Another busy day at Godney with lots of visitors coming in to see us. It is really positive that so many people are coming. It is very interesting to see the publics reaction and hear their comments. I have been working in my studio for a few weeks now, and whilst the work made perfect sense to me I am never sure if it will translate to an audience. However, people seem to really connect with the voices and the originality of the work. I have even managed to get a couple more willing volunteers for my interviews which means the project can continue after Art Week has finished.
In yesterdays post I promised to share some images from Thornreed Studio so that you can get a feel of this amazing place, I have also taken a couple of pictures of Jane and Simon and a little of their work, I think you will agree its really worth a visit. Please remember we are open every day from 11am – 6pm
The walkway to Jane and Simon’s studiosJane’s Studio (look at the beautiful lining on that coat)Simon’s Studio complete with two of his Paintings hanging outsideJane hard at workSimon taking a quick break
I can’t believe how busy the last 24 hours have been. I wanted to keep up to date for the whole of Somerset Art Week but things got a little hectic during setting up the show. So please forgive my quick summary but I hope to post every day to share my experience of the exhibition with you.
I have been really thrilled with the response I received to my work I feel very positive that the work has really found its voice.
Simon, Jane and I had a really busy day with lots of visitors, interestingly lots of people travel to the venues by bicycle which seems a wonderful way of enjoying Arts Week and the Countryside at the same time. Tomorrow I will share some images from around Thornreed Studio, so you can get a feel of the place, and hopefully some of Simon and Jane’s amazing work.
Just a reminder that Thornreed Studio is open every day from 11am to 6pm so please come and visit us.
Hanging the workhanging my work at Thornreed StudiosPhotographs taken during setting up the show
Exciting news I am mentioned in Evolver magazine’s September – October issue . The current issue isn’t online yet so here are some images of the article or you can look for yourself if you have a copy.
Remember Thornreed Studio opens its doors for Somerset Art Week this Saturday at 11am.
One of my Tutors at University always said that approaching deadlines can make really interesting things happen to the work. I agree with him but I think it helps if you already have your work in place and can take time to think before giving a last minute push to see where it can go next.
In my case, as you know, I have been considering the unheard voices of the Somerset Levels which has led me to studying sound waves. I have always found that drawing features very heavily in my work but, for this brief, my drawing had really taken a back seat. Whilst taking an pause to draw breath and evaluate my work I accepted that I am not drawing because I don’t know how to draw what I can’t see, but this isn’t really good enough reason not to try. Well I am pleased to say the drawing has returned and the answer to how I draw breath (or voices) is this:
‘There used to be houses all over the moors’ Graphite and charcoal on paperDrawing of Sound waves Charcoal and Graphite on paper
Things are really gathering pace now with about 2 weeks to go until Somerset Art Week. I have been really lucky to have been mentored by Simon Ledson and I am really looking forward to spending art week at Thornreed Studio with Simon and Jane Peck.
Here is a selection of the Artist venues you can see in Godney over Somerset Art Week together with details of how to find us.
I spent a very successful bank holiday working with Artist, Juliet Arnison. I have been struggling to cut a crisp sound wave using a craft knife which is affecting the embossing. However, as Juliet does a lot of her work with a laser cutter I was very lucky to get her input on the project. I took some of the digital files down to her studio in Weare and we spent a couple of very successful hours developing the sound waves further. Here are some of the photos;
Laser cutter working on the sound wave image.
Second image of the Laser Cutter, the outline looks like a skyline which seems fitting.
Cut image coming out of the Laser Cutter – Success!!
Many thanks to Juliet for her input and the use of her fabulous Laser Cutter.
There seems to be a pattern developing in my work which basically involves me having and initial idea which I then proceed to doubt/worry about/talk myself out of. I then spend an increasing amount of time trying to reject my initial work before returning to it. I think my poor Mentor, Simon Ledson, would probably confirm that self doubt plays a large part in my work but maybe this has got more to do with being a Creative than being a unique character flaw?
Anyway my latest wobble went something like this:
Hours spent researching the Somerset Levels and Moors and recording residents of the area led my views of the place altering drastically. It is apparent that the voices of the people who live there, their thoughts, feelings, memories and words are largely unseen and for the most part disregarded by the modern world. All of which led me to the dilemma, how do I make their words visible?
So then I stare for hours at my sound editing software listening to the voices before I realise that I am looking at the sounds all the time in the form of sound waves but, what do these look like if I take them from the screen and print with them?
Sound wave for ‘There used to be skylarks’ embossed on Somerset paper
I then played with making the structure more similar to the 3d sound wave program I posted here a couple of days ago
3d sound wave ‘Big Skies’ embossed onto Somerset paper
Then self doubt made me worry that as the work is an imprint onto the paper using no ink it can be it be hard to see in some light conditions (this is why my images are taken in low light). I then made several attempts to add colour and tone before putting the work to one side and letting it nag at me from a wall on my studio. However, during a recent visit to Falmouth I visited the Drang Gallery and stood in front of Marc Quinn’s Labyrinth which comprise of two images side by side of a wood cut emboss and deboss of a finger print. Here is one of them;
Marc Quinn Labyrinth deboss Somerset Paper
I have to say I probably stood in front of that image for quite along time thinking ‘yes the image can be hard to see, depending on how you are looking at it, but, isn’t that exactly what I am trying to say with this work?’
I am coming to understand Robert Burn’s quote ‘The best laid schemes of mice and men, often go awry’. A quote which has come to me often in the last couple of days. I have been attempting to develop my sound files using digital media. I thought it would be a nice idea to use adobe aftereffects and a little bit of programming to make a 3d waveform which responds to the sound, giving the waveform a physical presence, how hard could that be? (first mistake). I then thought that it would not take too long to prepare the required digital file, maybe an hour or two? (2nd mistake). However, 2 days later (third mistake – I should have given up after the first hour) I am now prepared to share my work with you.
In an attempt to end on a positive note, although there are clearly issues with the finished effect I can’t help feeling the voice has a hypnotic effect which is not lost by the imagery.
I am continuing with my struggle to visualise sounds and found a very interesting program developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who are researching bioacoustics in birds. However, the program works very nicely on any sounds, including human voices. Here is a voice recording I made recently
which converts very nicely into a spectrogram which looks like this (for anyone that is interested a spectrogram is a visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies and are also known as spectral waterfalls, voiceprints or voicegrams)
A lot of my work is based on sounds, which I collect through interviews and replay almost endlessly. Although the Levels and Moors are fascinating visually it is the memories, thoughts, opinions and history of its residents which, for me, have reshaped this landscape. This is no longer a place of just ‘Big Skies’ it is a place of conflict, sadness, beauty and most of all constant change. But how can I show you all of that when you can’t see words?
I would like to tell you the answer just came to me but generally these things take an awful lot of thinking and wringing of hands! However, I was editing one of my research photos which I darkened and put slightly out of focus (pictured below)
View across pond at Shapwick Nature Reserve
Which led me to the realisation that reflected trees and bushes on the horizon resemble the sound waves from my recordings.
Sound wave image of “We don’t get Skylarks here anymore”.
Part of Creative Pathways, a professional development programme for artists working in Somerset.
The Levels and Moors 