Negative Activity

Busy day at the computer - 31.09.09

Activity (Computer 31.09.09)

End of the line in Bristol - and Drawing Dialogue Debates?

Just back from Bristol - visiting 'The End Of The Line: Attitudes in Drawing' exhibition at the City Museum and Art Gallery. (Image above by Mark Brandenburg) - stayed on for the Drawing Debate last night. Particularly wanted to stay for the debate because it's something I am considering initiating as an extension of my Drawing Dialogues idea - but in a public arena. Occasional discussions - where a small panel of artists give a short presentation of their drawing practice and then a discussion/ debate is provoked. Each session would have artists who employ drawing in a different way - from exclusively drawing-based practice to sketching ideas in preparation for executing in a different media and everything in between. I particularly want to aim it at other artists and it will have no references at all to business models, self-promotion, creative engagement, accessibility or money - it will just be about discussing ideas around drawing. Not sure what, when, how or who yet - but part of my current 'if you want something and it doesn't exist, stop moaning and sort it out yourself' frame of mind. Watch this space - but don't hold your breath, could be a long term thing...

Dimensions Variable

Started to run out of wall space for my i.d. cards - at least if I wanted to hang chronologically - so I've transferred to a drawing board. In the studio I'm going to display ('uncut') to match size/ proportions of my current large drawings but the aim is for them to be really flexible and this has led refocused my thoughts about display/ presentation, selection/ curation and audience/ encounter and how one can affect the others.

Perspex plinths

Perspex plinths finally arrived. Want to use them for residues of drawings - test tubes/ bottles and pencil shavings (above) but also going to leave ongoing marks from handling the plinth itself on the surface. Might enhance with finger print powder and/ or etch on the surface too?

Deliveries, delays and drawing dialogues

Very excited today as my silverpoint supplies were delivered. Not sure how large I'm going to go - still have a lot of experimenting to do - but think the subtlety of mark will be really interesting. All the research I've done so far says how long drawings take using silverpoint - but can't believe it takes any longer than drawing with ballpoint pen!
I realised last week that I had completely underestimated the time it would take to finish my two aliminium panel pieces and have revised to end of October at the earliest. Actually not that suprising when I checked back - I expect them each to take at least 350 hours each and I didn't start them until April. Still on target for 4 large drawings this year so all good. Feeling very chilled and positive after a bit of a wobble.

Looks as if 'Drawing Dialogues' (see previous post) is all set for first meeting at end of September. I'm setting first text and have decided on 'Museum of Touch' by Susan Stewart - have Lesley Bricknell to thank for this (link to her blog 'Surfacing Art Journal' on right). Came across it on one of her posts - and title fitted perfectly into my thoughts on presentation, encounter and other issues of 'to frame or not to frame'. Still haven't read properly but that is the whole point of 'Drawing Dialogues' isn't it?

The Reading Room revisited

I've been trying for a while to organise my reading - without much success!! Have a stack of books I want to read, but never seem to find the time to actually read them. If I do start reading, I then get distracted by my own thoughts and go off on a tangent. Still haven't got past the title of Deleuze's 'Difference and Repetition'! One of the things I found really useful about my M.A. was that deadlines etc. were imposed for reading/ writing and dialogue. Have been talking with a few people about organising some sort of regular meetings to discuss our work, particularly in relation to drawing but it hasn't really got anywhere yet. Recently came across a website about Hinterland, a group in Nottingham and part of their programme is The Reading Room which seemed such a simple, but brilliant idea - a text is selected and each member of the group receives a copy to read before meeting to discuss. Of course, reading groups have been around for a while - but for some reason I had always related to literature rather than art. Seems to me it would be really good to set up a small group, where each member takes it in turn to select a text or writing which has some relevance to their current work and use this as the basis for discussion about the text and the work? It would mean access to a variety of reading material and provide a structured basis for dialogue about the work itself?