Southampton Degree Show
Okay okay, I’ll admit it. I am a hopeless romantic. Not so much the roses and chocolate type (for that I would check with my Lady but I don’t think I win many prizes for it). No I’m a romantic in the other sense, you know, like the movement. Maybe that’s not true either but still I have a fondness for not forgetting and thinking in great fondness of my past. The not so great bits can always be glossed over to settle on the bits that were in fact great. More often great in there time and shouldn’t be recreated. Much like you should never watch Knight Rider or Terror Hawk as a grown up. They were great back then and time never really treats them kindly. Now that’s got that off my chest I can tell you that to make sure I never forget each year I make the not so hard journey in space if not time back to Southampton. It is my alma mater and in 13 years I have only missed one Degree Show.
It is the place were I was taught many things not least the odd bit about art.
Each year the people I know get less and less. But this years show was my personal ten year anniversary from my graduation.
So what did I find? Well things this year were on the whole not so great. There seemed to be a theme of using the swears like children in the play ground! Paintings and instillations daubed with the F word telling me where to go. This gave those works the feeling that a new word had been invented and they must plaster it over things. But its not a new word it’s a somewhat old word and one when used correctly can be very powerful. But also one when used childishly is seen as weak and with out further vocabulary, therefore nullifying its power and in these cases the work they were on. I can't even overly think now what they were on or who they were by.
But that’s not fuelling my romantic want to look back and smile at my past. Maybe though it is as I’m sure the years I was there and a few after that the work seemed far more... far more... something. I don’t know what. But it was some think.
But I am pleased to say that some work was very good indeed. If not I would cry. The one that stood out first was a floor covered several deep in wooden pegs. The use of these pegs left me wondering their purpose, but its impact was unquestionable. Maybe thinking about it again some need to clean or keep things in order was going on. But as with all degree shows lack of space hurt the work. As within that space were two equally gentle works. The first the same style pegs falling into a white empty bath the second the pegs were falling straight to the floor. Both keeping the sense of falling onto clean white surfaces.
Time is against me once again so I shall call this Part 1 and carry this on tomorrow…..
It is the place were I was taught many things not least the odd bit about art.
Each year the people I know get less and less. But this years show was my personal ten year anniversary from my graduation.
So what did I find? Well things this year were on the whole not so great. There seemed to be a theme of using the swears like children in the play ground! Paintings and instillations daubed with the F word telling me where to go. This gave those works the feeling that a new word had been invented and they must plaster it over things. But its not a new word it’s a somewhat old word and one when used correctly can be very powerful. But also one when used childishly is seen as weak and with out further vocabulary, therefore nullifying its power and in these cases the work they were on. I can't even overly think now what they were on or who they were by.
But that’s not fuelling my romantic want to look back and smile at my past. Maybe though it is as I’m sure the years I was there and a few after that the work seemed far more... far more... something. I don’t know what. But it was some think.
But I am pleased to say that some work was very good indeed. If not I would cry. The one that stood out first was a floor covered several deep in wooden pegs. The use of these pegs left me wondering their purpose, but its impact was unquestionable. Maybe thinking about it again some need to clean or keep things in order was going on. But as with all degree shows lack of space hurt the work. As within that space were two equally gentle works. The first the same style pegs falling into a white empty bath the second the pegs were falling straight to the floor. Both keeping the sense of falling onto clean white surfaces.
Time is against me once again so I shall call this Part 1 and carry this on tomorrow…..