The Last Post

It took several days to plan, prepare and hang my exhibition for assessment.
I used a small studio in the Fine Art area, having asked Michael Wright for permission to use it.
Having painted the walls and prepared the boxes for mounting, i began hanging the silk panels.
I decided that they should form 'walls' to cause the viewer to walk a certain path that was quite narrow and 'hemmed in'
I hung the panels on fishing wire with magnetic hooks attached to the ceiling.

My sister came up to help me. She said that the panels needed to be lower as they were not 'In your face' enough. so we spent a long time cutting new lengths of line, getting up and down off a table to measure, adjust, attach and re-hang them.

I am very pleased with the final height as they do feel very close as you walk between them.

I wanted to create a sense of being overpowered by these menacing images full of unpleasant objects. 

The panels waft and flutter as you walk by them which adds an unsettling atmosphere too.

We then measured and marked an eye-line for the wall-mounted images.

I banged in some 6 inch nails , leaving 4 inches to attach the mounting boxes. I measured and made holes in the back of the boxes and pushed them onto the nails.

I then removed them and stuck the 4 images onto the fat surface of the boxes.

I mounted two wall images in the gap between the silk hangings, so that they would seem to hang there as you walk past the first hanging.

Here you can see the wall-mounted images places in the opening between the two silk hangings. You can also see that the centre of this wall image is at exactly my eye-level.

Once I had attached the box mounted images, I stuck two final images onto foam board and attached them to the walls either side of the doorway, hidden behind the silk screens. I hope it will cause a little surprise of discovery as the viewer walks round the space. it is to say "you can't get away from us, we will always be part of your life and will land on you when you don't expect us!'
Once everything was mounted, I thought it would be good to bring in a fan so that the panels seemed to move independently. I managed to drop the plug behind the stud wall and plug it in. Then I clipped it to the top of the wall panel at the back of the space. I am very pleased with the effect.

I have set out the little perspex boxes and the card index box on the plinth at the far end of the space. I hope they will create a 'draw' for the eye, so that the viewer catches sight of other images at the last minute, so they are suddenly 'there'. Wherever you stand in the space, there is a sense of being surrounded by work you can see or that is hidden. I wanted to create a feeling of not being quite relaxed, but slightly uneasy at all times.

I am happy with the final dissemination of my work as it looks good, the images are of high quality and I  have built the phenomenological sensation of dis-ease and malevolence  in the space. I also think the 'Seduction/ Repulsion' effect is there too.

I would like an enclosed space for the Final M.A Show in the Gallery in October to create this same sensation.

Final Feedback from Tutorial on 26.08.2014

I met with Peter Suchen, an artist and critic and Rebecca Thomas at Hatfield house for a final Tutorial.

With Peter, I discussed my artist's statement, and apart from a question about first or third person, he felt it was clear and concise and expressed everything a viewer would need to understand and appreciate my exhibition. He though that the way I planned to set out the room would create a fitting sense of being 'overpowered' and 'unsettled' by the work. Peter suggested that I mat be trying to include too many separate images, so I will think carefully about that factor when I put them up.

We discussed how in the future, I would like to start selling images and he felt that in the right galleries, they would sell. I felt quite content after this meeting that I had done as much preparation as I needed to and that I had made sound aesthetic choices. I am glad that I got more images printed than I will need, so I have a variety to select from. I cannot make those decisions until I start putting the work in place and see how they look together.

With Rebecca, I discussed the assessment criteria and LOM to make sure I had interpreted them correctly. It was reassuring that we reached similar understandings. Rebecca was able to make additional suggestions that were useful. The main input I got from this tutorial was a confirmation of my  drive to constantly improve, refine and push forward my original ideas from the proposal stage, right up to now. I feel confident about the quality of my work and its appeal and effect on others. I think I have achieved what I planned and suggested in my proposal.
I have not included sound effects or an overlay of film because that proved too complex and time-consuming in the given time scale. I adapted the planned idea of a  'Cabinet of Curiosities',  by collecting together the objects used; documenting, explaining and displaying them in little boxes.
I am also planning to make silk scarves with my designs in the future, and Rebecca felt this medium would work well.
Overall, I am content that I have worked very hard over the M.A course. I have been able to maintain a high work rate, producing complex intricate images, despite many distractions and problems. I have completed all assignments on time and to the best of my ability and am able to look back with pride on what I have achieved.