DEGREES UNEDITED

# 18 [18 June 2008]

With all that has been going on I forgot to mention yesterday that the tragedy of the missing pigeon occurred once again. This time I discovered its absence on the VIP night......too late for action. Apparently said pigeon was nowhere to be seen on Saturday either. My powers of detection therefore conclude that the last sighting was close of play on Friday the 13th.......  

# 17 [17 June 2008]

Its nearly over now. The private view was Friday and last night was the VIP private view. Both seemingly went well. A chat has been had with the external moderator (who apparently was very pleased) and assessment feedback received from my tutor (also pleased). So all that is really left is my dissertation feedback, the exam board sitting and the external moderator visiting the show, all of which will be done and dusted by 4pm Friday......oh and there is that one final thing, the final grade should (hopefully) slip through my letter box in the next couple of weeks. So the end is drawing near of my time as a student again. Well, at least until the MA bug comes to bite....... 

# 16 [13 June 2008]

Tonight is the night of our private view, so I am having a chilled day, but what a mixed bag of a week! BA assessments were held on Tuesday and since then I seem to have been installed in the exhibition space myself! I have spent (along with a fellow student and some occasional others) three whole (long and hot) days mounting statements, making postcard holders (far nicer than tacky plastic ones) and fixing the whole lot to the walls!! But I must admit it has been all worth it, the show is looking fine and dandy and highly polished.

But then, yesterday, tragedy struck. I went to talk to a tutor about my work and to my horror discovered a pigeon missing. The pigeon (due to an address from the diary no longer existing) had been screwed up into a ball, placed (with a polite notice asking not to be thrown away) at the foot of my wall. A query at reception, two cleaners and three bags of rubbish later it was recovered, luckily unscathed by coffee. Tragedy over....somehow I don't think it will happen again.....

# 15 [6 June 2008]

Its done. We are finished (apart from a few minor tweaks) and we are out of there!

The exhibition looks good. I'm pleased with how my work has come together and I feel it's working well. I have just made a few minor adjustments to my statement and I need to spend the weekend making sure my supporting work is in order. Our assessment will take place on Tuesday with presentations in the exhibition space and supporting work remaining in our studio spaces. I can not believe that my time at HCA as a student is nearly over. It is a very strange feeling indeed......

# 14 [3 June 2008]

We are in our exhibition space!

Places were allocated yesterday and I am really thrilled. I have a wonderful space and I am going to enjoy making my show work in it!

Arrived this morning to realise that the floor wasn't quite ready but I was able to start to put work up on the wall. The floor just needed to be free of anything for the cleaners when we were evicted just after 4pm. Not too much of a problem. I probably needed to go home anyway....I have promised myself not to panic, what will be will be.....

Postcards also arrived today and they look FANTASTIC! So a successful beginning of the week for me starting doubly thrilled!

Shame I can't keep the floor buffer though.......I think it could work well......It definately has potential...... 

# 13 [1 June 2008]

Well. This is it. We are into the final scary, but exciting, leg on the degree journey. We spent Friday morning filling holes and taping gaps, ready for painting over the weekend, in the area that is to house our show. Monday afternoon we meet to find out exactly which space is to be ours.....

Friday afternoon I spent systematically disassembling the work that has formed my investigation over the last few months. Hopefully making it easier to sort and make sense of for the exhibition. My feelings and mood at the moment flit from being excited to slightly terrified about what I am about to show of my practice....I hope that I am going to be able to enjoy this last leg and see the actual installing of my work as being an extension of what I have done so far. Hopefully that will make sense and become apparent to my audience.

Further to that our individual postcards should be back from the printers early next week and will need sorting into packs, then there are the personal statements to be mounted and put up and then the postcard holders to be constructed.......the list appears to be never ending!! But I am sure in my heart of hearts that all will run to plan...... 

# 12 [25 May 2008]

Where has time gone just lately??? Just as I seem to start a week the end of it seems to here. I knew time would fly this term but this is ridiculous!! Anyway, we get into our space next Friday for taping and filing holes. Then a meeting on Monday followed by putting work up for the rest of the week. A simple affair really if  only I knew exactly what I wanted ! As I have previously mentioned my space is going to be a recreation of my studio space detailing parts of the investigation into the filmgoers diary and my experiences in an alien land.

Spent Thursday writing my artists statement which always feels as if it will be a simple affair but then takes ages. I think you get so close to your own work and ideas that it becomes difficult to actually step back and say a few concise words.

Part of Wednesday was spent at The Rodd in Presteigne (owned by the Sidney Nolan Trust) where I  have gained myself a place as part of a week long Residency in July following which there will be an exhibition for a further week in the Tithe Barn. Exciting stuff I think. Fantastic to have something to get stuck into post college.  

# 11 [14 May 2008]

Today I have enjoyed a very informative and helpful workshop on Adobe Photoshop. Although I tend to use Photoshop a lot in my work I consider myself to do it pigeon style almost like one might talk pigeon French! Now I can start to put order to my practice!!! It did highlight a major worry of mine that what happens after the show....who will be there to help and answer my queries and troubles..... I think I would do well to try and resolve a few over the next few weeks but those niggles and questions are always going to be there. I do, however, feel in a much better position to source answers than I ever have done before.

All that said at the moment I am feeling most flattered to find myself on the pick of the week section of artists talking. Flattered because I don't really think I expected anyone to actually take any notice of my blog. I have found the actual act of using the space to be incredibly cathartic  and an excellent way to clarify ideas in my own head. I will most certainly be carrying on post degree. Thank you a-n.

# 10 [8 May 2008]

I have spent the last two days making a small filing box in which to house the results of my investigation into the Filmgoers Diary. I'm really pleased with it, it has worked really well but why did I feel the need to make it?? Is it some sort of personal indexing system? Maybe its a place to file and organise my ideas??

After a really helpful chat with a tutor today I have (finally) decided that my show will consist of the findings and results of the investigation. I don't feel the need to explain in black and white what my work is about but on looking at it I hope the show visitor will have a little glimpse into what I have been up to. Combinations of refined larger pieces and smaller investigative pieces will fuse together to create a really interesting viewing experience. 

So, over the next couple of weeks I can continue to develop the work and literally be at a point at which I am able to show my most recent ideas and thoughts as an installation. Exciting I think! 

# 9 [6 May 2008]

I can not believe that its been so long since my last post. Just goes to show that time flies when you're having fun! I have spent the last week selecting the image for my summer show postcard and have decided to use the one was selected for the Degrees Unedited cover composite (I feel it would be daft not to)! The image was one of the starting points for work I am currently creating. I have also ordered my graduation gown and spent a lot of time deliberating what to do with all the evidence collected from the Filmgoers Diary. I feel as if my ideas are coming together and it is really just a case of how to display the resulting work to its best advantage. With only three weeks left it is getting just a little bit scarey.........