Meeting 01. 07/03/2018
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Susie Taste
Dr Paul Counter In this initial meeting I was introduced to Dr Paul Counter, who, along with Susie, is at the centre of bringing arts (and their benefits) into the Infirmary. My hopes for the meeting:
Once introductions were out of the way, we got down to discussing the potential of my project. It seemed that whilst Susie is the go-between or facilitator, Paul is taking a hands on approach and it was very much his meeting. Initially I was worried that he had some quite defined notions of what I might work toward but it became evident that he was actually attuned and sympathetic to my needs and was in fact, open to me finding my own way. (To begin with, Paul, talked about the potential of me creating ‘drawings’ that would accompany the writing of another creative who is already producing work within the hospital. This is not what my work is currently about - the artist as writer or reporter, the image as text). I proposed that to begin with I would like to visit the hospital with no agenda other than to draw and soak up the atmosphere, maybe learn the lay of the land. Rather than having a notion of a project at this stage, I’d rather let the project present itself from the experience of the hospital - once clarified, this approach seemed to make sense to Paul and Susie. Questions of access were discussed. Some areas of the hospital are considered public - the main atrium and waiting areas which contain open seating as well as coffee shops and cafes. Whilst other areas, obviously, are at the opposite end of the spectrum and might only be accessed, if at all, through special organisation. He seemed quite excited about me going into an operating theatre with him! Both Paul and Susie seemed to enjoy my portfolio drawings which did lead to a conversation about my process - photography as well as drawing - we agreed that in this instance, I would have to work straight onto the page. Something am excited about doing (it will have an impact on my work but more importantly, captures the spirit of reportage in a more convincing way). Some notions for project directions that came up in discussion:
My initial thoughts - given the time scale I think I would like to work toward a thorough and prolific body of work and whilst I may concentrate on a specific theme, the final collection of work could include work which creates an over all picture of the hospital - bringing context to the thematic work. For example, my theme might be Dr’s treating patients but my work would include patients in waiting areas, reception desk, cafeterias and all other staff. Creating a sense of the hospital within which those Dr’s are treating patients. I will need to discuss the use of my staff research allowance and perhaps come up with a visit schedule. I'd also like to look at drawing at odd hours - not only to see how this effects the environment and it's use but also, how does it effect my work in a literal sense? |
Hospital Drawing #01
I arrived for my meeting 5 minutes early and found myself sitting facing this lady. What better time to get the ball rolling. |
