Making work is one thing, showing it is another. Resolving work can have different outputs, the book, a show, online galleries and maybe competition submission — some work can include all of the above. How do we know if it is ready for any of these? Over the time I have spent on this degree we have had three shows and interestingly I have not felt that my work was ready for any of them. However in the case of two out of three, Experiment and Tacenda once the work was hung I felt different and it seemed right and ready to show the work. The way the images were chosen was a collaborative process that included work prints, peer critique and tutorials. And the making of the work was supported by a team of technicians and outside industry to fabricate some of the display elements, it is important to understand and appreciate the roles of those who help us as artist to realise the vision of what our work can be.

For the current Tacenda show I knew that I wanted the foyer space to show my work as before this I had been frustrated by the hallway spaces and felt that I would like a more installation type space that could be entered into. This is because I wished my book to be an intrusive element in the space because it is a sculptural piece. The meanings and writings are also a challenge so this seemed to fit well. The previous show came out of the experiment module and I used large scale prints that referenced the body, this was experimental and also worked. I had made decisions based on this space prior to the show and this was a large part of the resolution process. I felt the horizon images should be large scale to draw attention to it, also the actual horizon we experience is vast so there is both a reference to and rejection of the sublime, the real horizon and distance exist but the image does not contain it. I was hopeful to include the Fice’s Well work but only found a display solution at the last minute, after trying many ideas. The round positives that were contact printed in the darkroom are displayed inside the petri dishes the original filters were designed for, the connotations of the filter are resolved — a filter we see through, a camera filter and the filter membrane used to either clarify liquid or show what is present in any given fluid.

The final element is the book, displayed in a closed glass plinth, spread as if it has been ripped open to view but the realisation remains incomplete, we cannot see most of the content and as such it remains somehow latent, powerless. I am happy that this is effectively rendered. The overall effect draws me into the space to look further, I want to see the back of the book case and see the Petri dishes at closer proximity. The large images draw me back out to view at a distance, which is in turn again blocked slightly by the book. The display is as I thought it would be, I planned it like this and am happy with the outcome. There can always be improvements though, there are also contact prints that are framed that I would have liked to show and the Event Horizon work has further images to complete the set, but for the purposes of the space available any more images or work would not fit and clutter the space and lessen the impact.

One other thing to consider is that at first all the displayed work were separate projects, through critique and tutorial I realised the links and that they could work together. This flexibility and accordance is part of the conscious effort to remain unfixed.