Degree Show Friday 12th June 6.00PM

The Colchester Institute Degree Show is shaping up to be really exciting! It's been a tough few weeks but everything is finally starting to come together. The private view is on Friday 12th June at 6.00PM and it will be a spectacular evening!

Evaluation

I felt that it is important to evaluate the piece that I have produced for the final degree show. In this evaluation I plan to discuss my original proposal in relation to the finished piece. I want to focus on my initial intentions for the work and whether these have materialised to the standard required. I plan to discuss the various parts of the work and how these in turn have contributed to the final outcome. 

The Rhizome brief asked for us to reflect back to move forward, the connections throughout the degree were evident once I came to a greater understanding of what my practice was. This is reflected in the work, with its focus on the idea and the writing being prominent as well as the way in which the piece itself is based on observation and understanding. There are certain proposed aspects that I feel I have fulfilled within the final piece. I mentioned that although I understood that theory was important, I wanted to create a balance between both this and the visual element of the work. I aimed to make my final piece easily accessible and engaging for an audience, something that they could be comfortable with watching. I also was right to suggest a sufficient amount of time for editing, which is something I have worked hard to stick to and I am glad as it took me slightly longer than expected to finish off the films to the standard that I required. Nevertheless there are some points that I feel have developed much further than what I had proposed. The connection to essay film is something that remains but is not such an integral part of the work as I expected it to be. I have also made four short films instead of the one. I proposed that the work would be an addition to the artist statements for the show, however I feel that the piece has become something that is much more personal than I originally intended. I was surprised at how closely I had stuck to the brief, but this is also something that has been consistent within my practice; a love of planning. I am going to consider how these intended outcomes have or have not been achieved within the work, and evaluate these findings. 

The degree show piece is inspired by Linda Weintraub’s Making Contemporary Art: How Modern Artists Think and Work (2003). The book is a collection of essays and interviews with various artists. Weintraub asks questions at the beginning of the book to allow the reader to begin to formulate their own answers to these. They are: Why are you an artist? Who is your audience? How do you communicate with your audience? and What is arts function in society? I recorded interviews with the other students within the studio space and encouraged them to consider where they would place themselves in a wider context. I edited the footage together and compiled four films loosely based around each of the questions. The films focused on what was being said rather than the image itself, for me the visual nature of the work was secondary. I played with the use of sound and experimented with cutting to footage of the students working. The subtitles became one of the most important elements of the work as they highlighted the written word. They became a part of each persons individual character as they merged and adapted depending on who was speaking. The work was shown on old TV screens that were sitting atop a table that I made with a stool in front of each screen. I had spent the time transcribing each of the interviews, which made the editing process a lot smoother, however, I felt that it was a shame that most of what was said during the interviews would be lost, therefore I decided to include a bound text with these transcripts. 

Films

When I think more carefully about how I first envisioned the work to be I know that what has been completed is not even remotely similar. One thing that is mentioned within the work is the way in which it is difficult to discuss the process you go through when you are putting a piece together like this; there are steps that you take and rules that you follow, and through that the work is formed. This was a task that was extremely out of my comfort zone, I have not had much experience with filming on this scale, nor have I had any experience with editing professionally. I am proud of myself for the way in which I decided to learn what I needed to know to get started and face it head on. I threw myself into the filming, although this was because I was conscious of the time I would need to refine the work, it seemed that the process of filming became a piece of work in itself. The interviews were an experience for both me and the other students. Not only did I learn a lot about who they were and what they were interested, but the feedback suggested that it enabled them to understand the context within which they sit more than they have been able to before. There were times when I was concerned about the quality of the footage. I researched and sourced advice on ways to adjust the lighting to allow for a better quality image, as well as exploring the use of mics for an improved sound. It wasn’t long before I realised that these changes were not necessary, not only because in both cases they helped very little, but also because the films were not about the quality of the footage, the focus is on what is said. Similarly, research into essay film displayed the importance of found and poor quality footage to this format. Once I had decided this I felt comfortable with what I was recording and was able to fully immerse myself into the experience. 

I didn’t realise how deeply Weintraub’s book Making Contemporary Art would be ingrained into the work. The questions became the base of the conversation and sparked answers that interconnected between the various individuals. The vagueness of the questions allowed for different interpretations of these as well as the different answers. It was evident that patterns had begun to emerge, and even from the first few interviews it was easy to see the various strains of conversation that would be included in the final outcome. What I liked the most about this process was the way in which I was not searching for an answer, I used what was given and this meant that the work was in the hands of the other artists, they were creating the content. After reading an extract from the work of Susan Sontag’s ‘Against interpretation’ (1966) about transparency in art, how the work should be transparent and only then will we be free from the clutches of the critic. This is something that struck me about the interviews that had taken place: they felt very honest and true, and I was privileged to have the chance to talk to these people about things that can be quite personal. I knew that this transparency was something that I wanted to be evident throughout the work. 

I had originally intended to make the one film, however, the idea of multiples came from attempting to work out the way in which the single film would be displayed. I didn’t believe that the use of a large screen would be particularly interesting, and projection, I felt, would lose the physicality of the image. I felt that if the film were to be split and shown on different screens, that this then could be much more immersed into the exhibition. Although the questions asked often evolved in conversation I knew that I would choose to structure these by the different questions. This structure would then enable the viewer to engage more fully with different subjects; a much longer film would have more likely discouraged the viewer. I felt that shorter films would be more accessible, which is one thing that I really wanted the work to be. Linda Weintraub’s book was inspirational with its accessibility and so I felt that this is certainly a part that should be reflected in the work. The films are split into the questions: Why are you an artist? Who is your audience and how do you communicate with your audience? What motivates you to make a work of art? and finally, What is arts function in society? I knew however that with the vast amount of footage I had gathered, condensing these down into short films would be another challenge so therefore I knew that I would need a set of rules and a process in order to make this plausible. 

The focus on the content of the films and the writing is perhaps the most important element of this piece, and has been consistently throughout the degree. Due to this I knew that if I was to focus on the footage first then I would lose sight of what it is that I wanted to achieve. The process of choosing the content of the films was definitely the smoothest part of making the work and this was because when gathering the footage I had taken the time to transcribe all of what was recorded. Initially I did not do this for myself but for the people being interviewed as I felt it was a shame that they would not have a record of everything that they had said. The transcriptions became an integral part of not only the editing but also the work itself. With the transcriptions I went through and highlighted any parts that I felt were particularly interesting, or sparked something within myself. It would often be if I agreed with something that was said or I felt that it differed greatly from my own interpretation. At this stage I was not interested in the footage that went along with the writing, it was important for me to make the work from the words, not the image. After singling out the areas of text that I felt should be included I then attempted to place these individual parts into different categories. These closely resembled the questions asked however the conversation moved on so far from the original questions that it was often difficult to place certain parts. The next stage in the process was to separate each of the questions and the categorised answers. I placed the different snippets into a grid and cut them out into smaller squares. This allowed me to play around with the formation of the individual films, and the way in which different parts would link well and others would contradict, I could see how the films would be formed and created storyboards from these. This part of the process took place in front of the screens in the edit suite. Doing this meant that the content stayed fresh in my mind and was much easier to change and manipulate. The transcriptions allowed me to easily find the placement of these smaller sections in relation to the footage, and so the next stage was to collate these together by cutting the smaller films. Through this I finally had a look at the visual element of the work, if I felt that the footage wasn’t working within the film I removed it with the intention of adding in extra footage that I would be gathering of the students working in the studio. This process meant that even down to the editing, the focus was on what was said. 

Editing is something that I had had no previous experience with. I sought advice from the TLR staff on how to achieve what I wanted with the films, however my skills only began to improve as I continued to practice. The task at this stage was to try and overcome any problems that I encountered, I used a mixture of help from members of staff and youtube videos to attempt to gain a clearer understanding of how to achieve the finish that I wanted for the films. This was certainly not easy, I was correct in mentioning in the proposal that I wanted to allow myself time for editing and making mistakes, this was a necessity and I am glad that I finished off the filming earlier than I had originally foresaw. After having the basic body of each of the films I then had to take time to get the cuts and changes right between footage, as well as using different effects to manipulate the quality of the image. A characteristic of essay films is that they often play with the mixture of colour and black and white footage. This is something I wanted to achieve with my own work. My initial instinct was to make all of the films black and white, as this is how I usually worked, however I felt that it would be a shame to lose the colour in some of the footage. For example, the colour behind Alison’s work is key when she speaks of her relationship with paint and colour and how this is evidenced in her works, however the footage of Sarah was shot in the TV studio with the bright green back drop, as this is a space that Sarah felt comfortable to talk in. The green background was extremely vivid and changing this to black and white softened its dramatic effect in comparison with the rest of the film. From the testers I made I realised that this mixture of black and white and colour footage is something that can work seamlessly and in fact there was something I liked about seeing the same image stripped of colour, it was again a play with honesty and purity which I felt was effective. 

I spent time gathering extra footage of the students working as I felt that this would be good to include in the films as there would also be a reference with their work in the exhibition, the audience would be able to connect what they were seeing with the work on display. Another part I also liked about these small clips was the way in which it contrasted well with the static shots of the interviews, I had aimed for a balance with the movement of these images. There were also certain clips that worked particularly well when paired with the conversation. Alison was an example of this when she speaks of allowing something to happen without her control; I had captured an image of her pouring paint onto the canvas and letting it disperse. This was also consequently one of the most exciting parts of her large paintings and so I was extremely pleased that I had recorded that moment. I must admit that there were certain times that these connections happened by chance, and it was because of these moments that I knew as I was going along that I was doing the right thing with these films. 

The sound was something I was particularly worried about. The noise of the studios made recording the conversation difficult, although the DSLR’s were could at capturing great footage and sound there were times when it was simply impossible to hear what was being said. I attempted to combat this with the use of a microphone only to find that this in fact made it worse. I knew that to get this perfect would be something that would require equipment that I would not have been able to get a hold of and learn to use within the time I had, therefore I had to find another alternative. Essay films play with the idea of narration and subtitles frequently and I decided that I would use subtitles to neutralise any problems I had with the sound recording. The subtitles effectively managed to solve multiple concerns at once. Not only would it mean that I did not have to worry about reshooting and relocating the interviews to a quieter location, but I felt more than anything subtitles were a way to fully engage the viewer with the work. From personal experience I have found that subtitles make an image which captures dialogue easily accessible. There is something that I find about listening to what is said much harder to do than simply reading it. The subtitles allow for the audience to see what is being said at a glance, as well as easily dip in and out of conversations. After seeing the films working with the subtitles I also felt that the writing on the screen emphasised the importance of the words. I still wanted to have the sound, but the subtitles meant that this could be low so that it would not impact the other people exhibiting. The sound at a low volume sounds similar to the constant hum of the studio. 

The format of the subtitles is something that I struggled to get right, and I have still been adjusting even a week before the installation of the work as the sizes of the words altered depending on what screen they were playing on. In a series of testers I made with various different fonts and sizes, Gilbert Richards, upon viewing these, noted that he felt the fact that the subtitles were different gave a sense of the individuality of the person speaking. I was particularly struck by this idea and realised that the connections between the four films was stronger because the individual texts referenced the different people. Most importantly my aim was to make sure that the subtitles were easy to read, and clear so that again the work is accessible. The idea was for the work to be an easy and enjoyable experience, a way in which the audience could learn more, not only about the artists themselves, but also about their own interpretations. I chose the fonts depending on what I felt worked for the footage and I also considered the person speaking and aspects of their personality that I felt could be displayed within a font. An example of this is the way in which I associate Sarah with a typewriter as the use of this style of writing has been consistent within her practice, therefore the font for the subtitles over Sarah’s footage is similar to that of a type writer. I was concerned that the different subtitles would look odd, however I felt that this was certainly not the case, and in fact the different subtitles added an element of interest and diversity to the films. 

After deciding that I would have the four films, I didn’t taken the timing of the work into much consideration. As mentioned previously I wanted to focus on what was being said and what I wanted to include without worrying about certain restrictions. It just so happened that each of the films ended up being roughly five minutes long. When these are combined they are the length I had aimed for originally with the single film. I didn’t want them to be too long as I feel that a short film is much more likely to engage an audience than something that was longer. The films are on a loop so that each one would be played continuously without the need to restart them. I added a section of roughly forty seconds onto each film where it just goes blank. I wanted to highlight the ending of the films for a few reasons: the first is so that the films do not seem to be much longer than they are, and the second is because I felt by allowing that time where the screens go blank it gives an audience the chance to move onto the next film or decide if they want to continue watching at all. I also wanted to make sure that there wasn’t necessarily a start and a finish to the films, which will allow for the opportunity to interact with the work from any moment without feeling like they have missed any key points. 

Presentation

I knew quite early on that I wanted to use old fashion box TVs for the showing of my films. I have worked with them previously and love the aesthetic quality of the screens and the individuality of the different models and makes which is lost with newer screens, there is also something about their size that gives them a presence, the object becomes a being. I collected the screens from boot sales and trash for nothing sites. I was surprised at how cheaply this was done and how easy they were to find as this was a concern for me at the beginning. I acquired some old DVD players cheaply and found that these were effective at displaying the image to a good quality, however this greatly depended on the screen. The only concern I still currently have about the work is the reliability of the TVs and the DVD players, although they have all been PAT tested, I have had a few problems with the running of these and I am afraid that there will be a problem during the exhibition. To combat this I have left a spare TV and DVD player at the college just in case anything was to go wrong, however this is a worry that is always present when working with technology, even new technology. When working with found technology like this it is difficult to pick and choose what style you want or the quality of the image, as I had gathered more than I needed I was able to choose the TVs with the best picture quality as well as the DVD players that played the films in a widescreen mode, which meant that they were not distorted by the shape or size of the screens. 

As mentioned previously the idea to split the films was inspired by the discussion about the way in which the work will be presented. This is also true for the amount of films that I made. Although I had gathered all of the footage I was still unsure about how to display the work, it was necessary to come to a decision about this because I knew that the editing would depend greatly on how the work will look in the end. I knew that I wanted multiple TVs and originally I experimented with the idea of splitting them up and spreading them around the exhibition, displaying each film in a separate area. I thought at the time that this would immerse the films much more in the work of the exhibition, however, I realised that effectively what this would be doing would be changing the intention of the film, it would move the focus to the exhibition and instead of the work being a piece on display it would become something in the background. After seeing the screens together I knew that it would simply not work if the screens were split up, together they became one body of work that intermingled and connected, apart they became separate and disjointed.  

I experimented with stacking the TVs, and placing them closely together to form a wall of moving images. I used a plastic wracking to attempt to visualise what this would look like as I intended to have assistance in making more stable wooden structures of the same dimensions, and these would certainly take time. There were positives and negatives with this form of presentation. I really liked the way that the wires and the backs of the TVs were on show, this again visually provided this idea of transparency that I liked so much about the films. This is something that I didn’t intend at the beginning but felt right when seeing it, therefore this has remained in the final presentation. I did not like the way in which the work had become less about the films and more about the structure itself, it had become sculptural and although it was visually interesting the films were lost with the mass of wires, plastic and screens. Although I initially like the screens being close together I later realised that again the vast amount of screens too close together were straining on the eye and deterred the viewer from the content of the films. There were certainly elements that worked with this however it was not what I was looking for. I decided to think more closely about what it was that I wanted from the work and I realised than more than anything I wanted the viewer to have the chance to engage more fully with the films and learn from the conversation that took place. I knew then that any previous ideas about how to display the screens would never work. It was then that I tested out how well it would work if the screens were on a table, with chairs in front, so that the audience would be forced into this situation of having to sit and interact with the work. After trying this out it became evident that I was over complicating my ideas and refinement was key, simplifying the work down to the four screens was the answer. 

After deciding that I wanted a table to place the screens on I sourced a large piece of wood from the workshop and set about planning how I was going to construct it. I knew that anything I could buy would be expensive and would not necessarily work correctly. I don’t have much skill with the wood workshop and building, but I am proud of what I did achieve with the table, and I have learnt a lot in the process. There were times at which I needed assistance with cutting wood and attaching parts to the table top however I am pleased that I managed to do the majority of the work myself. The table top was two and a half metres long and I ordered eight worktop table legs to attach to the bottom of it. Not only did these combat any issues I may have had with the bowing of the table because of the weight of the TVs but they also had the shape of the plastic stand that I felt worked well with the TVs. I am pleased that the legs have drawn the elements from this and they have been reinvented in this piece. Two legs were placed under each TV for stability, and what I found surprising about this was the way in which the legs transformed the TVs into a being, they became a representation of the human form that reflected the close up shots of the students in the screens. I liked the way that the work still felt transparent, the wires from the TV sets and the extensions and plug sockets were all on show and as I realised previously this was not something I wanted to hide. I felt the same way about the DVD players and knew that although I didn’t want them hidden I needed to find a way to attach them to the table so that they were not at risk of falling and were completely flat. I had three shelves made which attached to the bottom of the table, this meant that you could access the DVDs to turn them on and off and the wires around the back were still on show. I made the middle shelf slightly bigger so that there could be two DVD players placed on here if the TV with the DVD built-in happened to fail. As for the colour, the black was another aspect of the original plastic stand that I knew should be drawn into this format, I painted the table top a gloss black, which tied together the plastic of the TVs and the legs. I feel that the gloss works well as gives the table a sleek finish, to add to this I added a wooden trimming around the edges of the table to ensure that the corners were crisp. I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved with this and particularly pleased with the finish. 

I want to evaluate how effective the presentation of the screens on the table is. I feel that it does evidence the transparency of the piece and I also feel that the table has a professional finish, particularly when you consider the lack of practice I have with making something such as this. I got four stools for the seats in front of the screens as I thought that it was important to get something that worked well with the visual aesthetics of the piece, like the black lines and the plastic, but also that wasn't too heavy and could be moved about so that any type of person would be comfortable with the experience. I felt that to have white boxes made to sit on would detach the seats from the work and although I didn’t want them to look like furniture I still felt that they needed to be a part of it. This display shows all the elements of the work and one part that I am particularly pleased with is the way in which the wires hang down the back of the table and pool on the floor behind. I have allowed for space behind as I wanted to make this a feature as I feel that the connecting wires demonstrates the way in which the films themselves intertwine and connect in such a rhizomatic nature. I feel having the work positioned in this way clearly invites the viewer to sit and interact with the work on a personal level, as they almost become a part of the conversation when they are positioned in such a way. They are seated in the role that I was in throughout the process, behind the camera but evidently present. I think if I was to develop this work further I might experiment with placing the TVs on four separate tables, and explore the different types of chairs that could be used for this. I feel that this might possibly highlight the individuality of the people in the work but then it might also give this feeling of separation that I disliked so much about the original idea upon seeing it. 

I am pleased with the placement of my work in the exhibition, as I have a lot more space than I ever thought I would, the TVs almost look dwarfed against the white walls. There were two requirements for this work, the first was that there was access to power and the second was that it would not be directly facing a window as the reflection of the sunlight on the screens made them difficult to see. The area that my work was placed in had an easily accessible power supply, and with the help of Martin, two extra long extension cables were run along the top of the boards and down the centre of my work. I felt that the finish of this was fantastic and I particularly like the way in which there was left over cable that pooled on the floor of the piece, adding to the effect of the wires. One concern is that although the work is very far back into the studio it is still facing a window, however, in the studios this cannot be helped as it is very bright. This was a problem with filming and in the end I decided to embrace the sunlight and so will be doing the same again. I am thrilled with how the work looks, and its association with the reading corner is definitely something that I encourage! 

Booklets and Artist Statement 

I knew that I wanted to publish a longer artist statement along with my work which consisted of an acknowledgement of the inspiration from Linda Weintraub’s book and the participation of the other students. I also wanted to include the full transcripts as I felt it was a shame that the rest of the  information outside of what was included in the films would be lost, I wanted to display to the audience that there was a lot more behind what they were seeing on the screens and that that was an experience in itself. I wanted this text to be professional, and so got it hardback bound within a black cover. Although the book looks great there was a visual disconnection between this and the work. I had a book stand made that was attached to the wall and I felt that the separation of this from the main area of the work and also the closed, coverless book were very harsh compared to the approachable nature of the rest of the work. I searched for a way to combat this and felt that I would be much happier if this text became a part of the work. I produced four copies of a shortened down version of this piece of writing, which I have sat on top of the chairs. This not only more deeply connected the chairs to the screens and made them feel less separated, but they are there the offer the audience a choice. I do not feel it is necessary that everyone reads the texts, however the chance is there and more than anything I wanted the text to acknowledge that the writing is an important element and the wider context behind the work as well. I feel that the texts are easy to hold and access, they are not precious and can be placed around the work, they act as a tool for the audience, not a requirement. 

I originally didn’t intend to have an artist statement with the work as I felt that the larger body of writing was the artist statement. However because I have condensed down what was included in this I felt that I wanted to include a reference to the key text to the work, and so my artist statement consists of this quote from Linda Weintraub’s book Making Contemporary Art:

‘On the production side, artists transform the private zones of their imaginations, insights, knowledge, emotions, and intuitions into forms that are transmittable to others. On the consumption side, viewers not only have the option of purchasing works of art, they also consume art each time they delight in it, learn from it, and identify with it, or reject it, criticise it and condemn it.’

This was one of the quotes included in the original version of the longer statement and I felt that these words summed up the work much more than my own ever could. I am glad that this also reinforces the connection between this book and the work as it is such an important part. I like the way it acknowledges the viewer and the artist, as this is a relationship that I feel is present within my work, and also the word ‘transmittable’ is what initially made me decide on using this quote. Not only do I aim for the work to be transmittable but I feel the wires and the way the TVs connect speaks of this. 

Conclusion 

Overall I am extremely proud of the piece that I have produced, at the beginning I found it difficult to imagine what the work would look like in the end as I was too busy trying to overcome the initial hurdles that I faced. I feel that if I was to go back to that time and try and picture the final piece fully installed I don’t believe it would look like it does. I never would have thought that I would make something like this table and attempt most of the work myself. I also would not have pictured the work looking as refined as it does, I am often one to overcomplicate something, which is apparent in the processes I went through to get to this stage, however I feel happy with the way that the work looks and I am excited to see how the audience will interact with the work on the private view evening. Although, you can try to predict how an audience would engage with the work, you will never truly know until this becomes a reality, this coincidentally is something that Sarah mentioned in her interview. The further I got into this project the more I noticed these kinds of connections. Although the work is based on the other students, more than anything the project has enabled me to learn more about myself and what my interests are and who I am as a person. I also have Linda Weintraub to thank for this, as her book was particularly insightful. I emailed Linda Weintraub to mention how important her work has been to my practice and what a difference her writing has made, her reply expressed her thanks and her excitement that her work had become a part of something like this, and for me this was the best way to end the journey I have been through with this piece.

Installation

There were a few pieces of work that were made for specific areas in the studio, like my friend Sarah’s booth room where she has created an exciting sound/installation piece. This meant that the curating of the exhibition was quite simple, although it was not a process I was completely involved with, from what I saw the show seemed to fall together naturally as different works were meant for different places. There were a few requirements that I had for my final piece and these were that it be in an area that was easy to get the amount of power I needed to, and that it wouldn’t be directly close to one of the windows as the light reflecting off of the screens effected how you viewed the work. I was lucky enough to be placed in the large first year space, and my work is seen on your left if you come in through the left-side entrance. I am extremely pleased with the space as I never expected to be given such a large area to work in which is fantastic. My space is next to the reading corner which also works perfectly for me as that is something that I would happily be associated with. The plan was to run cables from one of the sockets placed on one of the corners of the studio and run the cable down to my work, this ultimately became one of the biggest concerns for me which is something that is likely to happen when your entire work relies on power! The work also had enough space to come away from the wall a bit more and have the chairs spreading out into the middle. As I had the table pretty much ready, and all of the TVs organised it was simply a case of getting my table in the space and getting the power to the work and doing any final bits. I was a bit cautious with bringing the table into the space during the week of painting the studio as I would have been really worried if any white paint got onto the black gloss. Installing my work is something that cannot really be done alone as the table itself is very heavy as are the TVs, and this is something that I have mentioned within my risk assessments of the work and the final show. 

After the table was placed in the space I felt it was important to get it positioned exactly right as I knew that later on in the day the wiring would need to be done for the extension leads as well as the fact that it is impossible to move the table once the TVs are placed on top. We measured out the space that I was allocated and made sure that it was in the centre, this meant bringing it closer to the wall on the right hand side. I was concerned also about the table top, as some of the painting I had done previously in the week hadn’t dried as well as I had expected it to. I know that with something as important as this it is key to make sure that you are completely happy with everything and how it looks, more than anything I would hate to come away from this experience with doubts about how something was done. This meant that I added another thicker coat of paint onto the top of the table that I let dry overnight. I was so glad I took the time to do this when I saw it the following morning I realised that the table had come out better than I had ever envisioned it. 

I then wanted to make sure that the legs were completely secure so that the TVs would be fully supported and it would be safe. I checked that the plates of the legs were all attached to the table properly and that all the legs were screwed on as tightly as they could be after all of the moving. I also wanted to make sure that the table was completely level, so using a spirit level I adjusted the feet on the bottom of the table, this helped to make it much sturdier. There was not much more involved in setting up my work as it was just a case of installing the piece. However I did go over some of the back wall with white paint, particularly with the edging down the bottom. I felt that this would be easily noticed because of all of the wires on the floor so I had to be careful with what this looked like. 

I had a slight problem with one of the TVs the night before and had a panic when one wouldn't play the correct disc, this involved swapping two of the TVs and changing the order that they were sat in. Although this wasn’t so much of a problem, I was concerned that this would happen when the work was on, therefore I firstly wanted to let the films play for a long period of time both today and on Thursday, and secondly that I had a spare TV brought into the college that could be stored in case anything went wrong and I was not there to change it. 

I had help from Martin to run two extremely long extension leads across the top of the boards and to pin them down the centre of the work. He was so precise and made two normal extension leads look amazing. What I liked about these as the white of the wires came down from the white wall and connected with the different elements of my work that are all black. There was also a lot of length left in the extensions which was perfect as I really liked the idea of having some extra wire to play with the place underneath the table to get the effect of the intermingling wires and loops. He mentioned that health and safety wouldn’t be a concern for this as the guests wouldn’t be going around the back of the work as the space around it doesn’t quite allow for that. 

My next concern was where the book that I had made for the exhibition was going to go, this turned out to be the biggest problem for me, but I feel happy in the decision that I have come to with the help of my friend Sarah and the tutors Jane and Claudia. It was great watching the films with Claudia and getting her feedback on the work as I hadn’t had the chance to do this previously. I have compiled a longer artist statement that I wanted to go with the work, as I feel that the writing for me is as much a part of the work as the films themselves. This book consisted of a title page, a contents page, an introduction explaining how important Linda Weintraub’s Making Contemporary Art was to my final piece, the ten artist transcriptions, various quotes in between and finally an acknowledgements page. I felt that this had come together into a professional piece of writing when I got this bound into a hardback black book, however from the moment I first saw the book I was unsure about how well it would work as a part of my piece, and it is something I knew I would have to work out on the day of installing. I must have known that there is something that I wouldn’t feel connected with this because I also brought in a plastic edge bound copy of the same text to compare it to. I felt that the book was much to hard, and uninviting and because of this it was disconnected with the way in which I wanted the work to be easy and engaging, something that an audience can enjoy watching. I knew that I needed the text as for me it has become such an important part of the work, and I feel that it would be a shame if the audience couldn’t see the rest of the information behind the films in the transcriptions. I felt that it wasn’t right if this information was lost and would not do the people who took part in the filming justice. I wanted the audience to engage with the book, read what inspired it and who I had to thank, as well as acknowledge that the work was much more than what they were seeing in the films, that it was an entire experience for the people involved. We spoke about how the paper copies were much more engaging and easier to flick through, hold and work with. I had always felt that these were the right format however I never would have known if I hadn’t tried all of this out. I tried out placing this on the wall instead of the bound book and felt then that this had become too separate from the work and again was less engaging to a viewer. I felt that they had to be immersed in the work, and it was suggested that they were placed on the seats so that those who were sitting down in front of the work would pick them up as they take their place. There was a concern that this would distract them from watching the films however I feel that the book and the films work together, and it would depend on the customer as to which one they would prefer to engage with. This is what I wanted; the freedom of choice for the audience, having the chance to do what they want with it. I would love if the audience were to place some on the table when finished with the book or under a chair if they didn’t really want to hold it and look through it at all. However, these are the kinds of things that I couldn’t possibly know until the night. Therefore I felt that I needed to go with my instinct with this as that would be what was best for the work. Eventually, I decided that I would have four copies of this dissertation-style bound book, they would be placed on the chairs but are free to move around within the space to accommodate the viewer. I then considered the content and felt that if it was no longer on the wall then I would like to have a short artist statement with the work. I decided to take a quote from Weintraub’s book as I have struggled to describe the work in a few sentences better than her writing could do. My artist statement now is:

Jenna Lockett

A: ARTIST 

B: AUDIENCE AND COMMUNICATION

C: MOTIVATIONS

D: FUNCTION

Installation. Four screens, four films, four stools, four books.

(each film approx. 5 mins long.)

‘On the production side, artists transform the private zones of their imaginations, insights, knowledge, emotions, and intuitions into forms that are transmittable to others. On the consumption side, viewers not only have the option of purchasing works of art, they also consume art each time they delight in it, learn from it, and identify with it, or reject it, criticise it and condemn it.’

Linda Weintraub

Making Contemporary Art: How Modern Artists Think and Work (2003)

I am extremely pleased with this as I feel that this quote speaks of what the work is to me completely, it also touches on a few things mentioned within the films. I decided to strip back the booklets and make them much more focused on the transcriptions to allow them to become more immersed into the work. I added ‘transcriptions’ to the title page and included the two larger pieces of writing about the book that inspired the work and the acknowledgements right at the front, then followed by the ten artist transcriptions. I feel that together these will all work a lot better as a whole and will be much more accessible, comfortable and versatile. 

I love film photography and I felt it would be a shame if I didn’t get any film photographs of my work for the final exhibition. Therefore after setting everything up today and turning all of the work on I spent half an hour just photographing my work and the space on my film camera, hopefully these will come out nice. I also took some photos on my digital camera and plan to take some more once all of the texts are all in the space. 

I am so proud of what I have achieved with this piece as I feel it is more than I ever thought I could do. Two things I am particularly proud of are the making of the table and the editing of the films, as these are two things that I didn’t know much about previously and I am so pleased that I have developed these two skills. 

I assisted my friend Sarah with the setting up of her piece today. This involved carefully laying down some cream fur onto the floor of her booth, and adding hundreds of feathers onto the top of it. It was incredibly fun doing this today and it was a really enjoyable experience, her work looks fantastic and I’m glad I had the chance to be a part of that experience!

I hope to do a critical evaluation of my own piece and then a review of the private view and the exhibition over the next few weeks! I hope to also continue to gather images of the installation of the remaining works.

Transformation

The week has finally come where we had the hefty task of clearing out the studios ready for the installation of the final degree show. This was a particularly mammoth task and one that we knew would take the majority of the week. It ranged from clearing out all the spaces and the work to painting to walls, fillings the holes and scrubbing the paint off of the floor. Although it was a massive project I feel that what we managed to achieve as a group in that short space of time was something to be proud of. It is surprising the amount of space that there is once the work is removed, and I never pictured it looking as professional as it does now. I had the task of helping with clearing the main corridor and touching up these walls, filling the holes in the notice board and sanding everything back. The most difficult part was removing the paint from the floor, obviously it is an art studio so it cannot be expected to turn out looking perfect however with some hard scrubbing the results really were spectacular, particularly after the industrial buffer was brought it!

As a group we decided on having a corner in the gallery where we would set up a small reading area. Here we aim to have a space where the public can engage with some books that the students have brought in, as well as the artists dissertations. This was something that I found particularly exciting as the theory side is something I connect closely with, as well as the fact that I think it will be perfect to enable an audience to see that side to our work. We managed to recycle the furniture that was in the corridor and turn it into a corner desk where the books could sit. We found an old plinth that could be sat on its side and made into a bench as well as some smaller cube plinths for other seating dotted around the table. We really felt it would be great to have a seated space where the public could perhaps have a conversation and go through some of the texts that have inspired us as artists. 

We made such excellent progress at the beginning of the week that there is very little left to do except some smaller finishing touches which will have to be done after the majority of the work has been installed. Some of the work has begun to appear in the studio and it is exciting seeing it all come together!

Films

Editing

I am glad that I allowed for the editing time that I have had for this project, I knew that it would take some time to do but what I didn’t realise is that each time it will be little changes that are wrong. Just like I struggle with proof reading, going through edits is exactly the same. I find it difficult to see things that are wrong in something that I have practically memorised, you almost see from memory and not what is in front of you, this is why I have relied on feedback from my family and also have a break in between viewing each of the films. Small changes have been my biggest problem throughout. I would think that everything seems okay on the computer, export it off or put it onto a disc only to see when I get home that actually there is something wrong with it. I have done this a few times, and although it is tiring I feel it is a process that I have to go through personally because this is also how I proof read any writing that I do. 

After editing the main sections of the films together from the notes and storyboards that I made up a few weeks ago, I added in the subtitles with the various different fonts as this was something that I felt had worked from when I watched the original testers. One of the other problems I have had is that on the computer screens at college, the size of the text and the style looks and feels very different from when it is on the screen, often what is just the right size on the computer is too small when it comes to the old TV sets, this is also another reason why I have had to go through and change various aspects many times. This week I have been trying to finalise the films to get them to a stage that I am happy with, this is proving harder than I thought. I feel that if there is something I am unsure about then I have to change it. After the first wave of edits I realised that some of the subtitles needed to have a darker shadow around the outside of the lettering to allow for it to stand out from the white, and some had to be bigger. My main concerns are that the audience will be able to read the text and also that the subtitles all flow together although they are slightly different. 

After what I thought were the final changes for these, I now realise that there are a few things wrong with one of the films where the media hadn’t loaded properly which is the fault of the computer. The films are practically finished at this stage however my next aim is to sit with my mum and watch them altogether just to check if there is anything else out of place that I can change on Monday along with some of the media that hadn’t loaded properly. My main concern is some of the subtitles as I feel a few might still be too small, however this actually changes depending on the screen, so I think perhaps I might only have to change the size of the subtitles on the one screen to make sure that I am happy with what they look like now that I have got the TV positions finalised. I plan to get my mum to watch the films with the sound off to make sure that she can read all of the subtitles from the distance that the chairs will be placed. It will then be a case of making these few final changes at the beginning of next week and getting some copies of the DVDs made. 

The films on the screens

My main concern with the TV screens was the quality of the image. Some screens produced an image that was incredibly bright and clear, which is something that was completely unexpected of such old TVs. I wanted to make sure that there was a balance between the four and that none were out of place, this involved swapping a few of the TVs round and seeing what ones had the better images. I am finally happy with what TVs I have chosen as the images work well on all of these and there isn’t one that stands out because it is too bright or too dark. I have adjusted the settings on all of the screens to also try to make them work together as closely as possible. Another concern was that on some of the TVs the film is shown with the screen cut so that it fits horizontally. I felt that it really didn’t work when one of them did not do this as it looked out of place when they were all put together, I realised this evening that this was not the TV screens but the DVD players. Therefore I was able to change to one with a better quality image that also meant that there was an equal number of silver and black TVs, which wasn’t necessarily a problem for me but it was something that was noticeable. 

The sound is something that I will have to set in the studio as it will travel differently compared to my living room where I am testing these out for the final week. I don’t want them to be loud enough that you can clearly distinguish the words that are being said or disrupt any other work in the show, but I definitely want the audience to be able to tell that the sound is these people talking, almost like a low murmur throughout the room, much like how it is when we are in the studio. 

Regarding Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag has been an influential figure to both my studio practice over the past few years and my dissertation, I was incredibly excited when I found out that the documentary Regarding Susan Sontag was being shown at the ICA with a Q&A with the film director Nancy Kates. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I found myself being much more immersed in the way that the film was made and put together because of my involvement with film and editing over the last few months. This is something I have noticed myself doing much more often, however it was much more prominent when watching a film such as this. Nancy Kate spoke of Sontag’s love for beauty and being surround by beauty, and so she set out to make certain aspects of the film beautiful which to some would have seemed abstractly out of place within the film. There were times when the image was of a jar filling with sand with Sontag’s picture in it, and a play with water, images and distortion. Not only did this give you a sense of time passing, age, and fragility but Nancy Kate also mentioned Sontag’s love for photography and how we rely so heavily on images, this was an attempt to play with this idea, and distort the image of Sontag, perhaps in order to remember more closely the person, not the photograph.

What fascinated me was having the opportunity to understand more about Sontag’s life, and predominately, her personal life. Although I love her writing, this is a side of Sontag that I never really knew much about. What was done so fantastically was the subtle use of comedy throughout. There was something about the way in which the people interviewed and Sontag herself were so straight talking, which often made certain situations quite funny, it was great to watch. What amazed me throughout was Sontag’s will to continue living, and this was highlighted within the film.  She was truly an amazing woman, and perhaps her desire to achieve what was virtually impossible is what made it quite sad. It was great listening to Nancy speak about the film and how difficult it was to make, and to gather sources, this is something that I have been going through over the last few months so I was intrigued as to what the pressure of this would be on a much larger scale. 

I enjoyed the film immensely and Nancy Kate mentioned that she wished for the audience to see a side of Sontag that they might have not necessarily known much about, this was certainly something that this film did.