.............thud

For two weeks i have been overseas. It was a fine break and for those few days the looming pressure of completing my final year at University seemed a distant memory. But this utopian existence was shattered almost the moment i landed in the UK.

I arrived home to a plethora of emails lurking amidst which was a request for an updated dissertation proposal. No problem in itself but the 3 hours to turn it out was a little more problematic. Combine this with receiving the news while being in the day job and this was a deadline that was not going to be met. One cringing email and a busy evening of typing later and it was none the less submitted.

All good then but this sudden change of pace has had quite an adverse affect on my nerves. Suddenly anxiety levels rise along mixed in with seemingly insurmountable self-doubt and a genuine fear that i am never going to do this. Not a good mind set and something had to be done.

Indexical

My solution was to buy some index cards and surely any sane person would have done the same. The aim of these cards was to give me some structure and provide a quick and easy to get my thoughts down on paper. I got the idea from looking at extracts from Dennis Oppenheim's sketch books. In these Oppenheim briefly writes down his ideas in a few short lines. Some went on to be made while others stayed in the book. I did the same and also wrote down a few keys words that embodied the sort of work i wanted to create (similar, if much less dramatic, to Serra's verb list). This was really helpful. My mind felt less cluttered and just by writing a few words i got a much better idea of what ideas might work and which wouldn't.

The second thing i did was work out all the time i have free between now and February. This sounds a bit ridiculous but has proved to be the best way for me to get work done without a constant sense of over whelming panic. Once this is done i then look at my timetable and see what needs to be done when. Each task is given an amount of time and then recorded in iCal accordingly. I have never considered myself a compulsive person but this sort of behaviour make me think again. Regardless it is doing things like this that allow me to function effectively.

Plan in place all i need to do now is the work. easy

whirr whirr whirr whirr etc

The previous week has been a bit of strange one as i haven't done a great deal of reading. Instead i have been out and about. The highlight of these adventures was Francis Aly's retrospective at Tate modern A Story of Deception. Without going into too much detail this really was a fascinating show and an excellent way to get an idea of Aly's work. It was an exhibition i had been meaning to see for some time and after the insightful comments from Sam (see post before last) i made sure i got up to London for it.

projector

Alys had been one of main people i had in mind when i wrote the research proposal for my dissertation. His work relies heavily on the documentary process with video and still imagery being an integral part of his practice. While there are many many insights to be had from his work i what really struck me was the projectors Alys used.

Possibly an odd thing to concentrate on. But the type of projector used seemed quite important. The one to the left was quite an old machine and made a delightfully monotonous whirring noise. What emantated from this machine was a slow moving shot endlessly travelling down a heat soaked road. The noise of the machine is a perfect accompaniement to the forward motion of the film. Also the relentless noise represents a similar to loop to the one the film is on.

Two other features of Alys' work are an interest in music and exposure of the creative process. In the former case the connection to this machine is obvious. The latter, while more obscure, can still be seen. When you look at the projector you can see the film and watch it move around the various parts. Alys could have picked a more contained projector but instead allows a clear look into what is going on.

Finally it is worth mentioning where it is. It is also the first thing you see when you enter the exhibition and is right in the centre of the room. The projector then is not simply a functional tool but part of the actual installation itself.

In June 2010 i will be in position where i have to put on a degree show. So questions of how to display work are gnawing away at the back of my mind constantly. It is an issue that needs careful thought as when work is displayed in a sensitive and considerate manner the experience for the viewer is greatly enhanced.

As a footnote much of Alys work can be downloaded for free at: http://francisalys.com/

well worth it

at my physical and emotional limit

So this Sunday passed at 11:50 i arrived at London Marylebone station. I bought some snacks, changed my cloths took a photograph and was off. A confident start.

the route

At this point i had not idea that it would be 9 hours before i reached home.

What followed was a tortuous journey. The first 2 hours were a disaster where i traveled from one London street to the next getting lost more than i didn't. In all it was over 2 hours before i managed to get over the Chelsea bridge. I was under no illusions as to how proficient my sense of direction was; i knew it to be poor. But this was maddness.

Still i got out of the city and things began briefly to look up. This was until i got lost in Croydon and the rain came down. After much map checking and retracing of steps i finally found the hallowed ditches lane that was to carry me on an ideallyic journey south. By and large this is what happened and the next 30 miles, while tough, saw me pass through some fantastic scenery. To cut a long story short i arrived home late having lost the capacity to see, speak or execute any basic human task.

The one benefit of so much map checking was that it afforded me plenty of chances to take some photos. My initial concept of looking south was quickly abandoned as i had no idea which way south was. But the images were taken at frequent intervals and about 25 were done in total.

Unfortunately they can't be seen just yet as i shot on slide film. I choose to do this in response to something Richard Wentworth had said about his photographic practice. While Wentworth is primarily known for his sculpture he has also produced a series of images taken in and around Caledonian Road, London. These are typically shown as slides but prints have been made from the series. But Wentworth was quite dissatisfied with the results chiefly because of the materiality the print gives to the image. As a projection the image is fleeting and transient much like Wentworth's subject matter. To create a print gives the image a permanence that is contradictory to his concept. So the conditions of display can also be incorporated to realise elements of the concept. It reminded me that the image is never seen in isolation and there are many ways to affect how they are received.

My journey was to be a fleeting thing too and i felt this film would be appropriate. To fully abide by this concept i would have to only ever show the work as a projection. However as this was an experiment i think a little conceptual lee way is permitted. Therefore once the work is scanned you can feast your eyes on the results.