review, rethink, reboot

yesterday i went to plead my case for an upgrade of my postgrad - from mfa to phd. a rather nerve-wracking process, but the unexpected positive side of the experience was the chance to collate my art from the last 18 months and review it as a collective body of work. it brought into sharper relief some of the themes running through my work as well as some of the weaknesses with it. of course, the feedback provided by the professors after my presentation also assisted with this process and as a result, i find myself refreshed and reinvigorated. 

 Rhythm Code 2009

Plane of Composition 2010

 HigherBreeds 2010

it was especially interesting to reconsider the conceptual premise i had been assuming was underpinning my work, after some of the feedback. 

where i go from here, will of course depend partly on whether i am granted the opportunity to extend my research into a phd, but i am feeling that i have been granted an opportunity to rethink the underlying impetus of my work. for example, it is more apparent now that i am only dealing with 'nature' in a very cursory sort of way. it feels perhaps more reflective of my practice to argue that i am dealing with networks. networks that incorporate some elements of a mediated nature perhaps, but the treatment of 'nature' in my work is not at the forefront of its operations as much as i had been thinking it was. whether i push it more into this realm, for example by injecting more of a natural focus, i need to reflect on some more. perhaps my interest does in fact lie with networks, and 'nature' is merely an aspect of thinking about networks and it is this approach that is more in-keeping with my creativity.

i do know that this particular body of work has been a very productive period for me and provides me with a jumping off point to aspire to a stronger and more refined creative output. the desire to step up my game and make better work is ever present.