March 22, 2021

‘One of the most important questions every artist has to ask is: “Is it worth persevering?”‘ (Yulia Mahr)

Sunday, March 21. Passion Sunday and Census Day:

The details of the census will not be publicly accessible for a hundred years. Given the nature of the year in which it has been undertaken, I’ve no doubt that the returns will attract considerable scholarly attention — if there are still scholars then, and if they are permitted to be attentive. I’d recourse to the census for 1850, while conducting research for my MA Art History thesis on art and Welsh Nonconformity, in 1984. I was investigating the state of visual art practice in Wales during the middle of the 19th century. Who were the two female artists in the last column? There were 1,163,000 people living in Wales at that time. So, the number of those involved in the arts and crafts was relatively small:

Monday, March 22. WFH: DAY 60/LENT 29. 7.30 am:

Meeting and greeting is a common courtesy in the Parc. A few walkers and runners came towards me as I walked from one end to the other on the main path. Otherwise, this enchanted wood was mine alone for the hour. On my return home, I caught up on Sunday’s emails, reviewed Saturday’s achievements, and planned my week and day ahead. This week, there was room to breath and stretch my legs, an opportunity to focus on research and (since matters futurological were now settled), freedom to consider long-term plans and other ways of living.

10.30 am: Back to the ‘Noisome Spirits’ website. This really did feel like hacking down a forest, tree-by-tree. One down so far, but sixteen to go. 1.00 pm: A further ‘tree’ felled. 2.00 pm: Emailery. 2.30 pm: Back to the ‘forest’. 3.00 pm: Hot manuka honey and lemon. Unbeatable:

4.30 pm: Down went tree three. At this juncture in my career, I’m too easily distracted by reminiscences. But, on this occasion, with some purpose. This year’s Art/Sound module will forever remain incomplete. Due to the lockdown, there were site-specific projects that couldn’t take place. One was a communal realisation of Marcel Duchamp’s Sculpture Musicale (1913), at the School of Art. So, I sent this year’s students an introduction and a collage that I’d composed, derived from the sound recording of the class of 2014 undertaking the project. Those were the days.

6.30 pm: Sock matching, etc. 7.30 pm: Onward to ‘tree’ #4.

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