Pathway Project 2: Writing/Word

In theory our second pathway project began in December, as soon as the first one was done.  But in practice things never go quite as smoothly as planned and since then life, builders, kitchen re-fitting, Christmas, a bout of mild flu and a long-overdue commitment to produce an article for Llafur all got in the way.

So although over the holiday period I have done a fair bit of research into artists using words and text in their work, some of it recorded on this blog, and a bit of thinking both conceptual art, post-modernism, and the meaning of life, I haven't actually focussed on why my project is going to be about.  The deadline is Monday 29th January, so I have almost a month, well, three whole Mondays in terms of college facilities.  But joy of joys, yesterday we were told that we have access to the Life-drawing room on Tuesday mornings too.   So there should be plenty of time and space to do whatever...

The missing bit, therefore, is to decide what to do.  

I've had two tutorial discussions about this so far, with Abi and Harriet, both useful in forcing me to think out loud about the topic and what I might do with it.    I found myself thinking about how much of my working life has been concerned with the written word, reports, papers, research, etc, etc.  I've left that world behind me now, and perhaps I might make something to represent the end of that chapter, the transition from my old office life to the new world of creativity.

Another thing I've been grappling with is to identify my preferred pathway.  I am still not sure about this.  I have enjoyed printmaking although I haven't been very adventurous with that so far.  I've also enjoyed making things from paper and card, books, and small paper sculptures.  Is that a pathway?

One recurrent idea so far has been about making something (i.e. a construction, not a print or a painting); and making something quite large, in contrast to my practice so far, which (apart from huge quilts) has all been fairly small pieces, nothing much bigger than A4.

I quite like the idea of physically re-cycling some of the products of my old working life,.  My first thought was to create something using papier mache, perhaps some large-scale letters or text built out of this.  Another possibility is making some hand-made a paper, using old Welsh Government report as the base material, and then using the paper as the foundation for print or text.

I have in the past made things from textiles, mainly quilts and a little embroidery.  I am trying hard not to turn to this at present - I see Foundation as an opportunity to try different media, and to extend my horizons beyond the familiar.  However, one idea which emerged talking to Abi was the notion of making some kind of quilt-based text.  But as time goes on, I'm not sure about this.

Then there is the question of finding or creating a text.  Do I need specific words and should they be deeply meaningful?  Or could I just use letters and random words...and if so, what would that "mean"?

But the really important question is: why was I drawn to this theme in the first place?

My affection for book arts is the main draw, I think, and that has two strands - firstly the sheer ingenuity of manipulating old books to create new objects - in which case the content of the books doesn't hugely matter.  Add to that a happy fascination for the process of making little books such as these

and a growing interest in print, enhanced by a week at Cardiff School of Art this summer making prints like these

and the experience I gained at UWE summer schools last year in book binding like this

and letterpress printing like this

and there is a strong thread emerging of my interest in books and the written and printed word and in print more generally.

But the other attraction is the idea of text in art as a way of drawing attention to a concept, an idea, a perspective - where the words are absolutely central and crucial to the overall work.  But you can't get meaningful words out of thin air: they have to relate to something that matters to me.  ell, lots of things matter to me, but right now I'm not itching t spend hours stitching phrase about conservation or the ozone layer.  So perhaps I'll not try too hard to be deep and meaningful, but will make something with words which are reasonably accessible and perhaps a bit playful.

I also like the idea of making words which are more than 2D on a paper and for reading only.  Word which ask to be touched or felt or held.  Words which require some engagement by the viewer more than simply reading and decoding their meaning.  Words and writing play a massive role in our lives: why not touch and feel them, as well as see and read and hear and understand them.

In fact, thinking about re-cycling my old life, constructing playful words which reflect on change, retirement, leaving things behind, etc, etc, would be best.

I will let this simmer for a day or two, but I think I have enough ideas here to work from:

• re-cycling and change
• re-using old words for new purpose
• making new paper or things from old words
• words which reflect my personal change
• words which encapsulate the concept of life-changes
• something constructed, rather than sewn or printed or painted
• something not too small
• something tactile, to be handled not just looked at