A few random thoughts, subtitled 'areas of discussion over the lunchtime washing-up'.
I have moments of worry over Festial. Over the things I'm interested in. Even wondering how interested I actually am in the things I say I'm interested in.
In particular, in worrying over Festial I wonder whether I'm coming across as someone with a religious agenda (I'm not), and how relevant to contemporary life my preoccupations are. I mean, I can counter any accusations of this nature with the assertion that I'm living here in this moment with these thoughts and images running around in my head and as a contemporary artist I can choose to use anything as subject matter and it will, without any further need for justification, be contemporary art.
I think I believe this.
But the next moment I'm wondering whether photographs of Starbucks frontages projected onto the walls of St Andrew's would say 'contemporary' more persuasively than anything I'm minded to do. How far can I say 'But I'm not that kind of artist?' Is it limiting to decide what kind of artist you are without trying things you wouldn't have imagined as part of your practice? Is it possible to have conviction in this area, and to do stuff within your self-defined limitations and use those limitations creatively? I think I'm sure about something, but then I wonder how I can be so sure that I'm right. I might just be being blinkered.
I think this would all be easier to fathom if I'd received more critical feedback during the project. Without that you have to be your own critic, which inevitably has its own limitations. Trevor and I talk about Festial and he comes up with some very useful input, but of course we're both quite close to it. I know that I'm happy with some of the imagery that's emerged so far, so does it matter whether it satisfies my peers as relevant or worthy of review?
Meanwhile, I posted out 32 copies of the Candlemas Kalender this morning.
imogenashwin[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk
