which were part of the first serie of photos, an invitation to walk over the line and test the limits.

On my way there, I find a sign:"restricted area, authorised access only". I stopped to explore this  further and discover a new perspective on the view I thought I knew.

I question:  Will I cross the line?

My age and my experience tell me not to. 10 years ago, I would have gone straight through without thinking twice.

I finaly decide to ask for an official authorisation for long term benefit.

There seems to be an age and time in life when you stop breaking the rules.

I wonder if artists are here to break rules , to push boundaries or maybe to follow them, question them and use them in new ways?

# 3 [23 June 2009]

Went to france for a week to look after my mum who broke her leg. For the first time in 13 years spent in England, I felt funny about  leaving the country thinking of the studio and my work!

We got flooded on the 2nd day of my absence. Strange fate.

I am back at the studio sweeping the dust brought in by the water. The work hasn't suffered too much but a few lines have taken a strange twist and a few curves. The water seemed to have strecthed my Limits!

Back home and I feel stretched to my limits by the demand of a job left alone for a week + half of my family stayed at home while I was away and expects me to catch up for lost time.

Mad life trying to be an artist, a mum, a woman and a daughter all at once.

# 2 [4 June 2009]

I haven't visited the blog in a while.I have been busy moving in the studio.

Actually, it has been quite strange as I kept painting all the walls white and preparing white sheets of paper to work on , adding coats and coats of white, almost to postpone the time I would have to make my mark, holding my breath days after days... and finaly I came in one morning, Isabel had been and she had filled her wall with experimental prints, and textured paintings.Suddenly the space had taken a completely new shape and meaning; it was homely, warm , inspiring, thrilling and within two hours, I was working hard on my new project: limits.

Strangely enough, the work started outdoor. We have a caravan to use as a kitchen and each time I seat there for a break, my mind and eyes stretch into the wide green field laying at my feet.

I decided to stretch a red line to mark the limits of where the landscaper cuts the grass. He  seems to be marking how far we are allowed to walk and yet I am only guessing this ex military park, full of strange buildings, secret hide aways and long straight roads. What terrible secret is hidding behind the hill, amongst the trees and bushes, under the ground even?

The limits of my perception seem to stretch my imagination.the less I can see, the less I know about the place the more i can create.

I am enjoying holding myself back from running through the space and discovering it all. It all becomes a meditation state where I have to explore what I see before steping further.I look deeper into it.

A few days later, I  decide to start working indoors and strectch more red lines. This time, I only can hear my own breath and feel my own limits as I am visiting the space.

Each fixing point reflects my own state of mind; This is when I decide the write haikus at each stop.

 I become more and more conscious of the journey I am creating; I feel  my own presence. I also feel deeply emotional about moving and following the limitations dictated by pain. Don't we all?

# 1 [9 May 2009]

from day one to 1month later;

I call day 1 the day that Isabelle, an art student and friend, told me about a studio space within a stone scuptor's workshop somewhere outside Salisbury.

First reaction was excitment, followed by a made up   list of problems  and finally seeing how I was erecting  barriers around the idea, only to respond to my fears. 

As soon as I realised this, I decided to pay the rent  before I could change my mind.

This was followed by two weeks of scraping and cleaning, slowly discovering the space and its potential;5 meters tall, 10 long and 3.5 wide (compared to my 2.5by4m shed at home).

This preparation time has been precious for me to rediscover space with a new body and find adequate movements and tools to  reach higher places.

I am currently redefining a perception of my  physical and psychological limits.

Limited by space, limited by fear, limited by pain, by the restrictions of my body and  mind.

Limited by time, always...

I know now that the work I am willing to explore started on the operation table 6 months ago and as I am moving in the Studio next week, a new phase will begin.