I think there’s hundreds of different ways of defining
identity, for example by work, family, interests, religious/spiritual concerns,
gender, class etc. I think of identity as
the qualities and beliefs that made a particular person or group similar to or
different from other individuals or groups.
I’ve been thinking around the idea of Place identity for this
project. It concerns the geography,
environment, psychology/meanings and significances of a place for its
inhabitants. How the characteristics
of a place influence and are reflected in the people who live there, how
‘scapes are shaped, and how ‘scapes shape.”
I want to explore this by focusing on aspects of the Isle of
Sheppey where I have lived for the last 5 years. How does it affect my own and other’s
identities? I’m walking the land and
urbanscapes, and recording them using photography, sound and video. I’m also picking up found objects that seem
to me to reflect aspects of the character of Sheppey. My thinking is centring on the affectionate
(or not, depending on viewpoint) term by which life-long Sheppey dwellers call
themselves – “Swampy”. Only those who
were born on the Island are deemed to merit the term.
I’ve been rather struggling to get motivated with it, it all
feels very fragmented at the moment, but I’ve been experimenting with some
techniques, in particular encaustic using candle wax and beeswax.
In class I am working on making my first video. I’ve taken footage of a group of my
neighbours who meet up on daily dog walks.
There is a strong group identity that centres on the dogs, in this way
the group has got to know each other, and provides support for each other in
wider ways. There is “insider/outsider” sense
created by this grouping, which is a metaphor for the Island insider/outsider
psychology. I tried to do some filming at the local Arcades. I asked several owners, but they were reluctant to let me film, so I went into one and just started filming. I didn't get much footage before I was thrown out, but hey that's the life of an artist! It started me thinking about the idea of hidden identity and shame.
I have several ideas about some things I would like to do, need to focus down on a few for this term:
A couple of large scale drawings/paintings using ink,
bleach, paint
A project involving local people inviting them to choose one
Sheppey photograph of their history in relation to the Island to include in a
local exhibition.
A home-made artist’s book and encaustic and collaging
methods
A series of works using woodblock/lino cut prints
A small installation involving video and found objects
