bloglilyjoyce

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REPOST FROM MARIA - making the tray 

The frame for ‘Practicing empathy’ with the canvas stretched, in the workshop. Bottom pics of the tray after i carved the first few holes. 

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REPOST FROM MARIA 

Test of frame with canvas, not properly stretched. This is before we sanded it too. 

[bloglilyjoyce]

First work handed in, in fine arts vs. final work of my degree. I’m getting sentimental over how far I’ve come. In the first work I see a girl struggling to deal with her emotions. Finding a way out through art. It’s messy, it’s bad and it’s trying. I love it. My last work is this but resolved. I’m getting some where. I’ve come so far in art and out of art. I’m so proud of myself. Here’s to keeping going and all that. 

I’ve always been a performance artist, I’ve always cared about process, I’ve always wanted to heal through art.

[bloglilyjoyce]

Like Maria has already said...

There is so, so much I could and would like to write about Practicing Empathy. I imagine in time to come, I will write more, but the work is finished for now. What I have said may help as context, and what I haven’t said is for Maria and I to hold close. 

For me, Practicing Empathy has been sitting with me in smaller parts for years. It is a summation of my practice thus far, and a summation of the healing I have been doing thus far too. I feel so lucky to have shared this time with Maria: making and being. Admittedly, I am looking forward to some solo work, but also to more collaboration.

[bloglilyjoyce]

Another thing about collaboration... Mirroring Empathy is not made to be seen as half my work and half Maria’s, or at least not with a clear divide. It is a space in which we created to be for both of us. It is odd to be separating what she did and what i did because even if I technically elected for this task or that task or vice versa, we always came together anyway. In some spaces I’ve let you know, and others I haven’t. I hope you can accept this while marking. This work was collaborative, and should be marked as such. 

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The final handout, a collaborative effort in writing and designing, but made officially by me. 

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[a conversation about what would be written on the handout]

The thing about collaboration is that every miniscule detail has to be discussed, especially when working the way Maria and I do. Although I elected to be incharge of writing out our work on our handout, it still took multiple back and forths of writing between each other to get it exactly right. This was the same for every part of Practicing Empathy. It truly did make us Practice Empathy every part of the way. Sometimes we failed, but we always got there. I feel our friendship strained and strengthened in the process. 

It was a relief to actually perform practicing empathy at Lyall Bay and Mount Victoria. The act of drawing together but the space for us in the middle acting as bridge. It was to let go of all communication to communicate through action and practice. A beautiful embrace. I will remember these times fondly. 

[bloglilyjoyce]

Two final photographs chosen, unedited. PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHYNA-LILY RAWLINSON. 

I loved working with Chyna. I’ve been wanting to collaborate/ work alongside Chyna for a long time. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. Chyna used film photography to capture Maria and I in our two chosen spaces, Lyall Bay and Mount Victoria. She did an amazing job. She went above and beyond what I personally envisioned, and I couldn’t be happier. I hope to collaborate further with her in the future.

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REPOSTED FROM MARIA - our handouts. 

Hand cutting the hand outs for ‘Practicing Empathy’. We printed four A5 size prints onto one A3 page using the Riso printer.

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REPOSTED FROM MARIA, 

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

<3 

There’s so much that I could say about this project...

The more time that I spent making and installing ‘Practicing Empathy’ the more I could enjoy the small details which helped to bring it all together. 

It’s things like every aspect of the project needed two people to do. From printing, installing, choosing where things would go, carrying the frame around, what type of nails we would use, stretching the fabric over the frame, making the shelf for the handouts, cleaning and painting our space. 

I feel our project really exhibits how it feels to create work with a close friend. When I think about the relationship I have with Lily, everything makes sense, works out, and fits together nicely. Our relationship and the project ‘Practicing Empathy’ feel one in the same. 

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the top two, chosen prints. Bottom two, the hero images for exposure.

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Photographs of final install for exposure. Practicing Empathy, 2020. 

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Pollock

https://www.artspace.com/magazine/news_events/art-bytes/art-bytes-pollock-namuth-film-53056

[bloglilyjoyce]

The book I’m reading rn

Ideas are always better before they’re realized. When they’re half baked, heart shape thoughts. They’re always perfect before you really know. Like dreams. 

Ideas are always better before they happen, and afterward. I get overwhelmed when I’m having too good of a time. It’s always better to look forward to things, or to look back on them fondly. 

Dolly Alderton, Ghosts. (average book, good thick description)

[bloglilyjoyce]

John Vea - performance artist recommended by Julieanna Preston

http://www.4a.com.au/john-vea/

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Thoughts while walking to school 💓

[bloglilyjoyce]

Although knowing what I know now, I left most of my knowledge of Weil to be found out after the performance of ‘Write it out’. I wanted to be able to draw from her only what made sense to me. I didn’t want it to be clouded by biography, by details which would change my mind. I know now that Weil wished not to be remembered not for her, but for her ideas (waiting on truth), so I suppose in some ways, I have respected this wish. For this reason I chose not to let you know much about her either. 

She was a French philosopher. She believed in god. She wrote a lot and she spent her life focused on self-betterment. She delved into learning, teaching and most interestingly, labouring, despite her privileged upbringing. She felt pain deeper than I could ever know, but never let it stop her. For all these reasons I admire her deeply, and aspire to follow her in her attempts at perceived perfection. I attempted to do so in this performance, and failed. I take this with grounding and a lesson.