As part of the exhibition at Solihull Arts Complex I delivered an Artist Talk in the gallery space, the event was very well attended and included in the audience were the students and the head of Art at Tudor Grange School. Dan Burwood an artist friend of mine is working with the children on a project which will tie in with the show and have some reference to my art practice.
It was great to have them there but it did create a problem, photographing young people is a very sensitive area and I cant place photographs of them on the blog without establishing if permission has been granted by the parents and at the moment I do not have that consent. When I photographed the children who were involved in the workshop earlier in the month I got the parental permission as they brought the kids to the gallery or came to collect them, indeed quite a few parents were just out of shot holding bags and jackets. Sorting and editing the photos from the night I found some great images of adults listening and contributing to the talk but there would be a young person strategically positioned to void the picture.
The main topic of discussion was should I display images of the burnt out cars as part of the show and indeed should I even explain were the images originate from, many of the artist present thought that the photographs on the wall should and do stand by themselves without the history. I agonised over this topic when I first began the project in those early days I swayed backwards and forwards but I’m comfortable with my decision to go the route I have taken.
At first I was concerned that if I divulged the origins of my work then other photographers would copy my methods. In those early days I had a lot of input from Arlene Burnett and we talked about this aspect and for various reasons it was established that it wasn’t a problem. In the main because if two photographers were to work on the same car the images would be totally different, it is the unique human senses that create the image and we are all different. In fact I have tried to repeat a shot and found it impossible to match the angles and lighting conditions, Furthermore its not just about taking photos of cars it’s also about the ground work that goes into building the end results e.g. finding the burn outs in exactly the right condition, etc.
Since the work began the artwork has taken on a wider scope with the documenting of the “Finds” and the meeting of people who help me or even just stop for a chat “You Will Never Look at Them in the Same Way Again” has developed that in an artwork of documenting. Indeed if I didn’t reveal all there would be no blog.
Solihull Arts Development Officer Aimee Green takes the sign down
On Saturday the show came to an end and early Monday morning I arrived with my carefully constructed packaging. It was important that we got the work down as soon as possible because the walls had to be treated, holes filled, smudge marks painted and everything made good, ready for the installation of the next show at the Complex:
Dear Miss Hubbard
16th March to 16th May
In 2004, artist James Bouren, stumbled upon an unopened envelope addressed to a Miss J.E.Hubbard postmarked 1970. James has worked closely with Solihull school children to investigate what could be inside this unopened envelope. The exhibition displays his explorations and responses to children's artwork
