Trial and Error: The Magic of Incomplete Art
Exhibiting 'Lost Names: Julian' in a Work In Progress Show
Last month, I had the pleasure of exhibiting in a Work In Progress Show. As an artist, we often have opportunities to display finished works, but this show was a unique chance to present pieces that are still evolving. As well as allowing me to connect with a new audience and gather feedback on the ongoing process of creating work.
I decided to showcase part of my Lost Names series. ‘Lost Names: Julian’ is a tribute to the women in our family history, who have quietly influenced our lives but are often forgotten.
Starting with my great-grandmother; Minnie Julian. I used genealogy websites to research her life, blending my faint memories of her, like a cherished plum tree, with concrete details of births, marriages and deaths.
Without any photos to guide me, the next step was to use artificial intelligence to imagine how she and her life might have looked. With each image I created, I was trying to capture who she was. Did she play in the streets of London as a child? How might she have looked on her wedding day?
The original presentation of "Lost Names: Julian" (for the show ‘All of the things none of the time’) featured found vintage frames, displayed on a site-specific table. Placed on top of lace doilies, I wanted the installation to evoke how my great-grandmother might have displayed her own photographs in her home.
For the "Trial and Error" work in progress show, however, I had to ship the work to London and it didn’t seem practical to send a table and glass photo frames. After much research and experimentation with other materials, I recreated each vintage frame out of cardboard and paint and attached them to wallpaper. Again, I imagined how my great-grandmother might have displayed her family photographs.
I was really pleased with the result and shipped it off to the ASC Gallery, located in the beautiful Old Court House in Lambeth, London. Unfortunately, thanks to Parcel Force, only one of my packages arrived. This meant that while I had the images and frames, the wallpaper that was meant to be the backdrop was missing.
But the show must go on and thankfully, the curator was able to display the work, even though it wasn't as I had originally envisioned. It was wonderful to be part of the show, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
The show featured work from thirty artists. The theme was "trial and error," which apparently extended to delivery services as well. But, I suppose, that’s all part of the magic of art-making. Now to prepare the next stage of Lost Names ready for a crit on Sunday ~ Mills