This is an overlap March/ April. Things remain strange because of Covid and self-isolation. You would think that that would make it easier to work – but in practice my concentration is poor, and I am so easily distracted. Everybody is posting things to do, things to watch, virtual tours of museums and galleries – and its far to easy to flip from one thing to another rather than any serious thinking.

Reading (and watching):

• I am re-reading Context and Narrative for background for A3
• Still reading about general art theory to back up my woeful lack of knowledge
• Finished this issue of Aperture – on House and Home – some interesting stuff on home especially the article on the work of Ed Panar Walking through Walker Evans
• Lisa Barnard – The Canary and the Hammer – really fascinating documentary type work on the extort of gold. Shows how it is possible to interweave a multitude of threads into one coherent story, includes historical images and documents alongside Barnard’s own pictures and writing
• Margaret Landsink – Borders of Nothingingness – On the Mend – a fascinating and beautiful book on her relationship with her daughter
• Polly Bradon’s books on ASD and LD – relevant for redo of A2
• Watched the James Fox series on art – The Age of the Image, absolutely fascinating and very useful. Will watch again and take some notes. Also need to follow the links to the OU about whether or not we can trust what we see.
• Watched episode 1 of David Hevey’s documentary on Disability – absolutely harrowing.
• Rebooked at work of Arbus in the context of disability
• Started reading Creative Vision by Jeremy Webb. An old(ish) book, but really interesting for getting ideas of different ways of working

Thinking and doing:

• Have managed to redo A2 using the ASD family images and written it up and posted on the back of my report from tutor – which was a fair but damming!
• Working on sorting out my multiplicity of images on DWARF for A3
• Missed the bi-weekly hangout for photography – I need to be much more organised and put them in my diary, so I remember them
• Started on a Cousera course on modern art for more background understanding

Photography:

• Now working on a ‘Lockdown diary’ taking a daily series of images
  • Where I am in the house at 1200
  • Weather outside at 1200 (or as near as possible) taken of the sky and a tree from the same place
  • Screen shot of the news and the weather (also both at 1200)
  • A piece of still life, experimenting with different places, different methods and photoshop effects
  • If I manage outside – a picture that shows life in isolation, deserted park, one person in the distance etc
• I am also linking this with a poem I have read and a story from 365 days