Reflecting on the Firstsite Collectors Group Bursary Application Process

My application writing processes involves many editing stages. I will look at what the application is asking for specifically and in the first instance will just write. The first editing stage focuses on refining the information and ensuring that I have not gone off on a tangent. I will then look at the word count and edit accordingly, removing anything that is not directly relevant. As an artist I find that I apply for opportunities regularly and like to keep a word document with text about my art for future reference, as part of my art practice I also try to write about and contextualise my artwork which I also store digitally.

Past Experiences 

Completing the application also gave me room to reflect on relevant past experiences, as an artist who find public outcomes central to their practice, I found this activity insightful as I do tend to exhibit widely. However, I was able to pinpoint the experience which have been more beneficial to the development of my art practice and what it was each consisted of. Below are the five past experiences that I chose to include. I made the conscious decision to look back over all past experience, picking the most relevant, rather than the most recent ones. 

2019 Fold, Lewisham Project Space: For this exhibition I have created a set of paku-paku’s which contain randomised wording, these have been designed to allow audience members to pick up and play with these to create nonsensical text patterns.

2019 CAS at the Beecroft, The Beecroft: As part of this I exhibited a collection of plaster playing cubes – styled after children’s playing blocks, each with a letter etched into each side of each cube. These can then be interacted with by the audience to create their own text.

2019 Unfamilaiars: WONDER, The Minories: For this pop-up I installed a floor-based string installation. The installation was designed to be fleeting and by interacting with the artwork the audiences also start to destroy the installation.

2018 Art, War and Reconciliation, The Minories: In direct response to the theme of the exhibition I was able to reposition pre-existing war time text to the modern day. This allowed the audience to experience the text in a completely different context and to view how this changes the reading of the text.

2017 Float: Identity, Firstsite: Work for this exhibition was made up of screwed-up pieces of A4 paper, each with a drawing concealed inside relating to an aspect of my identity. These pieces were discarded onto the floor and could be interacted with the

Examples of Work

The application also asked for three example of work. I chose to include two images of previous work and one image which was the basis of my bursary proposal. I felt that the images I included visually summed up my art practice well and showed how it has developed. It is always at the point in application that you are reminded of the importance of ensuring that you document work effectively and with high quality images - especially if, like me your work is ephemeral.

it’s all over

2018. Wooden Board. 32x194x0.5cm. Installation View.

It’s All Over is part of a larger collection called The Initial Wooden Lettering Collection.

Works in this collection were made at the end of my MA Fine Art degree, which I completed at University of Suffolk, Graduating in 2018 with Distinction. The work is commenting on the context of the MA exhibition and the MA coming to its conclusion with the opening of the exhibition.

The text is direct and to the point. It is self-descriptive to the situation. While the text used is neutral, it can be read as negative or positive depending on the viewers outlook. The intention is to provide closure to the situation. However, by not expanding on what it is that is all over, the work is left open to be interpreted by the audience. There is an air of story-telling within the works, the notion of stories draws me in. What is the story behind the work or the meaning of the work? It’s All Over, the work says, but what is all over? Asks the audience.

The curation of the wooden letters is not fixed, they are easily moved and repositioned within the gallery space; this chose was made to ensure that the physicality of the work echoed that of the context of the work; relating to both the mutability and breakability of language.

These letters have been used subsequently in a Colchester Art Society Exhibition at The Minories. However, the lettering was used to create a new series of words, based upon the limitations of the few letters that I had previously created. Further playing on the notion of mutability of language. By reusing these letters, I felt that they were able to keep their authenticity and aura of being originals.

KEEP GOING
2018. Vinyl. 132x17cm. Installation View

Keep Going was created as a moment of personal reflection for Cairns, made public. It is open to interpretation and will resonate differently to each reader, with the meaning possibly changing on each viewing depending on personal mood. The only limitation to the number of interpretations of the work, is the number of people who view it.

Keep Going: Continue to move forward.

The repetitive nature of Keep Going is reaffirming the definition of the text and becomes mantra-like.

The Road Sign Collection
2019. Digital Drawings. Size Variable.

The Road Sign Collection started by chance after an art walk during an art tutor CPD day run by NEAAT (Network of East Anglian Art Teachers). As a group we were instructed to walk around the Fine City of Norwich and document the walk with; photos, drawings, rubbings. During this walk, I photographed road signs. I was drawn to these due to the nature of my art practice, which is concerned with the relationship between text and site. During this time, I was teaching a short course titled, ‘Exploring Drawing and Illustration’, with one of the weeks focusing on line drawing techniques - something that I am usually guilty of neglecting within my practice. However, covering this topic and seeing my learners’ outcomes – particularly their continuous line drawings, made me want to give it ago within my art practice. 

The intention is that each road sign drawing will be an original, with each only drawn once, in one continuous movement. The use of colour in the signs felt important to their ability to carry out their function successfully. I had to start to consider the readability of the sign and our temporal relationship with them. Without the colouring, there is a sense of unfamiliarity to them.

The more time that I spend with the road signs the more I start to consider placing them into a new context. The text is direct and to the point when it is within the original context. Within my practice, I look to have public-facing outcomes and these signs lend themselves to be repositioned into a new context, away from the road. I look to explore what this does to our relationship with these signs that we encounter every day once they are put into an art context. This starts with turning them into drawings and will perhaps end in a gallery context, allowing this new cultural framework to change the context of the road signs.

Artist Statement 

Within the proposal we also needed to provide a 200 word artist statement. As you will have seen in my previous blog post, my artist statement is lengthy, around 550. This process of condensing text makes you consider every aspect of what you do and what is most central to your artistic process.

This version conveys my artistic practice, but does lack the depth of my current artist statement.

My art practice explores the use of text and site. I often use found text within my work and will draw upon the texts original meaning to guide my practice. The use of our shared public language is essential to the works success.

Within my practice I create site specific installations and work with the concept of text/context to create works which resonate with the site. One of the aims of my art practice is to create situations in which dialectical relationships can take place between; the art and the audience/the art and the site.

My practice takes a DIY approach and I strive to use materials that are inexpensive and readily available; such as electrical tape and ready mixed paint and processes which are easily accessible. I feel that this also links into my interests surrounding things that are ‘everyday’ – such as my use of language.

My current research interests surround my dual role of artist and teacher and how these two roles inform each other. I would like to explore further the benefits of being an art tutor who also has an active art practice, both for myself and for my learners.