Gravity

Gravity Satellite Yields 'Potato Earth', View BBC Article

New images built up from Goce satellite show how the gravitational pull across the globe alters, yellow represents gravity at its strongest and blue at its weakest.

Chewsday

So, I'm chewing the cud, I think the grey/silver piece I posted about yesterday really does suit being on the wall: it works in my studio.

More importantly... I was told my degree show space today, and I am happy about it! It was not the space I asked for - I mentioned one of the less popular spaces on my proposal form hoping that it might allow me to get the other aspects that I wanted. But in actual fact I think this space ticks all the boxes! Plus I'm sharing it with 3 other girls that I think will be good fun and we will all provide good support for one another (day 2 of install is my birthday so hopefully there'll be fun-times in the space amongst painting/sanding/cleaning/crying!)
Tomorrow I plan to go back into the space (for the third time since I found out it would become my degree show space at 3.30pm today) and take some photos and measurements etc. so that I can keep that very much at the forefront of my mind as the next few weeks go by.

I am starting to feel excited about my degree show, for now I'm looking forward to all the fun, stress, discovery and excitement that will be going on in the buildings over those days. I'm not ready for 'it' but the prospect of 'it' being there isn't horrifying me. The idea of graduating and being given my degree classification however, is somewhat closer towards the sensation of dread and disgust...

More March Making

In these photos this work seems to be most successful on the floor, however in the space I felt the work suited the wall. When it comes to setting up the degree show (less than 5 weeks from now!) I will consider both options in relation to the other work I display. Quite a lot of my work seems to have found its way to the walls so perhaps I'll have greater flexibility in the space if this one stretches out on the floor, like in the second image of this post... time will tell.

Studio, March 2011

 

  

        

The Bloomberg Commission: Claire Barclay: Shadow Spans

Went to see this exhibition last summer, but still think about it. Interesting use of space invites the viewer to move around and attempt to work out what they are seeing. Heard Barclay talk about her working practice a few months ago at the McManus gallery and she said some useful things about the difficulty for her as a sculptor to work with colour - choosing which colour to use was something she found tricky. In Shadow Spans Barclay's work relates to the Whitechapel Gallery environment and colours and patterns are influenced by the space. This allows her to reveal and highlight the colours, patterns and shapes of the exhibition space. 

The Bloomberg Commission: Claire Barclay: Shadow Spans

Tuesday Tutorials

Had a really helpful tutorial today with my studio tutor. 

Was finding it difficult this semester to know what I should be doing in terms of modules/uni/degree stuff... not in terms of what I want to do or find interesting or helpful but just so that when I start setting everything out (in 7 weeks time!) I am able to demonstrate what is required... prove myself.

Anyway, today my tutor helped me to see what I'm doing within the bigger picture. Ultimately it's better to not stress about the degree but instead to get on with my working practice, which is the most important thing. 

So I am. 

Well, I'm also holding a Pom-Pom Jewellery/Bake Sale on Friday to raise money for Comic Relief, but I think that's an important use of time too. 

Untitled, March 2011

................Structured Play

Studio thoughts

I have just less than 2 months of studio-times left; this time in May I will be in my degree show space, stressing about floors or walls or work or something I am sure! But, tonight some of us had some drinks and chats in the studio while I made pom poms. I can't imagine many opportunities in my life for that kind of an experience. Shame. Maybe that'll be my new 'relational aesthetics' project? In any case, I am very glad to have a studio like mine, the space to play and the people to share it with. 

Collection(s) Part 1, Lower Foyer gallery

Collection(s) Part 1 is an exhibition curated by the University of Dundee's Student Curatorial Team. We selected artworks from current students and positioned them alongside maths/science objects from the University's museum collection al without labels. By removing information of the original context of each piece we hoped to encourage the viewer to think about artworks/objects through a different perspective and appreciate each of them in new ways.

Curating this exhibition has led me to value the ability that a viewer has in bringing their own understanding to an exhibition. By not labelling pieces, viewers were encouraged to apply their own frames of reference to works on display and interpret them through that. This allowed us to evoke appreciation of museum objects that would typically not be displayed by the museum or when they were they would be surrounded by information about their history or primary use. I believe that ultimately we always bring our own context or frame of reference to an exhibition (or more generally in life), albeit to a greater or lesser extent. Sometimes, or often? we forget about our own frame because we are accustomed to experiencing life through it.

Harry

Here's Harry with a pom pom.

I'm taking a break from my Notebook research for now and enjoying the knowledge that tomorrow is Monday and I will be back in the studio surrounded by possibilities. I am enjoying reading some Merleau-Ponty and thinking about how the visible and the tangible and the seer are intertwined in a relationship of some type of communication, however, sometimes after spending 30minutes thinking about one paragraph of his writing I wish I was making pom poms instead.