It has been such a long time since I have actually given trans_end much thought, so I thought that a good way of getting back into the process, would be to read through everyone else's blogs. Which has been wonderful, because from where I am (London) I miss out on the meetings and all the face to face conversation which is always really helpful. And that is where the whole point of the blog comes in, to be able to transcend the barriers of space and communicate in this other space.
I have started putting ideas in my processbook, mainly because there seems to be so much going on and ideas that flap in and out of my mind and vision, that i can't keep tabs on it all or build up any momentum. I thought that by just putting all sorts of things in i would start to figure out how they all link up and how all the layers slide into place, gladly it seems to be working. But the other important part of all of this is communicating with others and having conversations which act like bridges to the next step, or between ideas that do resonate each other but need to be seen from another point of view to click into place.
I have been thinking about what it means to be a south african out of south africa how i am out of place here and yet not, how being here is being where my ancestors come from. I suppose its the displacement that all immigrants feel. I have also been thinking about how much of what Britain is built up from the wealth that it took from other countries. And how this has had an impact on many things, the gardens and parks with plants from all around the world, particularly designed to show off, what the reach of the empire.
So i want to work with some of these ideas, i am thinking of integrating aspects of southern african nature into british landscapes and other situations in the form of animation, collage and sculpture. The familiar and the unfamiliar, displaced and camouflaged and linking in with what i have already been working on.The image is by no means final work, just a jot from my processbook to get the ball rolling.
I have started putting ideas in my processbook, mainly because there seems to be so much going on and ideas that flap in and out of my mind and vision, that i can't keep tabs on it all or build up any momentum. I thought that by just putting all sorts of things in i would start to figure out how they all link up and how all the layers slide into place, gladly it seems to be working. But the other important part of all of this is communicating with others and having conversations which act like bridges to the next step, or between ideas that do resonate each other but need to be seen from another point of view to click into place.
I have been thinking about what it means to be a south african out of south africa how i am out of place here and yet not, how being here is being where my ancestors come from. I suppose its the displacement that all immigrants feel. I have also been thinking about how much of what Britain is built up from the wealth that it took from other countries. And how this has had an impact on many things, the gardens and parks with plants from all around the world, particularly designed to show off, what the reach of the empire.
So i want to work with some of these ideas, i am thinking of integrating aspects of southern african nature into british landscapes and other situations in the form of animation, collage and sculpture. The familiar and the unfamiliar, displaced and camouflaged and linking in with what i have already been working on.The image is by no means final work, just a jot from my processbook to get the ball rolling.
I have been avoiding writing my first entry, I think because I am afraid
of writing down just how muddled I am about things. Well, that is not
going to help me find answers really so I best just write it down.
These are some things I wrote down in my visual diary when trying to
figure out what I want to do. I had just come across Angela Carter's
Book of fairytales, and after spending hours reading, I had these
thoughts:
I keep coming back to these stories, narratives that intertwine and have echoes in fairytales, stories about my ancestors, and others. I find it fascinating and inspiring, the way the stories I come across link in with things that i am thinking about or that are going on in my life. The narratives connect with my method of art-making which is tied into a personal narrative. These fairytales allow exploration of different states of mind and dreams which are simply another layer of reality, of living. I often feel like the story catcher of the family, this is perhaps part of the reason why I have decided to move to another country, to embark on this journey, adventure. Many times it feels like a dark journey, a huge challenge within myself to find myself and what I need to do and how I need to live - to find light. While this journey is one that only I can take for myself, I have spent, lots of time and energy trying to go through it alone, and feeling more and more isolated, which of course is a choice. What I am beginging to learn is that I need meaningful interaction with family and friends. I need honest communication with myself. So this is what I want to explore, the idea of communication, of sending messages through narrative. These lines of communication and love are the light in the darkness.
I was thinking about Katty's hurricane lantern metaphor, how the need to nurture the light, gives both the light and the darkness meaning and purpose. The darkness is there to make the hope and light more precious. The light is faith in survival.
So basically I want to tell stories which resonate hope and give me hope and help me to make the light inside me stronger. To make something. It makes me happy to think that the collaborative project gives me something to work towards, and therefore a sense of meaning and hope. It makes realise that this is here to give energy to and to nurture and protect and that this will make light.
I keep coming back to these stories, narratives that intertwine and have echoes in fairytales, stories about my ancestors, and others. I find it fascinating and inspiring, the way the stories I come across link in with things that i am thinking about or that are going on in my life. The narratives connect with my method of art-making which is tied into a personal narrative. These fairytales allow exploration of different states of mind and dreams which are simply another layer of reality, of living. I often feel like the story catcher of the family, this is perhaps part of the reason why I have decided to move to another country, to embark on this journey, adventure. Many times it feels like a dark journey, a huge challenge within myself to find myself and what I need to do and how I need to live - to find light. While this journey is one that only I can take for myself, I have spent, lots of time and energy trying to go through it alone, and feeling more and more isolated, which of course is a choice. What I am beginging to learn is that I need meaningful interaction with family and friends. I need honest communication with myself. So this is what I want to explore, the idea of communication, of sending messages through narrative. These lines of communication and love are the light in the darkness.
I was thinking about Katty's hurricane lantern metaphor, how the need to nurture the light, gives both the light and the darkness meaning and purpose. The darkness is there to make the hope and light more precious. The light is faith in survival.
So basically I want to tell stories which resonate hope and give me hope and help me to make the light inside me stronger. To make something. It makes me happy to think that the collaborative project gives me something to work towards, and therefore a sense of meaning and hope. It makes realise that this is here to give energy to and to nurture and protect and that this will make light.
