So far there have been two anecdotes contributed from the cards in the gallery. There have been no responses by e-mail. I have started gathering some memories from different sources now and have three more interviews with keepers and gallery folk. Researching the material for the new boxes is interesting and having the five themes to put them under will make for varied but coherent sections to the installation. I wasn't expecting to spend so much time sourcing tales! Its only two weeks until the next installment.
The five separate 'pieces' in the exhibition are taking on their own physical identities after much modelmaking. I have decided to suspend boxes and use the walls space more than anticipated. It will make the space much more interesting.
It has been a hectic and heavily timetabled life. I lost August and September to strict days of printing and running between the studio and the hire room where the large boxes were installed ready to be worked on. Evenings on sound editing and e-mail and the education programmes. And little enthusiasm to keep up a blog. Just another thing on the end of the list.
Now I’m emerging and the work is almost ready for installing in the gallery.
So far its the most intense project I’ve worked on. The strict timings of it all juggling journeys to Coventry, studio work on the boxes, sound work and childcare have meant that I have been so much more focussed and worked with a different clarity to previous projects. Its been necessary to take a step back and more often.
Someone descibed it as being in the theatre you got to see the final peformance and the whole of the rehearsals and behind the scenes too. I hadn’t thought of it like that.
There has been little organic growth or room for experimenting with the drawing. This is my first commission of this type , in that the work almost, and was expected to, directly reflect the original proposal. The next phase is not planned or predicted perhaps I will find time to push ideas here.
The sound element has taken almost three hours of recorded interviews and whittled them down to 5 minutes of capturing the site and some of the workers memories.
I wanted to experiment more but again time is a hinderance. I need to remind myself that this the first sound of this nature that I’ve explored and its appropriate. Next time can push those boundaries even further.
