post dinner and we’re all sat solitary in the living room, our faces lit by our devices, the dog sleeps. i glance through the curtains at the last of the daylight backlighting a chimney and digital arial. this day has an emotional one.
when i write a post my usual preference is to select and process the images i want to include. tonight i’ve mixed it up a bit and have taken to writing without the image accompaniment – so there’s no telling what might be in store.
starting with the last thing of the day – an unexpected opportunity to talk to the man next door who insists on burning plastic in a bin at the bottom of their garden.
i suspect that the man has an underlying condition – of which i have no idea. when i spoke with him he told me that he needs to burn the plastic because they have abig family and generate a lot of it. i told him that we don;t want to live next door to fires with plastic in them and if we need to get help with their recycling i’m sure we can sort something out.
i have been waiting to have that conversation as the amount of plastic being burn has slowly been escalating.
stepping back from the difficult relationship at home i’d like to reflect upon the end of a relationship in derby today.
we packed up the cornish stone ellipse by richard long – the artist rooms exhibition that has been in derby since december.
i don’t mind sharing with you that after leaving the museum at lunchtime i had to have some tears to help me get through the feeling of loss.
the drawn from the land exhibition has been one that made me feel good. the works on show i got to know better through the activities connected to the exhibition.
the tears at lunchtime was part of the mourning of the passing of the time i was lifelong learning assistant at the museum. in that role i was part of the conversation about what activities to provide.
i didn’t anticipate how i would feel closer and more understanding of long’s work and how the activities i ran made me feel so good.
last week i had the opportunity to show a group around the exhibition. it was another first for me and …… …… ..
i pause.
as i came home this afternoon i had feelings about how i might keep the feeling alive and how to set up things i can do that revisits the times that i felt so good about. i recognise that this is likely to need to be offsite from the museum because the museum is on a continuous forward momentum.
sandwiched in between dismantling the long and i’ve remembered how the technician from tate gave me a quick pep talk about how to handle an art work even though he didn’t actually say howto –
sandwiched between this morning and this evening, my afternoon was with the skin and bone trio – a cancelled session elsewhere freeing me up to attended the trios rehearsal.
they work as a trio and are looking to make it a quartet – with my inclusion. words or reality ? time will tell what it is.
i tried out some visual ideas made prior to today as well as coding some in real time. the proposition made by the trio is anything but conventional so many things lay up for grabs and discussion.
i left without discussing much as there was talk of cd’s and album cover artwork. the biorhythms being somewhat out of sync today. there’s time for this – another time – that is me and what i’m doing and what my needs are. oh the dynamics of a performing group.
having experienced the feelings i did made possible by the drawn from the land exhibition, i pose myself the question of how might i revisit them – recreate them ?
confidence and context seem to be the areas of concern. confidence coming from context. the exhibition of some of long’s work forming the context in the last three months. so – how do i generate the context to frame the things i’d like to do – going forward ?
i want the context to include the participants in whatever the work is – the work existing because of those participating in it.
and what of life at the museum ? the legacy of the exhibition – the young coproducers network is running until may and there are other upcoming exhibitions and activities – so life and love continue – slightly different context and materials.
i reflect at the confidence from context realisation.
i glance around the living room. the dog is dreaming and whimpers and muffled growls break the silence.
my voice can be stronger if i know why i’m saying it.
this is something i need to work at.
