Last week was dominated by curating and hanging the Miniatures exhibition, meaning I didn’t get much chance to make any physical work. I did manage to do a few bits of artist research but I find sometimes this isn’t as effective if I’m not making work alongside it; I find I have a tendency to start overthinking things, thinking myself out of making something before even starting. I think this study block will present quite the challenge in this sense, requiring perhaps a more focused, slightly less experimental approach in order to have a good body of work for the degree show, but without becoming so focused on the end product that there is no room at all for experimentation/thinking through making as I go.
I have started to make some small ceramic pieces, but I have also recognised that this will be quite a slow process, what with waiting for the pieces to dry and be fired in line with the Poly’s schedule. I need to ensure that A. I’m making the most of the firings I pay for (i.e. having a sufficient number of sculptures ready for each one), and that B. I’m not relying solely on this process for my work. An idea that was discussed in my tutorial may prove useful for this; after looking at my ‘thing’ drawings, as well as the piece I created for the Miniatures exhibition where I began to use the paper as a more sculptural, double-sided object, the idea grew of furthering this exploration, using paper as a sculptural medium (particularly the way it was hung in the exhibition, responding to bodily movements as people moved past). I hope to be able to bring out a more changeable quality in the paper sculptures than is perhaps present in my previous sculptures; we experimented with shining a moving light source through multiple drawings held together, and this brought out a wonderful idea of growth and hidden depths, brought out through an interaction with the sculpture. Paper would also allow me greater freedom logistically in terms of size and exhibiting, and is obviously a far quicker process than the ceramics. It also allows me to continue with my mark-making on the surface, although I do still need to consider how to bring in/emphasise the ‘wildness’ that the pink seams and seaweed brought in. (also would fabric work at all similarly?)
This week I’d like to continue with both the paper and the ceramic in equal measure, particularly ensuring I make enough ceramic pieces to fill the kiln for the next firing. I also might look into casting as I feel this might hold some potential for making some curious ‘thingy’ objects.
Anna Harris 