Last Pics- final choices

As you enter the space, this is what you will see.



By going to the left side first....

You get to take a closer look at the offerings on the shelf....

Moving along...

To the corner os the first shelf.....

you then turn around to see.....
The little shelf of intimacy...



Then by going into the right-hand side of the space.....

Moving left along the shelf......

Into the corner...

Turning round......


you have now seen it all.

I hope you enjoyed the exhibition.

Display Choices - yet more !!!

Charles suggested I consider moving the pieces around rather than have them in a line.
So I have tried it and I think it works but I also think the in-a-row works. The line makes them more clinical but I am concerned that to much moving them around may make them look like a ceramics display rather than an art installation. Would one shelf one way and one another make them look like I couldn't make up my mind? ahhhhhh!

Images of the Show going up

Janice
Janice
Janice

Toni
Sam

Jake
Nathan
Kati
Fai
Lyndsey

Prep for Show

TODAY: John finished putting up the shelves for me. Spoke with Charles who felt there was a problem with the pegs. He felt they took too much attention, spoke about the male/female fittings and how they read to him. On reflection I realised what he meant. Decided to sand them down, round the ends and stain them same colour as the MDF. They looked much better. John screwed the back boards to the walls and later Charles helped me to peg the muslin in place. They look really good.
I unloaded the rest of the pieces, which had been carefully wrapped and stored in the ceramics room. Started to put them around the shelves.
Charles spoke with me about how to arrange them in relation to each other rather than following my process of making. I tried to do this and I think I made progress but I was getting tired so decided to leave it for the day and see what it looks like to tomorrow.

This is the view as you come into the space, then if you look to the right. If you walk into the right hand space you will see the other two muslin pieces handing on the wall to your left.
(Forgot to photo the other, hidden wall which is round on the left hand side.)







WEDNESDAY: There was some consideration about whether or not the muslin should go straight on the wall but I wasn't sure about this. Spoke to Charles who pointed out that if there were not mounted on the same wood as the shelves it would look as if the shelves had just been put there rather than an instalation choice.
Zak came in to help mount the muslin pieces, much careful handling was needed!!! We had decided to screw wood blocks on the back via counter-sunk screws from the front so we needed to make sure the screws would not show. Then holes were drilled for the pegs to go through the MDF into the pine. This way of mounting will create a space from the wall so they will look as if they are floating. It took most of the afternoon and into the evening but they looked so good.





TUESDAY: Got the wood, stained it and John put up battons to support it, more painting of walls etc:

Wood for Shelves

Decided to order more wood as the MDF I bought already is a bit too thin. Spoke to John who recommeded 15mm thick. Measured the space with Anna to make sure it was acurate and then rang Timberight. They wanted £10 local delevery charge so Anna said we can go and collect it tomorow in the van.

Today we were painting the whole space white.
I had to clear my show space as well as my own as the previous occupants hadn't bothered to turn up and clear it. It was a good atmosphere today, its quite exciting to think the final week of preparation had arrived. My arms ache tho.

Painted Space

Left hand side of my space, without shelves-obviously.


The right hand side of my space for the final show, freshly painted, lovely!

Invites

I sent an email invite to the following:
Lucy Medhurst, SVA
Lawrence Baxter
Ben Furber- who will forward to John Butterworth
Pennie Ottley
Chris Stone
Felix Zakar
Alison Jackson
Pam Read
Sarah Heenan

First Space Allocated for Show

This is the space in the downstairs studio which was initially allocated to me for the show.
Anna took me to consider others and this one was decided against. If I had used it I would have put up shelves down the sides. The reasons for rejecting it was that it was too open. The space upstairs is more intimate and feels better for the work to be displayed in, due to it's nature. It would have been nice to be one of the first to be seen but we didn't think the work would benifit from this space.

Lastest Ideas for Display

Have considered various options for how to display my work. The latest ideas have resolved around shelving, initially I decided to have them on an angle but that created problems around the way to attach the pieces to the shelf. I thought holes would be a solution but that meant I would have to know exactly what I was going to put in the final show as the holes would have to be cut in advance of fixing them to the wall.
On Monday I spoke with Helen Kirwen about installation. We reviewed various options about display including using glass to topped plinths and very selected pieces. We considered the intimate nature of some of the pieces and the advantage of having a slightly hidden area that people would have to seek out the work. (see drawing in black covered sketch book/log)
On the subject of shelving we thought about which walls should be used. Helen expressed concern about the breeze block walls at the back of my space so it was decided not to put shelves there to avoid drawing attention to them. Also to shelve all the walls would restrict the viewing space.
The next consideration was to have a flat shelf and we talked about the colour and finish. Initally it seemed a good idea to paint them white gloss. Anna even found a car spraying man who would spray them both sides for about £50
I was then concerned about which shade of white would work with both the gallery wall and set the pieces off. Many of the porcelain was almost disappearing against a white back ground. I considered a grey or black so we tried it out by wrapping a shelf in black paper. I also oiled a test piece of MDF which was how I came to the conclusion after talking with Steve McPherson I have decided to oil the MDF which will darken it enough to create a contrast.


One of the pieces on oiled MDF

The Hunt for Wood and Recent Casting Activity

Yesterday I went to a wood yard I know in Wincheap which sells off-cuts.
My plan was to get some small pieces to do some tests on. However all the off-cuts were too thick so I asked about prices for the size I am most likely to want. It seemed a reasonable price so I bit the bullet, as it were, and bought enough for two shelves and supports: two 1'x4' and two 2'x4' in 6mm MDF. With a length of dowl it cost me £12 something. I decided I will be able to trim any unwanted wood away in college.
Drove straight to college with them and put them in my studio space.

I then parked my car in Aldi's for two hours and went into the ceramics room. There I removed the latest slip and fabric vessels which I cast the day before. They are very thin!! I think 1 is starting to crack. Its the nature of pushing this material as far as i can.
Hoping that out of the 9 I cast recently there will be at least one worth exhibiting!!! I decieded that I wanted to try further casting as I wasn't totally happy with the three I had made before, one was chipped, one cracked and the the lace didn't meet the end of the shape. What with casting in lumpy moulds I realised I was making extra work for myself when it came to trying to burnish them, too much handling just makes them weak.

Last week I wet sanded the insides of the moulds, but made a big mistake in casting in them before they had dried out properly. They took days before they came loose and then only because we put them in a warm kiln. Unfortunatly that dried them out a little too much!! I then tried a new experiment on them: sanding!! risky, not least because the dust is very bad for the lungs. It seemed to work although they did start to crumble a bit in places!! ahhhh this porcelain will be the death of me not least the stress of getting it right for the final show.

I also decided to make another muslin and slip because the other two don't actually have very much vulvis about them. I battled with a long piece of slip-soaked-muslin for ages, must have been nearly an hour.... and I think it won. Had to move the car so have left it to its fate, hoping it will turn out ok. Not to worry if not as the other two are intended for the show, at least one of them, anyway.

Latest fabric in mold, from the kiln:

A re-make of an earlier muslin piece:

I wanted to make a 'final piece' so have attempted a larger version of the muslin I made right at the begining of this project. Made two in case anything happens in the kiln, or between firring as these things are so fragile.

I have also re-cast some of the porcelain with lace inside. Unfortunatly they just do not photograph well enough to see the lace. I even sanded down the mould to help make the outside smoother therefore reduce the amount of time handling them when trying to burnish. Not sure they have been very succesful though.

Try-outs For Back-ground Colour

Some smaller pieces in a black display box, which I really like.

Compare a white background with a black one:

I put some black paper on some MDF, which was slightly at an angle, then tried 4 of the stretched pieces on it, I prefer a dark back-ground but not sure if black maybe too hard.