Week Fifty-Six | Video Feedback

My miro board - https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVI1X5LT4=/

I have struggled a bit with this mode of feedback but at this point I am happy to just share the work and gain better understanding of each other’s process. I foolishly allowed myself to become irritated about one or two somewhat personal remarks, which were a bit cowardly, left anonymously, so there is no way to own the feedback (although it seems I am not the only person able to immediately spot who it came from) and I question the ethics of the anonymous participation in such an exercise. The remark was about inherent privilege of which I may not be aware, or suggested that I may not have considered privilege in my work. I choose not to respond to this at length here but I am reassured from others that the comment says more about Anonymous than it says about me. The corollary of which would be to ask in return whether a person’s body of work speaks to an inherent lack of opportunity would be an appropriate question, which it obviously never would be. I remain open minded to the possibility that there was a helpful intention behind the feedback but I suspect, given this student’s previous remarks along similar lines, it was intentionally pointed.

One comment was intriguing, around ‘resisting the static’ and I asked in the chat who wrote it so I could ask what it meant and the response was really interesting and insightful, I would have loved to have had more than a sound bite in the chat about this student’s perspective - screenshot below. I also misinterpreted Tom’s response, as the post-it notes don’t really provide the opportunity for wider discussion or elaboration and I only knew it was Tom as he offered an explanation separately. It was the one about how my work might be preserved/documented and I thought it was someone who hadn’t appreciated the work goes back into the compost. He actually meant how might the work - being as ephemeral as it is - be captured or how might it leave more of a trace, which is of course a very good question. We had conversations afterwards about it and I am grateful for the invitation to think about permanence.

I don’t feel the comments have been particularly useful, although I have been asking for a lively discussion around my work since day one, so I suppose this is better than nothing. There were many kind comments and lots of wonderful encouragement, which I hugely appreciated. I have loved others’ videos on the whole, Lucy’s was the jewel in the crown for me, her work and gentle, unassuming manner hit the nail so beautifully on the head. I was impressed by Karen’s and her technical mastery shone through, imaginative and ambiguous, I felt it all in my organs and in the blood rushing through my head as I watched. I liked how Daniel has broken out of his clearly expert field of photography and expanded his horizons, which can’t have felt comfortable. I love how Catherine circumvents her discomfort around talking about her work by finding a format that of course works brilliantly alongside her creativity. I can watch Inna dance all day. I found Dee’s video disorientating, captivating and masterful in its orchestration, a definitive yin to my yang, two art practices so different I can only be grateful for the polarity, as it places us both and in doing so makes us each more ourselves than before. I’ve no doubt forgotten some and there are more to come and I look forward to seeing every one. I will make lots of effort to engage really, really carefully with these little yellow verdicts to say something that might be of some use.

This makes me feel good.

This person really understands my work, which feels good

Something I am considering a lot at the moment! Probably the final show will be clumsy but a first attempt at installation.

Yes this is absolutely the next natural step - I am doing a residency later this year on exactly this.

This gets the prize for the crappiest comment in history. And I bet I know who wrote it!

Yes, 5 minutes didn't feel enough, or maybe I am not editing sufficiently.

This is an excellent reminder. The tools and materials have become so obvious to me I had forgotten people might find that part of the process interesting.

I've either not been clear or this person wasn't really listening. The work isn't and will never be archival! It all goes straight back into the compost.

Interesting question, theoretical, I don't think I would have ever made this work outside of a rural place. Will consider and revisit

I could definitely push this further - I did try various squashes etc but found the cabbage most interesting. I will return to this comment.

I like this comment - I will make note separately.

I love this comment, I feel like the work is clear to this person and I agree it's not white cube.

I am not really sure what to make of this one, my work is about empathetic encounters, I suppose I hadn't considered how to frame the work when there isn't much empathy.

The process is satisfying to watch, I will make more process videos.

Yes, the video is too quick, I had too much I wanted to include. As time goes on I hope to edit better.

The video is entirely process so I can see how this is an unanswered question.

This is kind. I struggle with my voice so this is appreciated.

I feel like I am pushing this as far as I have capacity at the moment. Perhaps I will look back and see there's more.

I definitely feel paint is relevant to me, it is central. I wish I could talk about this with you.

Absolutely! Stupid instagram means I filed in portrait to post stories. Should have done it landscape!

Yes I see fragility too.

This feels bitchy, maybe not meant to be. I have worked so hard to overhaul my practice. The person who wrote this struggles themselves with something in my practice.

Yes, I can see more finished, paper work being useful for viewers.

YES PLEASE I hate making videos! I would love a clean version by someone with a clue about video editing.

Interesting, I wish I knew who wrote this so I could ask them about it. I will think hard

Totally fair - I wanted to say so much and should have cut it down to make it slower rather than race through so much.

This is a valid question and obvious to me but not to the wider world. Ecological grief is clearer, I don't yet know how much of my own sense of grief I am willing to share.

I love this, I love gardening and the smells. I love this

I think its entirely experimental, not just an element. The process is important but not everything.

Another one I can't really respond to. It's more than the process, which I would hope is obvious but I don't know what this is asking.

Below was Holly’s insightful and appreciated comment, as this is something I think about a lot. It seems to be a read work so quickly and elegantly. I would have loved more opportunity to discuss but it was enough to trigger more thoughts, for which I am very grateful.