There is now only a month or so until the exhibition opens! Hence the rather infrequent blogging - getting on with the completion of the project has taken priority of late - alongside a busier than usual schedule occasioned by the examination season in Higher Education. Some thirty two of the canvases have now been 'signed off', documented and packaged. Another twenty five or so are in various states of completion (more than enough though there are versions of several so that when they get to the walls of the gallery some selection can take place).
A decision has been taken as regards the photographic material in conjunction with Gallery Manager, Luke Tarpey. Rather than select single images from amongst the many to be displayed in the second space we have arrived at an idea of selecting short text extracts from the District Handbook that has served as a catalyst for the project. This is the 1977 edition that contains brief and mildly eccentric (certainly by current mores) descriptions of each location. One image from those shot in each location will be juxtaposed with the description text and an A4 panel presented for each of the 45. This is a fairly substantial additional task though not as demanding as I imagined it might be (I have made 27 over the past two weeks since we took the decision). There are however a few villages and one town - Coalville, the largest of the lot - where the pictures taken to date simply don't provide sufficient material from which to select. So back on the road in the next week or so!
I have also shot a short video piece about the project that - if I can master the technology - I may try and append to this blog.
