Maxine
Bristow
September
With the start of a new teaching year
fastly approaching and a back log of College work, I unfortunately
had to put the project work on hold and move out of the studio
back to my office. The second stage of my and Kyoko’s
period of working together was due to finish on the 5th of
September, but Kyoko decided that she would have to cancel
her travel plans and stay on in Chester in order to try and
finish her piece. So whilst I was in my office downstairs,
Kyoko continued to work in the studio upstairs. As we expected,
even with this additional time, her intention to complete
all of the work before she was to return to Japan was proving
to be ‘something of a tall order’. What soon became
apparent was that there would be very little time for anything
beyond work, as working days for Kyoko extended to working
evenings and then to working weekends. On the plus side, spending
so much time in the department, Kyoko soon developed a good
relationship with the College porters who seemed somewhat
bemused by her ‘saucy’ see through jeans!
In terms of my own work, having realised
small sections of each installation and now being able to
envisage what the work will look like, I think I have lulled
myself into a false sense of security, somehow convincing
myself that I have completed the work and everything is under
control.
I do not know how many multiples of the
light-switches and stitched conduits the gallery spaces will
accommodate, but when I really stop and think about what still
needs to be done and how I am now limited to the occasional
weekend, I realise that everything is far from under control!
There is also the small matter of the stitching for the barrier
piece. I have just finished one of the panels, and as I have
been keeping a record of where, when, and for how long, I
have been stitching, I now know that one panel takes approximately
30 hours to complete. On the basis of six-hour days, this
equates to a week of stitching, or on the basis of two hours
a day, three weeks of stitching; this in order to complete
just one panel, and I have three more to do! What I find interesting
is that even if I had a free week to spend stitching, I think
that I would find it difficult to apply myself to this kind
of work in the studio.
There is the monotony of stitching day
after day whilst the area stitched seems to grow so slowly,
then there are the practical and very real difficulties of
a neck problem which is made worse by prolonged periods of
stitching, but more than this, there is my mental attitude
of somehow still equating stitching of this nature with leisure
rather than work - something that you do in your spare time
whilst watching TV. As spare time is something that I do not
seem to have much of, I realise, however, that to rely on
this means of production, the work would never get completed!
Over the past month as Kyoko has worked
in the studio, it has been interesting to observe our different
characters and approaches to work. Whilst it is obvious that
we both have an incredible amount of work to do, it seems
to me that I am in a constant state of hyperactivity, running
around like a silly fool, always worrying about one thing
or another. Kyoko on the other hand always appears calm and
collected, steadfastly getting on with the job. I, along with
other members of staff, have commented on how the studio seems
to be an oasis of calm within the madness of the department,
and how we envy Kyoko’s seeming serenity. This having
been said, as the pressure has mounted over the last couple
weeks, we have joked together about how the two of us will
be found running around the College grounds, Kyoko in her
see through jeans and me with a bag over my head, both having
cracked under the strain!
The pressure of the looming deadline
reached a peak in the last week before Kyoko’s departure.
Kyoko was still trying to finish making the jeans yet there
were still big issues that needed addressing such as how they
were to be hung, what formation were they to be hung in, what
kind of area would they cover and how they would relate to
the ‘ventilation grill’ that I had made. How they
would be packed for transportation was also an issue preoccupying
Kyoko. We had ‘pencilled in’ the last day to try
and resolve these issues. As it was, I was called away to
attend to other matters so Kyoko went ahead and hung the jeans
and I joined her to act as a ‘sounding board, late in
the afternoon. At 9 o’clock in the evening we were still
in the studio as Kyoko was due to leave at 8 o’clock
the following morning! Although we were able to determine
the overall dimensions of the piece, what became apparent
was that all the pocket extensions would have to be made to
measure once the jeans had been installed, and it became clearly
evident that Kyoko would have to come back to the UK in January
in order to complete the work ‘in situ’. It was
good to get an idea though of how the piece would look. Kyoko’s
level of skill and standard of workmanship is to be commended,
particularly as this is a new method of working that she has
adopted specifically for the project. Every detail of the
original jeans has been copied exactly and in their organdie
versions they are truly beautiful. The jeans are in once sense
standard uniform, the one piece of clothing that crosses boundaries
and blurs cultural identity, and yet upon close scrutiny each
pair ‘speaks’ of the individual who once wore
them. As we had a little impromptu party in the studio to
mark Kyoko’s departure, other members of staff commented
on how stunning the jeans are going to look. There was also
unanimous opinion amongst the staff that Kyoko was great fun
and a pleasure to have around the department.
That evening Kyoko and I said our goodbyes
and I left her to gather her work together and pack ready
for an early departure. As I had our MA external examination
the following day I wasn’t going to be able I to take
Kyoko to the airport, so our technician had kindly volunteered.
He returned to College on the following morning having dropped
her off, and greatly amused us all with his report of how
they had passed a pleasant journey singing Beatles songs and
trying to teach Kyoko the finer nuances of ‘scouse’!
Writing this final journal summary and
Kyoko’s recent departure prompts me to reflect on our
time together, and the development of the project so far.
Though my role has been as a mentor, it was important to me
that we both saw the project as a partner relationship where
we both gained an insight into our individual working approaches.
At the outset Kyoko had expressed her intention to use my
work as a stimulus for the development of a new body of work,
yet I was conscious that this did not limit the final outcome
and that the resulting work furthered Kyoko’s own ideas
and working practice. What is interesting to observe, is though
the work produced as a result of our time together in one
sense is very different, we have also recognised that there
are also many points of similarity: in our strategies of repetition,
in our re-examination of the functional object, in our concern
for detail and a quiet presence, and in our intervention with
space. What has also emerged is a working rationale in our
joint exploration of the relationship of the body and space,
an interest in those aspects that mark a point of transition
between the public and private and in the idea of permeable
or shifting boundaries.
It has been a privilege to work with
Kyoko and I have many fond memories of our time together,
not to mention a wonderful memento in the form of a Kimono
that Kyoko had made for me as a gift and which I now look
at as it lies beautifully wrapped on the table behind me.
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Kyoko Nitta
- September
From the beginning, I know that I would
have to leave here one day. I have to hand over the space
where I have been working, back to the students after the
holiday. It is good timing. I know it. Nevertheless, it is
so hard to leave the place where I have lived for a certain
period once. I have to say goodbye to the people I have met
here. Above all, I will not be able to see my dearest partner
Maxine until next year.
I have had to divide my residency here
into two because of my work schedule in Japan. This is the
second half and was strictly for making the work, but I have
a secret desire to dress as many people as possible in Kimono.
I did this first when I went to China as an exchange student.
I brought Yukata (cotton Kimono) and put it on many Chinese
people, I just loved to do this. Since then I have been thinking
that this would be the best way for me to introduce Japanese
culture abroad. I want foreigners to be aware that Kimono
still plays an active role in modern Japanese society. In
addition, I want to introduce the advantage of garments that
have many pockets such as sleeves and belts. Another advantage
of Kimono is that the garment fits anyone, there is no size,
therefore I can put the same Kimono onto many people. In August
I hardly say anyone at the school but in September the staff
came back to work.
Suddenly my Kimono became popular. I
put it on eight people and I asked them to wear it for as
long as they could. Some of them were very surprised by the
fact that the garment restricts the movement of the body so
that they could not carry on walking in the usual way. In
addition, there are many layers involved in each Kimono, even
the belt has a length that would be enough to go around twice.
People were fascinated by the quality of the Kimono fabric.
Everyone seemed to enjoy it and they all looked well in the
garment.
Maxine and I went out once to the racetrack
in Chester, both of us were wearing Kimono. Afterwards, we
did window-shopping and went to visit a pub. We spent 10 hours
altogether wearing Kimono. We enjoyed the comments from passers-by.
As for the making, it went very slowly.
I was dealing with some incredibly delicate materials for
the first time. In the end, I spent many evenings and weekends
in the studio. My initial plan was to complete making the
work by the end of the summer holiday. However, now it is
inevitable that I will have to continue making after I go
back to Japan.
The conversation with Maxine has inspired
me for my next work. I am thinking about continuing this series
of ‘Jeans-Pocket’. During this period I have been
a ‘trainee’ for the first time since I left school.
Maxine has guided me. It was a straight path to follow, full
of bright aspects for the future. I want to be able to do
the same when I am standing in the same position as Maxine.
I would like to thank Chester College
of Higher Education for making my residency well worthwhile.
Most important, I would like to thank
my mentor artist Maxine. Let us make wonderful work!
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