The Pillow Book

This is a small section from a series of 'Artists book' like things that I have been working on in the studio. For me they have to do with ideas of storage and processes of memory, Diary keeping and such. The related and used text stems from my own Diarys and experiences. Many of these entries originate from me looking closely at the bra as a concept, the visual language and visual posibilities for the bra as an object... these thought patterns brought me towards reflecting on my personal diary entries regarding this object and its role within my life. The bra (which i deconstructed) has actually been used to print with in this 'book' in order to further explore this object and personalise the piece.

More details of the 'book'

The book is made up of many mixed media type arrangements, sewing, printing, text, paper combining......

I enjoy working with a broad range of papers, this feeds into the idea of books and the different qualities the material has to offer.

The 'book' is stored in a box that can easily be folded out I am trying to make this envokative of the processes of memory and indeed process on a larger scale as books are a process for many artists and in a manner the world at large, a process of loosing, finding, discovering, intrigue...delving, defining, a process of evaluating, discussing and growth. The box type storage also -I think- helps to seperate and perhaps elevate the 'book' above other books, to aid it being seen as an art 'object' this is a sort of solution to the notion that perhaps a book cannot generate the same 'finished' qualities as a finalised painting... what seperates it from a sketch book... I think that the Box Helps in objectifing the 'book' while adding to the notion of memory, storage and mind editing.

The book folded stored in the box

The Box

Book in Box...

This then led on to me challanging the role of scale. I prefere the smaller box but a sought to push the idea of the box and this put greater demands on the storage capacity of the box... I am toying around with many ideas as to what to put in the box, should I make a series? Is there any need?

As I mentioned before, as a process of investigation a deconstructed several, different types, of bra's, some of which I dipped in wax ( Ideas of preservation regarding the body and memory- trying to get that across visually through a material) Im also toying with the idea of casting elements of the bra in wax in order to distort and draw a less obvious identification with the object from the viewer, but I need to think more about this. I am thinkink of making a 'book' from the deconstructed bra parts perhaps with encoded memories or fragments of memories..... I am also thinking about a fabric book, I like the ideas of process and patters, maps, building and maybe a 'diary' like pattern book could get this accross. I would also like the box to be an archive of its making, to document its own process...

I like the idea of the viewer engaging with the box as they would with a object, to challange the viewer to draw there own conclusions from the work rather than stagnantly 'admiring' or 'looking' at it.

To maybe be challanged to take it apart and learn from it...

I like the notion of the bodies direct engagement in the work, this is something that seems to crop up in my work dispite the concept.

Close ups of the box's detail, I like intimacy in the work and feel that this could be lost with an increase in size...

I feel like I need to challenge myself to use more 'wet' materials this year, leave more to chance as indeed our memories seem to at times... Im still trying to work out the dynamics- both visually and conceptually- between 'wet' and 'dry' materials, control and chance, male and female, passive and active...in order for this to perhaps add to my work and make it visually more 'rounded'

I like the ides of hiding and revealing things in my work, playing peek-a-boo to engage the viewer physically, like a process of getting to know the work, deconstructing it, reconstructing it...perhaps reading yourself through the process.

I love the notion that the spine is the root of all things, stability, nervous, holding us erect.... the spine of a book, holding us together, binding us safe.

more details of the Box.

ect

The open loose closing of the box...I dont think ill close it though...

more mixed media detail of the box

Its empty at the moment...

The box in my space

The beginings of a book for the box, Im not sure ill use it for that though... I like the ideas of the 'good' and 'bad' books, make the viewer choose.... I wonder which one ill choose.