Tool Workshop (Michael)
casting location (Rob)
Sound Studio (Bob)
painting space (gillian)
The theme of the ongoing project at Left Bank is Space and Place. We four artists are busy making work within the framework of our particular practice concerns, but another more overarching development of the theme is just as intriguing.
One thing a few people asked me before I started this was: “But how does it work with four of you in one space?” Since I usually work in an open studio set-up, this wasn’t something I thought about as unusual. I did vaguely wonder about negotiation of presentation space and how that might work out, but in fact within hours of starting it became clear that collaboration and cooperation was the order of the day.
What’s become much more interesting is how we have individually functioned as artists within the space. I’ve always been interested by definitions and meanings and I’ve found that analyses of the terms “space” and “place” can be thought of subtly differently depending on whether you are a Situationist, a psychogeographer, or whatever. For the person just going about daily life without pondering on these things, the words are used sometimes interchangeably, but often not. Often, without thinking why, we use the terms in a very precise way.
Here, we entered a space contained within Left Bank (but itself also a place within its location) and have each established a place. Places of meaning, of practiced activity. A space which has been and continues to be experienced now has become a place for us to work and make art, and the signs of this are evident. Whilst we are seeing it as a whole, we are gradually focussing in on elements and specific locations, particularly in terms of production.
I’d like to do something “about” this more abstract additional layer of experiencing and response, but time is running. Maybe something will emerge by Thursday.
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