Project 1 Drawing on dialogues
A student narrative
I am familiar with this artist as I also attended her exhibition. Krystyna Debney is a member of the OCA South West Group. I could really appreciate her subject and the nature of some ethical issues, however I found the exhibition to be very sensitively curated and also of great importance was the quality of the work. Krystyna’s paintings are very detailed and so well executed.
As I consider my own work in relation to the exercise I believe I have considered very sensitively my position and the ethical considerations. This is evidenced in my evaluation of my exhibition for the ethics committee and I have also written and article for the Zine OCA. The publication is now available and is really appropriate around my exhibition and how it would be encountered.
Exercise 1 Purposeful conversations
Having completed and participated in three sole exhibitions each one was quite unique. The first two were at my local pop up shop and raised money for charity. The work showcased for the first two suited the venue, a reasonably sized shop with a free reign where to hang the work. I took time and sought one or two friends opinions about where to hang work and to place certain works together. For example there were three paintings of leaves that were suited together. All the charcoal drawings were also placed together. For the third and most important exhibition I was seeking a suitably serene space for my topic about the deaths of children. I considered and visited a total of three venues. The first a gallery with theatre and cinema with a lot of through public traffic was suitable to a point but the venue turned the project down as they wouldn’t want to offend their patrons. The second was a venue with a large open space as it was a former chapel with a large high ceiling. I turned this down as my work would be in situation when there was a jazz night! The third venue was really ideal. The former brickworks warehouse had white walls and low ceilings which lent itself perfectly for my work. There was a good feel of reverence and I was amazed at the sensitive manner in which the gallery owner created following receipt of my narrative and running order.
I’ve learned a lot about how there is a space for any body of work but it has to be in synchronicity with its environment and the environment in this sense can enhance, elevate and promote the work.
As I move to a new set of venues if my exhibition tours, I am mainly considering galleries located in Universities or colleges. Having seen several I am feeling confident that there will be suitable space and for a symposium. The spaces can usually be quite adaptable or sectioned off if necessary.
Exercise 2 Writing your artists statement.
My current and updated statement is as follows:
Artist’s statement.
At the heart of whatever Diane’s subject, is a passionate appreciation of life. From the beauty in our landscape and environmental issues, through to encapsulating important narratives about unfairness, injustice, war, death, and destruction. Life is very complex.
Capturing the moment, the time and place is important as is leaving a trace or imprint behind. She often appreciates the solitude of walking in our beautiful landscape and this provides a wealth of inspiration too. Whether stormy skies and rainclouds, or bright blue skies and sunshine, the climate is an embracing, invigorating and meaningful spiritual experience that transforms into creative energy.
Diane’s strong social conscience often leads to expressing her thoughts and emotions and this is reflected and embodied in her work. Her current project is based on extensive research undertaken about the deaths of children where there is public care involvement. The work is related not only to her findings but personal memories including those when she was a social worker. The project raises awareness of the vulnerability of children and includes a powerful and emotional narrative. This has been a very difficult and challenging undertaking the most important factor is to produce a body of work that is sensitively and compassionately orchestrated and curated.
Drawing practice and practicing drawing is also important and integral to her work. The use of charcoal and how malleable it is to use has really helped improve her drawing practice and this has been her main medium for her recent work. In 2023 one her drawings was selected for the Trinity Buoy Wharf drawing prize exhibition and toured the country.
Testing out materials, properties and pushing the boundaries is so important. With charcoal the process of drawing, erasing, smudging, rubbing in and out and reworking has produced a diverse range of work suited to the medium and the subject. The contrasting dark and light marks in the drawings create the emerging emotionally invoked drawings. There are no visceral images of injuries but she conveys an awareness of children’s vulnerabilities in relation to the power of adults. The work demonstrates the impact of the death on all those involved. There is some reverence in the body of work and most importantly the silent voice of the child is present.
The artist hopes that this body of work and her research, helps raise awareness of the fragility of the systems that are failing to protect. It addresses how we can all be more accountable and vigilant to help their situations.
The work has been exhibited in a gallery in the town where the artist lives (November 2024), and it was well received by the public and private view attendees. Diane is now building on the success of the exhibition with proposals for the exhibition to tour with an accompanying video based on the research findings from child care inquiries, further drawings, and the proposal of including a symposium suitable for the public and those involved in public services such as Health and Social Care.
Diane Goring
Student 516068
Project 2 Curration and context
I have already mentioned the use of a very good Pop up Shop where there is very good footfall from a wide variety of people. This kind of venue lent itself to a range of workshops which I ran and it also encapsulated some people who wouldn’t necessarily be interested in art. As already mentioned this kind of venue is limited on the size of work and the nature of it.
The other gallery space I used the Old Brick Workshop gallery was like a white cube/ white space gallery and really enhanced my work. There was a slow trickle of people which gave way to the quiet tranquil and suitable mood of the exhibition.
I have mentioned how versatile galleries in Universities can be and these will also enhance the exhibition and be suitable if the curration is managed well and the gallery is not just a thoroughfare.
In September I plan on taking part in Somerset Open Studios. I plan to have the studio more spacious and less cluttered to facilitate the public coming into my small space to see how I work and talk about my processes and my progress as an artist. I will have some work from the Silent Voices exhibition but also new work from another project more environmentally based as I am tackling our polluted waterways via our inhabitants! The activist strikes again. I will have original works for sale and also prints and cards. There will be overspill in my garage. The photo used for the Open Studio is below.
In many ways I’m really looking forward to these two weeks and I shall run at least one workshop. As its happening on my territory it means I can develop work around my interests which can be quite eclectic and I don’t want to be pigeon-holed. I hope to recruit a few people to take up art and join me! It is so good for our well being.
Being a member of Somerset Art Works is really beneficial as they publicise good opportunities for artists in this area so I will also make use of any opportunities when I can. They offer bursaries and residencies.
The other venue I have my eye on is an open air invite to artists. When time permits I propose to organise an event in my local town a bit like the Battersea On the rails event. This is where artists meet and gather, bringing their work for sale and hanging on the railings. I will liaise with and get permission from the local council.
Project 3 Making, Testing and Prototyping
I am finding it very hard to deliver and create more drawings about the children. I am very happy with how the exhibition went and my main addition is the video. I have undertaken more work but I’m really not sure that they work. I am including all the drawings undertaken so far for this part 3 of the course. One of the drawings my tutor mentioned was of the child walking in the woodland. I am trying to work on my tutors suggestions about where are these children now and the concept of absence. I undertook another drawing for this. I’m using black velour paper and pastels. I enjoy this process of drawing and erasing. In the case of the velour I erase by adding black charcoal. The first of my drawings is below. I’ve tried to keep it fairly loose and with an unfinished look. Its 70X50CM. Its almost a contradiction in terms. I want the children to have a presence, yet they are absent.
The next drawing is again on the black velour and the same size. This time I wanted to portray one of the dead children alongside a live sibling. I began with the drawing of a boy close up on the sand and with a blue outline. I deliberately haven’t given much in the way of facial features. The velour does pick up all the dusty fibres.
I need to undertake a few adjustments. I darken the boys bucket and the rear boys arm needs attention.
I’m not sure. In some ways it works but in others maybe not!
I leave it there for now. It is a strange drawing.
I try another one in this style. Still not sure. It reminds me of the Tellytubbies in the night garden. I draw the main babies body in the foreground.
I add in two other children using the blue outline. I decided to add in a couple of friendly creatures.
The next drawing is based loosely on Picasso’s blue period. He undertook several works using only a monotonal blue. He painted in this style between 1900 to 1904. This style reflected his loss of a dear friend that committed suicide. I include one or two of his works below.
The work below is titled La Soupebut the website doesn’t provide size.
The next works are more monotonal. The images are taken from the front page of the website but are not titled. The blue denotes Picasso’s grief and mourning for his friend and he depicts the poverty
More information can be found on the website below too.
https://www.pablopicasso.org/blue-period.jsp
I thought this blue monochrome might also suit what I’m trying to convey. I work outside today as the weather is really good and not windy. I tone the canvas which is 20x24ins in size with a mixture of ultramarine and paynes grey. I’m trying to get an blue black inky colour. I thin the paint with zest it and safflower oil. I tone the canvas with the colour working with a decorators soft brush 1.5ins working the paint down the canvas in horizontal lines to avoid runs. The toned canvas is below. My materials are below too.
As my processes are about erasure and rubbing in and out which seems to work with drawing I decide to do this with kitchen roll. I draw into the canvas making a point with the kitchen roll and making thinner marks for arms and fatter ones for the body. I work quickly and I just depict random children on the canvas. Once a few figures are done I stop and reflect. The drawing is below. This very spontaneous drawing seems to have worked a little maybe. I dont want perfection and the work is very gestural accidental and incidental! For some reason I added a pathway for interest and one or two shadows. The two central children are holding hands.
I create another one but the tone is lighter. In some ways these figures look more ghostly. Again its very gestural and I’m just rubbing away at the canvas with the kitchen roll. As the paint erases into the roll it also leaves shapely scratchy marks which add to the forms. I quite like the technique and I might undertake one or two more, maybe on a bigger scale. Picasso certainly used deeper shades but I think I prefer somewhere in between. For my exhibition depicting the vulnerability of children I used charcoal which again is monotonal. My choice of artists were mainly Kentridge and Kollwitz and my memories just unfolded onto the canvas or paper. Erasing and application and rubbing out until the drawing emerged. I’ve not used the kitchen roll before but my drawing process is hard to define. The quick spontaneity seems to work. For these drawings I have no model or images, I just make the shapes of arms and legs etc. I like the serenity and the atmosphere in these drawings as they are a bit ghostly.
Project 4 Exploring Curation Strategies and Creating Content
Having already demonstrated my research into curation and why I was really happy that my work was situated in a serene white walled gallery that really suited my work, my biggest challenge now is to manage making the film/video. This is an important part of the content. The script was quite difficult in some ways to write but I was able to use lots of information from the research I used. Having been involved in delivering a lot of training as part of my social work role it was reasonably easy for me to utilise teaching strategies to support the learning from these tragedies’. Managing to undertake the video on the day will be difficult. There are nine people involved. Two acting and taking on the child/adult roles and then others as different personnel such as a teacher, doctor, paramedic. The studio has a cafe on the ground floor so everyone will meet there and there is food available for the day. The studio is on the top floor and has a black curtain background. I’ve had two free hour long sessions that have taught me some technical skills on how to use my camera phone and how to edit the film. I took a range of equipment and a different 360% camera and laptop but I was advised by Dan and Kevin at the studio that my camera phone was the best to use. I plan to have each individual one by one to the studio to undertake their parts. Some people only have three or four lines. Karl who is undertaking the narration has the most to say at each pertinent point in the film so I have arranged to send his part of the script to the studio and Kevin has arranged for this to be put on an autocue. This means that it can be read as though you are looking into the camera. News readers use this facility. We have the studio for the day from 10am -4pm so I hope we can undertake and complete the film in a day. Once each persons part is filmed it will be down to me to edit it all and stitch the film parts together. I’m looking forward to that. As a precautionary measure I shall be booking a session with Dan just to go over editing. I have learned quite a few technical and visual skills in terms of managing my camera phone and editing. I have downloaded the suggested editing software called capcut. I have been practicing editing with one or two videos I’ve taken. I’ve been able to add and take away film content and I can also use text as an overlay. This will also be really good for future instagram use as well as the credits in the video. I will book an hour and use up some of the bursury from OCA. I was awarded £100. After the script was complete I sent full copies to the actress and narrator as they have the most work. They sent comments/feedback and I have made a few changes to accommodate their views too. Before sending it to them I read it through with a friend. We were both quite emotional as I was approaching the end. It think it is very punchy and I felt quite satisfied. I was doing these children justice and helping them further to have their say! This film will be running alongside the exhibition, ideally in a small side room. I just hope that these ambitions for all the work can be realized!
The other main feature I am offering to deliver as the exhibition tours is a symposium. My ex colleague Karl has also kindly offered to undertake this with me. Karl is still practicing as an Independent Social Work Consultant. While we have not yet agreed on the content, I envisage starting the session on the topic Art meets the real world! How it all evolved. The audience might be ticketed but targeting the various services as well as the public. It may serve to recruit workers. As a black worker Karl has delivered training together with me on equality, diversity and racism. He is likely to cover the satanic ritualistic abuse and associated trauma. I also plan to undertake a couple of experiential exercises with the audience which demonstrate the power between adult versus child. Its early days yet but I never imagined Fine Art would lead me here!
Overall there is a lot now to be packed into my exhibition if/when it tours. My next main tasks are to finalise the proposals and send out in the next few days. I shall update my Instagram account and link it to my website. The other main area of work is to seek funding. I have booked myself onto the a-n courses three sessions about funding so I hope this helps. The first starts 30th April 12.30pm. The other main tasks are to start to consider advertising the Somerset Art Weeks on both sites. I will try to undertake a still with text on it if I can utilise my editing skills.
Project 5: Writing and text to Create Connections, Understanding and Promotion
So moved was I by seeing how many children were dying and in particular one child who we saw in the news begging for food not long before he died prompted me to write my text piece that is in the exhibition. This is below:
This piece was at the beginning of the exhibition and I believe it helped to set the scene for the members of the public to engage with and encounter the work. I have revised the work a little, making the text more defined and adding a little to it in colour, having seen Bryan E’s text design .
There are different ways to use text and it can be a very powerful tool. I used other text in the exhibition to demonstrate how many children had died and since the first recorded death in 1945. I also liaised with the local press to publicise my exhibition. We had a telephone conversation and as you can see she quoted me several times. I was really pleased with how she captured the important points.
What is important in using any text is the context in which it is used. My primary concern is to be ethically sound and to not offend anyone in the process of making or promoting work.
Exercise 3 Two pieces of writing
For this exercise I am including two sections of my video script. I am really so excited. The script is complete and most of my participants can make the date chosen and I have also been able to book the film studio. The filming will be done on 17th June. I have a professional actress and a budding new actor undertaking media studies at Plymouth University. I have three or four ex-colleagues and another artist. I have most roles covered and as the parts are short we can always double up on roles if I need to.
I am including the initial introduction and a further section of narration. Having had a very successful mentoring session with Parker Harris, Penny suggested I build into the exhibition a symposium which I have now factored in. I have also now drafted the proposals for the exhibition which the master can be adapted to send off to the various Universities and other venues.
Script for Silent Voices Video
Written by Di Goring, Artist and retired Social Worker.
KARL
Narrator
This video was initiated by an artist who used to be a social worker. Having been in the profession until retirement, she could not understand why so many children seemed to hit the headlines. They were dying in situations where they should have been protected by the various agencies that were involved. She felt overwhelmed with compassion and helpless. However, she was determined and her journey began with conveying her feelings and emotions in the letter to the children. Y O Y do you children die? She was compelled to find out why?
As part of her BA Fine Art studies, she began a series of drawings and embarked on extensive research in her quest. Her findings were astonishing and incomprehensible, as you will see.
The video is largely based on her findings and the reading of many government documents and inquiry reports that are all in the public domain. It is hoped that this video may help prevent a death or harm through raising awareness of the issues still faced by lots of children. It supports her exhibition of sensitively curated images in the exhibition, ‘Silent Voices.’
Although the video is based on factual information, all identities are protected.
The artist also wishes to state that this video is not intended as a criticism of workers as there are a lot of very competent and dedicated people in the various professions.
Should you experience any emotional difficulties or this video triggers any past events or experiences, please do not hesitate to contact us to seek advice or help. Numbers are at the end of the film.
Finally, the artist wishes to express her extreme thanks to all those contributors to making this video. This includes friends, professional colleagues, and actors. Thanks are also extended to all members of the public who have shown interest and support so that these children are not forgotten.
Section 2 another part of narration
Narrator
Did you recognise the disguised compliance traits?
Defence or being defensive is the best form of attack. We’ve all heard this term. This is yet another tactic to keep people at a distance. In this instance mom is making sure that people don’t get near her. She’s quite intimidating. Yet if we are working with a parent or carer that is doing this, we really need to explore what this is about. We need to be more proactive and make more effort to engage with this kind of parent. Is it a cultural issue and relates to how she has been treated in the past? Is she being treated badly herself at home? Is she inflicting some of Paul’s injuries? How might you try to engage her?
Art for the power of good 