Much like my last posting, this one is about shining a
light on my own thoughts, as instigated by others. Like the last, I should have trust and
belief I've done right... but found I was doubting myself. This event took place before the last, so I guess I'm feeling hyper aware to such.
This was my piece for The Material Girls exhibition
"Goodnight Children Everywhere" recently shown at Rainham Hall.
Whilst I was there doing my stewarding a member of the
public asked after it. So there I am,
wearing my identity badge, standing next to my work which is also labelled with
my name (in two places I might add) - and they happily tell me to my face what's wrong with it, and not in an art critique kind of way!
So this is where the light shines on my emotions.
Fair enough, no one likes everything, so you are
perfectly entitled to think such.
But
next I am filled with conflict.... is it really appropriate to say such to the
artist? Not to my taste, not my thing,
all 'acceptable'.
However the comment, albeit throwaway almost trivial, and yet in one breath hurtful and also
bemusing. Not really sure how I was supposed to feel about such.
I brushed the face to face comment aside, but days later it
started to gnaw at me. Why? Could it be hurtful because it had an element
of truth about it? If I were totally happy with the piece, then the remark would have firmly planted in the bemused side.
I had never made a book like this before, it took a lot
of working out the practicalities of the how, and I would make it differently
another time.
Anyway post exhibition, I decided to take scissors to
it - well a scalpel, as actually its too well made to succumb to scissors.
It needs some tweaking to sort out, few snips are not the
end, and I've got to make best of it in situ, its neither practical nor
something I want to do, to dismantle and reassemble.
So.... the irony is
"I Spy" (title of the piece) can no longer be spied as it was
at this exhibition. If its ever on show
again, perhaps you'd like to play: I Spy
with My Little Eye - changes made!
3 comments:
I once attended an art show with a man who doesn't like art and knows nothing. He commented n every piece based on some basic standard . Totally off base. Throw your experience in the trash. I love what you are doing...
ignore them....it's ignorance. Ignorance in terms of art appreciation and ignorance as in no manners. Do not let one irrelevant individual place doubts in your mind. This is fabulous.
It does hurt, I get that but not everyone likes everything...we just don't have to be brutal about it. We find the good thing, the time it must have taken for example, the devotion displayed by the maker to the piece and we focus on that, the positive.....
I want to slap them.....do you know where they live?
I've just been catching up with your work & for some reason read your 'everything comes along at once' post first. I got as far back as your inspiration for this intriguing book & loved the finger holes idea. Reading this post I feel nobody can know the thoughts that go into a piece, the emotions, all the choices. I've often looked at my work & thought, they just can't possibly know all I was thinking! WE know, us sensitive, open & interested people. I'm gutted that you took scissors to your piece because of an idiot's comments but I'm also excited to see what you've done, what positives you have made from nasty negatives (forgive me for getting here so late, I've just allowed myself the freedom to look at blogs again!)
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