Studio update 29/02/2012

I've been thinking a lot today about how my research and thoughts have run alongside what I'd thought were my intentions. I've made some realisations, but I'm not ready to share them yet. And I'm so tired that I want to die.

GCOP200 - essay ideas

This system is just another way of categorising and understanding my life, and understanding what it means to inhabit my body and surroundings.

Outsider art
Insanity
Obsession
Disorder
Routine
Ritual
Medication
Therapy
Categorisation
Archiving 

Artefact

By making changes to my life, developing a set of rules that determine what I do and do not do, and following set routines and rituals, I establish the essential and the non-essential and manipulate my environment by controlling how I interact with it.

Is my art process-led, or is it ritual-led? Am I stuck in a loop where I repeat myself and follow patterns because I have found a niche that I sit comfortably in, and understand?

Lift Gallery - Statement + technical info

Wall-based paper montage, mounted with a combination of masking tape, drawing pins, and Blu-Tac.

This will require approx 1m width of wall space, thought the size is negotiable due to the fluid nature 

of this piece.

Statement:
Following a recent moon-lit walk, and intrigued by the lasting effect that had on me and its residual presence in my work, I have initiated a process-led exploration into the moon as a symbol that commands respect and obeisance.  Through investigating folk-lore and stories, literature and cultural references, and drawing on my own experiences, I have hoped to find an insight into Man’s obsession with the power of the moon.

26/02/1012 (2)

Honour through obsession.

26/02/2012

The task of separating the essential from the non-essential. How do you do that in a project like this where everything is so repetetive and confused? When that's the very nature of what it is that I'm doing, trying to draw out (or in) some kind of order is a troubling and peculiar notion.

Establishing the distinction between interpreation and illustration is still very much on my mind, and a line that I'm constantly trying to draw, and stay firmly on the correct side of. But regardless of that, even once that hurdle is passed, when it comes down to it this project is all about selection, and come Friday, the day of the installation, I need to be very certain that the selection I've made is the right one. So what kind of criteria am I working to?
I continue to remind myself that in my proposal, and thoughout, there's never been any promise of completion/resolve made on my part, and this is a reassuring fact, because resolve is, quite frankly, out of the question.
There are many things that need to be taken into account when I consider the results that I want to display in the Lift Gallery, and time constraints have been a major concern, and dictating force throughout. I have remained very true to my usual studio practice throughout this short period, and have not betrayed my natural way of working, which simply means that what I deliver cannot be any kind of conclusion, merely an invitation to peek into my explorations- another reassuring thought.
What I know is what I continue to be interested in exploring; my narrowed-down research area, which is that of the moon as a commanding and honour-worthy symbol. A strong start. However, the diffculty lies then in trying to express this curiosity and fascination to a stranger, and potentially apathetic audience.
The work that needs to be done in the studio then, is ruthlessly considering and tapering down my vast array of scraps and doodles into something cohesive and demonstrative of my obsession. Is that really so hard? We shall see.
Do I even need to make anything more? The temptation is to do so... However at this stage the great risk is of just adding to my ever-growing pile of the un-essential. Troubling questions.

Curating the Lift Gallery (Long)

First discussions today regarding the curation of the Lift Gallery.

Curatorial committee:
Jess
Didge
Kensa
Sophie
Lance
David

The Lift- Curatorial Committee- Discussion with Steven- 24/02/2012

Steven: For your folders- you could do a write up of this, or a little plan. It has to go in your folders, because you’ve all worked on this, that you hand in at the end.
So, headphones- really big point. I think Dale brought it up. Actually Kensa, she didn’t bring it up, but I think she’s talking headphones.
You guys are all really making interesting work, really good. In some ways I wonder if it’s the pressure of the time, or the chance to do something quite radical. And because of the tone, and the pitch, of the next one... publication, site.... The tonality of these works will be very different.
So I think sounds, could be an issue. What’s the next biggest issue?

Jess: I think there are a lot of electrical things, which is an issue. I don’t know how many sockets are in the lift, but ideally we don’t want three screens all together, in which case if there’s only one plug, they need to be trailed, and taped elsewhere. They can’t all go together, otherwise it’ll look crowded, all lined up...

Didge: I think we’re going to have issues with health and safety.

Jess: We’ll just have to tape it to the skirting...

Steven: Tape it to the skirting, or we also have trunking.

Jess: But if there are things on the floor, it might interfere with that like with Hannah’s piece, you wouldn’t want anything too close to that.

Steven: What you can get, if you check with the ERC, is like a rubber hump, and it’s flexible. The cable goes through it, and you have it running. But I think you’re right, we don’t want this spider’s web. Again, aesthetically, that is a decision. I think Ben brought it up right at the beginning when we were looking at BAS7. There was an artist who had the monitors in the corner, and they had the wires wiggling out. And the piece in the middle had this trunked cable. And again, what we have to do is then ask the artist how they want their cables? Are you happy with black cables snaking back?

Didge: I don’t mind actually, it’s not relevant.

Steven: No, with the tyres it would be nonsense to have a beautifully trunked wire... but then health and safety might require us to do that.
Effectively, I mean we can look at the time table, but we’ve given over a day to this. It should be long enough; I think it’ll be long enough, because we’re all going to be there. What do you think about the responsibilities, and how we can manage processing it? What do you think we should do in terms of...? What do we tell people to do on Friday morning at 10 o clock?

Jess: I think there needs to be some kind of briefing in the morning, so everybody is really aware of where they are. Maybe work out some kind of itinerary for that. I think people need to know where they are and what they’re doing because it’s going to be a really tightly scheduled thing, and we don’t want people tripping over each other.

Steven: What happens in a gallery in this situation is that you have a registrar, whose job it is to manage all the artworks. They manage shipping, and logging, and insurance values, condition reports. Obviously we’re not working at the level of MOMA, but what we’ll have to do is tell all the artists where they need to deliver the work and what time. And arguably, we could ask them to do it in slots; we could say you need to break it in over an hour. So bring your work in at 10, half 10, 11. So by 11 we could decide it’s too late.

Jess: I think it would probably also be valuable if everybody had access to a map or a plan of where everything is, because then they’ll understand how their work is interacting with other people’s, and with the space.

Steven: I think there’s a really interesting point that we’ll have to deal with – this afternoon, if nobody has a burning desire to be somewhere, is we’ll have to take responsibility. But absolutely, on that following Friday, I don’t want it to turn into a big group crit again like last time; this is slightly different because we’re a bit past that. We will reflect on that the following session,  but next Friday, whatever you guys decide, unless the artist absolutely wigs out.. What we’ll have to ask the artists to do is trust the curatorial team. Because when you have 30 pieces of work, if you consider every artist in there you’d do your head in, it’s a real problem. But, you have to balance that with respecting them, and following their wishes, and doing the best for their work.

Jess: Well that’s what this afternoon is about, isn’t it? For artists to make any objections.

Steven: In theory. But then we’re going to make the aesthetic decisions on the floor, where it’s going to be, and how it works. I think that’s the joy of being a curator- I think you have to be as much part negotiator, and manager, and charmer- be charming, as you do being decisive. I was reading last week, I went onto the RCA website, and it was the MA students talking about what a curator is. And it was like; it’s almost like being an uber administrator of art. That’s really what one level of curating is. Well, it’s not. But actually the doing of creating is about managing the artworks, and managing relationships, managing all of those things at once. But then the really interesting part for us is the thematic, and the stories, and the narratives that have been developed. So we’ve set up the premise of the false idols, myself and Neil, and now we will have to deal with the visual... we’re making a new piece of artwork- it’s quite terrifying- out of all of these artworks. And that’s the next thing we have to inhabit. And we’ve got this... It’s actually not dissimilar to Jess’ work, this cacophony of stuff... I wish we could put it like that; it would be so much easier to hang. That could be a rule, if we decided... We’d get it in the neck! But...

Jess: Not literally like that, but I don’t think there’s any choice with 30 artists in such a small space for it to be tightly like that. So that’s a framework already really... Just jam it in where you can!

Steven: I was in this show at the RWA in Bristol, and they hang very classically. And they have a stick. It’s taped, and it’s beautifully made. And they use it to show how far things have to be apart, and they can’t be any close than that. And I just watched this person, and my heart was going ‘noooooooo’, because it destroyed... but what it gave the gallery was a rigor, it was like, whatever happened, they were never going to be that close together, but it also meant that it became very stayed, how they hung the show, and when the artist came in and saw how their work was put... It was like Lance’s work with Liam’s work, that’s how it worked. And it just wasn’t exciting... so deliberate, it was just disappointing. And that’s something we can watch out for.
So in terms of process, we need to come up with a plan that we can tell everyone this afternoon. We’re going to start off with a briefing, which I think is a really good idea. And in that briefing, we’re going to say what? What are we going to tell them to do? What is our plan?

Jess: I think working out some kind of timetable, slots... Practically because there are so many people, and so little space. After working out maybe where some people go on the plan, then working out some kind of timetable for that, I think is really important.

Martin: So it’s going to be staggered... Probably you want to install the walls first so you’re not climbing over things.

Lance: Not just for the artwork, but access wise it has to be staggered. We can’t have 30 pieces of work sitting on the floor.

Didge: Isn’t it going to be really difficult... I mean today, envisaging where 20 pieces of work are going to go. I don’t really know any of the work, and to me that seems really daunting. What we did with ours, we laid everything out, and it made it so... we were in the moment of having the work, and seeing the space, and without that... We didn’t come together and talk about curating it, until the work was out. Visually, for me, it would be a real challenge to imagine what the work is going to look like, and how it’s going to go. Unless we pick certain pieces that we can work out; which is exactly what we did.

Jess: Our solution to that was to pick... we did the moon first, then it was the big things, and then worked around that. So maybe what we need to do is like, electrical first because then they’re in, and we know where plugs are going, then wall-based, then sculptural work. Maybe that’s the answer, not literally, *okay people working 2 metres away from each other at all times*, and planning it like that, because that’s not really possible.

Steven: I think all of these processes are valid, and I’d be tempted at the moment to go, okay big things- let’s just sketch them out. And I think what we do, is as we’re doing this, and as work’s coming in, we don’t nail anything down until about 12 o clock. What’ll happen, if we stagger it with works coming in... We’ll have the map, we’ll have a rough idea of where everything’s going, and as the work comes in... There are obviously pieces, like Lance’s... there are only so many spaces that could be in.

Lance: With my piece of work, it’s quite hard because of image quality; it needs to have depth, so people can stand back.

Steven: And we have the opposite to consider, in that there are very intimate pieces, pieces you maybe want to spend quite a lot of time in front of, and be quite close. And headphone pieces.  I think straight away we’ve got three or four sound pieces.

Didge: How many sound pieces? Can we make a list of all the different... how many sound, films...?

Steven: Let’s do it. How shall we do this? Shall we do electric...? It’s up to you how you code it, and again, this is your process... If I do everything that I think is electric, and you can maybe depending on whether you want to put ‘M’ for monitor, ‘P’ for projector, ‘S’ for sound. So:
Hayley- flat screen. She didn’t talk about sound, did she?

Kensa: I’ve just been up to ask about flat screens, and they don’t have any. They have TV/DVD combinations, but no flat screens.

Jess: In terms of security, obviously he lift isn’t a secure area, so if we’re putting valuable electricals in there, what’s the solution to that?

Martin: They need to be secured. You can get locks from the ERC, they supply locks for the Macs, and they can be secured to a plinth.

Jess: so that’s something we need to think about- what they’re going to be secured to.

Steven: That’s down to the practitioner, we’re not going to go and get the locks or anything.

Didge: They’re going to be responsible for all the equipment that’s needed, so if they don’t come with something...

Steven: And hanging it with us. So you’re basically going to be managing them. Essentially, we’ll have to say they can’t leave that there if it’s not secure, and the worst case scenario is that they install it, and then have to take it away again, and they have to come back on Monday and negotiate with martin, and make it secure on Monday. But that is a big no-no and a bit of a show out for us. I don’t want this kind of ’it’ll be alright for tonight because it’s the opening’, and take it away tonight, and come back with it. We’d argue against that.
Right, let’s go through t his list:
Hayley
Kensa- that’s monitor, and headphones
Didge- Simply electric
David- Power, but that’s it. Potentially, you might have sound? With David’s performance, I think we’ll have a temporary wire, and that’ll be managed on the night of the opening. And then we would need sound, and whether it’s batteries, or socket...
Dale- Video projector and headphones.
And Sam.
So it sounds like what we have to do this afternoon... We’ve talked about tiered delivery, say between 10-11. So maybe just print out the register, and just work out how many people... one every 2 minutes... 15 minute slots, I would argue. And all we’re going to do I imagine, is just do that thing where you lay it all out on the floor, and stand back and work it out.

Martin: Someone needs to clarify whether we’ve got that corridor or not.

Didge: Why don’t we just make the decision to not have it? And then we really do have a show that’s really insulated into that area. There’s a real division there with the door, so whoever goes out into the corridor is going to have a completely different feel.

Jess: I think you notice more what’s in the Lift as well.

Didge: There’s also a really large camera in that area... That’s all going to go, isn’t it?

Steven: So curatorially, if you’re telling me what I think you’re telling me- that needs to go? Well let’s enquire about that.

Didge: That could be a really intimate area.

Jess: and also if the camera stays there, it becomes par t of the show.

Steven: So, camera, and also the cabinets. We’re not going to need any of those cabinets, are we? So have you guys got an idea of what we’re going to say to people this afternoon at 1, how we’re going to do this?

Sophie: Between 10 and 11 is drop off, then spend the next hour making sure everything is in the right place, and making sure it all looks fine where it goes, and then people come back in half an hour slots?

Steven: And start hanging it. I would say... I want to stretch the day out... The opening’s not that night is it?

David: I think it is.

Steven: I’ll talk to Neil, he has the timetable. It just means that we’ll have to work really well that day, which is fine. A hang can take 2-3 days in a huge gallery; we’ve done it in 2 hours- we just have to be really organised and clever. And this afternoon we’ll be clever, and we’ll see what we’ve got.

Jess: I think it would also be useful today if we could establish as much as we can if there’s work that absolutely cannot go somewhere, or has to go in a certain place. Not planning the whole thing out, which is impossible, but establishing that.

Steven: Sounds like we have a plan. It’s up to you, we can start at 9. We can be really brutal about this- why don’t we start at 9? Why don’t we get delivery between 9 and 10? Unless there’s a really good reason that you can’t get in then.

Studio update 24/02/2012

Exploring the moon as a symbol that commands respect and obeisance- my piece will take the form of a wall based montage measuring approx 1m wide. It will be held up with Blu-Tac, masking tape, drawing pins. Ephemera. Transitory. No-fi. In the last tutorial with Jane we discussed narrowing my research area, because of time constraints. The restrictive nature of this project- in the short time allowed, and therefore my inability to be THOROUGH- frustrates and confuses me. However, I have decided that contrary to Jane's suggestions, which I initially understood and considered, I do not wish to focus my energies on a specific story/myth. The difficulty that I've been having to this point is establishing the boundary between illustration-interpretation in this particular context, and I feel that focusing so singularly on one option would only further confuse and restrict me. The particular story of interest that I initially considered, following Jane's suggestion, was about the danger of viewing the new moon through glass. This fascinates me because it is a comment on the power of the moon, as a grand symbol, a God, a parent. I understand that this is what I need to explore. Broader than a single story, narrower than EVERYTHING.

Studio update 21/02/2012

16/02/2012

Why am I so obsessed?
Like Sylvia Plath - A companion.
A constant.
Power.
The moon is powerful.
Honour
Respect
Ritual
Fear

Watcher

13/02/2012

To the moon...

The Lobby; WITH Christmas lights

Necessary to complete the tale; stumbling across a twilight tinsel-town in the deep, dark South.

The MOON

(Roud, S (2003) Superstitions of Britain and Ireland. London: Penguin)

Moon: bowing to

One of the most widespread practices on seeing the new moon was to bow or curtsey to it:

When living, a few years ago, in Ayrshire, our housekeep use to make obeisance several times to the new moon when she observed it, looking very solemn the while. And when I asked her why she did so, she replied that by doing she would be sure to get a present before the next moon appeared. She wished me (then a very young girl) to do so too, and when I told her it was all nonsense, she ‘fired up’ and said her mother had done so, and she would continue to do so. I rather think this is no uncommon practice, for our previous servant did the same thing, and neither of them was older than about forty or fifty.
                                                Ayrshire Scotsman (27 Dec. 1889)

The form of the obeisance varies considerably – bowing or curtseying are by far the most common, but nodding, raising the hat, and kissing the hand are also reported. The number of stipulated times can also be any odd number from one to nine. This bowing motif is very often combined with other elements of ‘new moon’ belief, such as making a wish or reciting a rhyme to divine future partners (see below), but the most common direct result of paying one’s respect is that you will get a present, or find something nice, before the next new moon:

It was a prevalent belief that if a person catching the first glimpse of new moon were to instantly stand still, kiss their hand three times to the moon, and bow to it, that they would find something of value before that moon was out.
                                                Western Scotland Napier (1879)

Moon: moonlight dangerous

The supposed connection between the moon and insanity, encapsulated in the word ‘lunacy’, has a very long history, and is now a cliché of popular culture. Nevertheless, many people, even in relatively recent times, took the idea quite seriously:

Two instances have been recorded between 1961 and 1963 of the effect of the full moon on persons suffering from mental illness. In both cases the symptoms of the patient – acute depression in one, restlessness and agitation in the other – were said by other members of the family to become more marked at the time of the full moon.
                                                Cambridgeshire Porter (1969)

Moonlight also featured in a range of other beliefs – always with a negative and dangerous reputation. Humans sleeping in moonlight were said to be, at best, subject to bad luck and bad dreams, and at worst prone to stammering, blindness, paralysis, and idiocy. To avoid this fate, some children were taught a protective rhyme:

Very few mothers will suffer the full moon to shine in at the bedroom windows when their children have retired to rest; for the popular opinion is, that her rays will cause the sleepers to lose their senses. Should children observe the moon looking into their rooms, they are taught to endeavour to avert her influence by repeating the words:

I see the moon
The moon sees me
God bless the priest
That christened me.
                                                Lancashire Harland & Wilkinson (1873)

Moon: pointing at

A relatively widely reported nineteenth-century superstition prohibited any pointing at the moon, on the basic grounds of being disrespectful:

A lady, upwards of seventy years of age, informs me that when a child on a visit to her uncle at Ashburton, she was severely scolded by one of the servants, for pointing her finger at the moon. The act was considered very wicked, being an insult; and no one knew what evil instances it might call down.
                                                Devon Devonshire Assoc. (1879)

Moon: seen through glass

One of the two major superstitions regarding how or where the new moon is first seen dictates that it is very bad luck to see it through glass:

Many Cambridgeshire people still consider it unlucky to see a  new moon for the first time through glass, although few, if any, now go to the length of taking the precautions to avoid doping so which their grandparents, in many instances, took. An elderly Cambridge man recalled in 1958 that when he used to stay with his grandmother in Ely when he was a boy, he remembers being told by her to stand by an open kitchen window to warn her of an appearance of a new moon so that she could join him and see it from the doorstep and not through a window.
                                                Cambridgeshire Porter (1969)

The penalty for ignoring this interdiction is usually cited as generally ‘very bad luck’, but some informants specified that the results would be that you would ‘break glass’ during that moon. Less common, but still reported in significant numbers, was the idea that it was also unlucky to see the moon ‘through trees’.

If the moon you see
Neither through glass or tree
It shall be a lucky moon to thee.
                                                Jersey Folk-Lore (1914)

It is not entirely clear why viewing through glass was counted as so significant, although similar prohibitions were reported, much less commonly, in other contexts. It was believed, for example, that it was bad luck to see a funeral through a window, and that what is seen through glass is not permissible as evidence in court. The only clue which emerges from the mass of references to the new-moon belief is an impression, and it is no more than that, that it is somehow disrespectful to the moon not to see it face to face.

All information sourced from:
Roud, S (2003) Superstitions of Britain and Ireland. London: Penguin

13/02/2012

11/02/2012

Research begins; Thank you, Mum!

BAFA201 Assessment

JY: So if I start with what’s on the wall. Where I was coming from, I think especially from about half way through when I kind of had my eureka moment, I wanted to bring a lot of places that are always on my mind, that I have connections to through family or associations, I wanted to bring them all together- I think that’s sort of the overriding desire in my life. So the point I’ve reached now, I made these prints... I want to talk about them because they’re the point where I feel that my work has started to do what I want it to. And I made these by combining these dioramas that I made; two of which are kind of imaginary spaces that I think probably have more of a fantasy kind of element. That one was made before we did The Big Walk; it was kind of in anticipation of that, so these are sort of more psychic places. And then also this one was 6 real places, and the prints are made by combining these places. It’s this sort of amalgamation of imagined, and remembered places. Into something that’s sort of tangible, and makes it a bit less troubling... which I think is the key focus of this. So I made those... And I think what I like about those as well is the huge amount of process that’s gone into them; because they’re just these flat little pieces and even if that’s not evident to an audience, I know how much has gone into them, and they kind of hold all of this stuff for me.

Also, throughout this whole thing I’ve been doing a lot of writing and making imagery, and I wanted to experiment with producing a book, or presenting information in a different way. I like the idea that I could make something that could be reproduced and shared, but is still kind of cryptic. So I could give away a tiny bit of myself at a time. In that sense it’s been kind of cathartic without actually having to share too much of myself, still keep some secrets. So I’ve done that, and I’ve been doing that throughout as well; keeping stuff as I go along, so I have these large books, and this is the starting point really or that book, and keeping this journal/artefact from when I went to Laugharne. I don’t know if you know laugharne, but it’s in Wales, and it’s where Dylan Thomas lived and worked for the last few years of his life. I think Dylan Thomas has been a great presence in my work since... always; the way he talks about place and memory, I really admire him as an artist. So I kind of made my pilgrimage there and documented it. We also did The Big Sneak, which was kind of a performance, experimenting with duration, and obviously we did The Big Walk as well, and The Clock, so we’ve tried to do an event every month. So playing with ways to share information in ways other than just making things that could be construed as simply ‘pretty’. Telling stories I think has been an overriding thing... Telling stories and sharing stories.

I’ve already told you about the models, but they were again about bringing places together, and I like that I could carry them over into print, rather than them just being what they are... But I also liked using this material, making something that wasn’t just flat... that you could step into and inhabit. I like that I could make something that’s quite playful and quite cute, 

but that means something.

ED: In terms of contextualising your work, other artists... writers?

JY: Obviously Dylan Thomas. There’s a writer who you probably won’t have heard of called Stephen Vickery, not only because I think he’s a great writer, but he died a couple of years ago, and before that made these handmade volumes that he gave to his friends- he was never published in his lifetime- so he died and they put these volumes together into this book, which is just photocopies... and they’re mixed with... he was a visual artist as well. So I found that really inspiring how his writings were shown. I’ve been really interested in Tacita Dean as well; I think her work is quite sort of delicate, mysteries... In a lot of way ephemeral, the way she tells stories and creates these narratives. I really liked her, and got to see her piece in the Turbine Hall last week which was really interesting, though I think it was more about process rather than the context of it... I’ve read George Perec, Species of Spaces, which I thought was great, the way he talks about place again, that really fascinates me. Obviously Psychogeography, Mythogeography, what it means to inhabit a space. I was thinking a lot about places of significance, especially towards the beginning; what it is that qualifies a place of significance, so like Tim Cresswell; the way he defines places. Oh! I went to see Bridgette Ashton, she did the show at the Arts Centre which I really liked- she did the Cave Proposals. So these sort of false places... in the same way Charles Avery at BAS7, this ongoing narrative of lies... I really enjoy that. And I’ve been going to a lot of artist talks as well, and interviewing artists. So we sat in on the George Shaw interview, and Francesca Steele, Neil Rose. It’s been really great actually; I’ve felt like I’ve really been able to throw myself into it.

ED: Have you tried to pinpoint your development? How would you see it in connection o what you did last year? If you say ‘well I really enjoy being busy’, and we can see that you’re terribly engaged, but how would you identify that development? What has it gone towards?

JY: I think everything that I’ve done has broadened my vision, which I didn’t really have last year. I’ve also felt compared to last year, and my previous work that I’ve felt much more grounded, beginning to learn about the context of my work, my place... Not comparing myself to other artists, but positioning myself. It’s not something that I’m decided on, but it’s something that I’ve started to think about, whereas before I definitely did not. Doing a lot more writing, I’ve been keeping a blog, which has been for reflections, reviews, critiques of shows, all of that kind of thing really. I think just using as many platforms as possible to reflect and develop has been really important.

ED: I’ve asked you this before, and I’m asking again because maybe something has changed; can you tell me how you see the thing that you’ve put on the wall... That side of it, and that side of it... Maybe there is no side anymore....?

JY: I think there is less now!¬ I think the real turning point was when I spoke to you in that tutorial... Obviously this is the way that I work and you always see that... And I think before you pretty much spelled it out to me I didn’t realise how important it was. I think there’s still a distinction between the two, but I also think it’s very important, especially at the moment, that they’re running alongside each other. Now, I still haven’t drawn a line under it, and it’s still something that I’m working out. So I want my process to be evident. And I think when I took it down for that time, and then put it back up, I realised what an intense thing it was, and realised how important this way of working was. So there is a distinction, but it’s kind of squidgy at the moment... I don’t know if that really answers your question?

ED: I have a different opinion about it, but that doesn’t matter!

JY: I can’t remember if it was in the feedback, or if somebody just asked me, but somebody talked a lot about my process, and it kind of hit home again how important it was...

ED: I can’t help seeing it as an art piece... It is a process, and I was excited when you put it back up, and it was like *pfft, nothing* which made clear to me that it’s so in your hands.

JY: I don’t want to dismiss it as *just* a process... I think process as art maybe.

JJ: How do you select what’s on the wall, and what’s in the pile?

JY: I think that’s instinctual. The pieces that seem the most essential, not by any definable criteria, just because...

ED: Does it work like your writing? You write poems, which to me is something rather different to just... If you’re writing poetry then words come together differently than in another text...

JY: I think it’s probably the same thing. That’s what feels right... resonates in the right way. But beyond that I’m not sure I can really explain.

JJ: In some ways I think if you define it too much it loses the magic.

ED: Exactly. Because I’m always excited with you, by what’s happening in the fringes, the periphery. Because you could say, well that’s just a stack, but as that stack is it part of the same thing, including that painting there. So you get those blurry parts of it.

JJ: And the frames?

JY: I... liked them... I think aesthetically that had something to do with it. But I felt that these were finished pieces and I wanted to present them as such.

JJ: I really like the fact that there are sort of almost the same images next to it, but that hasn’t made the frame, and then you start to play spot the different, and begin to notice the other layering.

JY: ‘What does that one have that that doesn’t?’

JJ: It’s sort of a slow unfolding isn’t it?

ED: I find it also interesting that initially in your first presentation there were those little things, and now for me it’s just one big piece, and it almost tried to crystallise into something, and doesn’t really... which is a really nice movement, fantastic dynamics. And I think that might be something you could explore further. So there’s also the crystallisation, so it’s like ‘oh there’s a painting, but it’s stuck behind stuff’, so it doesn’t really get the placing that it usually would, pristine on a wall. And I think that is the kind of dynamic you could explore. And another thing is, if I look at this... I’m currently reading Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, he’s a Japanese writer who’s really fascinating, it’s sort of a play with 1984 of George Orwell, and it is talking about this parallel world where there are two moons, one of which is not this beautiful round moon, but it’s sort of a rock floating in the sky, so I keep seeing this in your work. I think that that is something that might be to explore, what comes out of there, tried to be ‘proper artwork’, but in the end, *this* is the artwork. Have you been through all of your cards?

JY: I think I’ve been through all of the ones I want to talk about. Obviously in the first month or two I was looking at something quite different, which I realised early on wasn’t quite nourishing enough. I was thinking about place in a very different way; sort of trying to find one place... It wasn’t enough; I couldn’t really get involved with it.

ED: What is it that you want to do yourself? How do you envisage your development further?

JY: I don’t know. Find whatever I’m looking for. Some kind of resolution... I can’t see where I’m going I’m afraid.

JJ: Is that a problem?

JY: No.

ED: Well then that’s okay, don’t see that as a problem. I think that is something we moved away form really radically, about anyone here making such a statement that would box you in. So if this is a process, and this is your way of working, and you’ve found out that this is your way of working, then that’s it.

JY: That’s the thing, I mean, I always want to make art, and as long as I’ve always got something to make art about then I just keep plodding on.

ED: Well we’ve witnessed that, you continuously working.

JJ: But we’ve also witnessed you making art without... Even though it’s still undefined, you seem to have a more clear direction rather than.... There was a lot of spreading out at the beginning.

JY: I feel quite happy now, I feel at peace.

JJ: There seems to be less flailing around. It seemed to make you anxious.

JY: It made me very anxious! I don’t know if it comes across, but I feel that what I’m doing now is much more concise. There is definite direction, and even though it seems a bit sprawling...

ED: But it’s not really sprawling. If I keep looking at that wall, then I just see, okay it can give the impression of being sprawling, but there’s a lot of construction going on there, like the cards and boxes; they’re clearly put in a specific way, and I can also see how that falls sort of automatically out of your hands- that’s the exact reason that you were capable of putting it up quite quickly, it comes naturally in your hands and your thinking. Whereas the things that are still there in the stack weren’t at all... But that kind of framing is. I can see how that’s connected, and playing with the double image. So I think it’s really exciting.

JY: I feel excited.

ED: What you can say about your contribution to your piece in the lobby?

JY: I’m really excited about that as well! I’m really happy. I told you we did that thing, sort of as another test of endurance, and what we were capable of, you know what we did – a really *really* long walk – and I think it kind of had this strange effect on all of us, and we went away and thought about it for a couple of months, and came back and made this. And I said to the others, I don’t really feel ownership of what’s mine. Again, it’s telling a story, it’s like one of these books or whatever, it’s just a way of sharing, in a vague kind of way, what we did. But I think it’s very different to what’s going on in here, this work is very sort of melancholic, and nostalgic, and weeping alone in the dark, and what’s out there is a celebration of this thing that we did, and feeling really excited. I think it’s good that they’re sort of running in tandem with each other. Even though they’re different, I don’t really feel like they’re separate things, and that I’m being kind of schizophrenic about it...

JJ: And The Big Sneak, that wasn’t about this at all...

JY: A weird little ditty of its own. It was just a laugh!

JJ: A very different flavour, and sense, but the same intensity, the same seriousness, but completely different outlooks.

JY: I think that’s the way that I seem to be working at the moment. So I have this thing going the whole time, and every now and then I go off on a little adventure. I think it’s like Mr. Ben. He has his normal life, and then...

ED: Mr. Ben?

JY: It was this really great cartoon, a long time ago. Every episode he went to a costume shop and tried on a costume and went on this adventure, through the changing room back in time or whatever. So I’m Mr. Ben, and my life carries on as usual, but every now and then I go to the costume shop and have a little adventure, and then it’s back to the real world.

ED: It’s really interesting to see how you and Didge and Kensa sort of go through this similar process, developing a very distinct style, which has all to do with just taking on board who you are. What your art can be, and that it doesn’t even need to distinctly look like anything else that’s around, but that is your own specific way of making art, and that’s really a joy to see.

JY: I think I mentioned in my self evaluation- It’s something, more than last year, that we’ve been working a lot closer... obviously we did the collaboration with the Lobby, but just working within the same space, and we email a lot, so we’re working very closely, and it’s been a really great experience having this thing to bounce off of. Having these artists that work in a very different way to my own, and intentions are very different to my own, but working in this way... It’s been amazing actually, I think it’s really changed me as an artist.

ED: Well, as I said, nothing to worry about. Carry on!

_______________________________________________

I didn't speak as clearly or as concisely as I think I could of. I feel that if my tutors didn't know my work so well (a blessing), then I would have given a poor description of it, and depended too much on their background knowledge, and their questions which prompted me to further explain where I was coming from.

Things to work on for next time.

However, once again, I did feel convinced by my work, and excited and proud to share it.

Peer evaluation feedback

- Nice and outdoorsy - an ongoing theme, which is great, shows a real personal interest flowing through the work.

- Absolutely loved the full moon walk idea and how work has been inspired from this to create visual connections to a personal experience.

- Maybe could look at using film, create a visual for people so they can travel with you as you go on the walks.

- Good body of work. Good background knowledge of artists. Presentation a bit mucky on the wall.

- Idea of place is main theme, particularly significant and personal places.

- Extensive artist research and large backlog of work.

- Process of this project is essential and you can see the process of it very clearly.

- Organically formed narrative gone hand in hand with the process.

- Jess has an excellent full body of work that shows a clear and extensive process of ideas. Her work is very imaginative and the presentation of her work is to a very high standard.

- Jess seems to be very involved in her work that helps put across a personal theme and narrative for the viewers. Skills she has developed through self-directed study show the high level of competence and innnovation that I feel deserves a First Class.

- Extensive research and use of journal is obvious and I really enjoyed the layout of the work on the wall - The little shelf that had been put up and the two pieces of work in frames gave it something more, and again made it more personal and showed truly that you are comfortable and at home with the work. Inspiring stuff!

________________________________________________________________


Pleasantly surprised by the peer feedback, having been certain that my intentions with this project had been misunderstood. There are points here that I felt that although I had not mentioned in my peer evaluation, had been picked up on- particularly pleased with the statement about me feeling 'at home' with my work. I do, and I'm pleased that this comes across as it's a new and refreshing feeling for me.
I'm interested in the idea of working with film if I went on to explore this I would want to make something as intangible and misreadable as all of my other work, however. Create something abstract and drifty. This is definitely something that needs to be looked at.
It struck me how often the word 'process' was used in my feedback- the process is important! Edith pointed it out to me first, and now in this feedback it is repeated- I was the only one that couldn't see it!
Looking forward to working now for the Lift and continuing my practice with this feedback in mind.

Curating The Big Walk

The Big Walk – Lobby – Group show

Curating the Big Walk:

For The Big Walk show in the Lobby, the three of us brought together all of the material that we had either collected, or made from the experience of the Big Walk. We began curating this exhibition not knowing how much of this material we would display, or how it would interact with each other, having deliberately avoided discussing the technicalities of the show in the time leading up to the install.

We began by gathering all of the information together and ‘taking stock’ of all that we had, and considering a framework from which to work for the setting up of the show. The first curatorial issue was whether to cover up, or work around the previous Lobby show, Kensa’s ‘Horizon’, which we had intentionally left in the space as we felt it was appropriate, and responded well to The Big Walk. Together we made the decision not to cover it, as we felt that having this ‘constant’ horizon was so contextually apt to the content of the show, and it would also challenge us to ‘think outside the box’ in terms of the placement of all of the pieces, rather than falling into the trap of a ‘classical hang’ which would not be appropriate for The Big Walk. We also all agreed that the horizon line brought with it a sense of journey and movement.

The first piece to go up was Didge’s ‘Moon’ construction, which Didge felt needed to be high up- as is the moon- and look over the Lobby. This was the only piece, aside from the objects on the table, which we did not mount on a wall. Almost immediately we made the decision to suspend this from the ceiling, not only so that it could be high up, but so that it could be removed and replaced by Didge if necessary, and so that it would not simply be a static object. Hanging it like this also meant that it was angled slightly to the floor, picking up reflections of colour and movement, and so is in a constant state of flux.

From this starting point, we moved on to consider what other larger pieces were to be hung that would need a specific place. There seemed to be a clear divide in our material between the ‘art’, which needed to dominate its own space, and art objects and documentation which was more fluid and less bound to a conventional arrangement. When considering how best to place another of Didge’s pieces, Kensa realised that when placed over her Horizon, it fitted and continued that constant line. We proceeded with this as a theme for that wall, and arranged photographs containing horizons from our walk in the same way. We all felt that keeping the horizon was important, and that by working in this way we were not only preserving, but adding to Kensa’s Horizon, by applying our own memories and imagery to this piece.

For the collection of maps, sketchbooks, found objects etc. we acquired a low plinth for us as a table. The intention was to build a ‘social’ area where these objects could be explored and handled- inviting the viewer in to the more intimate, less prepared aspects of this journey. It seemed important to have this ‘friendly area’, as it prevented this show from becoming to clean, and too impersonal; this is a story that we wished to share, and tell as a group.

Above the seating area I created a montage of some of my smaller pieces, which formed a small, chaotic arrangement of drawings, printwork and other imagery. This is my usual method of working, and it seemed appropriate for the frame of mind that the walk was both undertaken in, and then reflected by. It is intentionally so close to the seating area, as it is a less formal arrangement than the other pieces, consisting of fragments and curios.

Much of the curatorial issues we encountered with setting up this show involved just working out arrangements that were aesthetically pleasing to us- not always definable, but based on ‘gut instincts’. We were also very concerned, as the artists, that our story was told correctly and was made somewhat accessible to the audience that we wanted to share this with. We worked this out by carefully considering the pieces that we chose to include; being selective and removing material that we felt to be non-essential considering the limited space that we had.

I believe that we have achieved what we desired with this show and I am proud of the result. I feel that The Big Walk show describes evocatively our walking adventure and I am satisfied that the last two months of reflecting and remembering has culminated in what I believe to be a very considered, mindful collection of work.

Amended Lift Gallery proposal

The Lift Gallery Proposal
Jess Young

“False idols: from Deity to concept: The notion of the polemic, an impassioned argument that suggests a discursive belief or the act of questioning.”

“So now I shall talk every night. To myself. To the moon. I shall walk, as I did tonight, jealous of my loneliness, in the blue-silver of the cold moon, shining brilliantly on the drifts of fresh-fallen snow, with the myriad sparkles. I talk to myself and look at the dark trees, blessedly neutral. So much easier than facing people, than having to look happy, invulnerable, clever. With masks down, I walk, talking to the moon, to the neutral impersonal force that does not hear, but merely accepts my being. And down not smite me down.”
                                                - Sylvia Plath

The Moon has been a source of human fascination throughout history, and there are countless Gods and Deities representing, or who take power over or reside within the Moon.
I wish to explore this obsession through my own experiences- specifically a recent moonlit walk that inspired a group show in The Lobby which myself and two fellow students produced art for and curated.
I’ve been intrigued by the lasting effect the Moon seemed to have on us, and its very definite presence in all of our works since the event. 

PLAN
I will be exploring folklore and mythology surrounding man’s obsession with the Moon, the effect the Moon has on humans both physically and psychologically, and the effect that the Moon has on this planet.
My piece will take the form of a wall-based montage/installation, demonstrating my artistic process and my exploration of the proposed topic; The Moon as a symbol of power/personified force. The material displayed will be from a combination of sources; some of my own creative work and experiments, found items, and key research.
By working in this way, with ‘process as art’, I will be collecting and displaying stimulus in a way relative to Wolfgang Tillmans’ Truth Study Centre, compiling and categorising information; or Bridgette Ashton, specifically her use of zines and books as a method of presenting information.
The significance of working in this way is key to the subject matter- Considering the notion of obsession/lunacy as key themes, and my work mirroring these ideas. 

REQUIREMENTS
I will be using a combination of masking tape, Blu-Tac and pins to attach my pieces to the walls.
I will require no assistance with the install or takedown.

The Big Walk - Lobby - Group show

The Big Walk - Statement

The Big Walk

Didge Dowley, Kensa Rescorla, Jess Young

As a group, we three decided to walk the 25 miles of coastal path from Coverack to Cury in Cornwall on a date coinciding with the full moon in order to build a new experience, and to feed our art practices.
We took on this adventure from a mutual love of the Cornish landscape and a desire to challenge our bodies and minds.
The journey took just short of 12 hours, the majority of which was in darkness, walking exclusively by moonlight as much as possible.
What is shown here is the culmination of our preparations, the event, and two months of unravelling and reflecting on our experiences.

The Big Walk - Lobby - Curatorial issues (Long!)

J: I’ve got loads of photos, black and white photos. I quite like that one, because you can only see the lights, in black and white. And I like that one with the sign. And I have loads of bits, so they can just go up wherever... just all of the stuff from the big walk. I quite like the photos... They’re cheaply printed, and black and white. But it didn’t really seem necessary...

D: It was kind of black and white wasn’t it? Cattle. Monsters!

J: I thought that was necessary. And I like the signs as well... We were being dictated to even up there.

D: Amy came up with an idea to have a wooden sign saying  ‘25 miles home’, but I didn’t have time to do that. But we can do it if we want to.

J: We had a good time didn’t we, for much of it.

D: It was hard though. For me it was, I’m sure it was for you as well.

J: It was a long way, I was very thirsty.

D: I think I put that on my ‘negative’ boot. Thirsty!

J: We should have an empty bottle, just to sum it up.

D: Right, we’ve just laid it all out so we can have a look at what we’ve got. It’s going to be hard doing this... You know that?

J: It’s a curatorial challenge!

D: It certainly is... I never got to see the Scott exhibition either.

J: Oh, it was good. This is our own Scott of the Antarctic exhibition.

D: Scott-ess

J: Of Lizard Point

K: Right, so are we going to work around the horizon, do you reckon? Or just cover it?

J: I think there are benefits to doing either

K: it kind of doesn’t matter really does it, just go with it?

D: Let’s just decide where things are going to go? I like the idea that if that thing goes up, you just write on top of it? So that it continues the thing across it... Because I’m not sure whether we should cover it or...

K: We won’t know, will we? Until we get going?

D: I think it would be interesting not going over it

J: It’s a constant thing... And they can be in weird places as well.

K: We want it to flow don’t we?

D: Well maybe we should make that the defining point of reference? Because then we have something to work with.

J: I like the idea that it’s this sort of chaotic... splat... following this journey. So I think it’s quite appropriate that we work around the horizon.

K: One part could be the beginning and then we could work around do it that way... So if we’ve got photographs... I don’t know, we could have daylight... then night time

J: It’s a small space, but there’s no reason that we shouldn’t creep up the stairs.
So, what are we going to do then? Just place things where we think...?

D: I’ve just got an idea... That that moon, that one there should be high up! As though it’s looking over...

K: With the light shining on it. We could start with that point. In a corner somewhere

J: I like that corner... It looks over everywhere.

D: I need to be able to take it off...

K: Can you get up in the ceiling? You can push these up can’t you, and then just hook it on in there...

J: Just hang it from the metal... That would mean it would move which would be quite nice. Do we have any wire? Hang it over the bar, put the tiles back...

K: If we can get a bit of wire, or a bit of string to hold it up.

D: I need to be able to take it down, so I can put it for my assessment.

J: But your assessment can still be... Or do you need it to be a part of your structure?

D: Well I kind of like the idea of being able to take it from here and put it back there... Then bring it back again.

J: If you get a bit of string or wire then you can make something that it just fits into.

K: Do we want anything, like a plinth or anything to just put things on? Because we’ve got bits and bobs, haven’t we. I’ve got the map there...

J: We’ll come to that in a bit... Get the moon up, then we’ll have our guiding light.
That wire’s quite thick... Will the tiles slot back over that? What about fishing wire? Because that’s quite strong and you won’t be able to see it.

(Found some metal wire)

D: So what do I need... A hook at either end don’t I?

J: Well what you need to do is just hang it up from the ceiling... And then you can slot that in. So the wires around each other so it’s really strong. It needs to be really secure, so go round and round as tight as you can.

D: I should make sure it’s the right height.

J: Maybe just make one loop... And then move it round so the ugly bit is behind the tiles, and then that’ll just slot in.

D: I’m just hoping it’s the right height, what do you think?

J: I think that’s probably about right.

D: Is that too low, does it need another one there?

K: No, that’s a good angle. Go round and make sure it’s secure. You could double it up.

D: It’s ugly though, isn’t it?

K: You don’t take any notice of it really, you can’t really see it.

J: While you’re up there, do you want to angle the light?

K: There, you’ve got the shine where it moves.

D: If I move it that way, the moon will actually move, what do you think?

J: I like it at this angle because it overlooks the whole room.

D: I like the fact that it’s quite close to the horizon line as well. I got to use one of my pieces, that’s good!

K: It’s got a nice shine hasn’t it, and on the wall...

K: Right!
J: Right!
D: Right!

J: Okay, so do we just choose what goes next then? Is there anything else that needs a specific place? That’s probably the way to think about it. And then fill the gaps...

D: Do you think that needs to be somewhere opposite?

K: Balance it out a bit.

J: I’d quite like to see it over there.

D: It’s really nice just starting with big stuff. I think it’s great that you did all of that writing there. Because that has got to be the biggest thing here really, in lots of ways.

J: I think I’d like that to be lower, closer to the horizon.

D: And what, near a mountain... or? Do you want that writing to be through the crack there?

K: It looks better lower down. I’ll tell you what!...

J: It matches up!

D: Are you going to write on that?

K: No, I don’t think it’s needed! You have all of those scratchy marks that are a bit like writing.

D: Picture hook!

J: Do you want to play with the light at all?

D: Definitely, shall we have it on the moon?

K: Shadow as well!

J: Do you have anything big that needs its own space?

K: No, I’m not going to put my moon up. It’s not going to go.

J: So now is it just plastering the walls, basically?

D: Are you sure?

K: Yeah, if the whole wall was black then I wouldn’t ‘mind, but it has edges, and I don’t really like that. I’ve got it on my poem. I wanted to put a background on, so I put it onto acetate...

J: I might also have... a poem on a picture! Should I photocopy it so it’s on A4 and we have one each?

D: Do you think that we need to have that table here? That we had for your maps,to put things on.

K: I’ve got a map, I’ve got a book of photos, you’ve got your bits..

D: So do you think that we should do that? Have a table, and have those chairs like we did last time? Because I like that.

K: It was nice; you can sit and just take it in... And I don’t like the chairs there to be honest.

D: So we can make a sitting area. We’ll do that after though. So shall we decide what will go on the table, make another pile? Have you got the string that you used? It’s in something, isn’t it?

J: Oh! I’ve got my string!

D: Excellent... So we can have that..... What do you reckon to the table we talked about earlier? So like a lit table. And then have it as a hanging out place for people to sit.

K: (The map) It doesn’t have to be open, but you can see where it’s been used.

D: I think it’s really nice because we have photographs of the map in places that you can see.

K: So there’s connections... So if we have the seating area there, we can have the shoes... And it’s almost like somebody’s sat down there and taken off their shoes, and is resting there for a minute.
D: How about... What’s the next big thing?

K: Well we’ve got pictures and poems, haven’t we?

J: My stuff is mostly just little splatters that can be collaged, and montaged.

K: It kind of needs a place of its own doesn’t it?

J: But it doesn’t all have to go together, and it doesn’t need to be one big...

K: You could do little groups couldn’t you?

J: So is there anything else that needs specific place?

D: I’m just thinking about the fact that people are going to be sitting here looking at the map and the string... Do you think the black and white photos should go into this like, framed area?

J: What in the door?

D: Yeah, because people are going to be sitting here.
Shall we just get our poems out and see what they look like, because I have two versions.

K: And we’ve got up there as well...

J: Okay, well they should go together in their little family.

D: Because I think they’re kind of important, they’re a big statement, these things.

J: So they probably need space.

D: How about here? Because that is actually at eye.... What is it, 160? Is that the classic...?

J: We don’t need to bother with that shit!

K: So we can either have them there, or we’ve got that there (Other wall), but that might be out of the eye a bit.

J: That’s good, and then we’ve got the light too, so we can have two lights as well if we want. What do you want them up with? I have Blu-Tac or tape or pins.

D: What pins have you got... the gold ones?
Blu-Tac would be easier wouldn’t it?

K: Yeah, I think Tac. Pins can be really distracting.

D: I’ve done mine on photo paper which is a bit shiny.

J: If you don’t want it shiny you can always photocopy it.

D: Do you think that would be better? I’ll just try it.

J: Okay, is that far enough from the wall?

K: I think you need that gap; otherwise it’s too tucked away.
And it doesn’t matter that that paper’s shiny does it, you don’t notice.

J: The light’s right on it and it’s not giving any kind of glare is it?

D: That’s really neat, isn’t it?

J: The rest of it won’t be!

D: That’s okay... because we’ve got this formal element in it, and everything about it can be chaos. Such a good decision not to go over the line.

K: Do you want to do your photos next?

J: Do you want them just like a grid?

D: How many have you got?

J: Well they don’t all have to go up, just the most important ones. Definitely cattle.

K: What about in a line? Like going with the line of the horizon?

J: Oh I don’t know, that might be a bit like... family portraits?
What do you both think about how they all go up? Because like I said, they don’t all need to go up, or go up together. I just pulled them out because they’re photos.

D: Do you think the colour ones should go in there as well? Because if they’re like a collage as opposed to a symmetrical...

K: I just think that if it’s too symmetrical it might be too box like, and might be a bit contained...

J: Especially within that frame.

D: We could paint the door black... And just leave the horizon line... For your moon.  Just experimenting.
Shall we just put some up? Or put them in front of that wall... Move the chairs.

J: Oh we have the whole door! I was thinking of it being cut off, but it’s not, we have the whole door.

D: I don’t know about these, but I’ll put them there anyway. They might just look a bit odd because they’re different, or they might strike something into it. They’re very blue aren’t they, it’s quite a nice contrast.

(Kensa matched a photo up with the horizon)

D: Oh, that definitely has to go there! Right, that’s a starting point!

K: It’s a shame we didn’t think about this before... We could have had lots of them, fitting.

D: Well there’s no reason why we can’t... We know what photos we’ve got.

K: We’re adding...

 J: Are they working like this... Splattered about? Because I really like it being on the horizon...

K: It’s fitting the others into this...

J: The others don’t necessarily need to be part of this club?

 D: Well we can be more formal about it now, I think. Have kind of groupings.

K: Well we’ve got maps. Maps and signs, and then driftwood...

D: Do you guys think that there should be Christmas lights up?

J: Yep!

D: And where do you think they should go?

J: Not sure yet....

K: Were adding to the landscape, aren’t we?

J: Putting our own memories in it.
What next? The space is kind of filling up.

K: So we’re going to have people sat here... We don’t want much behind it, do we?

D: Shall we do that bit now? 

K: Is the light box going to be switched on? It doesn’t need to be, does it?

J: Well if we’re not using the light box... What about the really low plinth that they had for the two hour hang... because if we’re not using the light box, that might be a bit neater.

K: It’s really hard isn’t it?

J: It’s harder than I thought it would be.

D: Right, there is a plinth here. It’s about 13 inches deep.

J: It might be nice it being quite low, I think that’ll be alright. It’s a little bit lower than the chairs, isn’t it?
Oh no! It needs to be facing the wall, I didn’t realise it had that opening.
How are you going to have it? I thought it was going to be like, chairs either side?

D: We can just try it, can’t we?

J: Another thing, we might not need to have all of the chairs.

K: Right, which way, because you want to have the chairs facing out really.

D: I quite like the idea of it being out, and the chairs being behind. I don’t like the idea of them being next to the wall, I feel as though it’s a social space. But this’ll be exposed... But at least it’ll be exposed on that side.

J: Unless you have it in that corner under the moon, and have the chairs ‘round it like that.

D: Let’s try that.

J: So that it won’t take up too much space. Are you happy for it to be in the corner?

K: But then they’ve got their backs to everywhere.

J: How did you have it for Kensa’s?

D: We had it kind of in the middle with the chairs either side.

J: It’s just that that exposed edge really gives me issues.
You could have it as we did before, longways, with the edge a few inches away from the wall so you couldn’t see it, but it’s not squished up against the wall. And then you could manage two chairs on either side. That’s a bit more social isn’t it?

D: At least somebody can sit there, and go like that... That’s how I’d like to sit.

J: And you can come in there and it won’t be in the way.

K: And actually, because they’re sat there, you could have something on the wall. You could have a collection of your little bits, so they have something to look at as they’re sat there.

D: Is that far enough away from the wall?

J: I’m happy with that... You can’t see the edge, and it’s not squished up against the wall.
Right, are you happy with masking tape and Blu-Tac? I like tape.

D: It’s kind of utilitarian, and that’s what I like about it.
What’s that Kensa?

K: This? It’s to stop them reading the next page. Because it’s got nothing to do with them! And nothing to do with the walk. So I’m just taping the book together... It can be opened.

D: Is that just an old map?

K: It’s the road map, so it’s kind of pinpointed... So there’s Coverack, and Cury there. And my ramblings.
Tape it up! Keep out.

D: Shall I sort the lights out so that they’re pointing at the photos?

K: Have you noticed with the horizon... How they’re spaced!

J: It’s like it wants us to do it.
I like that, our table of curios.

D: That’s a great shot, I love that one... The last one at the end. That’s so striking isn’t it?

J: It just was though, it was so bright.

D: I like the fact that this is here (Chairs).

K: It gives them somewhere to sit, and to look at, get close to it.

D: Torches!

K: I thought about my head torch, but I didn’t want it to go missing.

J: I don’t know if it’s just me, but I kind of feel that I don’t have ownership of any of this work you know... It doesn’t feel like stuff that we’ve made individually?

D: What, because we’re a group?

J: Yeah... I don’t feel like I made that, and I made that...

K: Not at all. Actually, it didn’t even come into my head. And that’s really good, I think it shows...

J: It was very much a shared experience wasn’t it?

K: And we want that to reflect.

D:  What I was quite excited about was seeing everybody’s own experience of the walk. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing right now, actually.

K: And we’ve all done a poem... And we all became obsessed with the moon.

J: And the horizon. We’ve turned into lunatics.

D: It’s so cool that you got this space before, and the horizon. It wouldn’t have been the same thing.

J: And it really gave us a sort of grid to work from. Framework.

D: And so important to the walk. Even when we couldn’t see it, it was still there.

K: You could certainly feel it... Especially when you saw the outline of the cows... I wanted to do something with that, but I just couldn’t really think of anything.

J: I felt that the cows were really important. I feel like I need this cattle picture somewhere!
There’s a spare wall in there, maybe I should just stick in on that wall!

K: On the door.

D: Why don’t we have them there, underneath there? Maybe just the dangerous ones... The darkness. Because they’re actually indicative...

J: I think there’s only room for two.

K: I quite like them one on top of the other.
I quite like that there’s lots going on here, and not much going on over there... Because that flows, doesn’t it?

D: We’re walking.

J: The walk was kind of like that... There were times of peace and serenity, and time when there was a lot happening... different districts.
Is that okay?

D: I’m not sure actually, I think they look kind of clumped up there. I think they should be longways. Kensa, what do you think?

K: No, I like it like that. If you come over left, make them more central, that’ll be ideal.

D: We should have that little cow, photocopied... and have them dotted around! It’s a shame you couldn’t have little words like ‘monsters!’

K: ‘fucking hell!’

J: ‘COWS!’ ‘PONIES!’

D: I’m not so sure.

J: Neither of you have your happy faces on.

K: Something’s not quite right... and I’m not sure what it is.

D: I think it’s because... The man falling should be kind of, on top of the top of the mountain maybe. I don’t know.

J: I don’t feel like there’s space there though, I think the moon needs it. Shall I try them alongside each other?

D: But have the black one on the right hand side... It looks like it’s closer to that mountain.

K: I’ve just had an idea! Because we’re going to have something there... Put them there.

J: That’s a good idea!

D: Have we got the something that’s going there?

J: I’m going to write it today!

K: Is that better?

D: That is better.

J: It makes more sense, I don’t know why, it’s really weird.

K: It wasn’t balancing, was it? I think it’s because we’ve got that there, we’ve got the moon over there, so we’ve got this more kind of triangular...

D: It interrupted the flow a bit didn’t it? I didn’t think the horizon line was that important, but it most certainly is.

K: Right. Do you want to put anymore bits up there?

J: I don’t think it needs it, do you?

K: I think that’s find, I think it’s balanced...

J: I didn’t want to give it too much.

D: More photos. We have this space here as well.

J: All of those photos are like artefacts aren’t they...

K: Maybe at the top of the stairs. Just at the top there. You could have a nice... They are recordings, aren’t they. They are artefacts. So how many have we got, 8?

J: I don’t like that one though, I don’t think it goes, it’s too black. And I don’t know what you think, but if that colour one goes in, I’d like it to be black and white rather than colour. I know it’s almost black and white...

D: It doesn’t have to go in, we can take it out.

J: I’d like it to go in...

K: But in the same format.

J: I’d rather see it as a photocopy.
I’ve taken out one of the map ones because I don’t think we need it. And that makes an even number.

D: Are we going to have these in some sort of order.

K: You could have those two together, two maps...

D: Or should we mix them?

J: I’d quite like to see them mixed.

K: Opposites. Stick the maps at opposite corners.

D: Now we need to discuss Blu-Tac... as a point that we might well be picked up on. Is the fact that we used Blu-Tac, and they’re just stuck to the wall, and they’re unprofessional.

J: It kinds of feels though, as though they’re documentation rather than ‘art’.

K: It is, yeah. So it’s nice and neat and tidy...

J: It’s practical because it’s very very sticky. It doesn’t damage the work, which double sided tapes and things would. It does look fairly neat, and it’s very secure. It does the job. There are reasons why we’re using Blu-Tac as opposed to anything else.

K: I like that. You’ve got the railings as well haven’t you; it’s all square up there.

J: I think this looks great. So if I sort out the thing to go in the wotsit...