Since finishing my part-time freelance role, I’ve been slowly making more space for studio time, and also I’ve had a little more capacity to work as a life model again, which has been really great after so much time away. When I found myself with more time to devote to creativity, it was overwhelming at first- it took me a while to realise I couldn’t just jump back in where I left off. So for the last month or so, I’ve been relying on letting the process lead me, letting go of my expectations and finding possibility in failure (something I’ve written about before here!)
First stop was a return to drawing. A couple of weeks ago I went along to Jane Fordham’s experimental drawing workshop at Fabrica. I’ve worked regularly as a model for Jane’s sessions for around 10 years, but this was my first time drawing there. I was keen to do something a bit different to what I’m used to when drawing from life, so when Jane suggested monoprinting I thought ‘perfect’. Monoprinting is really unpredictable, so you can get really unexpected results- great for loosening up your drawing output. Monoprinting is also a really great way to embrace mistake-making!
I went along with my mum to the session, who is also getting back into being creative post-retirement, and it was a great session for both of us.
Here’s some of my results from the day:
Mask-making
This weekend, our life model collective Artists, Models, iNK joined forces with artist Wendy Barratt for a big drawing event a little along the coast in Worthing, as part of the first Worthing Arts Festival.
The theme we chose for the event was Surrealism- one myself and fellow models Tom and Frankie both are forever returning to. We were keen to reference some lesser-known Surrealist artists for our tableaux and costumed poses, and I chose to focus on Claude Cahun, an artist I’ve loved for many years.
An aspect of Cahun’s work I was particularly drawn to was their use of masks to play with identity, so I spent a lot of time making masks and casts in the studio, using a 3D print I have of my face lying around as a base.
There’ll be some professional photos of the event to come soon, but for now, here’s one interpretation of my ‘mask cape’ pose by artist Rachael Kay from social media (and also my Man Ray pose from the end of the day.)
You can also listen to the soundtrack I made for this event, something I always love putting together. Hopefully its perfect if you need something to stick on whilst you paint, draw, sculpt etc.
Summer of Research, Sussex University
Next week, film work from my ‘GUTS: The Enchanted Forest’ residency placement last year will be exhibited at Sussex University (20-23 June), as part of their ‘Summer of Research’. You can find out more about all that’s going on here.
I’m looking forward to revisiting these works, which were all based around my experience of living with Ulcerative Colitis, which you can see more about on my website.
Failing in Gaming: Building dino parks and ‘Walking in Kos’
When it comes to failure, no franchise explores this concept better than Jurassic Park, a film that had a pretty massive impact on me as a 10 year old, (the first film turns 30 years old this year). Gaming always strikes me as a pastime that involves a healthy relationship with failure, and try try trying again.
I’ve been spending significant (possibly too many) hours over the past couple of weeks playing Jurassic World Evolution 2 on Xbox- a park-building game based on all the JP films to date. Players are required to build a successful dinosaur theme park, hire and train scientists, genetically engineer and raise dinosaurs, all whilst configuring park amenities like tours, restaurants and gift shops to generate the most income possible all whilst making sure no one gets, well, eaten.
I’m new to this style of game, and whilst most of my parks have failed or gone bankrupt after hours spent, I’ve found the process of building parks really meditative. It’s sort of like a game that never really ends, in that respect. This youtube channel shows just how much can really be done within the game creatively, as there really are no limits to what you can create.
I’ve also been returning to the Assassin’s Creed franchise a bit, with ‘AC: Odyssey’, set in ancient Greece. It seemed only right that as summer approaches, following my ‘Walking in Valhalla’ project, where I went on live-streamed walks through AC’s interpretation of Medieval England, I’d visit somewhere a bit warmer.
Last September, I visited some friends who recently moved to Kalymnos- a beautiful small island just near Kos, reachable by ferry. Kalymnos doesn’t appear on the AC map in this game, but Kos does, so I’ve been wandering around there. I'm thinking of doing some more live-streamed walks, but it would be good to approach it a little differently this time. It’s unlikely I’ll get back to my beloved Greece for a few years, so this will have to do.
For now, here’s a nice picture of Lambi beach I took back in Sept 2022, on a much-anticipated holiday.
All for now, see you again soon!
Resources + Links
https://medium.com/@kate_shields/rejection-and-the-queer-art-of-failure-994385435d6d
https://www.fabrica.org.uk/experimental-drawing
https://www.instagram.com/artistsmodelsink
https://www.drawingroom.online/