reflections on the summer show
During the MA Summer Show, I presented an earlier work (from the beginning of Unit 2) and a new project made especially for the context of this exhibition. The first work was Encounter, which I further developed ideas about on my Unit 2 page here.
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Encounter at the MA Fine Art Postgraduate Show, 2024
The second work was Distant confluences, an installation piece composed of a metal frame structure and two hand-stitched embroideries on voile.
The work came from the idea of a threshold territory between approximation and distance, between presence and absence. The transparency of the fabric allowed the viewer to see the back part of the stitching at the same time as the front, as well as the space around the work, since it was positioned in the middle of the room. These aspects aimed to bring the idea of "in-betweenness" in which the interior and exterior are both present. The portraits are looking at opposite sides, but once one walked around the installation, the images started connecting to one another, creating the illusion that they are side by side, or looking in the same direction. It became a point of encounter, even if momentary.
Distant confluences at the MA Fine Art Postgraduate Show, 2024
During the critiques with Yu Chen on July 3rd, we were encouraged to reflect on how we see what we’ve done so far, what we reach and how the theory (our conceptual ideas) was becoming research at this stage. In this session, we focused on talking about the work in the space, more specifically about Distant confluences and the aspects that the installation was creating in the context of the summer show.
I was told during the conversation that I was now creating space; alongside being an image maker, I was becoming a space maker. I believe I created a space where people could stand in-between, connecting to the idea of threshold I was earlier reflecting on, both in the process of making and in the materiality of my practice.
Another point mentioned by Yu Chen was about the tradition of embroidery, and how I can control the ways I interpret this tradition. By expanding the scale and turning this gesture to something big, I could also enhance this contrast with the history of being a domestic practice. At the same time, I was told that the larger scale helped to create an intimate environment, as the viewer was “encouraged” to look into the intimate details of the portrait, getting physically close to it — since it’s a big scale, once you get close to it, you automatically see the details more closely and easily. And, with that, they said it felt as if the image was coming down to you, embracing you; almost as if you were able to connect more to it, being immersed in it.
That made me think about how this intimate feeling can be created also by increasing the scale and testing different forms of installation — not only by making it smaller, as I originally thought. Since embroidery has a tradition of being related to the domestic and small space (therefore, evoking the feeling of intimacy in its own original form), I was able to create a contrast from the tradition of the medium through the scale, while still receiving the feedback that it actually made the viewer feel more connected to it. That made me feel glad. It not only continued to be in the context of intimacy, but it opened my perspectives on other possibilities, both in the context of the process and of public display.
Distant confluences at the MA Fine Art Postgraduate Show, 2024
I was also told that the materiality of the metal balanced really well with the characteristics of the fabric, while not letting go of the flowiness — that was another contrast I was aiming to bring while making the work. Because of the aspects of the voile and because of the position of the installation, it was also related to a divisor/partition/curtain — not a concealment, but in a space in-between; as if there’s something behind, that we can and cannot access at the same time.
Yu Chen made me reflect on how I could use light in my work and how it would change the perspectives about the work and the space. By exhibiting it in a different environment, for instance, in a dark room with a spotlight on the work (or even a light creating a path to walk until the installation), the movement of the bodies walking towards the work, navigating through the spotlights, would create another drawing; a drawing in the space, another space. The experience would become part of the work more vividly.
I realized that my piece, by being in the middle of the space, was once again in a liminality: between being seen by itself and being seen merged with the works behind/around. The room felt deeply charged and silent at the same time, and we could notice some similarities between the works — most of them were also in pairs (two papers, two fabrics, two frames), most of them seemed to have a personal attachment with its maker. It was interesting to realize the presence of those connections, especially after working in the same space/studio for months prior to this exhibition. I could visualize the indirect influences/effects we have had on each other.
Nevertheless, from the summer show I learned that I can play between scales to create different spaces of intimacy — and how the viewers can engage with the display in different ways, to evoke this experience of sharing an intimate moment with the piece. I felt as it was an important point for my research, as I combined everything I’ve been exploring/wanting to explore so far: the transparency, the line in the three dimensionality (the thread), the portrait, the layering, the dialogue with the space, the installation format, the in-between space, the reflection on human existence and memory.
Lastly, Yu Chen asked us to reflect on how we could carry on and continue our work presented in the show. I believe I can continue developing my work by experimenting with scale, to be able to develop more works that can create the feeling of intimacy through the display as well as through the image. I think I could also continue exploring other materials to create multilayers, to understand the possibilities of how much more overlapping and layering I can expand to, and what are the effects that it can reach within the space and the bodies in that space.
Distant confluences at the MA Fine Art Postgraduate Show, 2024
