dialogue
This is a conversation piece between the Curator Nathaniel Pitt and artist Christopher Hodson:
Christopher Hodson is a recent Distinction MA graduate from BCU, he is currently working on a number of art projects in the region.
Nathaniel Pitt February 21 at 2:41pm
Hi Chris,
I'm creating a web page for the Worcester Open 2010 called open talk, I want to kick it off with a conversation between us, how we met at the 1st open, led to a collaboration, led to a research trip a etc etc etc are you up for it?
Christopher Hodson February 21 at 3:15pm
Yeah sure, I'm up for that.
Nathaniel Pitt February 21 at 7:24pm
We could do it here I guess I'll kick off
Nathaniel Pitt talks to Artist Chris Hodson about his work, The 1st Worcester Open and their resulting collaborative project in Vienna.
Nathaniel Pitt February 21 at 7:24pm
Now be honest. What was your experience of the first Worcester Open here at the PITT?
Christopher Hodson February 21 at 8:27pm
I think it was just after the end of my BA show that I received an email from you inviting me to submit some work into the Open . You had apparently seen my show and liked the work enough to approach me. I was really chuffed with that, and the next weekend I got a lift down to the PITT with a car full of carefully bubble-wrapped pieces. If I remember correctly I submitted 4 works; 2 paintings and 2 small sculptures. One of which, Paradigm, I had remade (slightly larger than the original) between receiving the initial email and the Saturday morning.
With a touch of the butterflies, my girlfriend Sam and I arrived at your house and crossed the gravel drive, art in hand. That was the first time I met you; I think you were sat behind a small white desk in the gallery with your mac-book, probably attending to some admin. I received a really warm welcome from you and you seemed really interested in the work as I prattled on.
What I did notice, glancing at some of the work that had already been delivered, was that my work was rather different to everyone else's. I think this was a conscious decision - I had developed a specific way of working by then and for me it was the work that was most important. I had a vague Idea that an Open show, for many artists, was a chance to sell a bit of work and most of the art reflected this: it was what you might term 'salable' - Having said that however I'm not going to deny that I had slapped a few (somewhat inflated) price tags on my work.
I relished the opportunity to show my work (Paradigm at that point had never been exhibited) to a wider audience and to have been invited to do so buoyed me up even more.
The difference between my work and the rest was brought into sharp relief as I wandered around the Private view; My other sculptural work, The Fabric of Space and Time, was a 1m square sheet of 'rug stop' fabric pinned in one corner to the wall and left to hang. Over the course of the evening I saw many a turned-up nose and overheard a few snide comments about the merits of the piece. The strange thing was it didn't get to me, I was confident in the work. So what if it wasn't 'accomplished'? I kind of liked the idea that a lot of people may have thought it didn't belong there.
Hi Chris,
I'm creating a web page for the Worcester Open 2010 called open talk, I want to kick it off with a conversation between us, how we met at the 1st open, led to a collaboration, led to a research trip a etc etc etc are you up for it?
Christopher Hodson February 21 at 3:15pm
Yeah sure, I'm up for that.
Nathaniel Pitt February 21 at 7:24pm
We could do it here I guess I'll kick off
Nathaniel Pitt talks to Artist Chris Hodson about his work, The 1st Worcester Open and their resulting collaborative project in Vienna.
Nathaniel Pitt February 21 at 7:24pm
Now be honest. What was your experience of the first Worcester Open here at the PITT?
Christopher Hodson February 21 at 8:27pm
I think it was just after the end of my BA show that I received an email from you inviting me to submit some work into the Open . You had apparently seen my show and liked the work enough to approach me. I was really chuffed with that, and the next weekend I got a lift down to the PITT with a car full of carefully bubble-wrapped pieces. If I remember correctly I submitted 4 works; 2 paintings and 2 small sculptures. One of which, Paradigm, I had remade (slightly larger than the original) between receiving the initial email and the Saturday morning.
With a touch of the butterflies, my girlfriend Sam and I arrived at your house and crossed the gravel drive, art in hand. That was the first time I met you; I think you were sat behind a small white desk in the gallery with your mac-book, probably attending to some admin. I received a really warm welcome from you and you seemed really interested in the work as I prattled on.
What I did notice, glancing at some of the work that had already been delivered, was that my work was rather different to everyone else's. I think this was a conscious decision - I had developed a specific way of working by then and for me it was the work that was most important. I had a vague Idea that an Open show, for many artists, was a chance to sell a bit of work and most of the art reflected this: it was what you might term 'salable' - Having said that however I'm not going to deny that I had slapped a few (somewhat inflated) price tags on my work.
I relished the opportunity to show my work (Paradigm at that point had never been exhibited) to a wider audience and to have been invited to do so buoyed me up even more.
The difference between my work and the rest was brought into sharp relief as I wandered around the Private view; My other sculptural work, The Fabric of Space and Time, was a 1m square sheet of 'rug stop' fabric pinned in one corner to the wall and left to hang. Over the course of the evening I saw many a turned-up nose and overheard a few snide comments about the merits of the piece. The strange thing was it didn't get to me, I was confident in the work. So what if it wasn't 'accomplished'? I kind of liked the idea that a lot of people may have thought it didn't belong there.
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