Time for reflection

How long is a piece of string?

I think that this piece was the most successful out of the three. It was a development from measuring physical objects with string, to measuring time.

How long is a piece of string?How long is a piece of string?LunchtimeMaking a cup of tea

A lot has happened since Sherwood Arts Week which has given me the time to think about how it all went and what’s next. I was very nervous about our first open studio event. I work full time and had an important deadline on the day before the studio was due to open its gates. I hadn’t exhibited for about 5 months and some of my ideas were very new, for example the video piece ‘Five and a half square feet’.

I couldn’t have been happier with the amount of people who came along and the level of engagement was brilliant. I think because it was a weekend, daytime event people had more time to stop and share opinions. Also there was a regular flow of people instead of everyone arriving at the same time which meant that you could give people your time.

Teapot

My friend Tez sent me the link to this teapot by designer Alexander Hulme. His website www.alexhulme.com is amazing! I really like ‘Fuzzy Logic’, ‘Systems and Solutions’ and ‘Lost Objects’. ‘All the things I use in one day’ is a really nice way of documenting the everyday too. Very excited! I love it when people send me links they think I’d like. I’m pretty rubbish at finding them myself at times.

Sunshine

I’m off for a walk in the park to think up a timetable for the next week. Have to be really strategic to get everything that I want completed. Also, there’s nothing worse than sitting in a badly lit living room, wrapping string around your hand, when the sunshine is winking at you. I am hoping a brisk walk will remove me of all excess energy and I will want nothing more than a laborious task to fill my evening.

Sky box fellow

I gave my Mom the below framed string piece for her birthday. I measured items she liked or reminded me of her. Recently my parents have had sky installed and the sky box man is ‘a fan of contemporary art’ and he liked it, understood it and took a photograph of it on his mobile phone. I am so flattered that I might make him one. My mom thinks she’d be able to get in touch with him. Shall do this after the show.

Framed string piece

Detail from string piece

100 balls of string

100 balls of string were delivered to me this week and now I can really get stuck into the work.

box of string

Getting anxious about the amount of time left but there’s no surprise there. 6 weeks and counting until Sherwood Arts Week. Made a week by week plan tonight which I will no doubt disobey.

I’m wondering how long I can wrap string around my hand for. The bigger the balls of string are, the more intricate they become. I would like to do it for a days work or a nights sleep. It’s a huge investment and stress on my body. May start with a film.

Lunchtime

Went to the studio this evening and felt really productive. Probably had a lot to do with the studio being warm enough to have the window open, rather than so cold you turn into an icicle. Was a delight!

lunchtime

I sat on my new comfortable waiting room seat (it has taken me many months to upgrade from camping furniture) and wrapped string around my hand for 30 minutes, the amount of time I spend on my lunch at work. It became really heavy and tedious. I then did the same for 3 minutes, the time it takes me to walk to the bus stop in the morning. Really looking forward to building up a collection of them to be displayed on the floor. I’m trying to figure out the best way to display the titles- need to experiment.

Had a new idea to make a piece called 1 foot squared. Looking forward to trying this out.

In the shower thoughts

String wrapped around hand for the length of the advert break

String wrapped around my hand for the length of an advert break

I was thinking about my ball of string idea where I want to wrap string around my hand for periods of time. I like the idea of timing everyday activities like having a shower and measuring the time with string.

With most things you do, you have an understanding of how long they take or you project how long you think things will take. Two people in discussion will not necessarily agree on how long something will take e.g. waiting for a bus. One person might have had the unfortunate situation of waiting and waiting to then have three buses turn up at once and thus project that waiting for a bus is a lengthy process.

If I had a lot of balls of string in a room that represents different activities, they would become relative to each other, a bit like two people discussing the passing of time. Each ball of string will be representing their own abstract period of time.

At this point I thought I better get out of the shower and go to work to earn money to pay for string.