Independant Study 1: Studio Work

Friday 27th October 2017

Now that I knew I wanted to bring the idea of the chair into the project, I also wanted to establish a strong link to the journey. As the maps are a representation of journeying, I decided that it would be a good idea to decoupage the chair with the road maps that I have been working with.

My thinking is that the chair represents rootedness, and the maps represent journeying, and that the idea of covering the chair in road maps is a juxtaposition. The idea of taking a chair on a journey also appears to be a juxtaposition to me.

I have also been considering how I photograph the chair, so upright, with red string attached to the land, shows the rootedness to the land, however turned upside down shows uprootedness, a feeling that many people in a diasporic community must experience at some point.

We’re travelling to Scotland today, so I knew that I only had a short space of time to prepare my chair for it’s journey to Scotland. Below are images of the chair taking during the decoupage process at home.

Thursday 26th October 2017

I began this day still with no idea what I was going to do regards my recording in Scotland and still feeling very lost about this project.

I also had a beneficial chat with Helen where she also confirmed that the tutorial advice at this stage is there to challenge us and not necessarily to be followed to the letter. She also suggested that in the past I have created my best work when there is a strong research element to the work.

She also suggested I look at Rachel McLean and other prominent Scottish Contemporary artists for inspiration.

Already aware of the Patagonia connection both with Scotland and Wales, I began to think about how this could be brought into this project. Also thinking about my own journeys between Scotland and Wales, I then decided to see if I could find any historical journey’s of note of a similar ilk that I could develop further – I drew a blank here.

I then went back to thinking about how I could record during my trip using a common theme. Initially thinking about finding something that was inherently Welsh that I could take with me to photograph lead me down the path of thinking about other objects I could potentially take with me.

I then hit upon an idea which I feel in my heart I can move forward with and develop.

The project is essentially about connections and journeys but also about roots. So far the maps in the project have provided a link to the aspect of journeying from one place to another. As I feel strongly connected with the Scottish Diaspora having roots in both Scotland and Wales, I decided to see if I could find something that represented rootedness. I considered that when we sit in a chair we are rooted to the stop – sitting still. From this point on my mind was made up, a chair was the object.