INSTALLATION THIS WEEK - MA UPDATE

I’ve been finding it hard to find time to write this but am really keen to document this final chapter for you. Well it’s finally arrived - installation week!

This week in my studio…

Last Monday I started the week installing the biggest element of my exhibition, my tent pod. I was asked to do this ahead of the official install to allow for discussion and adjustment in our final group critique on Tuesday. It was scary and exhilerating in equal measures - would it actually work? What would other people think of it? Would I be asked to make changes? It was also rather surreal having made sketches, done mock ups and prototypes to actually see it come to life, filling the space like some evil twin of the Haahoos from the Night Garden!

Here is my studio video tour showing you the progress.

To answer my questions above - it did work (with a bit of trial and error), it has certainly sparked interest from anyone passing through the gallery, and yes I did need to make some adaptions. My design was originally widthways across the gallery but is now lengthways to allow for viewing of a beautiful gigantic print on the far wall, once in the space several parts needed moving around to avoid restricting traffic through the gallery or from blocking the view through doorways - this meant the left hand spike of my tent was sacrificed, and instead will be inverted serving as a pocket with a seed popping out.

The rest of my week was a production line of finishing off pieces in time for transporting on Sunday ready for install week, and not very much sleep! This included creating a felt hanging pod reminiscent of a christmas decoration, splatting a walking stick (for added stability for those who need it when climbing into my pod) and constructing a frame for suspending seeds from the ceiling in my tent pod.

I also had fun painting some false walls for my tent pod with spray paint and splatted fluorescent paint that glows in the dark.

How’s it going?

1. I have to admit this week has exhausted me - recovering from our weekend in Scotland and working towards these deadlines have certainly created quite a push and although I’m excited about the show, I’m also longing for a holiday!
   
2. I’m a few days late in blogging this week, and it’s already Monday! I’ve finished day one of install and I’m really pleased. Each element we do keeps throwing up the question ‘does this actually work in practice?’ but I’m used to experimenting and adapting from initial plans until I find solutions that work.
   
3. I say ‘we’ because I have a really good, skilled and experienced friend helping me out, which makes all the difference in the world. He’s not only someone who’s great at cheering me on but also happens to be a professional art exhibition installer and media specialist who used to work at my college helping students with their shows - how handy is that?!
4. Although there is a LOT to do, I’m not worried about whether we’ve got enough time to put it all together. However, around the edges of the hard work in the gallery during the day, there’s also other jobs for the evening (risk assessment, map and list of works, labels, invigilator instructions etc), plus still a few seeds and pods to finish off! And I’m increasingly aware of the amount of work it’s going to be to complete all the documentation that I need to hand in for marking. So the sooner the installation is complete the better.

Facts & figures

• Installation has begun and must be finished by midnight 29th Aug ready for examination.
• 33 pods finished (just 1 still to do) & 180 seeds finished (just 30 still to do)!
• 1st September my show opens - 8th
  
• 9th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in 16th
  
• 4 weeks until my holiday - whoohooo!

To find out more about my project/installation I’ve created a new page on my website click HERE to view,

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See you next week as things draw towards completion!