ARTISTS TALKING

BA (Hons) Art, Philosophy, Contemporary practices is fusion of fine art practice, history and theory and philosophy. Phew!

6 frames made, nothing to go in them....

Just realised that haven't actually explained at all what I am doing. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure either. Have hit that momnet where you question everything you're doing- does it make sense? Is it any good? What the hell is it?!

My problem is that so much of my philosophy is intwined in my work, that search for truth and questions, never any answers. All this process and no ending in sight, no work is ever resolved. Is that a way to practice art? Well, that's what I do...

My work focuses on the Other, afigural, especially that which is trapped/ co-exists within me. To explain, I'm chinese. Or at least, that's what I look like. But if you hadn't seen my name or my face, you would think I'm an average Scottish lassie. How can two people exist in one body and can they ever exist together at the same time?  Maybe, if the dominant person is reduced to a point where they are no revelant in an Event, where their acts can open a fissure to allow the emergence of the Other.

Like I said, a lot of philosophy, no answers... 

Let's start positive... have made 1 pinhole camera out of oak. It is a thing of beauty to behold, whether it will work is another question and involves a little bit of maths and according to my brain training, is my least strong skill. Also when I say have made, not I but we (thank you John, a batch of chocolate brownies will make their way to you shortly!) However, it is one of 4 (suppose to be 5 but there is the pressing of time).

 Now for the negative... IT'S THE 8TH OF APRIL!!! in one months time, everything, and I mean everything must be finished and ready to be presented for assessment! Fot those who did not know, we are under the evil constraints of the university calander and that is why we have our degree show and assessments so much earlier (we lose a whole 4 weeks due to semesterisation... why that could make that extra pinhole camera, some prints and notebooks possible!)

 But nooooooo, have one month left. Not sure how to handle this pressure. At least there is progress, even if it's slow. Have begun on making the scrolls that will actually be presented in the space for assessment and thank god I have finally finished those 6 frames (which 1 is only decent, hurrah for filler!)

 Right I am finally out of the studio and away home to work on these philosophy notebooks, of which are going nowhere and mean nothing.

 But I shall end on a positive, at the DCA there will be an exhibition including the work of one my favourite artists, whose work is a rarity to see, Francesca Woodman. A MUST SEE!!!!

Right, I don't know why my picture is still up as latest updated blog, as that is not true (well maybe at this EXACT MOMENT) but pfft!

Making progress in the workshop. Not only did I get in for 9am (thanks to the boyfriend pulling the duvet away from me after i'd hit snooze for the 4th time...) but we have almost completed KAMERA II (sad I know but I love it!) I also used three different power tools/equipment, we have 10 fingers, 10 toes- a triumphant day!

But it is never pleasant to sneeze when one is wearing a dust mask. Rebound...

Golly gosh, there isn't much time left now! I'm squeezing in this reflection time in the lunchhour before heading back down to the workshop. John has become my new best friend! Everyday he comes up with another idea or another twist to make my life easier! Whata guy!

They are looking sooper dooper, and i'm getting to grips with all these power tools, but all this sanding is giving me one very muscular right arm, and my left arm is becoming increasingly docile... time to switch!

 As for these scrolls I had the dumbfounded impression I could do in the time available.... it's taken 4 hours (in total-i'm timing myself) to do 1.5metres (approx) of 40 mertres!!! Why am I going so slow!? At this rate, they won't be done in time for assessment... you do the maths!

By the way, do remember Tab clear, the soft drink? Apparently just saying that, I'm showing my age!

http://fineart.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow.jsp

 It's toooo soooooonnnnn.....!!!!!!

Nice poster though, nice and spring like.

aww, ya bugger! just realised that the photographic paper I won on ebay is fibre based and not resin coated, ya daftie! Well, i'll just have to teach myself what to do with it much like everything else that i've been doing with pinhole photography.

Passed a benchmark today, with 2 cameras almost fully assembled and light-tight! I'm not sure who's more excited, myself or John! mind you, the 4th camera (or Kamera) is really his baby, not mine. It's way too cool and funtionable! 

Still way behind handprinting my scroll. i think I have to rethink how I'm doing this, the whole idea of taking images 'performing' is taking far too long. I may just have to scrap it and put it in the theoretical sketchbook...

Have rediscovered '3rd Rock from the Sun', brilliant! 

It's Saturday... I'm going in.... My mission is to complete one of my 10 metre scrolls, as rumour has it, I may be getting kicked out my studio on monday even though I won't get into my space until Friday! Ya twats! Where am i suppose to make the other 3 10m scrolls now?! Two weeks to go before assessment and subsequently, the degree show follows soon after... Anyone else nervous and nausous?

 Better get some reading done too, onto Derrida and Lyotard now. You guys!

Serious feeling of impending doom... why do we have our degree show so much earlier than the whole country?!?!

Went to see the curator talk at the DCA today for the new exhibition that opened later that night, Ellipsis, and there was a free screening of L'Eclisse by Michelangelo Antonioni. It was wonderful, such evocative cinematography, and it was in Italian, mmm...

But one must emerge back into the real world and into the workshop. Have made 3 wooden tripods to create platforms for the pinhole cameras. They look rather swell, if a bit squint, but still need to level the feet!

Only 2 weeks to go until assessment, I still have to finish the first 10m scroll, and have 2 to go (there were originally 4 but there isn't time, seems a shame to scrifice due to time, but what can i do, better for something complete- looking that half arsed!)

At least the philosophy has begun again as i've started to edit and organise things into something 'coherent'! But nothing like the artwork. Apparently, according the noticeboard, this is a week to be finishing work, and installing next week, be out of your studio by Friday!!!! 

Have spent almost a month in the wood workshop... and I'm still there. The trifids are looking good though, that what I'm calling my tripods, with their three legs and one eye, look rather alien-like!

I'm all rather pleased with myself, though I still hammer in nails squint and drill at awkward angles, thus producing awkward angles!

Still nowhere on these scrolls, the whole conceptual ideals have gone out the window long ago, and now I'm merely attempting to mass produce, I kinda hate that it's evolved like that.

The point of producing work in a process form that conserved the durational time and allowing a spaces to be formed has lost all meaning now... makes me a bit sad that setting up for the degree show has reduced it to this. But in order to get the degree, it must be done.  

Day 2 of the degree show preperation... duh duh duhhhhhh! (dramatic sound) I am in my new space...

You forget the mammoth task which is ahead before you can even begin finishing (or in my case starting) the work you want to present! I am most grateful for a couple of my friends who were willing to get down and dusty with me!

Hired a car which Gump could drive and we went to B&Q but alas, the mirror wardrobe doors that I was looking for were out of stock, so off we went to the next B&Q along the Kingsway, only to end up out of Dundee, pretty much in Invergowrie!!! Oops! Eventually met our destination, only for them to be also out of stock! There was a glimmer of hope as they told me Perth had 3 in stock, so into the car park to make a telesales, only for them to tell me after waiting for infinity on hold, that they too are now out of stock! Who knew so many people in the Tayside area would be needing cheap B&Q value mirrored wardrobe doors!!! Damn you!

Thought best to cut my losses short, and head back to the studio, where there was sanding, scrubbing and painting to be done. Thank you Brian for the amazing sanding job on the wall of rubber (?) As a treat, when we were being thrown out we went to get ice cream and drove to the beach! yahoo! And double surprise, went to the ice cream place, saw really cool sundae glasses behind the counter, and enquired if they were for purchase! Lo and behold, they are replacing them with fancy handblown glass thingys, so he gave me 2 for FREE!!!! Good things come to those wait (also could be he felt sorry for the girl covered in dust, paint and somwwhat dragged through bush hair!) 

day 3: the wall is now gray/grey (however you prefer to spell it).

Floor scrubbed: 3 times

walls sanded: 3 so far

darkroom painted: 2 coats

tripods waxed: no wax in B&Q

No. of Mirrors purchased: 2 but got  phone call they are now broken!!!!!! 

The partitions are up, but the boarding team kindly left all their tools in my space, so couldn't get as much done today as I wanted. But the grey/gray wall is looking swell:)

Today has been an angry today, degree shows bring out the worst in 'peoples...

But to soften the blow, it was a lovely sunny day and ate ice cream in the sun, and to top it off my boyfriend brough a picnic in for my tea so I could carry on painting! 

i also discovered my 3rd year helper! Hurrah! I have help, so hopefully can finish cleaning up the space and get back to writing my scrolls!

 oh the mirrors came, got replacements when I put on my 'no nonsense' tone of voice when they said they could get me new ones by the 9th (assessment is the 7th)

Go team kamera! 

Space is getting whiter and brighter by the miniute! made some pretty handy 'hurdles' to attach my scrolls, there was the problem of a brick wall but not anymore!

the boarding tema have finally left our space so can get on with the work, and my photos arrived from Ilford, so can get them mounted and framed tomorrow... oh joy. Back in the workshop.

 But I love me grey.gray :)

yadda yadda yadda.

not such a good day...

But at least I met Dave Gorman! 

What a fumey studio. Everyone except me has been painting their floors at some point in the past few days and it's really giving me a headache. Not to mention the various 'injuries' i have acquired with a hammer, drill, and sawdust (don't ask!)

Getting back to the work though and not my general whining,  I have finally finished one (the first and only so far) scroll!!!10m!!! Of the word 'enclose'... it took soooo long! 

And I also set up the darkroom chemicals (adding the the lack of fresh air in our space) and took a 20 minute exposure. It was really interesting as i didn't feature at all in the photograph even though I was a constant in its frame. It was a long enough exposure however, being indoors and the window being blocked by boardings, but the as the light filtered down, more and more of the image appeared.

cool! Gonna take more tomorrow...

... still way behind though :(

But at least I met Dave Gorman! 

That's it... the end. Work is up for assessment as of 9.30am tomorrow... there's nothing but I can do but wait. And collect the mass of cleaning products and art materials i left outisde the door, hope it's still there in the morning.

Hope to tell you more tomorrow, soooo tired. Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the studio today. And it didn't save me that much time either.

Alas.

But at least I met Dave Gorman though! 

Assessment is over.

Oral presentation with external examiner, over.

Degree results due to be posted on the noticeboard at 5pm, my life is over.

Degree show previews tomorrow, everything is far from over!!!!

Watch this space, I will become Kamera and take lots of snappy snaps of the show, alongside some personal faves...