Grit

29 Jul

ɡrɪt/ noun noun: grit 1. small loose particles of stone or sand. synonyms: gravel, pebbles, stones, shingle, sand, dust, dirt 2. courage and resolve; strength of character. synonyms: courage, courageousness, bravery, pluck, mettle, mettlesomeness, backbone, spirit, strength of character, strength of will, moral fibre, steel, nerve, gameness, valour, fortitude, toughness, hardiness, resolve, determination, resolution

When I started this blog a friend of mine said to me that the most important thing I can do, is be consistent - that people who follow blogs like to know that on a particular day every week or every month, there will be something new for them to look at. Well, I’m afraid I have failed. Miserably. And, I apologise. The fact is, writing does not come naturally to me and I am painfully slow at the best of times. Not only that, but there has also been something rather major preoccupying my mind these past two and a half months, which is that I was given the most incredible opportunity to take part in a very special exhibition opening at Bonhams on the 2nd August.

'Visions of The Great White South' will showcase side by side for the very first time, work by Herbert Ponting and Edward Wilson - two creative heroes of The Terra Nova Expedition, whose work unites the spirit and joy of scientific and human discovery, which the expedition, despite ending so tragically, still stirs in us today. As part of the exhibition, work by artists from the Friends of The Scott Polar Research Institute's Artist in Residence Programme will also be shown alongside and for me to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was simply not an option, so since arriving back from Antarctica mid-May, I have been working, and working. And, working.

Two projects have emerged so far. One of them in fact, takes inspiration directly from Ponting's 'Grotto in a Berg' photograph and I was thrilled when I found out that this is one of the photograph's that will be on show in the main exhibition. But, a story about that work is perhaps for another post.

This particular project takes inspiration from The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition or The Endurance Expedition - an epic story of leadership, comradeship and determination to survive in the harshest of environments. I've named the project 'Grit' and it is a work in progress with 6 of the 28 individual works having been completed so far - one based on each of the crew members. The seeds of the project were planted back in February when I first saw expedition photographer, Frank Hurley's glass plate negatives at 'The Enduring Eye' exhibit at The Royal Geographical Society. Helped very generously by friend and master guilder, Giuseppe Minetti, I learnt about a technique called verre églomisé. It has allowed me to utilise materials associated with Hurley's photographic process - glass, silver and gelatine - to create works inspired by his portraits, the antarctic landscape and the incredible descriptions that I have read of the men's living conditions. Descriptions of the 'snuggery' on Elephant Island, where Hurley's makeshift stove helped to keep the the men warm and fed were particularly influential.

As I've been working on this project, every now and again I've remembered to record some of what I'm doing on my iPhone and have put together this short video to show the journey so far. It's so much quicker than me writing and in truth, probably tells you way more about my feelings towards the work than I could say in words.

Expedition meteorologist, Leonard Hussey's banjo playing proved crucial in keeping up the spirits of the stranded men throughout their ordeal and Hussey wrote, "Sir Ernest saved the banjo just before the ship sank saying, 'We must have that banjo if we lose all our food, it's vital mental medicine.' " The music on the video is by Benji Flaming.