Reflections on a theme
Went to St Helen’s for the first time on Tuesday to give an hour lecture to second year BA Hons Painting students at St Helen’s college. I was struck by the very odd assemblage of architecture in the town – a grim mix of lumpy 50′s concrete and modern souless developments. I would compare it to cough medicine, quite disgusting but strangely addictive.
I gave a talk on University life and post uni inter-spliced with how my artwork progressed and my interests. I found doing the PowerPoint beforehand to be a ‘this-is-your-artistic-life’ moment. However as I trawled through the documentation of all my studio experiments in 2006, I felt strangely liberated. It tied in with a conversation with Emily Speed that I had the week prior regarding how we are often guilty of falling in the mindset of making work just to display or exhibit. I know that for a lengthy period of time I have been guilty of this. I have forgotten what it is like to focus intensely on a piece or idea just for my self.
I am looking forward to taking a step back from other commitments to focus on my work. Very much.
Just got back from watching West Beyrouth at FACT, chosen as a reflection on personal experiences of war trying in with their new exhibition (which I have not yet seen). I can’t remember a film that genuinely stirred so many differing emotions from me from laughing out loud to stark horror. Top draw.
