04/05/21

Windchimes

Although we had an online session today, I came into Archway and I decided that it would be a better use of my time to utilise the workshops to a full extent, and to watch the recording of it back later.

I consequently spent the entire morning in the metal workshop, which I had never used before, to make windchimes. I suddenly had the idea to make windchimes for my corner, as they contribute to superstition in Chinese culture, and it is said that a five-piped set of windchimes can ward away ghosts and demons. In China, four is a very unlucky number, as it is nearly homophonous to the word ‘death.’ To add to the unsettling vibes of the installation, I wanted to add a four-piped windchime, which would be traditionally unlucky to have, and would suggest that there is something wrong about the corner. I also in general just liked the idea of having windchimes, as their noise is quite otherworldly and something about them makes me think of night-time, of cold, noisy winds blowing past your bedroom window while you are snuggled safely inside your blanket. They are gentle in that way.

To actually make the windchimes, I had to have a lot of assistance from Gareth, since I had never used the metal workshop before. Similarly to the wood workshop, I had a lot of anxiety about going in, but after a while I began to feel at ease. I now would feel comfortable going in again. I first selected an aluminium tube. It was a bit too large for my liking, but was the only free tubing that made a nice noise, and Gareth advised me to use it. I then marked it rather unevenly where I wanted it cut, and had him cut it for me on a big machine out in the sculpture yard. I then filed the sharp edges of these down, and drilled holes into them on the perpendicular drill. After filing these holes down too to make everything safe to handle, I tried the spot-welder for the first time and made the dome that held all of the chimes together. I secured everything in place with jute and had Rowan help me with tying it on one of the ceiling fixings, since I was too short.

Progress Tutorial Notes

I am happy with the outcome and grading of my progress tutorial as I feel that it accurately represents the level that I am working at. I also really value the advice that Adrian gave me today.

‘Your challenge as well as making the work related to your own recollection of dreams is to find ways to examine and explore a wider collective understanding/comprehension of dreams.’

At the start of the project, I was very focused on making the work all about my own dreams, as I feared that a project about ‘dreaminess’ would be too vague and predictable, almost overdone. I also actually feared criticism from Adrian about this exact point, since at the beginning of the project he had commented on ‘Dreams’ being a vague and terrible title. I am glad to know now that he is supportive of looking at dreams as a whole, on a level that everyone experiences, rather than solely focusing on my own work. I suppose that in fear of being too vague, I have gone too far in the other direction and have made some of the work incomprehensible to other people.

‘Watch two films: The Dream sequence by Dali in Hitchcock’s Spellbound and Mulholland Drive by David Lynch (itself based on the Hitchcock) and a sculptural project: Susan Hiller’s Dream-mapping: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/susan-hiller/susan-hiller-room-guide/susan-hiller-dream-mapping’

‘You could for instance photograph each work in a forensic manner, with the overall outcome being a narrative—a film of the sequential photos’

I will definitely do this, and perhaps it could be a short film or photography series which would act as the final piece instead of the corner installation. The corner installation could be more of a medium to take out some of my preliminary ideas and expand on some of the dreams I had. Perhaps the collection is actually the main body of work and I just did not see that at the beginning of the project. Perhaps I did not value them because they are small. I will make plans to take photographs of them and have it feel quite clinical.

‘Find an interview with David Lynch on his methods to convey the dreamspace.’

Reflections

Confirm copying