Search This Blog

Wednesday 11 November 2015

getting in a spin about leaving a trace

Spin, Ashburnham, 



Spin is a site specific temporary drawing made out of mirror tiles. I wanted to play with the flashing flecks of light reflected from the water nearby and to create something that related to the rotational work I was making in the studio. Spin was subtle and became apparent if you were almost on top of it making it a very personal and intimate outdoor experience. 

I had been thinking of doing something like this for ages but suddenly the moment came and I had to do it, I find this happens a lot and as long as its possible to make the work its best to go with the moment as part of the ongoing process. If this process gets halted for any reason it can be confusing or stifling. Its best to get going and not think too far ahead. 

Where I am working there was a conference due to be held around a creative theme  onsite and so it became a natural response to leave Spin out for this and for me to leave an installation in the studio space where I work so that people could go and visit it and take part in it. So I left Trace, a selection of natural materials in piles with big outdoor brushes for visitors to sweep into circular forms an idea stemming from Ash with brush which I had made a year earlier. 


Ash with Brush, 2014

I invited people to play with the materials and to use the moment to leave their own trace for the next person to develop. I went along during the weekend and was delighted to find a couple of people doing just this. 





 A visitor making work beyond Trace ie inspired to take it a step further by weaving paper on the wall...



When I leave work out like this I always get excited in the preparation but then am left with that awful sinking feeling that it might just be ridiculous, so when I came across real people interacting with Trace I felt a connection which gave me confidence to have faith in my instincts. 

I've accidentally put this into my blog here on blogger but more up to date blogs of mine are to be found on https://www.a-n.co.uk/blogs/review-15