ARTISTS TALKING

# 15 [27 February 2008]

2008 update

Writing a blog for Degrees Unedited was a cathartic experience. It allowed me to step out of my context for a second, and summarise my own progress using written word. It gave me a sense of perspective, pride and destination in my own work. As a direct result of the blog, I have continued writing about my practice. It is an endlessly useful reference to one’s decision- making processes.

After leaving St. Martins, I asked myself questions prompted by my writing. Where am I going? What am I trying to say? What do I need to say? For a time, I ignored them and didn’t create at all. I was terrified. Instead, I immersed myself in books and exhibitions that were never mine.

New York was a welcome release for my mind. I worked at Printed Matter, Inc. for two months, and helped to organise the 2007 NY Art Book Fair. I came back to London, and became an intern for the upcoming V&A exhibition, Blood On Paper: The Art of the Book. These experiences allowed me to greatly enjoy processes of gallery and museum curation. I have been accepted onto the MA Museum Studies course at UCL, which a year ago, would have been an unexpected choice. I can’t wait for September and am looking forward to combining my practice, with the theory and history of the course.

The Touch This Press is currently developing, beginning to question actions involved in an individual’s ‘personal curation’. I am creating artists’ books that describe a display of people’s personal belongings in a domestic setting. The work is presented as a report or inquiry-more voyeurism than exhibition piece; intrigue. They look at people’s manners of display, secrets, collections and systems of order. A certain amount of narrative is still heavily implied, which always excites me.

# 14 [18 May 2007]

FINISHED BOOKS!

I have finally finished my books.

10 Jörg Raab books9 Lisselotte books8 MR. books.

I can't believe that they are completed. They look different now from how I had imagined, but I don't think that is a negative thing at all. Each one has a completely different character and feel, as well as colour and size. Each one has a different problem to it, of which I hope I am alone in noticing. At the moment, my main concern is keeping them flat and clean. I have become somewhat of a nazi when it comes to touching my books. This is so ironic. I need to get over this if I am to call the fictional press, the TOUCH THIS PRESS!

I have built plinths for each book, all of which are a different size.

# 13 [18 May 2007]

MODELS, NOTICEBOARDS, AND A MAN NAMED JIM

It has been 8 days since we have moved into our spaces.

In this time, I have done a lot of planning, but frustratingly, almost no work. In my space, were five huge noticeboards that had been screwed to the wall. I was told that the boards were to come down sometime within the next week, and so waited, and waited, and waited for something to be done. After a week of waiting, and being told not to take them down myself, I took them down myself.

Since Wednesday, I have been painting like a demon. I have almost finished painting now, and the space is beginning to look completely different simply due to the change in colour. The colour is Dulux's Feature Wall 'Teal tension'. As I opened the can for the first time, I was horrified! The soft, subtle blue I had imagined, had become 'community swimming pool blue'. Nightmare! I began to paint, and LUCKILY the paint dries darker. It narrowly avoids 'fake-gastro pub blue', but only just. I can't wait to see what it will look like with the flooring. I am going to start that, and the attaching of the vinyl lettering this weekend.

Yesterday was the day of the BA Fashion catwalk show. I was informed the afternoon before that there would be models walking through my space all day for the 1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm show. I wailed, sighed, and then thought to myself that I would not be stopped from painting my wall for anyone.

In order to try and minimise any threat to the models and their clothes, I taped off areas for them to walk through. I had painted two walls by the time they began mincing/stomping through the room, and almost everything was dry. They were rude, obnoxious, and frankly a shining example of why a large number of Fine Art students dispise them. I was told or overhead, at least twenty comments of "what a great day to start painting!" They really believe the whole world revolves around them. I prayed that they would fall on the catwalk.

n.b I am not a negative person at all.

# 12 [18 May 2007]

THE BIG MOVE

I am writing these blogs in retrospect, and so the order is slightly incorrect. The big move happened last week. The move from studio to degree show space was a momentous one.

Spaces were cleared, rubbish was piled up against every available wall, and we were briefed rather amusingly, and ever so slightly patronisingly on how to pick up a chair without doing damage to our bodies. The year was divided, and we were assigned a part of the building to move tables, chairs and lockers from.

The move was surprisingly quick. I didn't expect it to be done in the two hours that it eventually took.

My space, as I have previously mentioned, is in the meeting place of five corridors. Watching people slam through my space bashing into walls, and chipping paint did nothing to stop the growing paranoia of the difficulty of working in that particular location. I am already becoming irritated by people dumping rubbish in my space not realising that it is indeed a degree show space.

# 11 [18 May 2007]

NEW PHOTOS

I have re-shot the potraits of the four artists. This is mainly because I decided I wanted to show an A4 photograph of them alongside their respective press release.

I will have an office space in the corner of the gallery, complete with a table, chair, pens, paper, mug etc. On the walls will be the portraits, press releases in wall mounted holders, and a holder containing business cards for the Touch This Press.

I am wondering whether I should include a plant and/or an old computer for the office space? I could probably find one on ebay, but it would have to be one that is so obsolete that nobody would want to steal it, which defeats the purpose of replicating a gallery space.

# 10 [18 May 2007]

A-N MAGAZINE

I have not posted for a while. I feel guilty, but am trying to change that now by writing.
I am so pleased about appearing on the front cover of the a-n Degree Show supplement. It absolutely made my day. As I had not heard anything for a while after submitting my entry, I assumed that I would not be appearing.

I realised one morning, that the new issue of a-n must be out, and so went across the road to Borders to check. I tore open the packaging, and saw my image on the front cover. It didn't register for a second, even though I recognised my image. I squeaked, danced, and disturbed a man reading 'Grafik' magazine next to me.

I have been published!

# 9 [8 April 2007]

WORK OUT

I have uploaded some photographs for each of the artists' work. It is completed, and it has been up to me to photograph the images in a way that suits the concept of each book/artist.

The first artist's work to be photographed, has been Jörg Raab. I have taken the photographs concentrating on the problem of capturing a 3D object over a 2D plane. The painting becomes a book-like structure with a spine, foredge, and grain direction.

# 8 [8 April 2007]

PRINTING, PRINTING, ALL DAY PRINTING.

I have begun my printing and binding of the three books, one for each artist/collaboration. I am making ten copies of each book, each as a single section binding. But there is the common problem of size…the size. I am worried that my books are too small. I am worried that they will shrink into obscurity when put on plinths. Do I make them all again, or will that crush my spirit completely?

I am also now worried about using Helvetica. This most mundane of details troubles me at night. American typewriter takes my fancy most evenings. Does it make writing seem slightly more ad-hoc, perhaps coming from a more studious angle? EEEEEEEK. BRAGGADOCIO. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER WRITTEN USING THIS TYPE. It SCREAMS. But’s it has been done hasn’t it? It reeks of faux-trendy exhibition posters advertising a ‘genuine vintage experience.’ You’d think I was doing a typography degree. But I’m not.

I have got through 8 ink cartridges for my printer so far, and am pleased to report that it is taking pride of place on my desk. Papers surround this temporary shrine to my insanity, while scraps of letraset, book cloth and string cling on at the edges. I have also grown to love Grafik magazine, even if we do have to a slightly masochistic relationship. I whimper into my coffee as I flick through pages showing glossy design companies’ books and exhibition catalogues. I wonder if it might have been more profitable to whore myself out for a couple of months to afford a proper designer. Do I really need to be making the books myself? After all, its not about the craft, its about the concept isn’t it? Or so I hear.

# 7 [27 March 2007]

MYSPACE PAGE

I have done it. I have got myself a myspace page. A myspace page for the Touch This Press.

http://www.myspace.com/touchthispress

I have begun to notice more and more small publications appearing on myspace as a way of marketing and publicising themselves to a wider, more targeted audience. Fashion and music magazines in particular have a smaller, more personal D.I.Y version online. I was curious as to whether I could, and should do this for the Touch This Press; an virtual version of a fictionalised concrete version.

I had originally decided to build a website for the TTP, but decided in the end, that a myspace page would be in keeping with a very young press, that wishes to attract emerging artists, and will have a relatively youthful audience.

Having almost completed the page, I am wondering whether its associations with myspace devalues it and makes the press and entire project seem kitsch or cheesy, or whether it works as a space to promote the TTP's artists?

I wish there was feedback available through this blog. I sometimes feel slightly isolated writing it, and find myself wondering whether anyone ever reads it, or has an opinion on any of my ideas.

# 6 [27 March 2007]

TIME. TIME.... TIME.......... TIME

I am so aware of how little time I have left, and yet it seems to stretch out endlessly in front of me. I am compiling endless lists of things to do. They all go something like this;

Buy film

-Develop film

-Find out how to get large sheets of vinyl lettering

-Decide on wall colour for ‘gallery space'

-Work on sketchbook

-Finish sanding down wall

-Build website?

We have been given our degree show spaces. To say I was disappointed when I received mine was an understatement. It appeared to be a meeting place for corridors, and also in the middle of a fire escape route. I fumed about it to anyone who would listen for days, and finally managed to speak to my tutor who agreed it was awful. Not only would I not be able to put anything on the floor, despite having specified the presence of plinths, but there were five exits and entrances coming off the space, which would hardly make it the ‘self-contained' space I had wanted.

After a weekend of waiting, I was informed that my space was a designated self-contained space, and that I could do whatever I wanted to it, which includes painting walls, and covering the floor. I am still highly dubious about this, and am just waiting to be told by the health and safety man, that I am causing a fire hazard. Sigh. If I wasn't so aware of the fact the this blog is public, I would probably air more of my feeling on this subject. However, I am aware of the idea of compromise, and that fitting in 130 people for a degree show space is no easy task.