13th May2022

What a busy week! I have finally sorted out the creative exploration for the Great North Museum in Newcastle. As an artist you have to develop the concept for an installation and then work out how it is to be built within the museum space in conjunction with the museum staff. Over the space of a week I have explored Roman portraits and modern faces and looked at creating a very long felted work - a roll of faces new and old, which couldn’t go ahead due to gallery restrictions due to moth risk. However I have learned a lot about fabric conservation - so I have more knowledge than when I began.  Version two was creating a ‘Column’ using artificial fibres and metal foil to beat the moths, however this would have difficulties in installation due to proximity to other objects for the lift outriggers so it was third time lucky transforming trees to columns for my new piece ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ which is a reference to a work by Virgil (a Roman poet) that death is always present. In the Roman gallery there are many Frontier Voices identified through their artefacts or epigraphy records on tombs - so we know about them because of their deaths. However my project is also for the living frontier voices of today and we are inviting hundred of participants to join us to explore the Roman galleries and make a small artwork embossed onto metal foil which will be their personal contribution to the installation based on identity and what it means to them. Watch this space..........