Friday 29 March 2019

theendandthebeginning


life at University continues its unforgiving march of time. We are in the time of universal fear where students realise that this life will end and the reality of life outside education will start. How will they manage? Will seminars about self employment, how to pay tax, training around interview techniques and the building of portfolios ever be enough? But I feel at least we are trying.
OCA teaching goes from strength to strength, the latest project - Testing Your Boundaries is a wonderful space of experimentation. It takes on the form of a kind of contractual permission where students who have waited to do something find release and create incredible work in such a short space of time. It is a pivotal moment, they use it as a springboard, the ripples of which can be felt throughout the rest of their time at OCA. It is genuinely exciting to be in the presentations.
The OA turned out to be a twisted mind meltdown which wasn't helped by the conflation in my own brain between time travel and multi dimensional existence......now we are all in the OA.
Destroyer https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7137380/?ref_=nv_sr_1 was difficult as the main character, played by an unrecognisable Nicole Kidman is was relentlessly unhappy - the clever twist in the time line is quite revelatory.
The Synthetic anatomy table displays at Kings were wonderful. The culmination of the project is always tricky - the challenge is to show both the process of working together - the journey of the project and also to demonstrate the actual concepts of the project the group is working with. It was great to work with the inspirational Shelly James and Celia Pym assessing and running a feedback session for the students, focusing on the clarity of presentation and communication. It's interesting to think that it all started with the Crafts Council Parallel Practices initiative. As ever the lab we were working in had a disturbing/interesting object - I so don't want to have to use the shower or be in the room when it is used.
went out to see a couple of shows - Spruth Magers - http://spruethmagers.com/exhibitions/492 has a stunning show by Reinhard Mucha - the work is a series of found/constructed beautifully constructed narrative vitrines.It also has a great floor.  Hauser and Wirth has a couple of exhibitions that are a little yes-i-get-it-but-there-is-nothing- really-to-hold-me-here. GAO has a fun VR set up but the smell of balloons and the pink light made me a little heady!