show and write

with spring just around the corner, and the last of my exhibitions coming to an end (until april kicks off a new series of shows), i can turn my full attention to my phd.

a two-pronged attack is required:
1. thesis writing
2. exhibition planning

the thesis is the main focus for now as it has to be submitted by january 4, which gives me 4 months. the guideline is 20 - 30k words, so assuming i max out at 30k, my writing schedule should be about 7500 words a month, or about 1800 words a week. i have about 40k worth of notes, so i should be ok.

the exhibition was going to be a garden of plants trading on the stock market, but it was brought to my attention that a swedish artist made an artwork called Yucca Invest Trading Plant that hooked a yucca plant up to the stock market back in 1999.

Ola Pehrson, Yucca Invest Trading Plant, 1999

so i'm rethinking my approach. my idea was different enough to warrant pursuing it, but other technical limitations are also making it a less and less attractive proposition at the moment. 

in the spirit of keeping my options open i am still looking at exhibition ideas. i stumbled on this today and liked it a lot. it stirred ideas and reiterates my focus on the system synthesis:

A Negative Garden of Eden

the idea of a network of plants coupled with a cultural network is the driving energy of my intention.

but i must thrust my attention into my writing now, some of which will i'll be placing in here as a way or airing ideas and trying out writing style, clarity of voice etc etc.