Back to the Church Installation
If only I could back track on my calculations for the invoice I sent to the church, I would be a lot richer. Sometimes, it’s really difficult to calculate the cost of work without taking into account unexpected problems. I mean, what do builders do when they give an estimate for a job and then realise that they uncover a damp patch, for example, so have to spend extra time to investigate and then go repair it?
Do they say ‘Oh well, actually – do you know that bill we sent? Well, it’s now another £500’?
Yeah….they probably would. But would we, as artists? Hmmmm…probably not.
Although I’d had a good start on Sunday with the initial setting up, I’d gone back for a few hours on Monday and left, completely stressed out, as it wasn’t hanging the way it should. The weight of the starflies had caused the fishing wire to stretch an incredible amount and it looked awful. This is the third installation I’ve made in which I’d used fishing wire, but this is the first one that wasn’t working. I had a fair few sleepless nights this week, trying to work out an alternative way of hanging it all.
After spending a couple of hours cutting out and decorating more shapes, we began today to re-hang the whole lot with heavy duty wire. Like a pile of other stuff that I have that ‘may come in useful one day’, it was fortunate I had this.
It is also fortunate in a way, that I’ve had to come away from the installation ( to work) as it’s given me thinking time away from the project, which I wouldn’t have had if I was on top of it continuously.
I can’t go back now till Tuesday, but I feel a lot more relaxed about it now that I know that it won’t fall down…..and Sunday’s mass can go ahead without the vicar ducking and diving behind a very wonky paper curtain.
Extra hours I have put in beyond my invoice total = tooooooo many : (
