Cyclic Patterns

Here are two pieces of work I intend to include in my exhibition at ArtSway in September.

There are two cyclic patterns going on. One reveals the ritualistic movement of a funeral, as a large tribal gathering form sub groups, waiting their turn to form a ring round a coffin, itself protected inside a wigwam structure. The other circle is of a much faster but sometimes more erratic ritual. It shows a gathering of youths, as they spin round a rooftop on their skates, to the sound of techno beat.

Both shots depict scenes in Guizhou, China, neighbouring to Sichuan, where I will now visit in October/November. The two shots were made on the same day, at least 7 hours apart. One high up a misty mountain range. The other, down below at the valley, a sun drenched market town. 

Perseverance Pays

It pays to persevere sometimes. It was all looking a little grim when my airline had insisted I fly out to Chengdu on my scheduled date - which was shortly after the big earthquake - rather than give me a refund. However, I'm not the best person in the world to take 'no' for an answer, and so pursued my request with conviction. As the awful news of Chengdu's earthquake unfolded, it probably dawned on my airline how bad they can potentially look on their insistence. I gave them regular reports on situations in the region, calling them almost every 3 days leading up to my flight. In the end, I think they simply got tired of hearing me and sent me vouchers for the full amount paid for my flight.

I've now postponed my trip and a big part of my project until late October, early November. Hopefully conditions would have improved in China by the time I plan to go. Judging by the speed they do things out there, there is every chance the infrastructure at least would have been partially repaired by then.

In the meantime, I continue to prepare pieces of work ready for an exhibition at ArtSway this September. At the moment, I am speaking to a fabricator about the construction of a sculpture. More on that in my next post.