Wirral Metropolitan College

Madness ensues….I have started exhibiting my work for assessment. The Radiogram is now exploded and hangs as if in suspended animation in my studio space yet curiously I prefer it moving, when it brings the radiogram alive once again.

I have started a second song book, which take such a long time to construct I worry that I may not complete this before Tuesday’s assessment but I will continue as I feel the collective works better with two books.

The airfix models need yet more plasti-cote spray paint but I ran out today so need to venture to B&Q again tomorrow for more, another 2 coats methinks.

I had a disappointment this week with the plans though. The printers have just used white 80gm paper which is not what I had asked for but I felt I could not complain as they had done a favour for me and not charged me. Now I am in a quandary, do I use the copy I have or do I run around like a lunatic on Monday to fins somewhere that can print onto newsprint as I envisioned? Attention to detail is key to my work and I know I’ll be unhappy if it’s not exactly what I want but I wonder where will I find the time?

I wanted to call my work deconstructionism but the literal meaning of that does not have the right meaning for me.

deconstructionism – a philosophical theory of criticism (usually of literature or film) that seeks to expose deep-seated contradictions in a work by delving below its surface meaning.

Then I thought maybe deconstructivism may be a better term:

deconstructivism – a school of architecture based on the philosophical theory of deconstruction school – a body of creative artists or writers or thinkers linked by a similar style or by similar teachers; "the Venetian school of painting"

but again I don’t feel that suits. Yet to construct fits even though I am taking apart or exploding items the meaning is appropriate.

construct Verb1. to build or put together 2. Geom to draw (a figure) to specified requirements 3. to compose (an argument or sentence) Noun1. a complex idea resulting from the combination of simpler ideas 2. something formulated or built systematically

So; constructionism the use of or reliance on construction or constructive methods.

..seems right, even though I rely on deconstructive methods I have decided that constructionism is how I will refer to this genre of work.

If that seemed complex you wanna see the work!

It’s the closing of Liverpool Biennial on Sunday and we are auctioning off furniture and items from some of the installations and I have two Swedish artists coming over to finish their final work, so I’ll be in work and trying to look after them from Thursday which means I really have to get all my work finished and displayed by Wednesday…a few more long nights ahead but it will be worth it (she says hopefully……more to herself than anyone else).

I am in my element at the moment, as much as I hate the stress I also thrive on it I think! I love the vibe around college right now, just over a week to go until the assessments and people are getting ever so slightly crazy.

Essay and seminar notes all have to be handed in tomorrow, thankfully I finished that last weekend so I haven’t been too anxious about it.

I have managed to get some 12ft wood pieces fitted to my space so that I can hang my work from above. (Our ceiling at college is way too high to reach so this is a ‘make-do’ version.) I feel a bit like I’m working in a restaurant gazebo but it seems to work.

Finally completed one of my ‘songbook’ pieces and have the frame of the radiogram fixed to the wall. Just have to ‘explode’ the sections of that now. The airfix style guitar and violin are well on the way to being finished and the instruction plans are at the printers so all in all I’m on track. For those who remember the A-Team, in the words of the great Hannibal ‘I love it when a plan comes together.’

So busy it’s untrue, I’ve taken next week off work so that I can be in college more, just have too much to do before the Christmas assessment!! I have finished my essay, which was a huge relief, needs a bit if tweaking still but otherwise I think I’ve cracked it.

Core work itself is going well, I have been working on my musical ‘airfix’ type models and didn’t realise quite how much would be involved, each piece has to be so precisely positioned so that the item could actually fit back together again. The ‘instruction manual’ plays a key part of the work so I have spent hours reverting to my ~long idle~ graphic design skills and also getting printing quotes this week.A fabulous local company have amazingly offered to print these for free, I shall be eternally grateful! On the other end of the artistic scale I’ve (literally) smashed up an old ‘Pye Princess’ radiogram to be hung from the ceiling & wall as if exploded – nothing precise about this work! Trying to smash the casing whilst leaving the actual radiogram in tact so that I can play music from it was difficult. It would be so much easier to just set to with a hammer and vent all my artistic frustrations into smashing it completely to smithereens, alas it was not to be but once I’d prised the casing off, I had a good old go at it – strangely therapeutic actually!This work will be actual & tangible, encased into or exploding out from a pre-constructed frame.

There will also be ‘deconstructed’ sheet music books to accompany the instruments.Music is such a huge part of most people’s lives that I’m hoping the final installation may well reach out to a new audience, viewers who are not necessarily interested in contemporary art but who will recognise the instruments and perhaps just enjoy viewing them in an altogether different manner.

Well, the big news of the week is….. I won the competition in college, which came as a great surprise. A few of the entries were really good so I was genuinely shocked that I won but hey, woohoo to me. I will get some prize money for myself but also they are paying to fabricate my piece of work which will be a couple of thousand pounds, very exciting stuff. More importantly I will be able to use all the work & research towards my site specific elective work, imagine how brilliant it will be to have a professionally fabricated steel artwork to show to the assessors. What’s even more fantastic is because my work will only cost about £2K to make, our lecturer persuaded the company to take an extra piece of work so my friend Julie also has a commission now, so pleased for her too.

I have a seminar to go to on Wednesday, 9 of us present a brief seminar on our essay’s and have a question and answer session, should be really interesting to hear everyone else’s research and ideas.

The Long Night of the Biennial that I mentioned last week was a great night; we viewed a phenomenal amount of art, walked for miles and still managed a good few pubs in between, my cold was much worse the next day but so worth it!!! Saw Sarah Sze work at The Bluecoat again and it re-enforced to me that I have made the right decision choosing her piece to write about.The next day went to see the Biennial work at Pilkingtons Warehouse, again all impressive but what stood out most to me had to be Yayoi Kusama’s light installation which was utterly mesmerising. An unreal infinity that you could stay in all day.

On top of all this, I have worked incessantly on Critical Study write ups all through Reading Week and am glad to be back in college to actually ‘make’ things again. Oh, also this week I volunteered on a collage workshop at the Williamson Art Gallery. Thoroughly enjoyed it and have offered my services again whenever the organiser needs me. Some of the works were really impressive and It was such a buzz to see the kids faces when they realised they had actually produced a piece of art that then went up on the wall of the gallery.