two
days supporting the hanging of work for an exhibition of year 3 textile design
students at STEW gallery in Norwich – lots of learning. The work looks good –
if you are in the area the show is on till tomorrow – 20 03 14 -Thursday – http://fortyexhibition.tumblr.com/ midpoint reviews at
both NUA and Camberwell and they are run very differently – presenting work,
explaining context and direction of research in one and the idea of a
de-contextualising session, where the work ‘speaks for itself’ in the other –
both have merits and both have revelatory moments of self reflection for the
student (if they care) – whoever said the creative industries were an easy
option should come and participate in one of these sessions – the rigour is
intense. Some interesting shows – the ICA has recreations of two Richard
Hamilton exhibitions which remind you of his collaborative, experimental spirit
and far sightedness as the shows look so ‘now’ with their knowing
post-modernist deconstruction... http://www.ica.org.uk/ and
pull out all the stops at the festival hall http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/pull-out-all-the-stops
my interest is the display furniture designed by http://www.manaloandwhite.co.uk/
and then an exhibition coming up - Hidden by Joni Smith http://www.jonismith.co.uk/ at the Undercroft, Below
the War Memorial, City Hall, St Peters Street, Norwich - open 3rd - 6th April
12-6pm – it will be good. The show in
Russia has been on TV (Russian) http://tvkultura.ru/article/show/article_id/109665
- my book is on screen for a
split second! Just re-written my statement for the show in Bristol and created
some images for the publicity.
The book is viewed as a tool
with which to communicate content directly, it is a form that has been
understood in these terms for many years. Redirecting the books purpose
challenges this notion and enables an audience the space to re-think book.
The bookworks I make focus on
exploring the idea of form as content and by manipulating the work in the hand
multiple narratives are formed. This creates the opportunity for a reflective
experience, taking time to connection, look, listen, and consider.
The hybrid nature of my work
positions itself conceptually and physically between and within the idea of
sculpture and of book. The work has its roots in both forms; in turn the
seemingly lack of an obvious purpose initiates in the reader/viewer an
unsettling feeling; the work becomes a question rather than an answer, a
collaboration in the mind and hand between maker and reader/viewer.
The practical aspects of the
book form, of disseminating information; of making things clearer are explored
and interrogated. This is where I position my practice. The sculptural book
forms I make are derived from and examine the possibilities imitative from
examining the book form. The work explores the essence of what a book is;
sequence, order, time, revelation, intimacy, control, narrative and
communication – bookness.
The
works on-show are examples from a year long project unpicking and rebinding which sought to map and present
the making of and thinking behind a body of new work that explored the fold. Working with a number of archives and
collections in the Eastern Region the project aimed to present the idea of an
entry point for exploring and utilising the collections. I am worked in partnership with The Museum of
East Anglian Life (MEAL) Suffolk, Carrow House – Norwich, Norwich Castle
Museum, Suffolk County Council Archives and Norwich University of the Arts (NUA).
The pieces were the starting points for investigating the point where the
concertina binding meets the pleat, further information on the project can be
found at http://unpickingandrebinding.blogspot.co.uk/.
