Throwback Thursday

About this time of the year two years ago, I was going through a tunnel that lead to the Degree Show. With only a month left, I was still searching for the way I could create something worthwhile. I was naturally very aware of the clock ticking but the pressure was clearly self-induced. I had no one else to blame as it was my choice to pursue art. And so, I just kept going to my studio day in day out, relentlesly trying something different.

I still don’t know how I pulled through but it went well in the end. And the memory of the whole experience will stay with me (hopefully!) for the rest of my life. The intense pressure I felt, right up to the completion of work, the adrenalin-fueled preparation period and the opening of the show. It wasn’t the same as the final exam or writing a dissertation. I felt more exposed - as the word ‘exhibition’ suggests.

Looking tired after finishing preparing for the Show. May 2018.

I keep imagining the feelings of the students who had been working hard towards the Degree Show until recently and now suddenly that special experience has been snatched away. I have no doubt that the School of Art will do all they can to make this up following the entirely unexpected turn of events. And still, I cannot help feeling sorry for them.