After a long time in the running, I have finally been able to try out the idea of making my 3D cardboard hanging sculpture into a relief print plate. After rather satisfyingly flattening the object, the process of printmaking was stripped right back to the basics, applying the ink and the paper by hand, pressing the paper down onto the form to create the resulting print. I like the resulting contract created by the linear patterns in the structure, but I am not sure if the prints are enough on their own. Whilst in the process of making the prints it was suggested to me that I perhaps try screen printing a photographic image of the sculpture over the top of the relief to add more depth. Food for thought.
After working with Tate St Ives as part of their Collective group, I have now taken the step to become a Peer Leader, where I can get involved in more activities with the gallery and other galleries with the Circuit programme. The two day training course opened my eyes as to how to approach a galley and ways of creating activities that can take place within a gallery setting. We also learned new communication skills and how to build rapport with visitors. This all allows us to work alongside the Tate to create activities and events that can take place in and around the gallery in a non-destructive and interesting way in order to attract more visitors to the museum.
I am slowly getting back into a routine of generating, making and evaluating work. This includes more frequent journal inserts. An internal battle with myself has taken place and I am now kicking myself for not keeping my journal up to date over this period. I have a lot of catching up to do in my own head. A casting and moulding workshop opened my eyes to the uses of wax and pewter, in addition to furthering my knowledge of plaster and mould-making. I embraced the chance to work with new materials outside of my studio, and would somehow like to incorporate some of these materials into my work. An additional drypoint workshop saw the use of card as a drypoint plate for the first time, allowing for easy creation of line and texture, yet a lack of depth due to the fragile nature of the material. I have also recently experimented with photography, documenting things that I have found of interest. Below: Photojoiner, a walk from Woodlane to Gyllyngvanse. An exploration of the physical journey through continuous documentation. Below: a series of photographs exploring the relationship between found objects and their interaction with surrounding environment. I am currently continuing with the process of gathering material from a range of sources in the hope that I can pull these elements together to form new ideas and pieces of work.
THEATRE // URBAN LANDSCAPE // MUSEUM
Last week I met the American performance artist Sara Wookey, who specialises in dance and theatre work. A group of us spent a day working with her at Porthmeor Studios in St. Ives and getting to grips with how to look at moving through a space differently. We began by learning about ‘Trio A’, a piece of work by artist Yvonne Rayner. Sara is a “certified transmitter” of this piece of dance, one of only a handful permitted to teach it to others. Through this we discussed the meaning of performance and levels of translation that can take place between dance and other performance pieces; replication, and the act of carrying this material within the body, rather than physically outside it. Process 1: Standing in a circle, shoulders touching. Saying your name and turning to the person to the right. Continuing until instructed that you can look either way after saying your name. Continuation until instructed to continue but without speaking, just looking. It was odd how during the activity you had to concentrate so hard, I found it difficult to remember my own name! The constant flow of names going round the circle lulled you into a state of strange routine, but at the same time I was confused and having to focus on speaking and moving at the right time. Process 2: Walking within a space, no specific route, finding paths through the space. Finding areas of empty, negative space, tracing paths through gaps. Following patterns, interacting with one another. Choosing to stop, remaining still until moving again. Sitting out and viewing the movement from a distance. This activity although simple in its instructions allowed for a lot of thinking and ideas generation; it made me thing about space and travelling through a space differently. The elements of a space usually neglected became obvious to me and called out to be explored! I found myself trying to not just dissolve into walking in a circle, but constantly finding new and interesting paths to make. I would love to have filmed this from above and trace the paths that we all took during the activity, similarly to the activity put on at the Young@Tate event where we used making tape to map our gallery experience. During Sara’s talk we also learned about her interactions with galleries and museums; “A Museum is much more than the artwork on the wall”. Her work explores inserting performance in public spaces, and interruption of the normality of moving/acting in a space. Essentially, the body is a material; language is used as a prompt to get the body to move; a tool kit responding to instructions. The past few weeks have been a struggle to get to grips with, so taking a step back I am going to look at my work with fresh eyes and almost start over;
What do I want my work to achieve? Where can I take my practice? What is my work actually about? Make make make! Keep experimenting with printmaking.
Thorough note-taking, reflections and referencing. Keep feeding myself with research. Take chances, do daft stuff. Reference other artists in blog. Stop writing a diary. God I write a lot don’t I? Time to tone things down and keep to the point, less talking about day to day events and more talking about the important stuff. REFLECT. EVALUATE. RESEARCH. CONTEXTUALISE. The Tate Collective in St Ives is in the process of revamping its ‘survival guide’, to help young people new to galleries to get involved and understand how it all works.
The original leaflet is too small, too busy and is inconsistent in its design. We are taking the key information from the original design and taking it into a more professional A6 booklet, incorporating the Tate and Circuit branding, in addition to gallery information, glossary and timeline. We hope that the new design will encourage newcomers to the gallery to have a better understanding of the gallery, and perhaps get involved with the Collective itself. We also hope that the design can be used as a template for other galleries to use for their visitors. |
AuthorThird Year BA Hons Fine Art student studying at Falmouth University Archives
April 2017
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