The story of Follies for Follies
When I started my sculptural work, I struggled - as I'm sure a lot of artists do - with how to define myself. What is important to me? For a long time, I said I loved words - long ones, short ones, onomatopoeic ones, silly ones, ones you had to think about to fully grasp the meaning...words. And poetry, and song lyrics. Then I thought - I love people - their thoughts,dreams, ideas, aspirations, histories. I am fascinated by the idea that somebody's history defines how they might interpret a piece of artwork, how they read a story, and how they tell one. In research, this has a name - positionality. The researcher is required to think about how their upbringing, ideals, political and/or religious affiliations, etc. affect how they conduct, record, analyse and interpret research. The idea that everybody looks at everything from a different perspective, from the context of their own personal history, amazes and amuses me no end. What appears sane to one individual might seem stark raving mad to the next - without context, we'll only ever understand half the story.
Follies
Sun Monument at Wentworth Castle
So, throughout the course of history, people thought to adorn their houses and gardens with - something. A tower, an obelisk, a fake temple, a hut, a whole castle - why? Because they could. And because they wanted to. To them, there is a meaning, a meaning within a context we are unlikely to ever fully understand. Folly. Folly? Is it folly, wanting to create something beautiful, something that will last beyond oneself, something that will give people joy, something that was planned and created with love, and within the context of somebody's personal history? Hang on! That sounds awfully close to what some people might interpret art to be! And if this is folly, then sign me up!
In my head (and my head loves stories, as you now know), there are locals shaking their head as 'rich bloke up at he manor' builds a tower in the middle of nowhere, just so he can gaze at the stars, or 'that quirky widow' commissions a temple so she can commemorate her husband. And, slowly but surely, an idea was born. What if the follies became the focus? If artwork were to be created, with a folly in mind, and taken on site? Some would be able to stand alone, aside from the folly, others wholly contextualised, some made of smaller components, others gigantic and impressive. A whimsical thought, a folly for a folly, but, maybe, when you look closely, there is meaning there. Maybe meaning that I intended, maybe meaning created by the folly and its context, or maybe a meaning just for you.
And so began my search for follies - and I'm loving my journey. The follies I am looking at are steeped in history, in stories, and the fact alone that people have looked at and loved some of these follies for centuries makes me happy. Some are in disrepair, their stories forgotten, others are being lovingly restored and resurrected, their stories being given new chapters.
In my head (and my head loves stories, as you now know), there are locals shaking their head as 'rich bloke up at he manor' builds a tower in the middle of nowhere, just so he can gaze at the stars, or 'that quirky widow' commissions a temple so she can commemorate her husband. And, slowly but surely, an idea was born. What if the follies became the focus? If artwork were to be created, with a folly in mind, and taken on site? Some would be able to stand alone, aside from the folly, others wholly contextualised, some made of smaller components, others gigantic and impressive. A whimsical thought, a folly for a folly, but, maybe, when you look closely, there is meaning there. Maybe meaning that I intended, maybe meaning created by the folly and its context, or maybe a meaning just for you.
And so began my search for follies - and I'm loving my journey. The follies I am looking at are steeped in history, in stories, and the fact alone that people have looked at and loved some of these follies for centuries makes me happy. Some are in disrepair, their stories forgotten, others are being lovingly restored and resurrected, their stories being given new chapters.
Why glass?
Dragon on top of Stainborough Castle
Well, that's simple, really. I'm a glass artist - it's the medium I know best. But I also think it fits the purpose. Glass is both fragile and strong, like stories, which may be forgotten in a heartbeat, or influence us all our lives. Glass is flexible, with a number of techniques ranging from lampworking to printing, to casting, fusing, layering, slumping, cutting...I'm sure that, whatever the folly, there will be a bit of glass to match. And, frankly, I'm not sure it would constitute a 'folly' to let rope hair drift down a folly castle - glass hair, on the other hand, now that's a 'foolish undertaking' - or, if you wish, a 'folly for a folly'. There will no doubt be mixed media installations over time - I'm not so wedded to the idea of glass that no other medium will darken my door - but I am very much looking forward to exploring the boundaries of glass,and maybe, in my own humble way, and with a dash of folly, extending these boundaries a little.