Extended Practice Proposal
Asemic poetry - monoprint on paper.
In the last twelve months I have located visual poetry as an area of interest where I can express my innermost thoughts and feelings. In particular I have identified asemic writing as a specific mode of documenting these ideas. Being mindful of this being my final year of study, now that I have these ideas established, it is important to consider what context I would place myself in after the Masters Degree has come to an end. Who is my audience? How will I reach them?
The strengths from last year’s work lie with the asemic portrayal of personal narratives. In terms of creative outputs I feel that it would be appropriate to continue this exploration, whilst maintaining an open mind with regards to development and processes. I would like to put more emphasis on the idea of narrative, where do we find narrative? How do we define narrative? What does narrative look like? The evidence of these outputs will be found in my supporting drawings, prints, sketchbooks, photos and videos. All works will be shared to this blog and supporting blogs and websites, as well as on social media.
The most used method of sharing artwork in contemporary times is through social media. However it is idle to depend upon the algorithms for platforms such as Instragram, where it is impossible to control how many people you are actually reaching. Yes, in theory, it is a good way to share with those that you know you are already reaching, but how do you ensure you are actively reaching out to more people, or in fact, the people you want to be reaching? It is a good tool to have running in the background but might not be so profitable as your only mode of sharing.
The ‘Seen as Read’ course prompted me to think about using public spaces as sites for sharing work, an interesting interplay between private and public given the personal nature of some of my work. The artworks would command a very different authority were they made into posters for billboards than they would if they were read in a book that was read by a singular person and opened by choice. Furthermore I was introduced to a group of likeminded visual poets, most of whom have agreed to keep in touch and continue to share our works. It is my hope that this is the beginning of my reaching out to other visual poets and creatives and joining in the dialogue with my own work. This is another area of focus for me for the year ahead.
I have already begun to think of creative ways to share my work, but plan to spend this next year pushing myself to get my work seen, heard, and shared. Though I may be an advocate for all things analogue, it is not sufficient to rely on analogue methods of disseminating my work. Neither is it to depend on digital circulation. I feel that adapting to contemporary times whilst remaining respectful of traditional means might result in a unique and rewarding outcome with both ideals working in tandem. Hopefully, this time next year might see me in a position where my work is being seen by a much wider audience.
