Fantastic to hang out with some of my MA cohort again. The space is looking incredible, the exhibition has been arranged by Daniella and Jonathan to the highest standards. Probably the smoothest artwork hanging experience I’ve had as the piece was finished and only needed hanging. There were still some issues, mainly because I was not able to hang it using the still attached metal hinges of the fridge door. I neede a thin but steardy thread to tie to the hinges and loop onto the hooks. As always, it was all about being last minute resourceful: I didn’t bring the installation wire with me but I found two tampons in my handbag, I cutt off the threads and used those to loop around the hinges. I liked how the feminine element of the piece extends beyond the front of the artwork itself, as an element of the hanging mechanism. I thought I was finished…
And in the morning of the opening of the exhibition I looked up on the ceiling. I realised I really wanted to fill the clinical square ceiling light with colour to make the space feel less like a hospital, more like a gallery. I knew doing something last minute without getting a previous approval was risky and could potentially annoy a few people. But I also really wanted to do it, I felt so determined to at least try and see, I convinced poor Daniella and Mat and in the end Jonathan, to let me try. I climbed the ladder and installed the paintings on tracing paper right underneath the squares, so the light could illuminate through. The effect was great and everyone seemed to like it and not as angry with me as I thought they would be. It is a tough choice sometimes when, as an artist you really believe something will work but you also know you’re risking pissing people off. And asking yourself what’s more important doesn’t neccesarily help. But when visitors, who work at the hospital mentioned, how nice it looked and how good it made them feel, one lady even mentioning she would like something like this at her office, then I got my answer.
