DEGREES UNEDITED

# 11 [30 April 2009]

Saturday 2 May

Packing up the camp, the Petrified Forest and Devils Garden and homeward bound through the mountains

Joe Ostraff, BYU tutor

 

Travelers consider all sorts of things, time destination, exposure to new foods, new germs, a strange bed and meeting others. Others are those people heard of, but unknown. For those that will receive the travelers there are concerns of service, will it be enough and will the traveller feel welcomed. After the initial shock of all this and more and the first meeting, comes the time together. In this case it has meant long van rides to distant and hostile lands, heat more like an oven, sleeping on sandy ground, eating strange combinations of foods, walking like a pioneer, and thinking about the project that must come to be in less than four days. The exchange of ideas has been unbeliveable. The Wirralites have performed brilliantly! They have brought with them a fresh eye for the land and the BYU people are being challenged to rise to the occasion.

# 12 [3 May 2009]

Sunday

Day of sleeping in, rest and reflection

Michelle Rowley

Last night we returned from our camping trip tired, dirty and very happy to have survived the wilds of Utah and to have had the opportunity to experience such an incredible environment. The camping in tents bit, which initially worried everyone for all sorts of reasons, was absolutely fine. No scorpions, no snakes, no bears – what we did see were chukkas, chipmunks, hares, deer, antelope, lizards (assorted sizes), crickets, beetles, massive crows, a water snake, and we caught trout at the waterfall and saw elk on the mountain road home. No casualties and no bites! I carried the EV8 forms all the way up the canyon, in the 85 degree heat, for nothing!

For the first time this Sunday morning we all slept past the 5 am internal alarm clock that has been waking us up all this week. This morning has been a time of reflection and planning for all of us in Amy and Tali’s house. We started by compiling all our individual text elements into a composed piece, which we will show the BYU students on Monday morning when we next all meet up.

The text piece originally came about as an idea to accompany the group litho that we began on Saturday night after our hike at Calf Creek, and we intended to use the letterpress facility at BYU to produce it. This has now changed after a suggestion from Meredith at BYU who is now going to help Louise edit the text with Illustrator and then expose on to a litho plate for speed and economy. Tomorrow we will collect the rest of the text from the BYU group to complete the piece, which we intend will be an impressionistic text portrait of the landscapes we have visited.

After an outing this afternoon to Salt Lake City and a really lovely meal at Joe’s sister-in-laws home, we all returned to ‘our place’ to share our book ideas. We discussed our various approaches and made paper models to try to make tangible some of the practicalities involved in working in an unfamiliar print department.

We think most of us are set to begin tomorrow, I think I am going to find my own ability to work alongside everyone else quite a challenge as I am leading the project and advising everyone, so it will be interesting how much time I can keep for myself.

Keeping the blog updated with posts from a range of participants is also proving to be a full time job, but we have computer access at ‘home’ to help us. With the time difference, we are 6 hours behind the UK, some of our posts stretch into the next day UK time, so if things seem out of sync this is probably why.
 

# 13 [4 May 2009]

Monday 4th May

Starting work on the project

Michelle

We began today with a meeting to draw everyone together and focus on the work we have to do for the project deadline of Thursday lunchtime. The exhibition of the work is on Thursday evening in the exhibition space in the Harris Fine Arts Centre, its a great space and we have lots of technical help to install it. The gallery is just off the atrium space pictured.

At the meeting we discussed and finalised the collaborative text piece and Louise and Meredith have now processed it an we will print it up on the letter press tomorrow.

We made a group decision to start another collaborative litho plate as we thought the one we started on the camping trip, although fun to do, did not really reflect the content of the text piece and we wanted them to be parner pieces.

We were all on edge today, trying to get things started, trying to learn how to access various facilites at BYU and generally worrying about the quality of our ideas. But we have all made a good start and we have been very well supported by the staff and students here.

Cath and Louise have begun a litho plate each, something they have never done before, we are using Macs which are also unfamiliar. Julie has been introduced to Illustrator to help speed up her process of applying text to image.

All of these obstacles are a challenge, but we are rising to them and adapting as we go. Amy has once again been a huge help with her great patience, knowledge and thoughtful organisation. 

It was also Cath's birthday today and we made sure we celebrated this evening to let off steam and we surprised her with a spontaneous get together with cake and candles late this evening.

# 14 [4 May 2009]

Monday 4th may

BYU response to Starting the project 

Laura Barlow – BYU

 I overheard a conversation as I sat sketching in the cold air at the base of Calf Creek Falls.

“This sort of stuff; they’re mostly just for fun. They help me clear my head. I like to do more conceptual pieces”.

Caroline, from Liverpool, just asked my professor, Joe Ostraff about his artwork. I found myself wanting to blurt out my own responses, in place of his modesty: “The fact that you are here is proof of Joe’s art work!” (I said it out loud, only to the friend seated beside me.) 

I can’t think of a better way to put it. I consider Joe to be more of an organiser of people than a painter. His projects mostly involve placing people in situations where they can share their own stories and listen to those of others. I esteem his art with the highest respect. If only he had a website I could link you to here; I regret that he doesn’t have one.

I believe that the best art is educational, it helps you question your own beliefs and way of life, it leads you to consider the beliefs and lives of others, and / or helps you further appreciate the beauty of the most basic things around you.

 I have experienced all of this during the Liverpool exchange. The red rock cliffs, my ease with breathing at high altitudes, my body’s natural adjustment to the desert heat, the religion I practice on a daily basis, and the accent with which I speak my native language all began to feel exotic in the company of my British camping companions. 

Having never travelled to England, it’s been educational to see others celebrate their own places of origin and to discuss and imagine their own trajectories. Exploring both our similarities and differences helped me to see outside myself and remember that millions of others share this world in their own, very real experiences.

 

# 15 [5 May 2009]

Tuesday 5 May

2nd day of printing and making

Rebecca from BYU explains her ideas for her book 

When we were in the Escalante area we were shown a map of Utah from 1868 that had a big empty white circle of where Escalante was. This area had been unexplored and left blank. This part of Utah was one of the last places in the US to be explored and made known to the rest of
the world. I don’t really like that because to me Utah is the greatest place in the world. My ancestors found Utah to be a safe haven, they worked the land, my parents met here, and I did my growing up in Utah.
For my project I have been researching Utah maps. I have found a collection that spans from 1782 to present day. I want my project to illustrate the evolution of mapping Utah. At first I planned to show these maps creatively in layers or some way to chronologically show the history. But I realized that I don’t want the focus to be on the world discovering Utah. I want it to also show that Utah has always been here and why it is important to me, whether it is mapped on the world or not. So instead I have used the old maps I found as a springboard to my own exploration of what Utah has meant and does mean to me; poppies, rainbow arch, Lake Powell, the tabernacle, Mormon temples, the lamp-posts in my city, my home. I hope my project will show how long the process has been for recognition, but if not- at least I was reminded of why I love my home land.

 

# 16 [5 May 2009]

Tuesday 5 May

2nd Day of making and printing

Today we printed an edition of the group litho plate with Joe's help. Everyone got a 5 minute slot to have a go at printing it. It was something that we have never done before and some of the BYU students hadn't experienced either.

Both Cath and Louise have managed to complete a litho each and they have turned out really well, though it is a time consuming and troublesome process.

Michelle and Louise helped meredith to print the edition of the collaborative text piece using a phtographic letterpress plate on an automated press. It was a really interesting session and very satisfying to see it done, its so much better than a digital / inkjet print.

WMC Group comments:

 Julie: "I was really nervous about using Illustrator, even with the help of Amy and Meredith, so I used photoshop instead but will have to face it again tomorrow. But I am confident enough to have a go again."

Patricia: "I have found it challenging getting used to how different materials behave here, but I have thouroughly enjoyed today and have produced some interesting work.'

Christine: "The day went very quickly and I have learnt some new and useful skills. I've nearly finished my book now, only the cover to do now. The BYU students have all been very encouraging and there has been a good exchange of skills and knowledge between us."

 

# 17 [6 May 2009]

 

Michelle Rowley

 

Today has been another busy day. As tomorrow’s deadline looms, some of us still have much to do, whilst others have completely finished. There is a concentrated atmosphere in the studios and I have been busy helping to resolve production problems for some and settling nervous anxiety in others.

 

The major problem is that the short making period leaves no time for prints to dry before handling, but we have overcome this niggle. Necessity definitely is the mother of invention and this has been born out thought the creative interpretation of the project brief and the adoption of new print methods to speed up image making where possible.

 

Between the two groups there is a shared interest in, and respect for, each other’s work with much discussion about possibilities, methods, sharing of skills and research resources. It has been really enjoyable to watch this happening and I think that the camping trip has definitely fostered this trust in each other.

 

The facilities at BYU are amazing and they have been made easily accessible to us, we will miss the airy print studios, the huge etching press, the enormous and affordable digital print suite and the well stocked college shop which is more like a department store!

 

But more than any of these things, we are already sorrowfully thinking of our goodbyes to come and wondering how we can stay in touch, with all the friends we have made, into the future.   

# 18 [7 May 2009]

Thursday 7 May

Final day and Exhibition set up

Our house made it in for 7 am this morning while the lads went fishing with Joe at 6am.

The BYU students were working till 2am last night to get done and most of us made the 12 pm deadline this lunch time.

The pressure to complete our books has made an interesting difference to the usual way we might prevaricate and delay decisions, but we have had to be decisive and productive with our time from monday morning till now.

Even under the strain of our deadline the students have continued to help those who needed support and the good humour has persisted to the end across both groups. 

# 19 [7 May 2009]

Thursday 8 May

Setting up the exhibition

Michelle Rowley

Organising the exhibition was relatively straight forward, even though we did not have all the books ready for the 12 pm deadline. The gallery technicians had everything under control with plinths available from their excellent gallery resource area, printed names, titles and statements at the ready and expert help in suggesting various ways to hang the variety of works.

With 35 pieces to display it was busy, decisions had to be made quickly again, but the group generally knew the best methods for their individual presentations. Agreement was easily reached on location and I especially was really honoured that my book was the first piece on view as you entered the space.

We left the final touches to the gallery staff who adjusted the lighting and made minimal tweaks to give each piece the most favourable position. It was one of the easiest group shows I have been involved with and I have to thank Josh and Joe for making that happen.

Leaving our books in the gallery so soon after completing them was a strange separation experience. It suddenly dawned on us that after our intense production time and all the care and thought we had lavished on them they wouldn't be ours for at least a couple of weeks, until the exhibition was over and Joe posted them back to us.

# 20 [10 May 2009]

Thursday 8 May 7 - 9 pm Utah time

'Mapping the West' Exhibition Opening

Michelle Rowley

 

The private view was a really enjoyable occasion for us. While we had gone home in the late afternoon to clean up Josh and his gallery staff had applied the final touches and brought the show together. It looked stunning and as we moved around the space all our hard work was made clear to us.

We had a busy night meeting friends and family of our BYU collaborators and we recieved very positive feedback from everyone. There is something about artists' books which invites curiousity and engagement from an audience and we were rewarded with an attentive appreciation for the ideas we had hoped to convey in our books.

I could see that my students were both relieved to have complete their work and to see that the quality and content of their pieces matched their peers at BYU.

Joe gave a short and emotional speech thanking us all for meeting the challenges of the two week project with good humour and courage. He presented each of us from WMC with a T-shirt commemorating all the places we had visited in Utah, starting with Walmart!

We were all a bit bleary eyed by the time he had finished as we realised that we would be going home the next day and this amazing experience would be over.