Essay, essay, essay

 

Good to be reflecting on my work and research together and to register where and how much they intertwine.

 

Essay, essay, essay…(and Exhibition Proposal)

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Tuesday 11 August. I had an interesting academic tutorial, lots of good conversation about my lines of inquiry and book suggestions … bit late now, but perhaps for post hand-in? I just couldn’t resist ordering some they sounded so interesting one in particular Becoming Human: Medicine and the Algorithmic Gaze edited by Liz Orton photographer and lecturer at LCC. 

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Thursday 13 August. Good feedback on Exhibition Proposal run through, they thought the venue resonant with my work. I still wonder if it closes my work down too much but I’m thinking I’ll add a ‘postscript’ and follow up on Leora’s comment ‘idea great but might also be interesting to consider how the work appear/feel in a ‘White Cube’ space’. As it’s a theoretical proposal and meant to be an ambitious, I might make the show a collaboration with Jesse Darling!

 

But for now that essay...

 

Friday 14 August. The Lady Anatomist arrived on Friday beautiful book. It looks really interesting and it is so exciting to know that it was a woman who made the seventeenth century wax anatomical models I saw in 2017 at the Museo di Palazzo Poggi, Bologna. It makes me want to go and see them again, perhaps one day …

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Essay, essay, essay…

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At last I have turned my attention to ‘The Pen is the Sister of the Brush’ it is so good. Lots of ideas for a new phase of my journal, not sure if I’ll change it now … .but perhaps I won’t be able to prevent it happening now I’ve read Maria Lassnig’s diary entries the influence is there. I definitely want to try and alter the look and feel of my gallery. Perhaps I’ll add some text in a style that is similar to the personal writing in my essay … might work. Can’t make my mind up about Obrist, I feel more drawn to his ideas having read what he says in the introduction of the book. I also watched him in conversation with Kimberley Drew in a Hauser and Wirth Zoom conversation in which he talked about his friendship with Lassnig. It was very interesting but I can’t help feeling he is a bit like a parasite living off the artists he is interested in. Perhaps parasite is a bit harsh, I guess it is a two way street, he needs the relationships with the artists and they need him but it still leaves me feeling there is something vicarious in the way he gets his pleasure from them…

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Essay… essay...essay ...

 

Thursday 20 August. Had a tutorial with Stephen Wilson that was very helpful. I actually managed to tell him what my essay is about – having completed the first real draft the day before. He seemed quite excited about it which was very motivating but it still needs so much work …We also had a really good conversation about my work, I’d prepared a PowerPoint of what I see as my final series. He thought they hung together well and the images showed them well. I said I still intend to make a film of each. Based on the Schism film in the PowerPoint, he agreed that would be good. What was most interesting though was the conversation we had about the titles of the work, he critiqued the ones I have as being too obvious and descriptive. He suggested thinking of something more expansive as a title for the series, no firm ideas yet but lots of food for thought. I’m going to try and come up with some suggestions and test them at my Group Crit next week.

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Essay… essay...essay ...

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Oh no I started thinking flippantly about a PhD and now I find myself thinking about it more seriously. I feel so excited about my research and know I can’t get it all in my essay. Mark Fairnington’s lecture on Wednesday was more of an inspiration for me than I thought it might be I think because it’s focus was about funding for research. Liz Orton’s book arrived with a lovely note, I made direct contact with her through Instagram, have said I’d like to be in touch post-MA and she was encouraging. 

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Essay, essay, essay…