'The artist and the professor, the mother and the wife' is now online for all to see. This collaboration with @LauraNyahuye of @maokwo was one of the most intense experiences, personal or professional, of my entire life and my feelings about 'going public' are mixed ...(1/?)
On the one hand I feel incredibly proud (a word I generally avoid) of the beautiful things that we have created together. I'm overwhelmed by the beauty in fact. The images. The words. These were created in the intense lockdown days and they take me back to that place...(2/?)
The lockdown forced us to stop and reflect on our lives and the work we both do in ways that would never have happened otherwise. Being forced to 'Stop', to have the opportunity to 'Breathe' was a major theme and recurring theme of our collaboration (3/?) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/03/sto…
But even as I write this I feel a sense of guilt. For so many people COVID-19 has brought pain and death, loss of life and livelihood. Especially for those with whom @LauraNyahuye and I work. Making beautiful things feels frivolous and self-indulgent (4/?) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/15/mak…
And then there is the vulnerability. Laura and I have explored themes and issues that I have never spoken about publicly...what it means to be a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a survivor of domestic violence. These experiences make us who we are theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/15/cra… (5/?)
This idea of being cracked but not broken, crushed but not defeated was another major theme of our collaboration. Some people see the cracks and think that they can exploit them. Interpret them as meaning that we are somehow weak or damaged (6/?) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/17/com…
Which links to idea of vulnerability...that by 'going public' with our experiences, our feelings, things that make us who we are we can no longer hide behind our professional identities as 'The artist and the prof'. For that we make 'No apologies' (7/?) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/16/no-…
Finally, there is hope. Hope that the solidarity/human connection @LauraNyahuye and I experienced during our collaboration can be extended, built upon. We are exhausted by COVID-19 and everything it has come to mean. But we recognise our resilience (8/?) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/resilience/
So that's it. Take a look. And if you want to join @LauraNyahuye and I in finding new ways of supporting each other and recognising our strengths as women, wives and makers of beautiful things please be in touch. We like this way of working (9/9) theartistandtheprof.art.blog/2020/07/12/way…
I should have said that outputs from #theartistandtheprof will be included in a #coventrycreates digital exhibition with work from 17 other collaborations between Coventry artists/researchers for @Coventry2021 More on that soon! #morethanalabel #beyondcategories #moreincommon
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