1st May- 'How text lives' Full Reflections
1st May- 'How text lives' Full Reflections
Reflective Praxis
The prior organisation of the event was done over the course of many weeks which allowed to the solving of problems as well as the collective process to develop. Although we had a really decent amount of time it would have been nicer to have slightly different timing in terms of the installation being over the weekend. This was mainly due to logistics. I tried to troubleshoot most of these things by having everything we needed printed and ready to go for the weekend. However until we were in the space, that is when it became apparent that more versions of the poster and what not would be needed. The main organisational issue was the lack of planning in the space. We did not view the space before installation which meant the day was improvised in a way. This is the fault of us all as a collective. I had viewed pictures of the space but we should have gone together to plan the space and test the light levels prior to installation. This is something we have learnt from and all discussed was a downfall. It was the subject of many jokes on the day. We are all artists who have been exhibiting in various ways for a while now so it was a very naive error of us. Further to our collective mistakes, I think another issue was the lack of timed performance planning. I had intended for the performance to be the adubiale text however this did not fabricate. This to me is a planning error and something to be improved on text time in the performance artists personal practice. Having set times to perform and practice the way in which you will do it is vital. I am more than aware she had practiced however the noise levels in the space disallowed what she wanted. if there had been timing for this then silence could have been demanded during those times to induce people into this work. Therefore this was down to the prior consideration of options. More of a pan B was needed in this case on the event that the gallery did get very busy. This leads me onto reflections regarding collective work. I approached the other two artist with the idea and I felt that the enthusiasm was encouraging. The subject matter was of great interest to us all and we seemed to agree on the aims of the work on the whole. However, as with anything, some people take more of a leading role and others take more of a instructed role. This is a system that allows things to work however it can be slightly difficult if that system becomes unbalanced. I felt we worked very strongly to hold this balance and work collectively throughout. There was a slightly heavier weighting with myself and holly in terms of efficiency and active roles. This is a personality issue more than anything as we are both very time aware. I would rather discuss something and get it done as soon as possible in the most effective way, as would holly. Hannah has a much more relaxed approach toward things and it was never that she intended to take a slight backseat role I just think that happened as a result of myself and holly's acceleration levels. There is a lot to be said about the value of being relaxed as an individual and abou letting the creative space develo naturally arun you. However from an organisational point of view, adopting a curatorial role seemed to fall naturally with myself and Holly. This became apparent in the installation of the work as Hannah remained in the space. The initial plan was to open all day monday however it was clear we were not ready. Therefore we allowed more of the day to prepare for the evening when we knew most people would be arriving. This installation day consisted of a lot of running about and organising, printing and other things to prepare for the show. Further to this, the rain on the day made this process much more difficult than it needed to be. Everything took much longer and once we were set up there was a rela relief. In the space you can't use the walls to hang work as such as you can not drill into them or mark them. I was not aware to the extent this meant before hand. I was under the impression that you could stick things to the walls but that also was restricted. We did use tape however we ensured it did not rip any of the wall once removed. This added an interesting aspect of the installation in which we had not considered before, the way in which a space is used. I very rarely use walls so this was not too much of an issue.
The curation of different work together was very fluid and a real strong point in this exposition. When I was not sure on the logistics of something another was there to help and advise me. The value of a second opinion should not be underestimated. Due to the fact none of the works were solely one artists there was a group discussion every time a work was positioned. Putting the works together to compliment one another was vital as there was quite a lot going on in a small space, especially with the interactive works. The projection on the largest wall acted as a type of screening area that much of the focal point was directed to. This was effective however it did mean much of the space was unavailable. The shape of the room therefore left a number of challenges as to how to position work while also thinking of the logistics of putting drinks down and places to stand.
The opening 'event' of the exposition was a really vital thing for me, this is due to the fact the work I am producing makes a very relevant and important commentary into the world around us. Although it is amazing that so many people came, I really want to analyse the way in which they took in the information that formed the exhibition. My main reflection is the fact that so many people asked me about the silence. I was intending there to be audible performance running throughout the night yet that was unsustainable. Therefore there needed to be times in which hannah might have read the original text start to finish. This was so vital as her speaking the text was the only way that text was going to be heard by anyone. The only other things that had that text in full was the braille and the edible text. The biggest point of feedback there was that the text should have been there and there should have been a more simple explanation that three artists have interpreted that text in a number of ways. I feel this would have cleared up confusion for many. However, the fact it was a small space meant that I explained the work many times with lots of people listening. This was difficult as the more I spoke about my work the more I began to feel scripted. If this had been written it would have saved me doing it. I was hoping that hannah would do this slightly more however I understand that logistically it didn't work out as she had not done specific performance plans for times. During the rest of the running time of the exposition we had a good turn out with members of the public as well as fellow artist and students. This is good for a small gallery showing unknown artists. The best way to progress here is to keep making work and in ways become more prolific and active in what we do.
This can be done in a number of ways, individually as well as part of a collective. The type of space that we had limited us slightly however this has lead me to consider what if we made the work digital or asked for even more audience participation. A type of survey or interaction about the themes of the work, a physical survey when people stand in the room to cast a vote or move away to change that. This would mimic political systems and voting systems. This would be a way to highlight the ironies in government to the audience directly through the audience.
During this work there are a number of personal reflections that are also notable. The first of which is the fact that I have a very strict vision for work and when it does not meet that I feel let down by myself. This exposition has taught me that the new and revised ways of working might be better and are to be trusted even if they do not meet the original vision. In this work the use of textiles was also a great point of interest and reflection. I pan to continue this work and further the concept of the worn piece of art in juxtaposition to the commodified mass produced piece that doesn't offer any sort of sustainable aspect or commentary. I plan to take this further still with the production of 'flag' type works that are intended to mimic banners or identity markers, registering a message with those that view the material. I have found working with material to be much more practical in terms of storage as well as further uses. Making the works into wearable art afterwards and then into performance pieces for the public to interact with and take away. This idea of consumption in a non neoliberal sense. This is a valid and vital part of my research also and my full belief of research as praxis. To investigate the system we find ourself under and ask questions of those hierarchy. Investigating in market function and the irony of that destructive behaviour. Those are my personal plans for the future and for my personal studio practice however as a collective I feel it would be beneficial to reflect together and read what eachother have to say before re grouping to make more work. I don't however want the collective efforts to remain dormant. To move forward now will be more equal within the group as it will no longer be seen as mine. I feel there was slight misunderstanding between myself and Hannah as I wanted a much more active role from hr. Our ideas and interests overlap in such a way that not working together would be such a shame and a creative loss. However, the collective effort needs to be a third each equally to achieve the same aim. Meeting again soon to discuss this aim and possible projects would be the next most progressive step in continuing this fertile relationship and creative combination. Grass-root interaction, work, conversation and action could not be built from nothing. Working as a group helps this become a more powerful and sturdy base for future projects concepts and ideas.
Reflective Praxis
The prior organisation of the event was done over the course of many weeks which allowed to the solving of problems as well as the collective process to develop. Although we had a really decent amount of time it would have been nicer to have slightly different timing in terms of the installation being over the weekend. This was mainly due to logistics. I tried to troubleshoot most of these things by having everything we needed printed and ready to go for the weekend. However until we were in the space, that is when it became apparent that more versions of the poster and what not would be needed. The main organisational issue was the lack of planning in the space. We did not view the space before installation which meant the day was improvised in a way. This is the fault of us all as a collective. I had viewed pictures of the space but we should have gone together to plan the space and test the light levels prior to installation. This is something we have learnt from and all discussed was a downfall. It was the subject of many jokes on the day. We are all artists who have been exhibiting in various ways for a while now so it was a very naive error of us. Further to our collective mistakes, I think another issue was the lack of timed performance planning. I had intended for the performance to be the adubiale text however this did not fabricate. This to me is a planning error and something to be improved on text time in the performance artists personal practice. Having set times to perform and practice the way in which you will do it is vital. I am more than aware she had practiced however the noise levels in the space disallowed what she wanted. if there had been timing for this then silence could have been demanded during those times to induce people into this work. Therefore this was down to the prior consideration of options. More of a pan B was needed in this case on the event that the gallery did get very busy. This leads me onto reflections regarding collective work. I approached the other two artist with the idea and I felt that the enthusiasm was encouraging. The subject matter was of great interest to us all and we seemed to agree on the aims of the work on the whole. However, as with anything, some people take more of a leading role and others take more of a instructed role. This is a system that allows things to work however it can be slightly difficult if that system becomes unbalanced. I felt we worked very strongly to hold this balance and work collectively throughout. There was a slightly heavier weighting with myself and holly in terms of efficiency and active roles. This is a personality issue more than anything as we are both very time aware. I would rather discuss something and get it done as soon as possible in the most effective way, as would holly. Hannah has a much more relaxed approach toward things and it was never that she intended to take a slight backseat role I just think that happened as a result of myself and holly's acceleration levels. There is a lot to be said about the value of being relaxed as an individual and abou letting the creative space develo naturally arun you. However from an organisational point of view, adopting a curatorial role seemed to fall naturally with myself and Holly. This became apparent in the installation of the work as Hannah remained in the space. The initial plan was to open all day monday however it was clear we were not ready. Therefore we allowed more of the day to prepare for the evening when we knew most people would be arriving. This installation day consisted of a lot of running about and organising, printing and other things to prepare for the show. Further to this, the rain on the day made this process much more difficult than it needed to be. Everything took much longer and once we were set up there was a rela relief. In the space you can't use the walls to hang work as such as you can not drill into them or mark them. I was not aware to the extent this meant before hand. I was under the impression that you could stick things to the walls but that also was restricted. We did use tape however we ensured it did not rip any of the wall once removed. This added an interesting aspect of the installation in which we had not considered before, the way in which a space is used. I very rarely use walls so this was not too much of an issue.
The curation of different work together was very fluid and a real strong point in this exposition. When I was not sure on the logistics of something another was there to help and advise me. The value of a second opinion should not be underestimated. Due to the fact none of the works were solely one artists there was a group discussion every time a work was positioned. Putting the works together to compliment one another was vital as there was quite a lot going on in a small space, especially with the interactive works. The projection on the largest wall acted as a type of screening area that much of the focal point was directed to. This was effective however it did mean much of the space was unavailable. The shape of the room therefore left a number of challenges as to how to position work while also thinking of the logistics of putting drinks down and places to stand.
This can be done in a number of ways, individually as well as part of a collective. The type of space that we had limited us slightly however this has lead me to consider what if we made the work digital or asked for even more audience participation. A type of survey or interaction about the themes of the work, a physical survey when people stand in the room to cast a vote or move away to change that. This would mimic political systems and voting systems. This would be a way to highlight the ironies in government to the audience directly through the audience.
During this work there are a number of personal reflections that are also notable. The first of which is the fact that I have a very strict vision for work and when it does not meet that I feel let down by myself. This exposition has taught me that the new and revised ways of working might be better and are to be trusted even if they do not meet the original vision. In this work the use of textiles was also a great point of interest and reflection. I pan to continue this work and further the concept of the worn piece of art in juxtaposition to the commodified mass produced piece that doesn't offer any sort of sustainable aspect or commentary. I plan to take this further still with the production of 'flag' type works that are intended to mimic banners or identity markers, registering a message with those that view the material. I have found working with material to be much more practical in terms of storage as well as further uses. Making the works into wearable art afterwards and then into performance pieces for the public to interact with and take away. This idea of consumption in a non neoliberal sense. This is a valid and vital part of my research also and my full belief of research as praxis. To investigate the system we find ourself under and ask questions of those hierarchy. Investigating in market function and the irony of that destructive behaviour. Those are my personal plans for the future and for my personal studio practice however as a collective I feel it would be beneficial to reflect together and read what eachother have to say before re grouping to make more work. I don't however want the collective efforts to remain dormant. To move forward now will be more equal within the group as it will no longer be seen as mine. I feel there was slight misunderstanding between myself and Hannah as I wanted a much more active role from hr. Our ideas and interests overlap in such a way that not working together would be such a shame and a creative loss. However, the collective effort needs to be a third each equally to achieve the same aim. Meeting again soon to discuss this aim and possible projects would be the next most progressive step in continuing this fertile relationship and creative combination. Grass-root interaction, work, conversation and action could not be built from nothing. Working as a group helps this become a more powerful and sturdy base for future projects concepts and ideas.
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