A bit of a mixed but busy week this week. Workshop delivery continued with the school classes but due to the bank holiday I had to give up one of my days for working on my own practice in the dome. I was also forced to cancel and reschedule a full day of delivery due to high winds in the early part of the week. It is definitely not safe to put up the dome in high winds, even though the structure is properly weighted and fixed down the force was definitely enough to have damaged the structure and at this stage I simply don’t have the time to wait for delivery of spare parts from Germany! The ever changing weather however did give me opportunity to test out the workshop delivery in the rain and the ways in which that could work. The dome is still fit for purpose in the rain, still letting in more than enough light for the prints to expose and keeping all of the rain out. The bigger issue is a suitable space for the groups to sit when not working in the dome whilst I’m delivering other parts of the session. The camping tarp that I bought whilst waterproof and a good cover just isn’t big enough. I’m now looking into other options, the likeliest candidate being a pop up gazebo.
I’ve also had a lot of points this week that have helped me to refine the workshop delivery, tweaking things slightly dependent on the age of the participants and also working out extra mini activities that could occupy the group in periods where they might need to wait their turn to enter the dome for a specific activity. This is presenting a good challenge as I’m considering activities that can help to further their understanding the properties of the Cyanotype process, largely getting the groups to consider the way the light might fall and be blocked when falling onto their photosensitive paper when working with different sized objects.
At this point I’m thinking of shifting to creating three different workshops of different lengths and depth of content which will suit the different requirements and abilities of participants but also act as a sort of “shopping list” for future clients who may book the project for their setting, giving me a range of options and approaches to suit them.
All of these “under the bonnet” considerations aside the children and staff are seemingly enjoying the project, process and are constantly wowed by the results. I’ve also noticed that the children are really relishing the opportunity to be outside of the classroom. Greenfield School is lucky in that it has a woodland area which we’ve made good use of for the project. Every group has jumped at the chance to explore this space whilst finding objects for their images. One member of staff highlighted another benefit of this part of the workshop. One of their pupils asked a lot of questions about what the different types of plants were that they were considering using in their images. Most of the plants are what you would consider quite common and this clearly highlighted a real lack of engagement with the natural world especially for a child at the older end of primary education. Sweeping generalisation maybe, but I imagine he wouldn’t be the only child his age spending more time indoors these days. I’m pleased that, even if in a small way, one aspect of the project is generating a curiosity and connection with the outdoors.
The last week has been very busy indeed, my first week of delivery proper saw me work with over 260 pupils at my first partner school and so far has given me a valuable first insight into the practicalities of delivering outdoor workshops using the dome. Firstly my planned delivery during the sessions has been tweaked as I’ve gone along. Largely this is due to not being able to have as many people in the dome all at the same time. I’ve had to break this down to smaller numbers of participants, although this is only a consideration for those groups who are old enough to take part in coating their own paper with the chemicals. The younger groups are simply using the dome as a place that they can expose their prints to the sunlight with most of the activity taking place outside and under the separate tarp covered “classroom” I have set up. However a small bout of wet weather during this week did present a challenge as the tarp wasn’t really keeping much of the rain out! Luckily (for this part of the project at least) there is always the luxury of being able to retire to the bricks and mortar classroom whilst the prints are being exposed in the dome.
Despite the challenges of the weather, so far all of the groups seem to be enjoying the sessions and most importantly are enjoying the process of making their prints and there have been a lot of happy faces when the prints are washed and the results start to appear. I spoke to one teaching assistant who felt the project is “good for those children that don’t necessarily feel that they are good at art. The one’s that can’t draw for example. With this method of making they will get a result no matter what.” Obviously this doesn’t mean that they will still think that their end results are good but I’ve made a point of talking about the cyanotype process as a process of experimentation and trying things out, also making sure to highlight the merits of images that are abstract in nature as well as those with very clearly defined representations of the objects used to make the image.
I also took time this week to experiment with my own approach to image making using the cyanotype method. Firstly on one of my solo days in the dome at the school. I began experimenting with fabrics and the effects of the chemical when painted onto the surface. I had an unexpected result with the fabric as the chemical ran past the embroidery hoops I was using to create a circular shape, I’d not even considered that the fabric would soak up excess liquid! It did however create a rather pleasing effect but I would still like to investigate ways to stop this bleed.
I had a chance to discuss this and fabric options at the weekend when I began work with one of the projects associate artists Julia Claridge. Julia is a dressmaker who I’ve worked with on commissioned projects regularly over the last few years, she is, as you would expect, a font of knowledge when it comes to fabrics. We spoke about types of fabrics that could work well with the process, properties of different material and also some ways we might be able to stop the chemical from bleeding into areas it’s not wanted. I also walked Julia through the process of mixing the chemicals and we spent a couple of hours making some prints. She’s now going to order in a range of different fabric samples for us to test and play with in a few weeks time. This has been an exciting development in the approach to my own practice as I can already see the cogs whirring in Julia’s head, she’s already given me a few things to mull over regarding the look of my finished pieces…and with her excellent machine skills I’m sure she’ll be able to help me tidy up the edges of my fabric pieces (cutting material in straight lines is clearly not a strong suit of mine!)
My first week in my first partner school got off to a great start. My time at Greenfield Primary is longer than any of the other partner schools as at this stage it’s more about testing the model and easing into delivery in a school/community setting. So my first week was based around settling in, testing the put up and pack down of the equipment, introducing pupils to the project and road testing the suitability of the dome for the project process. At the beginning of the week I luckily had the help of a member of school staff, Arts Lead Julia Turner, which meant that the dome was built and weighted down in just over an hour (versus the two hours or so it took me to build the structure on my own). This is good to note as when I’m at the next venues I can be fully set up and operational in two hours, meaning I’ll be able to get to work with participants quickly. Given I’ll be visit those venues for one week only this is certainly a good thing.
Following the set up I spent the rest of the day setting up an outdoor office (the dome got warm in the sun very quickly!) and testing chemicals and the spread of the light in the dome with a few test prints. My following three days in school were given over to meeting and greeting all twenty-one classes in the school, introducing them to the dome and explaining to them what I would be doing whilst at the school.
The project has two practical strands, the dome acts as my artist studio in which the pupils will have sight of in the school grounds, thus seeing an artist at work, be that researching or conducting practical activity. The other strand being the pupils actually having a go at making their own cyanotype prints alongside me. Once the groups had finished having a look inside the dome in their respective class Covid bubbles we all sat whilst I explained a bit about the Cyanotype process and how we would make our prints together. This ended with me washing one of my test prints so that the pupils could see the “magic happen”! Another interesting aspect of the meet and greet sessions was allowing time for a Q & A. The pupils certainly came with a wide variety of questions over the three days, especially the younger members of the school! It felt like a good way for me to speak about my practice but also remind myself of why I do what I do as a career. A lot of the questions centred around how I started out being a photographer, or who or what inspired me to pick up a camera in the first place which was very grounding for me and I hope allowed the groups to realise that a career in the arts is a viable path.
This notion of the path or journey really came home to me in a quiet moment whilst I was mixing some fresh chemicals for test prints. The “recipe” that I refer to when I make my Cyanotype solution is a printout of a scan that I made of the original set of instructions that I was given the very first time I tried the technique. This was given to me at university by my second year tutor Tony Clancy back in 2006 and has turned out to be a very valuable resource indeed! I spent some time thinking about the person I was back then; a student photographer, searching for an artistic voice, willing to experiment and trying to be open to all things that came my way. Now more than ever I think I should hold onto aspects of that approach whilst building on all of the experiences I’ve had since leaving university. In my life I really see the power of art practice as a process and the way that experiencing art in whatever form can really stick with you. I really hope that this project will have lasting effects on the participants. Not that they necessarily need to become artists later down the line but that they at the very least hold onto the notion that creativity can play an important role in their lives and the lives of those around them.
Project plans are in place and following the recent relaxation of Covid lockdown restrictions I now have the go ahead to start work with one of the partner schools. Starting next week I’ll be onsite at Greenfield Primary School in Leicestershire working as both an artist in residence and workshop leader working with pupils across the school from Reception through to Year 6. I’m very excited for them to see “The Igloo” which I’ll be using as my base in the school grounds. I gave it a little bit of a road test (only just managing to fit the structure in my back garden!) and I’m very happy that it’ll be a brilliant place for me to create an artist’s studio. Whilst allowing me to create Cyanotype prints no matter what the weather, as it’s transparent the pupils will be able to see me working and literally have a window into my process and set up.
So expect plenty of updates from me over the next few weeks as I settle into school life, work on developing my own imagery and practice and collaborate with other artists to help me think a bit differently about my approach.
The new year is in full swing and the beginning stages of the ‘Dependent Origination’ project are well underway. Various project co-ordination tasks have been completed and documents set up to monitor my progress in the form of a timetable alongside budgeting spreadsheets to ensure I keep on top of the finances. I’ve started the search for equipment that I need to complete the proposed activity, the main purchase being that of the dome.
The dome (or Garden Igloo, to give it its proper title) will act as my artist studio when on site at the schools or community partners venues during the project. It will allow me a space to make work and research and also act as a space to deliver workshops to small groups. The transparent material will be a good way to keep wind and rain out whilst allowing my Cyanotypes to expose to UV light, so it’s a pretty integral part of the project! Currently the dome is winging its way from Germany and is unfortunately a victim of Brexit related delays and so may not make it to me until March given current estimates. It’s certainly a factor that I hadn’t considered when developing the project. As it goes though, I couldn’t find the same product or something suitable from a UK seller and as this is all out of my sphere of influence I’ll just have to accept that this is the way that things are. It’s definitely made me think that for the rest of my equipment purchases I need to look a little closer to home though.
Another aspect affecting the project that I couldn’t really plan for is the Covid-19 pandemic and obviously whilst I was aware that the situation was ongoing when I received the funding, I wasn’t quite prepared for the impact on schools, especially the current closures. However, this week I did press on and book provisional dates with one of the planned school partners for the project. Hopefully they will be able to open and invite visiting artists in by the time of the proposed set of delivery dates. Time will tell.
Speaking of Covid, I was a very lucky recipient of Arts Council Emergency Funding which has allowed me to continue to develop other areas of my practice alongside ‘Dependent Origination’. I’ve developed treatments for a series of photography tutorial videos which I hope to begin filming very soon. They will ultimately become a set of stand-alone series that beginners and improvers can purchase and download from me directly. I’ve also used some of the time that the funds allowed to begin researching and making work for a video landscape series which I intend to become an installation piece (once gallery spaces can operate again).
Visually it’s currently a number of tryptichs depicting a response to the six elements (as described in an advanced Buddhist meditation practice). The above still is a simple test set up to give me a sense of what I can achieve using the software and kit I have available. I’m currently pleased with the early stages of development with both of these paths and feeling prepared for the inevitable challenges ahead.
I’m incredibly happy to announce that I was the recent recipient of funding from Arts Council England to develop and deliver a photographic arts project across selected schools in Leicester and Leicestershire, alongside community activites.
The
project ‘Dependent Origination’ was born from reading scientific, fictional & spiritual
texts that fed into the idea that we are all aiming to discover our
place & purpose. Dependent Origination is a phrase in Buddhist
teaching which recognises that all things arise dependent on the
conditions present, be that emotional states, physical
situations/experiences even life itself.
Just as our place in the world may not be fixed the project will relocate and take place in a pop-up
dome, acting as a studio & workshop. This moveable studio will then
tour between schools and community settings providing participatory
workshop oppportunities. The transparent dome complements the chosen
photographic process and an aim: offering sight lines into artistic
practice for groups who don’t usually access the arts. The project utilises the Cyanotype process; creating light sensitive surfaces by coating materials with chemicals that change colour when exposed to UV light. Placing
materials on the surface (EG dust, earth, plants) leaves behind an
impression of the object.
Project strands will
research & develop my personal work in progress and pilot an
outreach touring model for underserved groups & developing
audiences. It tests a paid-for model, accessibility & the impact it
can have on practice & participation. A short film will document the
work, alongside project blog and social media updates.
As stated above the project has been made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, for which I’m incredibly grateful. Huge thanks also to Sam and Jodie at Platform Thirty1 who provided support during the application stage and who will also be providing project support around the delivery and evaluation stages.
It’s been a remarkably long time since I last posted anything
relating to research and project ideas…posted anything at all really!
Given the current worldwide situation, specifically my current situation
in lockdown in the UK I’m finding I have more time to reflect, read and
type. Obviously, my commissions for photographic work have dropped off
as we all stick to government guidelines and a lot of us stay at home
and away from workplaces. However as I said this has afforded me some
more time to be able to focus on other activities that have been
neglected in favour of commissioned work over the last year or so.
I
like thousands of freelance artists have applied to receive emergency
funding from the Arts Council. I’d been working on and had submitted a
large bid for a project grant before Covid-19 put a halt to all
applications. This was to bolster work on my current work in progress
project ‘Dependent Origination’ which i had hoped to widen out into workshops based in both school and community settings.
If
I receive the emergency funding it’s the plan to continue that work
with the Cyanotype process but formulate new ways of getting an audience
to engage with the work. More updates on that will follow.
I
have also been working on the development of a Podcast series. I’ve long
considered the ways of creating audio to compliment more editorial
style practice and I now feel confident that the Podcast format is the
right route for me. I recently completed a short course with Future
Learn that gave me some fantastic information and guidance on producing
engaging audio content. Visually I’ll be aiming to create series that
follow a similar visual style to this project by Alphabet.
I’ll
be updating with more research and work in progress soon. I really want
to make sure that I use this opportunity to continue to strive and
progress.
Anthony
Prothero’s latest body of work “Ipseity” is a “visual
investigation into memory, imagination and the family album”. The
exhibition and accompanying book were a product of the artists masters study at
Falmouth University. The exhibition comprised of a series of large scale images
from various sections of the book alongside a video piece and an audio
installation. Imagery ranged from still life set ups of the artists
grandmothers belongings, collected and curated images of family trips abroad,
scanned and distorted family portraits. The video installation detailed silent
super 8 footage of a family wedding and my personal highlight of the exhibition
an audio piece which presented a discussion between the artist and his grandmother
about a particular image in the exhibition.
Much has
been said on the use of personal/ family archives for project material, during
my own undergraduate degree I too delved into my own family archive and I still
find it an interesting topic, even when I have no relation to those depicted. I
think this is due to work of this nature forcing me to consider the
relationship I have with my own family archive, so those images that exist from
my own childhood and before. Also following the birth of my daughter and my
imminent second child I consider the ways I might continue building my own personal collection. How should I
record family life? Which means are most effective in the modern technological
age? Do I even record enough of family activity?
Most
would argue that it’s never been easier for us to capture our experiences with
the advent of smart phone technology, with most of the worlds population having
access to a camera in their pocket but I feel that it’s what we do with those
images that is most important. Is uploading our lives to countless digital
social media albums any different to stocking photo albums on shelves in our
homes only for both to be ignored for most of the time that follows the event.
During this exhibition I pondered the question “I wonder how many times
this wedding video had been viewed before being put on a loop in a gallery
context?”
A record
of our lives is important and interesting even if only in our own family
circles, what Anthony has done here is succeeding in making his own personal
family artefacts interesting whilst allowing us as viewers to question the
importance of our own. The other elements of the exhibition, namely the sound
and video pieces have made me question photography’s effectiveness as a tool to
record our personal memories. Is it just one of many tools that when used
together can create a more meaningful reflection of our lives? Ultimately we
all crave to be remembered when our lives are over. Looking at the strangers
actions, appearances, belongings here brings to mind the transient nature of
our experiences and lives, as soon as they have happened they are gone much
like the capturing of an image. Can photographs or possessions really tell us
anything about those pictured or are they merely vessels for those left looking
to reflect on a life once known? In the end it is really all just
“stuff”, providing a more public context would surely strike chords
for those with a personal connection to the images on show. For the rest of us
it highlights an urgency to ensure that our own collections are of interest to
our own family after we are gone and not just adding to an already huge pile of
belongings to sort through.
Detail from a work in progress print. Part of the series ‘Dependent Origination’. A project that utilises the cyanotype process to investigate the universal landscape.
In my last entry I mentioned moving on to new projects. So whilst I continue to share my ‘Peninsula’ series on my websiteand also using Instagram for regular updates I’ve been researching and creating ideas for my new work. I’ve slightly moved away from digital processes lately, mainly due to my commercial work relying heavily on digital practice, however I say slightly as there is at present still the use of scanners and editing software to tidy up images and create the final result. I’m currently using the cyanotype process to create abstract visuals that investigate the notion of the universal landscape, our connectedness to the world around us and contemplating our place in the universe. Whilst beginning to delve into books about psychology and spiritual practice I’ve also been gathering and seeking out visual inspiration to inform the project. The following posts link to projects and articles I’ve found interesting over the last fortnight:
Finally an advertorial piece on the British Journal of Photography website which details newspaper print as a means of sharing work offline in a relatively affordable way.
Given my discoveries of the costs involved creating the print on demand bookfor my last project this could be a future avenue worth bearing in mind.
