Bringing the Outside In

As well as architecture being a big influence in my work, the natural world also plays a very important role.  

I wanted to bring not only a representation of the building in, but also that of the surrounding environment.  The maple tree in Hendon Park was added to a list of London’s top trees by independent charity, Trees for Cities in 2008 so I decided to use maple leaves that I had collected as material to evoke the notion of falling leaves and the approach of autumn.

 

 

Under Construction

 

I started experimenting with ways of constructing an external ‘wall’ internally.  Testing different methods of hanging and attaching

These led me to question whether the panels should be displayed in individual sections or as a continuous one?  Whether to overlap or to join?  To curve or run straight?

Also, what would be the best distance from the existing internal wall?  How would my internal wall reflect the external curtain wall?

All images ©Kate Grimes

Building Blocks

Moving from inside to the balcony situated on the outside of the studio space, I started experimenting with imprints.

Whilst preparing the paper, I wanted to capture the traces that had been left by previous students as well as any debris that had fallen from the wall when taking the flower pieces down.  As a way of preserving those who had worked and inhabited the space before me.

From the floor to the curtain wall which has started to move and distort, the imprints highlighting the fragility of the space contained inside and the illusion of the brick’s solidity.

 

All images/video ©Kate Grimes

Part of the Process

The use of cut flowers within my work is in relation to process and preservation.  These delicate objects that are used in various ways, as markers of events and ritual, to brighten our homes, are literally, dying in front of us.

Thrown out after losing their freshness and appeal, I am investigating ways of prolonging their lifespan, giving them an alternative direction not just in the physical sense but also in their meaning.  The effects their cultivation has on their surrounding and subsequent environments during the process is something that is not necessarily widely known or considered by the consumer.

 

All images ©Kate Grimes

 

 

Where to Begin?

The irony of moving from a small corner space in one studio which I occupied for over a year to a much larger one for the short duration of a few months in preparation for the MA final major project and exhibition has not been lost on me.  It coincided with the onset of the phenomenon of ever shrinking studio space which is fast becoming a reality for many courses within the arts education system.

How do we then inhabit, work and adapt to the space which surrounds us? What sort of effect does it have on our work as creatives?

I wanted to hi-light this through material and site, what better way to start than with what was to hand, capturing traces of the unseen which were fast disappearing.

 

 

All images ©Kate Grimes

 

Inhabited Space

 

How do we inhabit, move through and interact with our surrounding space?

Do objects and materials themselves from a specific site have to remain in situ in order to be relative or can they move around freely and create an alternative narrative?

These pieces were made as a series of material tests to explore how to capture space and memory through material.

 

All images ©Kate Grimes