This piece is about a man called Ivan that lives in my village...he along with his brothers (and ancestors) have been a part of the very fabric of the place and the land all their lives....the image is a composite of a portrait I took of him and a photograph of Stonham Aspal at the turn of the century, loaned to me by a neighbour.
The bricks are a victorian Gault type, so light in colour. A few were donated by a neighbour whose father collected bricks : ) and they all have an interesting text on the reverse side.
However, the others are from the farm where I have my 'pig shed studio'. It is also the farm where Ivan and family have always worked. The bricks were found on the surrounding farm land, so they too have been a part of the scenery since their creation. Once I started working with them, I played with a brickwork design with the idea of making an outdoor 'jigsaw puzzle'. I thought it would be quite a simple artwork to execute because I felt I had sussed out how to successfully bond & seal my own photographs and archival imagery to concrete and to wood for that matter.
SLIDE RIGHT >
However, bricks are not the same as concrete or wood I have discovered....every single brick, apart from the eyes has been bonded many times and Ivan's ear is still proving a problem : {
Since making the previous chimney pot piece which is of course circular I decided to continue with that concept and wrap the image around the side of each brick
You know what it's like when you make something - all you can see are imperfections, so I'm not finished with it but I have learnt so much so far. I perhaps need time to process my process - write it down and work out what has worked. The piece will eventually be sealed & installed outside where the moss, ivy and weeds will absorb brick-work Ivan into their ever changing world, which I hope to photograph overtime for a subsequent timelapse - as I write those words the idea really excites me.....! : )
This is a continuation of my Arts Council - Develop Your Creative Practice project (round 9)