first crit with S.H. '07

Back again...with my folio, to talk "direction" and "honing" with Steve Hollingsworth. I've gone from very confident about my work, when handing it in for review in January, to "ooh, what was all that about?" ... which made me think hard about the "purpose" of the work I'd produced last semester. The more I argued with myself about the validity and reason for some of the experiments and research, the more I could see the direction of this second semester taking.

I've decided to research and explore the need for quantification by humans, the need to analyse, break down, segregate and simplify complex scenarios and stimuli. With computer programs I'll write, exsisting software and other forms of digital media (possible use of analogue too), I'll explore abstraction, simplification, continuing with my "iterative" aproach. With incremental exploration, I think a clear path and documentation of research methods and outcomes will be obtained.

Steve had talked about my still obvious drive to "answer" problems, to create "solutions" when talking about work...I thought that most of the exploratory experimentation I'd been working on last semester had killed this "problem", but, the more I talk, the more I make it obvious to him that I'm still rooted in logic and problem solving...not so "helpful" in art - creation. (I get the feeling).

Still, several excellent discussions about my direction, the possibilities that I could arrive at with more "play" and exploration.

We have been tasked with filling a whitespace in the room, as a test ground for finalising works...I've started to think about how the space could be quantified, how my interaction with the space could be documented, and this would form the work I'd show there.

some further ideas when I'd left the room where to possibly use incremental / quantifiable units (polystyrene balls, wooden 1cm cubes etc). I'd also thought about the colour abstraction, how much of an object could I simplify, before it truly loses its meaning, and becomes something else? (A face boiled down to 3 colours, shapes simplified etc). I'd had thoughts of sitting in the nude and having my clothes next to me on a chair, do the clothes make "the person"?

I took out an old parkette to read, I'll have to digest it before I comment.

Listening to : Skinny puppy "remission (12")" : pigface "gub" : techno animal "ghosts"