My Exhibition St Georges Hall

Cotton, rum, sugar a luxury or something we take for granted, we celebrate drinking them, we take our makeup off with them, we wear them and we make our coffee sweeter with them. My exhibition was a conversation about materials, objects and their relation to the topic, but I allowed the public audience to figure this topic out, this being the topic of slavery.

The exhibition included empty rum bottles filled with sugar placed in a shadowy corner, some of the bottles smashed and displayed in a distressed setting developing a narrative which creates conversation about a possible event which results in this display. It also included a large scale drawing of non-identifiable figures representing that slavery was not a topic of gender of age specific but it was everyone that was black, it was their skin colour and nothing else mattered. The final part of my exhibition was the poem I wrote which relayed feelings and emotions relating to feelings of loneliness and loss, darkness and anxiety, all these emotions could be feelings which they felt during the time of slavery. I handed the poem out at the exhibition opening night at a random, no specific person was handed them and they were not allowed to open the poem until they left and therefore I extended the exhibition to outside the venue which is what I intended as I felt the topic I was approaching was something which was needed conversation.

Grayson Perry - Online Artist Lecture 08/04/20

The wonderful world of Perry and his alternate ego Claire. Being one of my favourite artists I loved this lecture it was fascinating and insightful and brought you into the world of Grayson Perry along with his childhood pet Alan. Perry’s identity is very valuable to him, it is something he cherishes and celebrates in his artwork and this is very evident as throughout his art there are motorbikes and his childhood pet both play a large part in his life and he uses them as imagery of his identity.

There is a strong sense of freedom within his work, his varied use of mediums, mass amount of colour and continued themes throughout makes it all very personal to him. His work is also very emotive and close to his heart and channels emotion through pure expression, there has been several instances where Perry has actually not trusted some galleries with his art because it is so valuable to him.

Grayson Perry shows a lot of similarities between his background and influences and Louise Bourgeois. Both these artists suffered a childhood trauma with parents leaving the family home leading to feelings of abandonment and questions left unanswered leaving the artists to search for what they’re missing within art. Their childhood is a large part of their life and almost idolise the simplicity of it and reflect on the complexity of adulthood. Yet their art is so very different and they are completely different people but I have found that may artists look at their childhood for inspiration. I myself tend to connect with my past experiences and reflect on them in order to confront current issues in my life and present them within my art, even though I still consider myself to be in my young years my previous life experiences still have significant impact on my life and practice as an artist.

Yayoi Kusama - Online Artist Lecture 01/04/20

A magical world of polka dots and dream-like environments cast a magical shadow over what we perceive as being a space. Kusama is a Japanese artist who experienced a hallucination as a child which involved polka dots and then described it as being a ‘self obliterating’ experience. She used this childhood experience within her art and also wore the design constantly, something which would have been  a frightening experience as a child has being totally transformed and embraced as something magical and has actually become a large part of her personality and identity.

“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots, we become part of the unity of our environments.” – Yayoi Kusama

I love Kusama’s use of mirrors and light, she uses them to alter the space and create an environment which is altered and perceived in a different way to what the original space would have been. The use of mirrors extends the light and patterns and therefore expands the environment, allowing you to question what is the space like and is the space what we see in the mirror also? To create an environment I believe you create an experience also, environments can have positive and negative effects and it is related to the experience you have whilst you are within that specific environment, so not only is she altering the space but she is altering the way you feel within that environment created by her.

The Male Nude - Art History 31/03/20

A naked man, what could be so complex and obscure when it is part of life itself. A male stereotype is strong, powerful, muscular and in general supposedly more able and how this is presented throughout art history is in somewhat similar to the female nude. I feel as though both genders are presented in different forms and we see this by observing posture, pose, bodily structures and proportions and the surrounding environments. Within nude art works we see a constant use of iconography in order to present narratives which are in relation to the preferred gender.

Throughout history it is evident that the male nude is presented as being muscular, strong willed and with using these positions and depictions a stereotype is created. Greek sculpture is an early representation of the male nude, their portrayal of Gods was a big influence on not only civilisation at the time but it had great artistic influence. A particular Greek sculpture which is very well known called ‘Belvedere’s Torso’ it had great influence on Renaissance artists and is clear when comparing it with the torso of many other male nudes. Several artists studied the torso and was used as a reference within other paintings and drawings, artists like Michael Angelo created observational drawings and also adapted the torso to his further drawings of the male nude.  I find that male nudes are shown in a power position, their genitalia is shown and there is no shame surrounding it, however yet again there are expectations set by the art world and therefore develops and sets unrealistic societal standards.

I find it interesting when looking at the contrast between previous artworks and depictions of the male nude and the different eyes and audiences they are intended for. Throughout the Renaissance period a male is shown in a controlled position, emotions are concealed and its purpose is to show power, there is no sense of freedom and the male is fulfilling the position put in place by societal expectations. I feel that the male nude in these times was presented not in favour of the male himself but in favour of the position he is expected to play within society. When looking at more modern art we see a difference in the portrayal of the male nude, it appears to allow more freedom for the male gender, we see this in David Hockney’s ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures)’ the male is seen as something to appreciate for being who they are rather than for being a powerful figure within society.

Louise Bourgeois - Online Artist Lecture 25/03/20

A life full of pain and hidden aspects of childhood traumatic experiences, all of which influence the art she created. Her hands were a tool of her mind and while she kept them occupied by sculpting she was able to channel the darkness of her childhood which loomed in the back of her mind. Bourgeois has a big status in the world of modern art; she is a pioneer within the eyes of those who follow it, the channelling of her emotions and applying it to artistic practice made her name in art. She also felt that she had knowledge which needed to be passed on to younger artists and therefore she held salons in her home for young upcoming artists, she believed art was about life experiences and as she explained; ‘none of the historical bullshit’.

Bourgeois’s work didn’t necessarily appeal to me however the way she influenced other artists and aided the movement into modern art is something which appeals to me greatly. She put an immense amount of time and energy into young and upcoming artists and passed valuable knowledge and life experience onto them also.

Throughout her work there are evident topics of violence, eroticism, passion and contrasts between being in total control and being completely out of control.  The sculptures she made generally presented deep cutting emotion and often focused on the ‘child’s view’, Bourgeois’s childhood was not a happy one and therefore longed to bring it back to life by reimagining her memories and transforming them.

Personally I was not the biggest fan of her artworks as sculpture has never been something I have naturally warmed to, maybe because I am not so great at using my hands, maybe it’s a dislike formed through jealousy, I don’t know but I have never endured in it. However Bourgeois’s approach to dealing with her emotions by using her hands as a tool to create things is a therapeutic gesture which can be transferred and used in order to understand how other’s thought processes work. I have a great interest in art therapy and the psychological element of art and how we can use art as not only a therapeutic tool but as a learning strategy to enable others to understand emotions and experiences people endure.

Marina Abramovic - Online Artist Lecture 18/03/20

Abramovic’s work is among my favourite and has inspired previous artworks of mine in the past. Her approach to performance art is like no other, discovering elements of the human presence and mind which tend not to be focused on. Her practice involves the use of her body and more often than not participants which she would then use bodily actions to present and convey ideas. The ideas she portrays throughout her performances are explorative of human experience where the audience will often engage in these same experiences and therefore sharing a moment together. An experience is something memorable, something which the audience shall remember because maybe they now understand something they once didn’t before, maybe they now understand themselves more and this is exactly why I love performance art.

Abramovic endures within pushing physical and mental barriers throughout the whole of her career, she did this alongside Ulay who was her partner for years and she also pursued her artistic career as just herself.  The interaction between Marina and the audience often allows the participating audience to question their own emotions which is intended throughout several of her pieces. I find Marina and Ulay a very interesting aspect of collaborative performance art, when performing together they create a sensual, intimate presentation of the relationship between two people. Their relationship was intense and powerful; they came to fame together and became one of the most well known couples in the art world. The art work they created together is among the most powerful and speaks of the unspoken between two people in a relationship, their art presents passion and undoubtedly dark side to intense love. The couple created two of my most favourite performance art works; ‘Rest Energy’ and ‘Imponderabilia’ both engage in acts which are discomforting to watch or take part in yet they speak so much more and through the experience and engagement of the performances you learn things about yourself you didn’t know existed.

Women In Art - Art History 17/03/20

Throughout history women are portrayed as a submissive to the viewer, mostly the viewer is intended to be a male, a strong use of iconography is used throughout early and present artworks to depict the woman’s status in society. Women have not only been depicted in art as submissive but female artists have also faced a fair amount of challenges in finding success and having the opportunity to exhibit. 

Early Renaissance painters such as; Botticelli and Ingres present rich narrative in their paintings depicting idealistic concepts of beauty in a woman often leading to sexualised references. Ingres manipulated artistic behaviours in order to manipulate the mind of the viewer, almost like an early form of editing, changing the paintings in order to gain aesthetic approval and meet societal expectations of beauty. Ingres was not the only painter to use this technique, it was very common for painters throughout the Renaissance period to depict women nude and hint at sexual desire and intimacy and the majority of nude women were painted by male artists. 

I was very drawn by the painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli as it not only depicts classic beauty expectations but it also hints at the roots of which these ideals and expectations were born from. Venus is shown to have long red hair, a beautifully proportioned face, presented in the ‘Venus pudica pose’ drawing eye to her covered genitalia her and voluptuous bodily structure creates an aura of desire and pure beauty. However I just question is it beauty in the eye of the the male painter or beauty in the eye of a woman? As beauty from a woman’s perspective is not shown until later paintings in the modern day where women have more of an appearance in the artist world.

Fiona James - Visiting Artist Lecture 11/03/20

This lecture was by far my favourite as Fiona talked of artistic practices which involved psychotherapeutic approaches as she was a trauma worker as well as an artist.

She talks of how genetics play part in our emotional and behavioural approaches and how art takes part in these parts of life. Her work and research reflects on the connections between our mind and body and the world surrounding she does this by using performance and light work which therefore stimulates the audience and connects oneself to body. Space is something that can be adapted and purpose of space can be altered very easily, James explains to relevance of space, how to use it and the physicality’s of it and how it affects us neurologically.

Fiona runs the Bidston Observatory which is a place where artists can have a communal space for artistic freedom. By creating space and making it affordable local artists can form a community without judgement and have the time and space to fully involve themselves in their practice. Similarly to Gabrielle De La Puente who runs the OUTPUT gallery she also gives space and opportunity to local artists, space is vital for artists to flourish and make the most of their abilities and for people to recognise this and give that time and space to up for them is a true act of kindness in my eyes and with the lack of funding into the arts we need more people like this in our society.

My personal views on art correlate very strongly with the views James presents to us. My career aim is to be an art therapist, with having this goal listening to James was very inspiring to me as I feel art has larger potential than being between gallery walls, it has potential to be a form of research, understanding and aiding those who need a stronger voice. She also talked of topics and ideas I had never thought of/heard of before which I can now apply to my practice and understand more, I aim to explore psychological factors which can be projected through artistic approaches.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park & Hepworth Gallery Visit 10/03/20

I have visited the sculpture park on several occasions and on this particular visit I saw it in a complete different light which made me enjoy it more. Damien Hurst’s work stood out to me the most as he presents societal and political issues (mythical fantasy, poverty, child exploitation, anatomical reference) through symbolic sculpture, approaching these issues depicts senses of reality.

‘Charity’ really stood out to me as it approaches perceptions surrounding disability and poverty and how it is depicted in today’s society. The sculpture is of a girl with one leg, her body appears to be dirty and unkempt, hinting at ideas of societal issues surrounding disability and neglect which may come alongside being physically disabled, not only does the sculpture address the physicality’s of it but the reality of the social impact it may have. The girl is also shown holding a teddy which I feel emphasises the vulnerability of the child, the comfort they seek in not only a soft toy but the dependency they have on another.

Another sculpture that I found really stood out to me was Atelier Joana Vasconcelos’s ‘Call Centre’ I felt as though it blurred the lines of structure, manual operation, crossing between purpose and aesthetic, music embellishes its purpose influence of sound. I enjoy its organised chaos, it is assembled in an orderly manner yet the wires dangling makes you feel uneasy, waiting for the wires to tangle and the orderly aesthetic will be no more. Through its composition it talks of stereotypes surrounding masculinity as it takes the form of a Beretta pistol and develops the idea of power positions, defence and dominance.

After we visited the park we then went to the Hepworth Gallery and out of all the sculptors work which was there Barbara Hepworth’s stood out to me the most. Hepworth grew up in Yorkshire and used the countryside and surrounding natural environment as her main inspiration. I feel very connected to her work as I also have been influenced by Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside from living here all my life. Her sculpture work presents a clear understanding of shapes and textures which came from the understanding earth’s form and shows a contrast between natural and man-made structure.

“Perhaps what one wants to say is formed in childhood and the rest of one’s life is spent trying to say it. I know that all I felt during the early years of my life in Yorkshire is dynamic and constant in my life today.” – Barbara Hepworth

Rick Creed - Visiting Artist Lecture 26/02/20

If I were to come across work like this in a gallery I wouldn’t be that interested personally however, after listening to Creed explain the ideaology behind his work you begin to look at it in a completely different way. He explains how he uses art and what it’s purpose is and the fold it plays in his life and I soon discovered that his ideas and opinions correlated very similarly to mine which I found very comforting to hear.

The layout of the environment surrounding him seem to make a generous impact on his outlook on life, he explains contrasts of environments such as; city and countryside. Creed’s paintings are geometric, full of straight lines and simplicity which from my personal observation is a reflection on city-like environment.

I enjoy his work now that I understand it and what it means; a reflection on environmental and expressive relationship with paint, abstractions taking place where the environment may not fit within expression. He does not wish to aesthetically please those who view his work and that is not his purpose as an artist, he is not an exhibitionist but an expressionist. I feel the same, the purpose of my art is not the please or look good it’s just how I feel or my understanding of the environment and emotion surrounding me, hence why I felt a comfort in listening to Creed talk about his practice.

Harlem Renaissance - Art History 25/02/20

Through pain and poverty jazz, glamour and speakeasy were born, 1920s – 1930s New York was the promised land for those a victim of slavery and seen as a land of opportunity. The community of Harlem was a developing community where African American people thrived and manifested in the arts, invested in their cultural roots and celebrated what they were stripped of during the slave trade.

Music, art and drama played a huge part in expressing emotion and pain it was an artistic explosion of speakeasy clubs in Harlem, New York which allowed people to become in touch with their cultural roots. There were many names which played a vital part in fighting racial equality and discrimination, people like Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday both these women are truly inspirational. Josephine Baker was a strong woman who spent her early life in poverty before finding success in Broadway, she worked alongside the French Resistance during WW2 and then moved onto fighting segregation and racism during the Civil Rights Movement in USA. The role she played as a dancer was incredible, she refused to perform in front of a segregated crowd and because of her popularity owners of these clubs were willing to become integrated to have her on their stage and therefore was the reason of many clubs having an integrated audience. Through her talent of dance and song she not only pleased and wow’d the audience she changed and altered the minds of those people watching her, altering opinions and prejudice to glamour, dance and song. Similarly to Billie Holiday whose voice was one of the greatest within the Jazz world, her life was full of misery, drugs, abuse and poverty yet she was still able to use her beautiful iconic voice to speak the words of the unspoken. One of Holiday’s most iconic songs was ‘Strange Fruit’, the song is about the lynching’s of African Americans which occurred in South America. The song is described as a ballad meaning it held great narrative and emotive energy, it painted a graphic picture to whom ever may listen but that picture was important to hear and imagine. Her song is referenced in artists work like Carrie Mae Weems’s ‘I saw what happened and I cried’ alongside strong graphic raw imagery, from the reference of her song brings even more of an emotive element to it because when referencing this song a bigger picture is painting and the emotive energy increases.

I found that talking about these two women in this blog post was more relative to me and enabled me to understand what the Harlem Renaissance was really about. I felt as though some of the artworks produced as a result of the Renaissance were made in order to glorify Harlem and showed it in only a positive light yet this really was not the case, there was a far bigger battle to fought.These women were the ones to create change and these sorts of women will continue to do so and men with the same mind set shall do also. 

MA Presentations - Angelo Madonna, Amy Zanders, Sarah Stringer, Charlotte, Ben Stott - Visiting Artists 19/02/20

Angelo Madonna: 

Madonna showed a clear connection with the environment and explained the influence it had on his artistic practice which he then used to develop human and non-human environments through the use of various media. It was obvious when observing his work that developing intimate connections between oneself and practice was vital to the concepts he wished to present, he focused on human senses and interaction which he felt enabled a relationship to develop between viewer, artist and object.

He uses various media, such as; sculpture, sound, video, performance and installation, after listening to him talk about the way he sues these made me inspired to use these again as I thoroughly enjoy using them, maybe in the future I shall consider using some of these techniques.

I liked the ideas and concept behind his work as it was very conceptual and I enjoy work that’s purpose is to make you think or feel a specific thing you feel in contact with the artist and their work, I believe it makes it feel more real and you feel present.  

Amy Zanders: 

Zanders work didn’t particularly stand out to me as there seemed to be a strong focus on sci-fi and fantasy; I tend to prefer work which is more present and real. However I enjoyed the avenues of concept she explores as her focus tends to be on child and parent relationships and she does this by understanding child-like play. Her work was very trial and error based, there was no structure to it, she just wanted to be involved in the materials, which was quite refreshing as she presented such a free spirit and her attitude towards her practice and the relationship she had with materials was very personal.

Her playful use of materials is evident in the colours she uses and the imagery she uses in several of her projections is very randomly selected however it works really well as her work is exhibited with a playful approach also and therefore creates an environment in itself.

Sarah Stringer: 

Stringer’s work was my absolute favourite out of all the MA artists who spoke. Her work was closely intertwined with natural environments and the materials she used were able to be transformed and reused and therefore had sustainable qualities. Throughout her work she develops narrative and carefully picks her materials in order to tell a story, each material has a contributory purpose to the work. Stringer also has a strong sense of language in forms of visual and personal, materials speak a metaphorically visual language and she achieves this through careful selection of material.

The way she spoke of art was inspiring to hear as a young artist, she explains that everything in our world is replicable and the only unique thing is the human. This statement is something I loved as she was pointing out the obvious yet it was something we all fail to see and through using art we can bring these statements to life and make people understand, this is the beauty and freedom of being an artist, you have to power to make people see.

Theaster Gates ‘Amalgum’ Exhibition 18/02/20

The first thing I noticed as we walked around the exhibition is that none of the works were labelled, we were handed a leaflet with what would be the labels inside. I liked this as it encouraged me to want to look at every single bit of artwork which I can imagine had the same affect on other visitors and also you could take the leaflet away with you so therefore Theaster’s exhibition is carried with you and I enjoy that idea very much as it extends the exhibition in some way.

He focuses his exhibition around events which occurred in 1920’s on the island of Malaga, acts of racism occurred which resulted in the original population being taken over by tourism. His main focus throughout the exhibition is of the island however the topics he visits paints a greater picture on the subject matter.

The exhibition is made up of several different works and my favourite by far is the ‘Dance of Malaga’, this included the use of video, projection, colour and sound. The video lasted a duration of 35mins and it was a video of pure beauty, the room was silent and everyone was infatuated and that in itself was beautiful. The music is gospel, blues and wailing the music of their people, through hearing this you feel connected and you are appreciating every aspect of them as a culture, as a community and as people. The dance is so well choreographed and the connection between the two people emits a feeling of togetherness, it also enhances the colour of their skin in extreme form of beauty which is what it should always be seen as not as something to segregate people by. The way their bodies move throughout the dance becomes more intense as the music becomes louder and more dramatic which then creates a sense of panic and then the video begins to show video imagery of news clips and videos which distress you. Gates focus is to use the events which unfolded on Malaga to develop a wider context and understanding of events which occurred around the world.

There were many other aspects of Gates exhibition I could talk about forever but this blog post would be very long if that were the case. I chose to primarily talk about ‘Dance of Malaga’ because it was the part of the exhibition which really made me feel in connection to concept and it made me feel something and I love art which manipulates my feelings as this is the type of art I intend to make.

Alex Frost - Visiting Artist Lecture 12/02/20

So I did not enjoy this lecture at all, I felt no connection or even relate to his work. I understood his concepts and ideas I just did not enjoy the way he expressed them, I felt disassociated from the subject matter. 

His collection of work called ‘The Connoisseurs’ explores a conflict between contextual reference and conceptual understanding. In one of his works ‘Wifi Swimming Pool Mural’ he uses mosaic, this being an old artistic technique contrasts with the modern portrayal of Wifi, he uses the idea of a swimming pool as he explains us as ‘drowning’. This work was one that I felt quite close to the concept as he addresses the idea of the modern day population swimming in a pool of internet which is now majority of our lives. I don’t necessarily like the focus just being on the drowning because when you address the subject of modern day technology it is very easy to portray it as being a negative however when I see and understand this concept of a ‘Wifi swimming pool’ I see it as you either sink or swim, there’s an equal balance when it comes to addressing modern day technology. 

He addresses several topics which are part of everyday life and would not have the tendency to draw in an artistic perspective, however throughout his work it is evident that he enjoys challenging the boundaries of materials even those which are purposeful everyday objects. This idea is something I enjoy however like I said previously I do not enjoy the presentation of his materials as they make me feel uncomfortable yet he may have done this on purpose I am not sure. 

Carrie Mae Weems ‘From Here I Saw What Happened And I Cried’ - Individual Research 06/02/20

I saw Carrie Mae Weems work at the Tate Modern and it was one of the most emotive collections of imagery I have ever witnessed. The images create a sense of discomfort and you feel uneasy and this is what she wanted, it is real and raw and therefore explains horrifying topics of slavery and mistreatment of the black race throughout history.

“When we’re looking at these images, we’re looking at the ways in which Anglo America—white America—saw itself in relationship to the black subject. I wanted to intervene in that by giving a voice to a subject that historically has had no voice.” – Carrie Mae Weems https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/carrie-mae-weems-from-here-i-saw-what-happened-and-i-cried-1995/

The text she engraves into the glass made me think of the way the slaves will have felt and gives a straight up insight to the lives. They were forced into societal roles that were not their choice, she selects images and pairs with appropriate text which therefore explores the roles they were instructed to play in the white society. Throughout the collection of imagery she uses the word ‘you’ and this is a very direct term and makes you instantly reflect and understand some aspect of the topic she explores. There is also insight into the harsh punishment they were forced to endure in, she references Billy Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ song in one of short pieces of text, by using this reference you instantly understand what Weems is saying without having to put it into words.

Throughout experiencing this installation I cried and I think that’s what Weems wants you to do in my opinion. Her chosen imagery and use of text is so powerful and portrays a time of pain, misery, denigration and segregation, a time which should not stop being talked about in order for it to not happen again.

Theaster Gates ‘Civil Tapestry’ - Individual Research 06/02/20

In May 1963 a group of black children and students took part in a peaceful march, protesting for equal rights. Police were ordered by the commissioner of public safety to use fire hoses to diminish the march. Many of the people who took part in the march were injured due to the force of the water.

Gates created this tapestry in rememberance of this traumatic violent incident. 'Civil Tapestry' is a very politicially charged art work and the materials speak words which are often unspoken and creates valuable conversation between viewers. Once you realise the story the tapestry is telling you are left staring intently at the piece just imagining how a human can commit such acts towards another for simply being of different race. The tapestry allows you to stand back and reflect on not only equal rights but the violation of them also and how it plays a part in our society today.

The events Gates communicates through the tapestry were transformative to the way people viewed equal rights and what that actually means to us. Gates captures something unimaginably dark yet he also captures a vital point in societal change.

Gabrielle De La Puente 05/02/20 - Visiting Artist Lecture

This lecture was very different from the other’s and I really enjoyed it as Gabrielle spoke with great passion and enthusiasm about the subject of art and what it means to us. 

She does not spend her time talking about her own practice, her interest lies with the opportunities artists require in order to be in touch with their own work. Gabrielle collaborates with a fellow artist to use social media as a platform to voice opinion on exhibitions and the way the art world works, she describes the social media platform as being unprofessional however pure and truthful,I find that its rebellious format appeals to younger and modern day artists. 

She also runs the OUTPUT gallery which focus’s on giving local artists the prime opportunity to exhibit their art work as she feels there are not enough opportunity’s to do so. During the Q&A she explains how the gallery worked and gave advice on how young artists can do what she has done and expand the platform of opportunity’s for artists in Liverpool. 

I loved how she talked about the importance of exhibiting as I feel that it is valuable also, hence why I came to Liverpool for my art degree. Having space to exhibit your work allows you to be in contact with your work in a very different sense, you begin to understand the purpose of your practice and how the space surrounding is affected by the presence of your work and how it alters the purpose.