Gaffa tape fail.

These are my works in the 'gallery' part of the 'Our House' exhibition.

Now, let me tell you the behind the scenes story...

I spent the good part of two days creating this 'wall' and preparing my work to hang on it and behind it. Jigsaws, hammers, drills, paint, gaffa tape and even set squares were involved....but gaffa tape is where I went wrong.

I arrived at the studios with less than two hours to get ready before the opening night - thinking I just had to press play on my DVD work and run upstairs to do the real set up of multiple computers and projectors for this work.

Instead, I found my frame had fallen off the wall, chipping the paint I had lovingly applied to it....which I had stupidly decided to attach to said wall with...gaffa tape. Many frantic phonecalls to the Count ensued, and he saved the day by picking up some super-strength double sided tape to re-attach it to the wall. I concentrated on getting the projections sorted, then raced downstairs and applied fresh paint over the bits that had chipped off with minutes to spare before the opening night crowd poured in. 

Photo: Arunas Photography

Note to self: gaffa tape is good, but not that good. Image above is me lining up for a much needed glass of wine.

'Our House'

The pictures above are of a site specific projection installation I created for the opening night of 'Our House' an exhibition of the current Frasers Studios artists. The work is called "Gone but Not Forgotten: A Mourning Survey". I've gone on and on about how much I love this warehouse space, and this piece is my way of mourning its loss. We have 26 days to go before the artists are packed up and the builders are ushered in.

When it all comes together...

I have something that's coming together...I think.

 

A nice relief after my crappy night described in my last post.

When it all goes to sh*t

One of those nights...

Racing away after dinner from a cosy warm home and this gorgeous one above - to go to the freezing cold studio...

Where my trusty original 'Zoom Master 200' super 8 projector just gave a impotent whirring noise when it should have been feeding my film through and, you know, just working, like the trusty/slightly dodgy workhorse it is.

Then the new kid on the block - the "Titan' (picked up from Dapto Markets for $5) - decided to just not focus on anything...

...Then proceeded spew film out everywhere. I had to hand wind my film back onto its spool three times! My language at this point was not lady-like. My answer was to throw a tantrum.

This is all I could come up with - then I harrumphed my way home.

Through the cracks

 The floorboards are old and rough.

 The gaps between them make perfect little spy holes.

 Glimpses of other artists work.

 Hmm, now I'm sounding creepy.

 I am a bit obsessed with my studio space.

Light play

Studio life...

 This building is amazing and inspiring...

I love the light,

 

the dark,

 the windows, 

 the crusty floors...

 

...and the inherent creativity imbued in the space.

I love that I can have a messy desk...

I love that I'm creating things with materials I've never used before...

 I feel so privileged to be a part of this space for the short few months it has left...

Afraid of the dark...

The downside to a creative practice that is (currently) centering around projection installation is that you need the dark to make the work.

Now it's been a long time since I was truly afraid of the dark, but I've got to say, working alone at night in a big old creaky warehouse in a slightly dodgy area of town keeps me on my toes! Every creak, rattle, and shudder the old building makes makes me a little jumpy!

In the Ghetto...

For some reason or other, the song "In the Ghetto", (originally be Elvis - covered beautifully by Cartman on Southpark) has been the song of choice at our house for a while. Just one of those in-house memes. So when the Count came to visit my studio space for the first time, he thought it was very "ghetto". Now I'm singing it in my head in my Cartman voice...see below...

A Room of One's Own...

I have a studio space.

I think I need to write that again...I have a studio space. I'm still in shock. Pleasant shock. 

That's my little corner there (these photos were taken before I moved in, so none of that stuff is mine).

A Room of One's Own as it were. 

Now I just need to make stuff! 

Eeek!