A Discussion of My Work

CIVIC

Screen prints on deconstructed 1 ton rubble bags. One half of the MA cohort had a group critique with artist Michael Bowdidge. His fresh eyes on our work was valuable & for myself a wider context of my newly used text & print works.

Notes from discussion of my work,

CIVIC - Political? Connotation.

Red text- Newspaper print, red top tabloid quality. Press - grotty print. 80's Thatcher.

CIVIC. Palindrome. Roman Numerals. Reverse the last 'C' & this word is symmetrical. This point feeds into the work being seen from behind. As the material is translucent the text & image is seen from behind.

Material talks to the content.

Perhaps think about sound in the space. Sound of labour - Screen print work. Sound of demolition or construction.

Dig into roots of material production.

The hanging of the work, just for the crit, hints towards a building falling.

My own thoughts on the run up to & just after critique.

Use of the word civic. A pragmatic decision to use this word came about when 'CIVIC CENTRE' just didn't seem right. Using the word CIVIC on a print of both Exeter & Plymouth's Civic Centres raises the question of the meaning of the word. Civic in relation to citizens or community encompass all the positive and negative aspects of society. There is a wide breadth from a civic pride moments such as a city celebration to the demolition of a social housing estate such as Pruit-Igoe or Robinhood Gardens. It allows me a moment to lament on the ideals that certain architecture offers or was designed to offer & how that has panned out over time. The spirit of the time is captured in the two buildings. Plymouth Civic Centre (1962) & Exeter Civic Centre (1971) are very much a time when "new" materials are being pushed, ideas are big and as every aspect of life is developing fast including population, technology and social attitudes. These buildings are a record of time. They suggest how it was thought we would progress, what the height of material use was, they show us the importance a city council puts on its appearance to everyone else. Like previous works I have chosen certain aspects of these buildings to focus on with my prints & processes.

The two text works will now be on show at the Exeter Phoenix from April 27th til May 29th. Ideally these works hang in the space but this show will be a good chance to see the work hanging against a wall.