Suddenly it is almost June! I have had three sessions now with my mentor, Manon van Kouswijk. She has been insightful and generous. Suggesting exercises to help loosen up my practice and allow space for the unexpected. After our last meeting, she pointed out that my work is – all over the place. My words, not hers. She is much more kind and diplomatic than that but I got the gist and know she is right.
In an attempt to free myself from some of the voices and loosen up my process, I have forgotten to articulate a line of enquiry. What is the question and then how am I going to answer it? Looking back, this plagued me last year and is a realisation that even though I want to explore different ways of working there still needs to be a clear direction.
So what is the question?
My work last year focused on capturing the elusive and fragile nature of memory and loss. Starting with an image and then intervening and iterating from it. I want to build on this and create more object-based wearable pieces. This has proved to be too broad a beginning.
I spent some time focussing on disrupting the image. Making quick responses using collage, paint and thread amongst other things. I think this is where I lost focus. So circling back to what it is I want to make…
Is it the image I want to make wearable or the memory it provokes? I guess this is the first question I need to answer. Is it about the image or is it about making meaningful objects? I realise now that it is about capturing a moment – holding onto the intangible. This could be an image or something written, thoughts or emotions. Something personal. Something that is not yet an object.
How can I make an image wearable? This was suggested to me as a line of questioning by Manon and I am struggling to find a better one. Even if I don’t end up using images it is still a way to translate the two-dimensional – or the record into something worn. I’ve come up with a couple of quick ways but I need to go much deeper.
What material is it? How does that change our emotional reading? How do different materials respond to the process of being printed on and then transformed into something that can be worn?
There is also the process of transferring the image onto the material. I have been experimenting with laser and inkjet printers but there are also photographic techniques that I’ve used in the past that are worth more time.
There has also been play happening as an analogue process begins to look pixilated and reference the digital. The space between the processes. I think I need to leave this behind though for now and focus on the three strands of wearability, materiality and print process. This still feels like a lot but is much more focused. I am excited about getting started again!