22 Jul 2011

SurFACE.






Luke. Fox kiss.


Observing.







Sunny legs. Envy. Diamonds. Bust.


Rainy day...


Pretty rainy evening, Laura Marling and Marcus Mumford. Fetching.


15 Jul 2011

Its Nice That - On Innovation & Ownership




The talk took place at Red Bull Studios in Tooley Street, an intimate and friendly atmosphere with lots of wine! Holly Wales and Bobby Evans, both founding members of Open Studios. Their talk had an emphasis on the importance of having a space to work together, with other practitioners; to have ground to show ideas, debate and have the time and space for dialogue which joins creative disciplines together. They also believe it is important to keep 'stirring things up' to feel uncomfortable is good, to keep work fresh and brains awake!
Another point I picked up on was to have a space without a screen to keep in touch with hands-on methods - This is something I have got to take on board, I have started to notice I feel quite lethargic after an hour or so in front the screen. Maybe I set a time limit of on-screen work, to ensure that the on-screen time I do have is the time I get the most out of, without getting distracted by emails and other brain clogging stuff.

Troika was very surprising. I hadn't seen their work beforehand and didn't expect sculpture and installation! The work was engaged with time, space and reality and was very pretty to look at. Sebastien Noel, one third of Troika made it clear that there are two distinctions between design and art and as a creative it is good to understand this distinction and have the ability to use it, as an advantage and skill.

George Hardie is a very funny man. He gave short sharp lines, often quite witty but genuinely true statements. "Learning to see is very important", "Always have spare ideas", "Best way to learn to draw is to trace". One statement that was significant to me was "Ideas are the importance. Style is appropriate to the job, there is no need to search for it." I often get frustrated about my drawing style or design style, when will it surface its self? But its also something I think only other people are able to see in your work, through personal methods, processes, habits and routines become what stops us independently seeing our 'style'. Maybe?...

6 Jul 2011

GOOD NEWS!...


GOOD NEWS! Had an interview with Somerset House today and have got a job = Super happpppy! I will finally be in a gallery :)
Also, after my interview I thought Id take a walk over the river to the Hayward Gallery to look at the Tracey Emin: Love Is What You Want exhibition. It was £9 but totally worth it; the rooms kept on appearing with reams and reams of work. I was particularly interested in her film pieces, full with humor but never without the undertone of anger and sinisterness that her work never fails to adhere. 

I felt that a significant theme that kept creeping up throughout the exhibition was her experience of abortion. One film presented Emin being casually interviewed in areas around London; areas that were significant to her, where specific events took place. Family-friendly/orientated, idyllic areas such as parks, estates and streets were commonplace - when placed with the dialogue, the subject of abortion, it became a huge juxtapose along with the Emin 'trademark' that never fails to slap you in the face, as if to bring you back to life and engage with things you may or may not have faced before. 

I came away trying to answer or just to carry on questioning her questions around being a mother, why do we have children? Do we need them, or is it something you feel you need to do as a fashion? Can we articulate our emotions to care and to nurture into something other than a human? The answers may not be answered but I felt fully engaged with the themes that arose from the exhibition.