ok, so christmas is done, both kinds of new years are done and dusted, the new job is not-so-new and full of fabulous deadlines, and the new house is still great, but officially old news – now that i’ve cleaned the toilet, burnt the bamboo steamer and had to clean up cat shit.
which must mean that it’s time to start artwork again, make some serious headway on the abracadaver exhibition at allan’s walk in may. funnily enough, that involves spending a helluva lot more of time on the computer: the old art of seduction, rather than production trick is in full swing.
i’ve been drawing plans for the fabricators of one of the major pieces; researching a source for another basic material (and it’s looking like amazon may be the treasure trove – who would’ve thought!). not to mention the inevitable grant application that comes with needing more money.
this is a bit like the beginning of the third trimester of a pregancy really. the application process being a bit like the conception process – all fun, excitement and possibility. the honeymoon period after you get the go-ahead is like the first trimester: a bit nervy, but it’s still too far ahead to stress about. between 3 and 6 months out from the exhibition, you do a few things to get stuff happening: research, a bit of promotional stuff, organising, making sure that you’re on track – but mostly preparation work – mentally and logistically.
and now that it’s under 3 months until the opening, it’s on. deadlines happen, last-ditch efforts for more money, time, space, ideas happen. there’s a starkness about what’s going to end up, it’s way too late to abort and a mild panic sets in (even if you’ve ‘given birth’ a few times before) that your partner-in-crime is going to decide to just pack it all in. you end up just hoping that it will all work out OK.
yes, with this analogy, that means i’ve just compared the installation and opening night of an exhibition to childbirth, but am i really that far off?