Critical Contexts

Visit to the Foundling Museum

The Foundling Museum houses the history and stories of some of the 25,000 babies and children that spent time at the Foundling Hospital. This hospital was first established in 1739 and was open until 1954 for infants who could not be cared for by their parents.

On Friday 17 March, I visited the museum. The most poignant part of the exhibition for me was the diverse collection of tokens. These tokens, some objects, others paper or fabric, were left with each child by their mother. As each child was given a new name upon admission, these tokens became the only way for a connection to be made if a parent returned to claim their child.

The tokens, many low value everyday objects, are arranged in rows within a large glass cabinet. To me, these objects had an incredibly powerful aura. A sensation that has remained with me ever since. These tokens were so personal and speak of the profound heartbreak in parting with a child. Additionally, after further reading, I became fascinated with the nature of the objects and their division into categories and the significance in the style of token given.

In An Introduction to the Tokens at the Foundling Museum, tokens are divided into ‘types’ such as, Written Token, Halved Token and Pocket Pieces. Pocket Pieces, which later became the title of a piece that I exhibited at Bargehouse, was a term used by some parents to describe their token, particularly when it had been worn smooth by handling or use. They are categorised by the museum as “...tokens that seem to symbolise feelings of love and grief at the parting and the parents’ wish for their child to find safety, security and good fortune.” (J.Bright & G.Clark, 2011, p.13)

This notion of the “Pocket Piece” as an object to bring you safety, security and good fortune, resonated with me. Furthermore, it became a moment of realisation, as it dawned on me that I too have spent my life putting small objects in my pocket, in superstition and comfort, at times of uncertainty or difficulty. Particularly in recent years when, after my diagnosis with Primary Lymphoedema at the start of the Cornonavirus pandemic, I had to attend multiple hospital appointments alone. Upon reflection, I realised that I cared for the object that I carried in my pocket in the way that I wished I could care for myself. This led me to consider my relationship to objects within my practice. I began cast ceramic replicas of one of my own “Pocket Pieces” to be held or pocketed whilst viewing my work.

Images taken of the tokens whilst visiting the Foundling Museum

Visit to Paupers Press and Talk by Michael Taylor at Standpoint Gallery

On Friday 24 February we had a group visit to Pauper’s Press. A fine art print and publishing studio in Hoxton. We had a particularly inspiring tour of the workshop where it was fascinating to see the printing in progress of works by Grayson Perry and one of my favourite artists, Caroline Walker. Caroline Walker’s very colourful lithographs were amazing to see and a technique that I knew I needed to weave into my practice.

Exhibiting at Standpoint Gallery at the time was Michael Taylor of Pauper’s Press. He gave us a talk about his solo exhibition “The Last Man” in which he said;

“These works are about many things. Ideas that float around sometimes collide to produce clarity, at other times just a noise. They absorb the chatter of friends and neighbours alongside the media hum of choice or imposition. They reflect the information swamp that sucks and belches at us and the emotional push pull of events.” (Taylor, 2023)

For me, there were three keys points that I took from the visit and Michael’s talk that I took back to the studio and considered within my own practice. Firstly, Michael talked about using the editioning aspect of print making as an opportunity to experiment with ideas, for example, printing on top of, turning upside down or collaging to make something else that is further away from where it started.

Secondly, Michael expressed the importance of enjoying the idea of making for its own sake. That in working intuitively, the outcome can be a world away from the starting point and that the work will be more accomplished as a result.

Thirdly, Michael talked about considering the presentation of prints to elevate their meaning. Namely, the edges and surround of prints. He said how prints have a physicality to them and can benefit from being torn down to the edge of the print. This can be a way to remove some of the noise that can otherwise surround them or to transform them into objects,

These three points resonated with me as within my practice generally but more prevalently as we have continued through Unit 2. I too have used the nature of editioning to experiment and create collaged, layered works. Since this visit, I have implemented this approach to my practice of working intuitively and allowing for a greater sense of honesty and fluidity within my work. This has allowed my practice to open up and progress as the controlling limitations that I was placing upon myself were holding me back in my ability to express my ideas. Lastly, I have always been aware of the edge within my printmaking and that when wanting to create a sense of intimacy and allude to personal moments or memories, it is important for there not to be a boundary, such as the border, between the work and the viewer.

Images of Michael Taylor’s exhibition “The Last Man” taken whilst visiting Standpoint Gallery

Talk and tutorial with Faye Ballard

On Tuesday 9 May we had a talk followed by one-to-one tutorials with artist Faye Ballard. She gave us a fantastic presentation of her work and theories, and I was incredibly lucky to have an hour-long tutorial with her. Some of her key themes had great connection with my practice, including the notion of objects as travelling companions, that follow with you throughout your life.

She discussed how “...Familiar objects can act as emotional and intellectual travelling companions, both in actual time and as remembered (internalised) objects.” (Fay Ballard.com past projects).

Travelling companions or transitional objects, is a theory that I have been exploring within my practice. Both in my creation of literal “travelling companions” but also in my referencing to them which is woven throughout my work. I particularly liked Fay Ballard’s object inventory, a written list of artefacts, their use and where they were kept within the family home. She also discussed how, as humans, we find it helpful to see objects as useful, aesthetic, or indulgent. That it can be interesting to consider the importance of objects, particularly those which are of low value, and to see them as none of the above. Therefore, opening up the possibilities to connect and see their stories with a new perspective. This concept is fundamental within my work, how prized low value objects can become and how they have the propensity to create who we are. She referenced Professor Sherry Turkle, Daniel Muller and Donald Winnicott, all of whom I have researched since her talk.

Within our tutorial, Fay and I had a wonderful discussion about the connections between our works but also the marked differences in our presentation. We both agreed that through working instinctively, it allows for the true self to come through your work. The importance within both our practices to do so and that honesty is the best way to allow the viewer access to the work. One key suggestion that Fay gave me included to research Netsuke, small Japanese ornamental sculptures that were made to be tied to the belt of a kimono as they did not have pockets. We also discussed my ceramic elephants and how they can exist with other parts of my practice. After I asked her if I could tell her a story and proceeded in telling her one, Fay suggested that I host a handling workshop. This would include a small intimate audience, sitting around and handling my “pocket pieces” whilst I recounted an experience. I thought that this could be a good idea for the Research Festival.

Bibliography

Bell, J et al (2013) Ways of Drawing, London, Thames & Hudson Ltd

Chadwick, H, (20024) Helen Chadwick, A retrospective, Germany, Hate Cantz Verlag

Davey, N.K. (1982) Netsuke, London, Philip Wilson Publishers

Dillon, B. (2018) In the Dark Room, London, Fitzcarraldo Editions

Emin, T. (2017) The Memory of your Touch, Brussels, Xavier Hufkens

Emin, T (2020) Tracey Emin | Edvard Munch, The Loneliness of the Soul, Oslo, Munch

Guston, P. (2015) Drawings for Poets, Munich, Sieving Verlag

Humphries, C. (2015) Benjamin’s Blindspot: Aura and Reproduction in the Post-Print Age. P.155-161. Taken from Perspectives on contemporary printmaking: Critical writing since 1986, Manchester, Manchester University Press.

Hiller, S. (2011) Susan Hiller, London, Tate Publishing

Taylor, M (2023) IFPDA | Paupers Press | Michael Taylor | The Last Man, Available at https://ifpda.org/2023/02/07/paupers-press-michael-taylor-the-last-man-london-february-10-mar-11-2023/ (Accessed: 25 May 2023

Solnit, R. (2013) The Faraway Nearby, London, Granta Publications

Winnicott, D.W. (1986) Home is where we start from, London, Penguin Books

Winnicott, D.W (1946-1951) Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena, The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 34, 89–97. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1954-02354-001 (Accessed: 25 May 2023)

Podcasts

BBC Sounds (2021) This Cultural Life: Tracey Emin. [Podcast]. 30 October 2021 Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0011467

Unit 2: Critical Contexts & Bibliography