Play

Having discussed our reasons for making art with numerous people, I have decided that play is not simply an action or activity that is carried out simply for enjoyment, pleasure, joy and delight. It is far more complex. The engagement of the emotions and the seriousness with which children undertake playing suggests that there is a necessity in it. We educate ourselves, discover the world around us, create relationships with others, communicate, discuss...

It is the starting point of so much more than simple pleasures. As human beings we have a desire to understand and discover, and playing is the most natural and affective way of carrying out these developments of our minds. The more you know the more you question. Play is the thirst for knowledge from the subconscious.

Goard

The forms and my processes are beginning to tire. I need to have a break and look around and try to refresh myself. I was attempting something random with a slight varient on the basic shape. I would like it to be more bulbous. The two pieces of wire are joined in a continuous length of wire. I think this could be developed on, as I like the two exits.

Mid year - Emma Rushton/Richard Bell 20.01.09

• Need to address how to display and exhibit.
• How are the works installed and what effect does this have on them?
• Think about how they work with the architecture of a space.
• "Truth to materials" is confused. Modroc...etc are traditional sculptural materials, so a truth to them is a difficult one.
• Current work looks messy.
• What the objects do is more interesting. Hanging is playful - imaginative and engaging. Hovering despite the weight.
• Is is important to make something which doesnt ahve a distinguishable material?
• Is it the process or form which is more important?
• Do I want to escape from the meaning of the materiality and association?
• Can interpretation be open?
• How to record the images.

Sand bags

Multiples?

These are canvas strips dipped into plaster and then coated with PVA. I want to see if they work as a group. Either hung from the same string or hung close together as a unit. I like the meathooks but have to question them. I also don't know whether the forms should hang directly from string, whether the string should be built into the internal construction of the form or whether it should be chain. I think chain is too hard and aggressive. But these make me think of pods in waiting. And the hooks give a more object feel to them as they can easily be moved and placed somewhere else. There is an impermanence.

current thoughts

I have been thinking about colour. Looking at my studio, everything feels a bit dead. They all merge together with the pale, fleshy tones. It is not so uplifting. Whether I want my work to be 'uplifting' or not, I dont know. I have the possibility of being given old climbing ropes, which are coloured. Initially I was not interested, but am beginning to think that I cannot afford to be fussy, and why am I so stubbornly ruling out colour?

Painting covers up the surface of the materials used, which seems like hiding something. A sense of shame. It denies the material's qualities and seems a strange thing to do. But dont knock it till you've tried it.

Additionally, I am still digging holes in my mind. Why is art important? It's a question that doesn't lead very far, but I feel that it is a question that you should be able to answer for yourself if you are to spend your life doing it. Otherwise there is no sense. No one wants to live without a reason or meaning. Art provokes thought. It is an escape from reality and is a way of dealing with reality. It's enjoyable and engages other senses than reading and discussing. Prehaps we need art in our culture to give a representation of the imagination and the desire for beauty and enjoyment that so much of our culture denies us. Despite being able to give a few possible justifications, I am consistently running these concepts through my head to convince myself.

But I do love Art and want to spend the rest of my life doing it and being involved in it. And it's that pleasure that doesnt seem like a valid reason for it. Maybe I am wrong. Love for something is a good enough reason as any.