Control?

just a few spillages 2010

Some days I feel guilty that these blobs don’t seem to exist anywhere, maybe like the Petri dish every thing else is pulverised for the sake of one culture. I could use this play of words to talk about a wider political landscape, but it isn’t really about that… Anyway coming back to the process - the studio plays a great part. Its a rarefied space, (some would say fetishised even) it provides protection for artists and their work, comfort and status. Putting all that aside a studio provides a space, clear of debris and distraction- influence is carefully sucked through straw as and when needed – it’s all rather controlled – it’s a big fat incubator.

Duchamp Three Standard Stoppages 1913-14

Yes I admit – I like (many other people who make stuff) am a control freak. At the same time its funny that we spend a great deal of time trying not to know (gotta keep boredom at bay). I remember listening to Margret Iversen give examples of strategies used by artists for creating chance within their processes, in her words ‘Falling, dropping, letting go’… I’m thinking of adding ‘Chance’ - her instalment of those Whitechapel/MIT readers to my collection. ‘Participation’ was a good read – somehow ‘situation’ didn’t grab me. But I feel very aware of the conditions of the studio and its effect on my outcomes…