A visit to Bristol.

As I was finalising my Contextual Studies/Major Project for assessment I took a day out to visit a couple of exhibitions in Bristol.

View of work of Peter Randall-Page at the RWA, Bristol September 2015.

Peter Randall-Page and Kate MccGwire had a joint exhibition at the Royal West of Engalnd Academy, Bristol. I had previously heard Randall Page speak, in particular about how his drawings relate to his 3 dimensional works, so was keen not to miss this exhibition. As my mind starts to move forward to thinking about the professional practice module and the idea of exhibiting my own work, I found myself particularly drawn to seeing how he was showing his work. It was interesting to see his large wall mounted drawings made up of a number of separate paper panels that were secured directly to the wall- no frame! I also found the screen created by a wooden constructed grid with repeating ink drawings attached impressive. I really liked the use of a natural material to build the structure, which was beautifully made, and created an impressive and different way of showing the work.

Kate MccGwire’s work also comes from the use of natural materials- her main medium is bird’s feathers and she makes sculptures, many of which are hybrid creatures that blur the lines between man and beast. I liked seeing her use of natural materials, but again I was drawn to looking at the way her work was exhibited- large floor standing sculpture, framed work hung on the wall and some sculptural work encased in glass. Something that stood out for me about both these artist is the scale of work and the attention to detail.

Then I was able to go down to the Arnolfini where there is a Richard Long exhibition called Time and Space. I was familiar with his work, but had only previously seen photographs of his work. I was keen to experience his installation using mud which spanned the gallery- the transient nature of this work connects to the work on impermanence that I did for my Contextual Studies Critical Review. The exhibition includes sculptural works, alongside photographic documentation and texts relating to various walks he has made. In many ways it was the texts, painted on the walls, which I found most illuminating in regard to his work. They gave a good sense of the criteria by which he had planned each walk- it made me think about planning a walk around my own village recording where I see willow trees! I also really enjoyed some of his early works made from found objects on these walks and the handmade books relating to some of the walks or projects. So, here I found myself again considering how he was sharing his work, in particular the documentation and the handmade books, in relation to my own work and the potential possibilities.