ink, paper (metal and plastic frame)
6 feet x 6 feet x 6 feet (approx.)
2010
I've had my first group critique...errrm... I mean, crit (why does it bug me that people call it "crit", like they're trying to sound hip and with it but instead sound like something else...)
ANYWAY... So I've had my first crit, and somehow, I feel like I've done something not-quite-right but I can't quite put my finger on it... until I figure it out though, I won't worry about it.
In a nutshell, here is how I presented this piece:
This piece is about getting to know my new city, my first glimpses as a tourist, then settling in as a new resident. In the beginning, I am an outsider, capturing only brief moments of London, struggling to find my way around… an exciting city, it can also be dizzying, overwhelming, confusing…
It’s about getting lost and learning to find the way with the aid of familiar landmarks. It’s also about never being lost when you can see the Thames from here.
Seven years have gone by, and I’m pretty comfortable in my city now.
Time and experience give me an insider’s view… I’m not the one getting lost anymore; it must be that I’ve gained confidence - these days, strangers are asking ME for directions!
Now for the comments from tutors and colleagues (that I can remember):
ReplyDelete- the bridge drawing and the line drawings don't seem to go together; as if they are two different drawings. I explained, the line drawings are water (to which the tutor commented jokingly (?) about bridges over troubled water, water under the bridge. However, I had actually thought of the drawings as a reference to Roni Horn's "Still waters" photographs).
- When I tried to explain that the whole piece ended up a bit "awkward" (because I myself am an awkward person, and so I've learned to accept me as I am, and by extension, if it wants to hang that way, I will let it) - the tutor offered the comment that although my comment is appreciated, we must still think about *presentation* of our work, and as professionals, our work would not be acceptable as "awkward" on any other basis than if it was intentional. (Duly noted).
- In describing the process and problem-solving I had gone through to create the frame, one student commented that this process seemed very much like the one that engineers would go through to build an actual bridge! (That amused me, because it's true!) :)
And thus I survived the first crit, and have several points to take forward to help my next project. :)