Tutorial with Emma Rushton

I had a tutorial with Emma Rushton today which proved incredibly useful and inspirational. I was able to communicate to her my interest in abandonment and deterioration and how that had inspired my many photos of wastelands, decrepid buildings and old ruins. I think Emma wants me to press on with manipulating the photographs and perhaps take the images out of the studio, which is something I have been thinking about. However I am tempted to put the images to aside, as it has always been the materiality of the metal and the wool, and the contrast between them, which has inspired my progression.

Unfortunately I had already taken down my wall installation, which illustrated the woollen process, though the photos seem to do the piece justice. One question that did stump me is why I was initially interested in the weaving industry. It seems I have travelled quite far away from my beginning interest in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I have definitely drifted away from Leeds' social or economic industrial history, though as my work becomes more specific, I also think the idea or concept behind the work gets stronger.

Emma really liked 'The Land We Live In' illustration I discovered in the Brotherton's Special Collection. I understand it highlights the industrial pride of Leeds but I find it too Romantic. I find the industrial history of the North really interesting because it exists within two opposing realms; pride and embarassment. Therefore I am disinclined to use anything that will cause an imbalance to this unusual equilibrium. On this point I wonder how Leeds' City Museum will display their heritage when it finally opens in August...

Emma liked how I had transferred the images onto cloth and felt I should try to push this idea by incorporating the cloth into a mechanism so it has direct parallels. I showed her my drawn diagrams of the cloth coming through rollers, which is an idea I want to push further, but the question of how to also display the images on the cloth will now have to be considered.

The question now is should I push the historical or the aesthetic value further... Also if I choose the historical significance, what light shall I portray the work in? A celebration of Leeds' industrial past and the worker's pride? Or a dirty history of bad working hours, dreadful living conditions, smoky atmosphere etc.?