This week we were tasked with thinking about our professional development and coming up with two directions we would be interested in exploring and following in the future and now, this is to make us think about our careers and what they will look like. I found this difficult initially as I have little understanding of my practice as a whole and therefore don’t know where my ‘skills’ would be best suited. So I decided to focus on things that I would find interesting, even if they seem beyond me now.
Working Artist – One avenue I would like to explore, like most of us I’m sure, is that of a working artist whose main practice is to make work and try to get it out there for people to enjoy. This has been highlighted to us as a difficult path and one that will rely on a secondary source of stability, initially at least. Obviously one way to start this is via an MA in a different city and use this as a springboard to develop work with likeminded people. It’s also a great opportunity to make connections and partake in exhibitions and see exhibitions, build relationships with galleries that can maybe be approached to show work later on.
Masters – This direction is relevant to both of the other career pathways I would look at, which is Working Artist and Art Lecturer. We discussed this in the lecture and there was some interesting insights and guidance. For instance an MA abroad was highlighted as not only an opportunity to experience another culture, but also a cheaper alternative as costs can be much lower.
One of our CPS task was to format a CV specific to our art careers, not including things like how many bars or shops we’ve worked in. I found this very difficult since there was a strong focus on exhibitions and working artist things, of which I have done very little in all honesty. However our wider task this year is to explore career options so setting up exhibitions, displays and completing commissions is something I will try and focus on, to beef out my Art CV.
In any event here is a copy of my CV as of now, which is sparse unfortunately, but everyone has to start somewhere.
Jonathan Bennett
Insert Address
jonnyrcbennett@hotmail.co.uk
Currently practicing Sculpture, exploring subconscious expression, culture, and memory.
We were basically taken through how to use WordPress in a superficial way, made a post, categorised it etc. This was helpful but I think figuring it out for myself is what will enable me to create a good blog, I’ll try to stay on top of my blog/post/evidence things. However, for me personally my practical work is far more important, it is the element I struggle with most and also the element that is most impacted by Covid and the restrictions. Therefore I will be prioritising my practical work and explorations.
I will also endeavor to (even if not on the blog) keep a record of my thoughts ideas work and process, so that at a later date I can focus on this blog, but with limited studio time and an essay due I feel this is the best use of my time to ensure my progression and development.
Images of the first creations in the umbrella area of sculpture, the pieces focus on totems and explore materiality through combination.
These are some of the first objects I made during my studio practice, they centre around the concept of Totems and explore this idea generally without being specific to any culture. I started by investigating what the word actually means by exploring definitions.
”An animal or other natural object that is chosen and respected as a special symbol of a community or family, especially among Native Americans; an image of this animal, etc.” Definition from Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/totem
”An object (such as an animal or plant) serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry.Also: a usually carved or painted representation of such an object. Or: a family or clan identified by a common totemic object” Definition from Merriam Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totem
This research helped me to identify what the core of a Totem is and how this sense of representation can be applied to my own work, perhaps I represent my home community or my immediate community. Most interestingly I also saw the potential to reflect my own internal community, in the sense that my thoughts, feelings, desires, knowledge etc. all live together in my settlement, meaning my identity and self expression are essentially an expression of multiple internal facets, not just one person or opinion.
Looking at the work reflectively I think there are some interesting elements, especially in the light and shadows of the sculptures. They seem to reference totems, although perhaps in a small way, and there is definitely a sense of ‘ready-made’ or ‘make-do’ attitude, in truth most of these pieces were balanced or assembled and not fixed; they could easily be broken down and reassembled to create a new version of the same piece. (similar to the way a zygote is made, breaking the DNA strand and then randomly reassembling it.)
Artists like Phyllida Barlow and Joel Shapiro were suggested to me as contextual points of interest. I also took an interest in Rasquachismo, the Mexican/Chicano art style that is based around a resourceful survivalist attitude but also around working with what you have to make the best you can. Latino and Chicano communities traditionally are more used to this mentality than some other communities (it is certainly a newer concept to me personally) however, in a world under Covid everyone is now having to be more resourceful than ever with less access than ever.
Rasquachismo definition and discussion: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-chicano-underdog-aesthetic-rasquachismo-having-its-day-180971490/
I want to expand my learning further around Minimalism, to study ways of using less to do more, but also expand my knowledge around Negritude, the art of other cultures and any art that communicates difference; since art history is profoundly linear in its telling.
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