June, July, August... The summer seems to have slipped by in a whirlwind of being, doing, travelling... Catching up on moments that were hard to come by this time last year.
As of this busyness that often comes when warmer weather and sunshine appear, Between the Art has taken a back seat and there has been a significant pause after the last artist, Meta4 Dance, was featured at the end of May. However this time has also given me the opportunity to not only focus on my own artistic practice, but to reflect on how to progress Between the Art into a purposeful research resource and networking tool for artists of all disciplines.
Along with the realisation that developing a resource such as this takes many years to build, I want to ensure that the blog keeps fulfilling its purpose to explore artists' relationships to place and the world in which we all inhabit. Between the Art aims to be as diverse as possible, featuring international artists from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds, and specialising in a huge variety of disciplines. This can be a challenge in itself so if you, or someone you know, has an artistic practice that engages with the notion of place and environment, please do get in touch!
With this reflection in mind, the new series of artists this autumn have all been selected because of their significant interests in working closely with their surrounding environment. Whether this is a particular landscape or a studio, each one has their own interpretation of how place impacts on their practice and outcomes of work.
This exciting new series of artists will begin in September and includes a contemporary dancer, a visual artist and filmmaker, an artist working with textiles and installation; plus many more!
The last set of six artists (beginning with dancer Mohika Shankar) saw the introduction of a book list. This has been popular with both readers and the artists themselves and will be continued in the new series. Do look out for this at the bottom of each article.
In amongst the busyness of traveling, meeting and exploring, I have also had moments to delve into books myself, so here I leave you with my own three picks that are currently in my reading pile...
Poppy's Book List:
1. This One Wild and Precious Life by Sarah Wilson
Within this book, Wilson radically imagines a new way of living and calls the reader to join her in reconnecting with ourselves, society, and our true purpose; forging a path back to connection in a fractured world. I devoured this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to live life to the full in a meaningful and sustainable way.
2. The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
This book was recommended to me by two artists on the blog, Hannah Wallace and Katie Taylor. Shepherd writes beautifully of her journeys in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland, with a lot of hidden detail worth reading many times over.
3. Walking the Line by Richard Long
Long is a brilliant land artist whose work ranges from working with mud and clay, to walking huge distances across many types of terrain. Published in 2002, this book is a vast collection of wonderful photographs of his work, as well as short essays by Long and those who have worked closely with him.
A huge thank you to the artists who gave up their time to talk to me for the second series, and thank you to you for continuing to read and support Between the Art. All the articles featuring the first two series of artists will stay up on the blog so that you can catch up on any that you may have missed at any time.
All Images: Artist's Own
