New media drawing

My first Kindle Fire drawing

I decided to give new media a chance and create my own 'drawing' on my Kindle Fire. 

Having researched David Hockney's ipad creations I felt inspired to create a new media image of my own to see how it feels to paint on a device rather than using art materials. It felt surprisingly refreshing to make artwork on a kindle. I felt like I was playing rather than making and serious art, which felt, playful and fun. I enjoyed how mark making was more primal than I imagined it would be. I felt connected with what I was doing which was a surprise as I mentioned before I thought this new process would loose something from using traditional paints, however, I felt very much attune to the marks, forgetting I was even using my Kindle.

I felt a lot of freedom when making this image although this is usually how I feel when presented with a blank sheet of paper and paints. I am used to making larger scale work so I did feel limited in what I could make when drawing on a 7inch screen. Overall I was impressed with the results of the kindle! The disadvantage for me personally was that I feel like the artwork was not entirely created by me. I feel ownership has partly shifted bearing in mind the brain of the Kindle made it.

I want to use my Kindle in a therapeutic situation but feel it is unsuitable for my current placement in a primary school however I may use it personally in my training group. I want to feel what it’s like to use new media in this context in order to consider it in a real therapeutic setting.

One last addition... I must mention the magical feeling I experienced when finishing the image then emailing it via my Kindle to my Hotmail address then downloading it to my laptop. I am comfortable with modern technology however this did leave me feeling very satisfied with the ease of connecting these devices.

Andrew Marr on art as healing

'Knowing I was able to draw made me realise I was going to be OK': How art aided Andrew Marr's recovery

(Published: 22:00, 5 October 2013)

Marr's drawing after he suffered a stroke 'Leaning to walk' (2013) dailymail.co.uk

 

I read Andrew Marr's article on the Daily Mail website about his experiences with art making after suffering a near death stroke. His speaks of his experience with mark making and how this helped his recovery, which I found very inspiring. It gave me a sense of hopefulness in art as therapy in a very real situation. As I’ve only begun one of my placement days I am yet to experience my own therapeutic experiences therefore I am relying on the experiences of others at this moment.

I have chosen this particular image from the article as it shows his innate vulnerability as he makes his recovery. The marks show instability, exposing him as he re learns to walk. I notice how the legs that we rely on to be stable and strong are shown here by Marr to be small and thin in comparison to the rest of the body. The figure in red, said to represent Marr looks top heavy, looking like it cannot physically stand no matter how hard it tries. The figure appears to be held by the bodiless hand from the left hand side of the image, I notice the hand looks unrealistically large for the red figure. The hand, which I assume is guiding Marr, too looks unstable and weak, unable to stabalise the damaged figure. This is heightened by Marr (2013) ‘I felt very vulnerable and quite scared. Drawing my vulnerability helped… I’m the object in red, at the centre… wobbling’.

Reading about Marr’s recovery from a stroke inspires me as a trainee art therapist that I can make a difference and that art can be such a powerful source.

Bibliography

Marr, A (2013) "'Knowing I was able to draw made me realise I was going to be OK': How art aided Andrew Marr's recovery" Daily mail [online] available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2442555/BBCs-Andrew-Marr-Knowing-I-able-draw-realise-I-going-OK.html#ixzz2p3JgbnZv [Accessed 30 December 2013]

Images

Marr's post stroke drawing 'Leaning to walk' (2013) [image online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2442555/BBCs-Andrew-Marr-Knowing-I-able-draw-realise-I-going-OK.html#ixzz2p3JgbnZv [Accessed 30 December 2013]

Art therapy, new media and working with young people

Having still not heard from my second placement, I await with anticipation. There are significant disadvantages in waiting a long time for my placement to start for one I am filled with ideas on what it could be like without having any realistic experience in what it will necessarily be like.

I am very much interested in new media at the moment specifically David Hockney’s exhibition named, ‘me draw on ipad’ in Copenhagen and his exhibition in San Francisco.  At first I was quite against the idea of using an ipad to paint as I thought this would take away from the important physical process of painting but the more I reflect on it the more I want to try this out myself. Hockney has used a combination of using his fingers and stylus when creating his ipad paintings. I have researched into Hockney’s ipad exhibitions but I am yet to find anything where he comments on the process of ipad drawing in comparison to oil painting for example. I am interested in the differences here for Hockney considering painting or drawing is such a physical journey for me as an artist I feel without feeling the paint or feeling the pressure of the lead on paper an element must be missing. I must try it for myself although I do not have an ipad I will try a similar app on my kindle fire, this way I can test out my preconceptions.

Fig 1. David Hockney Installation view of the iPad (2011) http://www.designboom.com/art/david-hockney-me-draw-on-ipad/

Fig 2. 12 foot high views of Yosemite National Park by David Hockney in San Francisco exhibition. (2013)
 http://www.toledoblade.com/Technology/2013/10/30/iPad-artwork-on-display-in-major-sweeping-David-Hockney-exhibit.html

I have also thought about using new media in a therapeutic context. As I am anticipating work within a secondary school this seems like a logical idea. I know from the visiting art therapist lectures at University that teenagers are less willing to engage in art making in comparison to younger children. I immediately thought of using an ipad for instance if drawing with a pencil and paper might deem too daunting, too permanent. The beauty of the ipad is that the marks can be deleted instantly, freeing up any anxiety of not feeling good enough to draw. This however has it’s own complications. Perhaps making it easier in this way for young people (or any age) negates the point of therapy? Maybe they need to get over not feeling good enough by using the art materials rather than going for the easier option of an ipad. 

But I also feel using an ipad is a move in technology which one as a trainee art therapist cannot ignore when working with young people. New media is used currently in teaching so why not use it in therapy?

I will research working with new media in art therapy and if this has been done before. I'm curious to find out whether this changes work as an art therapist because they are not using conventional art materials and what this means for the profession. I found an online book where Malchiodi speaks of using digital art therapy with hospitalised children, she wrote an encouraging line, 'Art therapists, play therapists, and other health care professionals who work with children in hospitals or medica settings are already applying various forms of digital media in their sessions.' (Malchiodi 2013:106)

To be continued...

Bibliography
Malchiodi, C. A (2013) Art Therapy and Health Care. [online] The Guilford Press: New York
Available at http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IktwddZWp4MC&oi=fnd&pg=PA106&dq=art+therapy+ipad&ots=UOisY9P9H-&sig=vx8NPMvmt9JI-G-Y_q_oppd-siQ#v=onepage&q=art%20therapy%20ipad&f=false [Accessed 30 December 2013] 
Mendoza, M (2013) 'David Hockney exhibit highlights iPad art'. mydesert. [online] Available at: http://www.mydesert.com/viewart/20131228/LIFESTYLES0104/312280031/David-Hockney-exhibit-highlights-iPad-art [Accessed 30 December 2013]

O'Brien, C (2013) 'How the iPhone and iPad transformed the art of David Hockney'. Los Angeles Times. [online] http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-how-the-iphone-and-ipad-transformed-the-art-of-david-hockney-20131024,0,1766325.story#axzz2j9gk9VFG [Accessed 30 December 2013]

Images

Fig 1. David Hockney Installation view of the iPad (2011), (2013) [Image online] Available at: http://www.designboom.com/art/david-hockney-me-draw-on-ipad/ [Accessed 30 December 2013]  

Fig 2. 12 foot high views of Yosemite National Park by David Hockney in San Francisco exhibition (2013) [Image online] Available at: http://www.toledoblade.com/Technology/2013/10/30/iPad-artwork-on-display-in-major-sweeping-David-Hockney-exhibit.html [Accessed 30 December 2013]

Billion euro home

Fig 2. Buckley sitting on toilet in 'Billion euro house' (2012) http://www.ibtimes.com

Artist Frank Buckley has transformed a home into an art installation in its own right by using 1.4 billion euros worth of notes to make bricks! I like the ambition of the project coupled with the fact the artist is unemployed adds to the perfection of his exploration on the value of money. This further more questions my current questioning of ‘what is money worth?’ My paper making has taken a back seat at the moment whilst I wait for other countries to respond to my emails but looking at Buckley’s ‘Billion Euro House’ has really inspired my work with money. Maybe I'll start small scale and start building a shed!

Fig 1. Euro bricks of the 'Billion euro house' (2012) http://www.ibtimes.com

Buckley uses an abandoned office building, enhancing the issue of value and worth. He says, ‘People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing… I wanted to create something from nothing.’ (tehpardox forum, 2012).

I  enjoy how Buckley has created a website dedicated to publicising the billion euro house. It looks almost like a newspaper website. Or a website to make the most money out of the house as possible, says the cynic in me. Maybe if I ever start building a shed I'll dedicate a website to that too in homage to Buckley!

I have recently purchased a great new book (Standard catalog of world paper money), containing images of bank notes throughout the world and is truly inspiring, it's made me think more about money in terms of decoration and imagery. I have since considered making my own notes, as I am engrossed in researching about them. It makes me question, ‘who designs such notes?’ I have spent hours searching through this directory viewing other cultures decoration interests me greatly.

I feel like I've got so many ideas but not enough time to do it all!

Bibliography

Billion euro house (2013) Billion euro house [online] Available at: http://billioneurohouse.com/ [Accessed 29 December 2013]

Cuhaj, G. S (2010) Standard catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues 1961- Present. America: Krause publications.

Tehparadox (2012) [online] Available at: http://tehparadox.com/forum/f11/irishman-builds-billion-euro-home-3833722/ [Accessed 29 December 2013]

Images

Fig 1. Euro bricks (2012), (2013) [Image online] Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/irish-artist-builds-home-out-14-billion-shredded-euros-photos-553873 [Accessed 29 December 2013]

Fig 2. Buckley sitting on toilet of billion euro home (2012), (2013) [Image online] Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/irish-artist-builds-home-out-14-billion-shredded-euros-photos-553873 [Accessed 29 December 2013]

Complications of working within a school

Even upon my first couple of weeks in working within an education facility there have been some problems with communication between staff and me as a trainee therapist.

Firstly, I organised an observation of the child who was going to be in therapy with me only to find out the night before that the child would be on a school trip. I found this strange because I like to be organised. Having spoken directly to the teacher about the observation I figured it was 100% going to happen but this was not to be true.

Meaning, that our first therapy session will be put off another week which disappointed me as I’ve had to wait what seems like a long time to begin my placement.

Secondly, a lady who needed him for 1:1 time for an academic reason called out a child from my creative group. Explaining her day of work has changed, meaning said child might not be able to be in my group anymore.

We have had many lectures about sitting with the ‘unknown’; I feel this is something I need to get used to in regards to my placement. At the moment I want it to be organised but I have, so far, learnt this may not always be the case when dealing with many different people where communication is not always easily fulfilled.

Breaks in the therapeutic relationship

It's been a while since my last post because I've had and still have tonsillitis. I had to call in sick to my placement which I didn't want to do as I didn’t want to let down the group I lead or the individual time I also do. Even though I haven’t started therapy yet calling in sick made me very guilty, since I didn’t want to disappoint the children especially if they need to talk to an adult before the Christmas period. This led me to contemplate the complications of breaks in the therapeutic relationship.

How does this impact the child?

Does the child feel abandoned during this time?

If I feel guilty in leaving non-therapeutic experiences at the School this makes me question how I’ll feel to the contrary.

Hierarchy within a school

I've been thinking a lot about working with children in art therapy as this will be my client group however I am yet to begin my placement properly. I have started there but I haven't started working therapeutically. This is a frustration within my placement as it was organised late, another element which is out of my control. On the positive side it has enabled me to do more research on working with children before I do so and has also given me more time in working on my personal art practice. The negative side to not really beginning my placement is that I cannot write about any experiences here and I fear this will disadvantage me but I guess I can only write my thoughts on this.

After having my first full day on placement I already got ‘told off’ by a teacher as I let the children in my creative (non therapy) group wear a few stickers on their uniform. The teacher said if they are going to take stickers out they can but if they could them in a book instead that would be better. This made me feel like a child in the school where there is an obvious hierarchy. I don’t know where I as a trainee therapist sit within this hierarchy. It feels like I’m not a teacher so I’m a child but of course I don’t want to get trapped into this way of thinking but if I’m truly honest this is how I felt when that teacher spoke to me. I feel on the outside at the moment but I hope this changes as time goes on. I am aware that my experiences on placement will bring up memories for me from my childhood. In this case being 'told off' by that teacher made me feel like I was back at Primary School, bringing back feelings of insecurity and not belonging. I do feel like I don't belong at the school but I know this is because it is only early days. This makes me consider my schooling, friendship groups and how I usually stay on the outside looking in, I'm finding through writing this blog that I am definitely more of an observer... again something I will take to personal therapy.

I read a book about art therapists settling into the school environment, which is of high value to me. The author Moriya (2000) explains how therapists must fit into the framework of the school in order to succeed. I will take advice from her and try to connect more with the teachers and other staff in the school.

Working as an art therapist in education interests me greatly as I know this is currently a growing employment area for therapists.

Bibliography

Moriya, D (2000) Art Therapy in Schools: Effective integration of art therapists in schools. Israel: Turbo

Channel 4's documentry series 'Bedlam'

South London and Maudsley NHS trust recently allowed Channel 4 to film the happenings in their services. According to an article in The Guardian by Martin Baggaley, the purpose for the documentary was to 'show people what really happens here, as preconceptions about mental health care are often based on myth and misunderstanding.' (Baggaley 2013)

My initial reaction to the four part series was that of delight. How fantastic to get an insight into these otherwise secretive psychiatric wards! The general public need to know the affects of mental health, however, the more I began to reflect upon the series I feel Channel 4 have an agenda here.

What is their agenda? What is Channel 4 trying to convey to the audience?

It is after all a television series, which is there to provide entertainment and to bring in viewers. Questions of ethics soon entered my mind. Is it ethical to film people who are extremely vulnerable? I’m not sure if I have an answer to this question. I feel hypocritical thinking this as I personally enjoyed the series very much and felt this peek into the NHS is great for me as a trainee therapist. Although, confidentiality and ethics plays a huge part in my life as a trainee so I cannot help but question the ethics of the filmmakers.

These vulnerable people are clearly not in their healthy, right frame of mind otherwise they wouldn’t be there in the first place. So how can these patients possibly give consent to the production of filming? This makes me think about this idea in relation to consent in art therapy. More specifically relating this to working with children as this is my current client group. How can children really know what they are letting themselves in for when their parents allow the therapeutic process? Do the parents ever truly know?

I wonder about this because I’m about to meet my first client next week who doesn’t necessarily know he is going to be in art therapy. This raises many considerations on how I’m going to explain the therapeutic process to him, as he is very young. I hope proper explanation has been provided to the parents/guardians. These are all very real issues that lie within art therapy at school.

Bibliography

Baggaley, M (2013) 'Why we let Channel 4 film the series Bedlam in our mental health wards'. The Guardian [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/channel-4-film-bedlam-mental-health-wards [Accessed 11 December 2013]

Bedlam (2013) Channel 4, 31 October. 9pm

Channel 4 (2013) I didn't mean it Bedlam (Ep2) Channel 4 [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_jOgSRaUsc [Accessed 11 December 2013]

The collective unconscious- 26/11/13

(*attention* This post should have been published shortly after the 26/11/13 however there was a technical error where it was saved as a draft rather than published)

I have been thinking about the collective unconscious as this evolved from a training group we had. Unfortunately due to the confidentiality of the group I cannot post other people's images here so I will only speak of the group from my experience1 because of this.

My image from the training group (26/11/13)

Once the session began I felt feelings of frustration at the fragmentation of the group. I started art making by layering blue tissue paper and painting on top. As usual in these groups I began not knowing what I was going to make, I want to make the art making experience as spontaneous as possible. The entire group except me faced the walls on this occasion, leaving me sitting on the floor, which was fine with me. When it was time to bring our work to the centre of the circle there was a gasp as two others and me artwork looked extremely similar. I was absolutely astonished at this! I was shocked at how this happened because everyone was faced away and I was engrossed in my own thoughts.

Training session reflection

This training group made me feel lonely and isolated especially since I was on my own on the floor whilst everyone else worked on tables facing the wall. I wanted to bring the group together somehow but felt unable to do so which then left me feeling helpless within the group. I am wondering how this translates to a real therapy group. I wonder how it must feel to be the therapist in this situation?

Being part of this group definitely evokes feelings for me that are not always reflected in words, this gives me a wealth of information relating to group dynamics and how it feels to be in an art therapy group from the perspective of the client.

Collective unconscious
How did the three of us end up making extraordinarily similar images when there was no way we were able to see each others art? I am interested in how this works as the facilitator in the training group said this sort of phenomena was not uncommon within art therapy groups. I have since researched the collective unconscious within the art therapy group and have found a lack of research in this area. I did however find a great article in the British association of art therapists by Francesca La Nave called 'Image: Reflections on the treatment of images and dreams in art psychotherapy groups' where La Nave explains the complexities of the shared experience in group therapy. She comments on the, 'parallel narratives interplaying with the shared reflection of the group in ways which are not definitively verbal, non- verbal, or visual but rather meta-verbal and meta-visual.' (La Nave, 2010 p.16) . She is highlighting the complexities of experiences within the group.

How and why does this happen?
I feel like I tapped into this 'collective unconscious' (Trans4mind, 2007) within the training group because I was feeling particularly lonely and quite lost within the group that I somehow drew from others experiences here too. Resulting in similar feelings between us which in turn made us produce similar images. It was as though we could not communicate through speech as this was too difficult but the art knew how to communicate for us.
It was a very strange experience indeed and something to bare in mind when I eventually begin my placement.

Bibliography

 Collective Unconscious (2007) Trans4mind [online] Available at: http://www.trans4mind.com/jamesharveystout/coll-unc.htm [Accessed 26 November 2013]

La Nave, F (2010) 'Image: Reflections on the treatment of images and dreams in art psychotherapy groups', International Journal of Art Therapy: Formerly Inscape, [online] 15:1, pp. 13-24. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17454831003752378 [Accessed 26 November 2013]

The Citi Money Gallery at The British Museum

Money gallery in the British Museum

Visiting the British museum in order to see their money gallery was a unique experience in that it was strange to see money behind glass. It was like it was a work of art! Protected from grubby hands in order to keep its pristine condition. The barrier of money, worth and value appear blurred I feel like everything I have learnt socially about money and value changes throughout this project.

Money in society today has utmost value. It’s something almost everyone longs for in life however when it came to getting my hands on out of circulation notes, well, this was easy. They gave it away for free! This led me to believing that money has a value one moment and none the next. Of course it has a shelf life but they money in the museum is out of circulation too. What is the difference between this ‘old’ money and my ‘old’ money? Well, there shouldn’t be but there is. The money in the museum is very old therefore more valued than my disused notes. All of this gives me conflicting views of money and its worth. I know ultimately an object whether it be money or a glass has value of whom ever values it most but I struggle with these conflicting concepts on currency. Can my paper I make go in a museum one day when it is deemed old enough?

The British museum also have an interesting blog focused on MONEY!

This visit has made me contemplate value not only in money but in people too. If a person does not feel valued by themselves this doesn't mean I will not value them as a person. Vulnerable people often feel a lack of value, a sense of worthlessness. My thoughts on money has helped me to think about value in a therapeutic situation, I hope I can help a person from feeling worthless.

I’m reflecting on the idea of worth and why I’m adding value to notes, which lack just that. Is my longing to heal vulnerable people using art therapy seeping into my art practice?

To answer this question, yes, I think it might just be...

Money gallery in the British Museum (2011), (2013) [image online] Available at: http://bmtrainingprog.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/the-money-gallery-project/ [Accessed on 7 December 2013]

Working with organisations

Starting my placement has become confusing and difficult. Prior to starting the course I thought it would be easy as the placement is coordinated by the University but it is proving difficult. I feel like I have to jump through lots of hoops to get placed somewhere. It’s somewhat tricky because I’m not the person who is organising it but I do feel  quite alone and caught up in the bureaucracy of the organisation. Other people on the course have only had to meet their supplied supervisor, on their placement with them, and introduced to their placement leader, then starting. But with me I feel I’m caught up within a large, unorganised organisation.

I was told once I arrived at the school that I thought I was going to be at for 2 days a week that the team leader can only have me for one day which I was surprised at as she said the placement coordinator told her but failed to tell me. I feel like everyone’s talking about me and my placement but the information is failing to get to me.
 It’s an anxious place to be put in considering I should have anxieties about the art therapy part of the placement but at the moment my anxieties lye within the organisational process, with meeting team leaders, realising I’ll be on two placements instead of one, adapting to new buildings and people etc. It’s a frightening prospect. I am very much itching to start, itching to get settled in to the schools. On the plus side I can take away these sorts of uneasy feelings, remembering what it’s like to be in new situations for when I do start the therapy sessions I can understand just what it’s like to be somewhere new, in a an unfamiliar setting, with a total stranger and expect to settle in, to disclose personal information.

Reflection:
I realise I am feeling anxious because I am in a situation where I lack control. A situation I know I do not like but I must be able to sit with the 'unknown' which is spoken about a lot. I am usually in a state where I have the control, where I am able to contact the right people to get the correct answers. But here I feel I am out of my depth. Out of control and anxious. Perhaps this is how my future art therapy clients may feel when embarking on therapy. Of course this prospect is daunting and anxiety provoking too.

Alumni crit

I was invited back to Camberwell College of arts today for an alumni crit with the 3rd year Drawing students, which was a great experience, however I couldn't help but notice that my comments were somewhat different from the other alumnus.

I was previously aware that the way I view artwork has changed slightly, there is a different dynamic added when I consider art. The person seems to have a higher value in my view.

Camberwell college of arts

      When critiquing the third year’s work I felt curious about how they were feeling at the time of making for instance. 

      For example one student made a video piece where she used a bike, a fan and a bucket. This immediately made me wonder about the bike… was it the students old bike? Who did it belong to? Why was it in use? Etc. 

I related a lot of the pieces back to the personal rather the concept of the work, which is the usual direction. This forced them to ask certain questions about their practice that they perhaps had not before but I was very aware that my questions and thoughts were very art therapy-esq. I don’t know how I feel about this? I found myself wondering how the students felt when making certain laborious looking pieces, looking less at the art in itself but more at the process of making for that individual.

Crit’s are very different in nature to the studio discussion I’ve experienced at this University… I’m not sure if I prefer either experience but it was certainly refreshing to talk about my personal art process without having to defend certain decision making.

Why have I chosen to work methodically?

I’ve been thinking about the boundaries within the therapeutic relationship, as I’m about to embark on my placement, which is set within a primary school. I feel that I’m working in this very methodical way because I am thinking a lot about the boundaries within art therapy. 

Especially as I’m set to work in a primary school I keep anticipating how I’ll react to children who may display behaviour that could possibly be out of control. 

I feel I am reacting to this feeling within my art practice by controlling the shredded money by working within a very tight, methodical way. There is some comfort in developing this working method; creating paper using a systematic technique creates a reassurance for me, as there is currently a lot of unpredictability at the moment.

I’m using my art practice in a controlled way rather than expressive as I am very open in the experiential workshops, training groups, on this blog and my reflective journal so I feel I cannot work in this expressive, emotional way in my art. I feel it’ll be too much emotion otherwise! I like to keep my art practice very separate aesthetically to the other art making I do on the course.

Broken deckle

I've come across a problem involving my practical working method... the deckle I created from a cheap frame has consistently broken almost every time I've used it. Once it gets wet it becomes so fragile adding another element of fragility to my method of working. I wonder why I haven't properly fixed the deckle or indeed made a secure one as the one I have at the moment clearly isn't working well.This makes me reflect on why I want to use a fragile frame as a deckle? Is there something about temporarily fixing it every time, hoping it will carry the weight of  the pulp that allows me to continue. Do I like this fragility in my working process? As I have discussed previously, there is a lot of fragility involved in this process so it baffles me as to why I am putting myself through additional pressure and uncertainty.
Could it be possible that I wish for  the deckle to be fragile so that I can temporarily 'heal' it... there is after all this connection with art therapy as a profession. Perhaps this notion of fixing something, or working with vulnerability could be affecting my working method.

Susan Hiller talk at the Freud museum and methodologies

Having visited the Freud museum and Susan Hiller's conversation with Susie Orbach yesterday evening I wasn't sure on what to expect. She spoke candidly about specific pieces of work that I was not particularly familiar with. I thought she would speak more about her work in relation to psychodynamic thinking as well as Freudian theory but it was more a general conversation about a variety of works, which was great in a sense as this gave me a concrete idea on what her art is about. She gave great insight into how she works which was of interest to me as I am in the process of reflecting upon exactly how I work and think about ideas.

Susan Hiller sisters of Menon, 1972 -79
Section I: 4 L-shaped panels of automatic writing, blue pencil on A4 paper with typed labels (1972)
Section II: 4 panels, typescript and gouache on paper (1979)
35 7/8 x 25 1/4 in. / 91.2 x 64.2 cm 12 1/2 x 9 1/8 in. / 31.8 x 23 cm http://www.susanhiller.org/otherworks/sisters_of_menon.html

The main element she spoke of was how she generates ideas. Hiller stated that she creates ideas secondly; ideas for her artwork do not come first, her interests are at the forefront. This happens rather naturally for Hiller, which filled me with a sense of calm as I do hear of people who work in a way in which starts with consciously thinking ‘What shall I make art about today?’.  I have a similar method of thinking when generating ideas myself. I first think of what I am interested in. The 'idea' comes to me when I find something interesting enough to engage my attention. Then I consider how I can represent that object. In my current art practice for instance, I choose an object in a way that it chooses me. If I am drawn to an object I generally spend time looking at that item for a long period of time so that it is virtually abstract to me, this is only when I begin to think about it in an art sense; or in a representational sense.

Hiller's work exploring the conscious and unconscious ways of working interest me, in particular her automatic writing pictured here. What intrigued me was when she said she stopped automatic writing because it lost the automatic value which was only apparent in the first few writings. This made me think how conscious or unconscious they are… this is something to think about further. I can relate this to my personal art therapy sessions where I am at first consciously making a drawing for instance, but as I talk at the same time I am thinking less and less about image making. Rather it is more a sense of moving my hand across the page in the direction it wishes to. It is almost as though the hand is a separate being from the rest of my body. Hiller spoke of a similar notion of consciously and unconsciously writing. She stated of the dipping in and out of exact consciousness when making this piece of work. I can relate to this in art therapy rather than my art practice as my art tends to be more systematic than a realm of painterly expression for instance!

Susan Hiller sisters of Menon (1972 -79), (2013) [image online] Available at: http://www.susanhiller.org/otherworks/sisters_of_menon.html [Accessed 26 November 2013]