The bag made me do it///
I managed to rescue a bag from the recycling. I’d noticed the colour and texture the other day, but had forgotten to pull it out. Thankfully it’s still there - survived untouched. There is something very delicious about its colour presence, deep almost like leather, no - skin. I’ve also had squirrelled away brown waxed sandwich papers that take a crease so well it’s like drawing, translucent and sensitive. It has a particular kind of me memory to it.
I like the papers so much I start to get stuck, not wanting to waste them. AND I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get the red bag again - ever. It slows me down and I can feel the creative process locking up. I think about what I’ve been doing in the studio and realise I should just make and not over think it a a limited timed price. This allows my intuition to kick in and I soon find a form and layering I like, also I start to think about maps, making abstract maps that have their own code and meaning. What does it mean to map something to chart it? How can this be explored? in making leaving paper altogether.
I also find the paper wants to stand proud of the surface to be sculptural. I set aside some of the precious red paper and finish up finalising the composition of the first piece.
After gluing and completing the first one I realise that I don’t like it all so flat to the surface. There is a sculptural and textural quality to the papers and it gets lost when it’s adhered as one would normally. So for the second one I anchor key points allowing other parts to stand proud.
I roll around old phrases that seem related and haven’t quiet found a home in my work.
I have materials and a notion for third collage, but it is eluding me. It’s resisting being made, won’t tell me how to complete it. I walk away, I’m not fighting my work this week
/// sculptural kenosis
/// What gets infilled?
/// t up > t down
/// empty out > infill
/// Cartography of the intangible
/// Archives of unreliable memories
/// Emancipating the map from the surface