This week me and my friend held an exhibition of our work in progress. All fine art students have to hold an exhibition at some point before the degree show, but we wanted to do something different from a traditional exhibition, and so we used the exhibition space as a working studio. This meant that we based ourselves in the space for the duration of the exhibition and continued to make work. We provided information about the work that we chose to show in the space, and shared our plans for how the work will progress. It was great to see my work spaced out rather than crammed into my studio space (I do have rather a lot of stuff in there!) and it gave me a clearer view of what to submit for the degree show.
I made use of the extra space to plot the route for my pilgrimage walk from Chester to Sheffield, which I have decided to make in May. I had several OS maps pinned to the wall, which got a lot of attention at the exhibition opening. I am still developing my ideas for how the pilgrimage should be illustrated in a gallery setting, but I now think that I would like to make use of the maps in the final piece. I also displayed my completed cross-stitches for the first time, one adapted from my painting The Heart of a Heartless World and the other based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur entitled Labyrinth. I do not want to include both pieces in the degree show, but I would like to find a place for Labyrinth, as I think it is quite an unusual use of a traditional craft technique.
Having spent the week working in a different environment, I will be glad to get back to my own studio space. I see now the importance of feeling comfortable in my work space. To be in a familiar environment, which is still clearly defined as a workspace, helps me to focus on my work and motivates me to be there.
