I am back from holiday - Jim and I cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats (almost). We rode 924 miles to Inverness, then I had to return to London for my university exhibition at New Designers, and to get new wires for my teeth. Unfortunately I fell over in the garden and badly sprained my ankle, so could not return to Inverness to finish the journey.
New Designers was most interesting - it is the art & design graduate show for the UK. If I am honest, my university, Herts, does not compare well. Other universities have a much stronger showing, partly because they are very selective about who they accept on their courses, they have a higher teaching content in their courses, and they are very selective about who is picked to have their work displayed at New Designers. Whereas Herts takes people with lower academic attainment (and therefore recruits both the "surprise stars" and lazy, idle "I'm only here for the beer" types), has a self directed learning style and allows any student from our course who can supply their share of the funds to participate at New Designers. However 3 of us went round the show together to consider how we would stage our show next year, by noting what was good and bad about other universities' staging.
I have also attended Tate Britain's Lowry exhibition. Absolutely wonderful. Much more varied than I had expected. Not just industrial landscape but commenting on the life of the working class - fever vans, football matches, VE day celebrations, evictions. The substance of daily life in the North. I wish my one of my in-laws, Mrs Pitt, could have gone to see it. Mrs Pitt worked in a mill until she emigrated, and although she now has Alzheimer's and is looked after by my sister-in-law, I am sure Lowry's pictures would have triggered her memory.
I have discovered my result for my Degree Planning module - 75%. I am pleased and relieved with this. I found this module very difficult - partly because it is self directed. I have had no written feedback, which hacks me off somewhat. We get little enough interaction with the lead textile tutor/assessor, but to find out one's result online, and hear NOTHING from this tutor, I find disrespectful. However, a visiting lecturer who was present at the meeting with the External Verifiers, has passed on that their comments were that I "had found my voice" (pomegranates were naff; yokes and women's work was good). Thank goodness. I was quite worried when I had staged my display - there was a wide range of work that I had tried out, but most of it was pedestrian; had faults in the making and was generally uninspiring. The Yokes took it to a different level - there was a meaty concept; it was an art piece; it was hand-drawn imagery integrated with hand stitch; it was simple.
I have booked various classes for the summer holidays and beyond: life class; lino cuts; mixed media; also lectures on history of embroidery and tapestry and why women choose to work with these media. I am also starting to read more widely about women's work, textile and memory.
Yesterday I was talking to a friend about how to use some of my fabric samples, and started thinking about aprons and how their styles have changed over the years. Then I thought about the 7 ages of man (Shakespeare) and considered the 7 ages of woman, as represented by the changing role of women over the last 70 years. I have had a quick look at apron patterns, and thought about my nan's apron (like a sleeveless coat), my mum's apron (half apron); my school apron (full length, no bib, crossed straps and with bias binding); my school teacher's apron (full length with bib); baby's apron (just a bib). More research to follow.
I have also looked at Annabel Rainbow's work - very interesting nude imagery applied to quilts. Lots of social comment about under-valued women's work is. Just my sort of thing.
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