Research and development, one-to-one tutorial.

Having decided upon an initial object of loss, and the metaphor for loss being, in theory, a rather valueless and mass produced cheap garden ornament in the form of a garden gnome, my idea of that object having accidentally being smashed shortly after my own brothers death (which deeply shocked me at the time, and my reaction to it was to go into autopilot), I decided to brush the remnants of this ornament into a box as it had sentimental value for me.  That specific garden gnome was a wedding present from a dear friend.  Some 16 years earlier, it was given to me and my wife as a decoration amongst our wedding gifts with a rather unsubtle reference (which I can assure readers was not the case), that our wedding was perhaps a shot gun wedding!  It was a simple device, perhaps costing less than a few pounds, which was sufficient to raise a smile on many of our guests faces at the time.  Therefore it's breakage was a loss which required grief in itself of a form.

My decision a year later after the death of my brother, to come to terms with my own grief for his passing, was exercised in a metaphorical sense by rebuilding my cherished garden gnome.  In this sense, I recognise that this rebuilding is a kind of letting go, and "moving on".

Having explained this to my course tutor.  He immediately understood his own feelings and identified with a metaphorical sense of loss which we all go through, and he recalled his own feelings towards a Russell Hobbs kettle he once owned, which broke and he was unable to replace.  (In no way are these metaphors belittling or sporting with the sense, the immense sense of grief and loss of a loved one, they are both metaphors and intended to be emotionally connective however).

An area of study the time may consider is the Japanese tradition of ceramic repair by the use of gold, where broken pottery is stuck together and cracks are filled with molten gold.  This is an illusion to the idea of the value of rebirth and rebuilding and I felt that was particularly poignant. (With a little bit more research I found that this was in fact a Chinese custom rather than Japanese, but the philosophy is still the same, in that it is the gold which represents the beauty of rebuilding and rebirth).

Other areas of study could be Cornelia Parker and her investigations into materiality, such as the exploded shed.
Image relationships have been studied extensively by Raymond Pettibon another useful source.

I will work towards a re-presenting and representing the garden gnome over the next week or two.

• My enquiry is focused on "what are the grieving people focusing upon."?
• There is no need to make my work obvious!
• I recognise that I should work around the fringe of a concept, around the edges, therefore, the good gnome is a matter for.

Another suggestion which disconnects the idea of dialogue to image and action are some of the film works by Quentin Tarantino, in which the dialogue itself rarely relates to the actual action being viewed on-screen.  This slightly offsets the position of the viewer and leads them into a kind of mystery.  This idea of leaving the gate slightly open, to put the viewer into a questioning phase or state is what we are searching for.

And finally, it was suggested that I could set myself up with the right approvals and authorisations to become an artist in residence…

An artist in residence in the lost property department of the town centre bus station!  

Whilst this suggestion seems ridiculous at first pass it genuinely has some credibility with regards to "things left behind", and I should explore this.