Having worked with Colin in previous modules I felt it would be useful to gain some insight regarding the current status of my project and in receiving feedback we discussed a number of issues.

Artist statement, Colin felt that my statement wasn’t powerful enough and encouraged me to think about why i’m making the work. He noted that my words shifted from from personal observation to the use of hindsight. He then suggested that this weakens the work and my words need further clarity before challenging me to think about whether the male mental health theme is rooted in the present or the past? Is it because of the way the world is now, or is it because of the way the world was? This represented a really useful entry point to rethink my statement and plot how it might sound when editing further.

When reviewing the work his words fed in to a similar theme as others when they suggested that the portraits were strong. In terms of the symbolic work he made a number of observations with mixed feelings. In conclusion about this, the main theme of his thoughts were that some of the work needed more of a sense of spectacle in order to align the working class vernacular with the theme of mental health.

Finally, Colin’s response to the written testimony was consider how they sit within a broader story and challenge me to see how they fit within a hierarchical story. This perhaps being the biggest challenge I anticipate resolving.

Key themes to consider:

Artist statement

Symbolic work

Use of written testimony.