ARTISTS TALKING

# 42 [17 June 2008]

Although this blog is framed around the Inishlacken Project, sometimes, blog-related things happen and in this case it has prompted me to write again after a gap of three months. 

The project in Eastbourne, entitled Impossible Changeling,  is now complete. I covered the interior of a beach hut with gold leaf and also gilded 142 pebbles which were placed onto the beach at regular intervals during the show. I was lucky enough to spend several days in Eastbourne and this gave me an opportunity to chat with visitors to the show. It is always fascinating to be given an insight into the genuine responses of the public to a work, be this pleasure, disgust or indifference! I had several discussions with people, one man in particular who was initially sceptical eventually returned three times to the work. Another visitor was fellow blogger Judith Alder - she writes of her work and studio group. Our conversation on the beach at Eastbourne made both of us aware that we knew each others names but not until Judith returned home did she put two and two together and realise we were fellow bloggers. 

 It has made me understand just how far the blogging world can reach and how I have underused its potential.

# 41 [7 March 2008]

So it is off the the States in January! Inishlacken - a place apart is to tour to The Redhouse Gallery in Syracuse. Those who are interested can see the gallery website at www.theredhouse.org.

I am hopeful that I will be able to go to see the show and possibly use the trip to explore arts organisations and galleries in America. Syracuse also has a University and I will try to make some links here and to my part time job at Norwich School of Art and Design.

 In the meantime I am continuing to work on my Eastbourne commission - looking at sand, the sea, beach huts and a bandstand. Should be an interesting process. 

# 40 [19 February 2008]

This time my trip to Galway thankfully did not involve an emergency landing after the short flight and I arrived full of anticipation to see the show. I have been thinking about what work all the Inishlacken artists have made and at last was able to find out. 

There were paintings, some large some smaller, oil and watercolour, ink drawings, etchings and abstract acrylic works. An installation of pebbles based on the Aran knitting pattern filled the floor of one gallery and a wonderful installation by composer Kate Moore  using her score made an interesting backdrop to my own work. The show was completed by an automated paper cut out sculpture by Louise Manifold.

It was revealing to see how each artist had interpreted their island experience.  Although there were consistent themes there were also unusual translations and I learnt more about the island of Inishlacken.

The visit was concluded with the excellent news from Rosie that  the show is now confirmed to tour to the States. 

# 39 [11 February 2008]

I have just booked a flight to Galway and am off to see the show. Next Saturday I will be winging my way to Galway Arts Centre and a meeting with Rosie and Maeve Mulrennan, the gallery curator. I am keen to see the work in situ and also to see what the other island artists have produced for the show.

In the meantime I have been writing some applications  for other projects and working on my proposal for a site specific commission in Eastbourne for the Towner Gallery. This is to take place on or near the beach area and will usher in the opening of the gallery in its new architect designed home. There are many different and interesting features of the town that might come into the work - at this stage I am collecting things rather as a hamster stores up its food to use later!

# 38 [1 February 2008]

My regular blogging habit established last year has waned a bit in 2008. My last post refers to the work I was making for the show in Galway some seven weeks ago. It is now the end of January and the Galway show, entitled Inishlacken: a place apart, opened last night. The four memorial pieces all ended up on small screens as the longer projection became a shorter work during the editing process and the still image became a freeze frame video.  I am happy about this since I think the four pieces will work more successfully as one visual work rather than disjointed elements.

 My biggest regret was not being able to go to Ireland for the opening - a sacrifice due to the employed work I have at Norwich School of Art and Design. Nevertheless one consolation was that tonight I heard Rosie on the RTE radio 1 station (thanks to the wonder of live radio and broadband) and I understand the show was also featured on gaelic TV tonight. 

The best news of all however is that Rosie has invited me back to Inishlacken this coming May -I  can't wait! 

# 37 [4 December 2007]

Spending much of my time editing video at the moment and panicking about all I have to do before Christmas which frighteningly is now only 21 days away!
The Inishlacken videos will be shown in Galway next year. There are three of them all relating to the island and I am considering showing them on small screens, set into the wall at head height. This way the viewer will have an intimate and personal view of the work. The only piece that I fear may not work as well in this format is Memorial to the Islanders III. This one is long - over an hour long in fact and is a subtle recording of Memorial iiI. It depicts the darkness falling as the candles burn until they extinguish themselves completely by which time the night sky is completely dark. Its a slow burn work and one you might need to return to from time to time so a large projection seems the best way for it to be seen. These different methods of display may prove tricky to pull off.
I have also been mulling over some ideas for my drawings recently and tomorrow am going to experiemnt in my studio.
Until then here are some more images from my Irish work.

# 36 [20 November 2007]

Its quiet now. No work to do relating to The Inishlacken Project.
Here are some more images of other artists work in TULCA

# 35 [13 November 2007]

I am now back from Galway; I visited the opening of TULCA. The visit was interesting not least because I met so many fascinating people, writers, artists, makers, curators and people working within the arts field. There were about 150 people at the opening, rather more than you might get at most English openings unless you are in London. An opera singer 'sang' the show open and there were speeches by curatorial advisors to the project and the Galways arts officer.
I was very pleased with the siting of my work - the curators had placed the neon in the window of the building facing out onto the street. This was the perfect place and reflected totally the notions within which the work was made - one of message vividness to the wider community. (There is more about the neon work on my website www.carolinewright.com if anyone is interested in more info). There were many works in the show and 70 artists in the whole of TULCA - the programme combines seminars, shows, performances, music, social occasions and site specific work around the city. There is more info on www.myspace.com/TULCA
I met one gentleman at the TULCA private view and he revealed that in this blog I do not often explain the connections clearly enough for the reader who does not have access to the information I hold in my head. One case in point is the last posts' reference to the tea ceremony and my son's course leader at Kingston, who has written on Japan and the tea ceremony. When I was visited Japan last year on a residency, I made several films about tea drinking and the tea ceremony (these partly inspired my recent mad artists tea party event). The neon work shown for TULCA drew together all the issues I had explored in film, using the four principles of the tea ceremony and the bright neon language of the young. The new generation in Japan are rejecting the tea ceremony tradition, in time it will die out. Hence the possible meeting with my son's course leader to discuss a common interest in all things Japanese together with the ever present possibility of new ideas and work is something I am looking forward to.
In Galway I met with Rosie and we talked further about the Inishlacken project. The opening date has been set for 31st January 2008 and I was able to meet with the Galway Arts Centre curator, Maeve Mulrennan to talk about my ideas briefly.
So all in all a productive visit especially as I was only there for 24 hours. It was only marred by a terrible flight home with loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks, emergency decent, an unconcious passenger, fire engines and my life passing before me for what seemed like an eternity. Thankfully all was ok apart from one passenger but it has taken me a while to recover.

# 34 [2 November 2007]

The drawings from the Saffron Walden show are now safely packed away in my studio and I have some reasonable photos of the work in my archive. There seems to be a brief interlude in my usually hectic life so I have been using this to organise my project archive and generally keep up with some overdue admin. I have also been doing some reading - currently I am looking at a book by Peig Sayers ('An old woman's reflections') who lived on the Blasket islands of the west coast of Ireland. The islanders were evacuated after the second world war - until then they had lived an unchanged life for centuries. There was a rich oral tradition of story telling and poetry, keeping the legends of the islands alive. Peig Sayers' stories capture the simple life of a community who came vibrantly alive when an evening of storytelling, music and words took place. I am sure this information will influence my editing of the films made on Inishlacken. 

In the last couple of days three possible projects have emerged. Its a bit like buses they all come at once! They are all in the early stages of discussion and may or may not progress further but it is comforting to be in a position where I am working with this number of potential projects. By the law of averages at least one might come to fruition. 

It often surprises me how things link up and communications cause things to happen. One contact I have recently made was through my son who is studying architecture at Kingston University in London. He was attending a lecture given by his Head of Department  only to hear her talking about Japan and the tea ceremony - something I have made several pieces of work about. Thoughtfully he managed to speak to the lecturer and has put us in touch. We are planning to meet in December.

# 33 [28 October 2007]

I've had some work selected for TULCA, a city wide festival in Galway Ireland. Last week we (my husband Paul and I) had fun packaging up four neon pieces and transporting them gingerly to Art Moves in London where after unloading them, our car promptly broke down. A few hours later and thanks to an efficient AA man we managed to get going again with the advice not to stop the engine until we reached home and call out our local garage the next day.

The neon will be shown in a large open building (1 - 5 Merchants Road). I have seen photos and it seems to have some interesting architectural features, wide stairs, large windows, alcoves. It will be interesting to see how the work is hung. The festival theme "If we accept that we are strangers to ourselves then there are no strangers, only others like ourselves" by Julia Kristeva is a fascinating choice for a show of international and national work and I am keen to see how the many artists have responded to it when I go over for the opening on 9th November.

Tomorrow I will go to take down the drawings in the Saffron Walden show. The exhibition period has gone quickly. Looking forward to seeing the work again having had some distance on it.