It’s 8.39 on a bright sunny morning and I am at the studio, if only I’d been able to buy some milk on the way here it would be perfect.

I am delighted that I have been able to ‘fix’ my camera. It is a little compact one and I usually carry it with me all the time. A few weeks ago a blurry spot appeared on pictures (both in the camera and when I down loaded them to the computer). The repair shop said that it wasn’t worth repairing so while deciding what to replace it with I thought I have nothing to lose by seeing if a good firm bang would do anything to dislodge the “internal dust”. It only took one attempt to ‘fix’ it.

I am thinking of walking away from the Sandcastles in Greece project. I really am in two minds about it. I really like the other artists who are working in the project group and the project has potential to be something interesting to me (it reminds me of a performance project I was involved with over ten years ago – Frozen Progress). However I am having real problems with the context of the project. The project came out of a ‘brainstorm’ session which was part of another artist’s research project. Although we have been told that the project is entirely ours we have to submit a budget to the institution that is funding the other artist’s (“brainstorming”) research project. The deadline for submitting a budget, spending it and handing in receipts/ invoices is the end of February and this feels really forced. It has also been very hard to understand the framework for our project within the “brainstorm” research, in fact it was only earlier this week that it was clarified.

Our project group has only managed to meet twice since the initial “brainstorming” meeting and both of these meetings were spent discussing the framework and context of the project rather than the content of the project. It is very unlikely that our group can meet again before the budget deadline (the other artists have commitments that take them away from Stockholm).

What I really want is to work on the project in a different context – away from forced deadlines and weak management. This idea came up at our last group meeting. The prospect of funding is tempting but it is starting to feel wrong. It is very interesting for me to listen to myself and to be reminded that money is not everything. Integrity has always been important to me, and I am disappointed to find that it is lacking in this situation. Writing about the situation has lead me to conclude that I am going to support the idea of continuing with the project but outside of the bigger research project.

Now I’m off to a museum visit with my language school, and this evening is the opening of the art fairs ….


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I love coming to the studio. It is starting to feel more and more as though it is my place. The ongoing process of sorting, moving, unpacking and repacking continues. I have also started doing some drawings that I hope will lead to some new sculptures. I’m a bit nervous to ask about how to book time in the plaster workshop– it means that I’ll also have to order materials and that makes me nervous at the moment. It has been a long time since I worked with new materials!

A few weeks ago I answered an open call for artists interested in collaborative projects. After a couple of rather curious meeting I have ended up as project coordinator for a group of five (possibly seven) artists. The project, known as Sandcastles in Greece, is one of several being run by a researcher at the royal college here. I am not at all sure what I have let myself in for. The meetings produced really interesting starting points however I feel that it is going to be quite a challenge to realize them in the timeframe and in the light of everyone’s other commitments. At the moment I’m waiting to hear back from two artists who attended the first meeting but not the second, I need to submit a budget and participant list by the end of the week so I need to know if they want to continue … or not.

My language course runs every morning of the week and I am thinking of skipping a day soon so that I can have a full day in the studio. It would be lovely to be here early one morning, to have breakfast and coffee … and then get on with the day here. I know myself well enough to know that I am a morning person and that the afternoon is most productive when I continue what I started in the morning.

Also want some days out! Ai Weiwei has just opened here, there’s a very interesting sounding show at Tensta Konsthall and it would be good to see the UNESCO World Heritage Woodland Cemetery in the snow …


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