Once again, I had a productive tutorial with Jonathan (albeit short due to the cafe closing). We had a quick discussion about my process up to now – the turn to using fabric as opposed to paper, as I explained I was really enjoying the feel of the fabric in the rinsing process as I was able to run the fabric through my hands, squeeze it and repeat. There is just something more tactile and enjoyable rather than swishing paper in a bowl.

We talked about plans for the final show and I mentioned I had reconsidered just showing one large piece as a collage of different images and materials developed as a cyanotype onto a fabric piece, and also how I felt I wanted it to be slightly away from the wall or any other surface and be suspended in isolation. This for me, is a show of independence and solitude.

Jonathan suggested the idea of stitching them together in one long piece, deliberately trailing on the floor – I really liked this idea and it reflects a similar idea I had for the smaller process pieces. Jonathan mentioned the bull dog clips that I’ve been using to hang them to dry and I think that could work, but I also kind of like the idea of small stitches at different points on the corners and edges – I’ll continue to think about that.

We then discussed the soil samples and I reiterated how precious they felt to me, particularly with the effort of collecting them. I even mentioned my habit of getting them out with pride when guests visit! I had been thinking about what I could use as plinths to display them and what kind of jar or container, but Jonathan suggested I could display them as they are – in their raw little sandwich bags with the labels sharpied on them..I thought this was simple but brilliant. Overall, the entire concept is much more complex and runs deeper than I anticipate anyone would completely understand, but I want to present this in a rather simple and minimalist way, which actually reflects the paintings I had done just before my course began ‘Do not go gentle’, which was my way of presenting a complex issue of social divisions, in a rather minimalist way – a body of work I’m still very proud of to this day.

My thoughts on creating a concrete sculpture for a plinth was something I mentioned, but Jonathan agreed this was certainly something to revisit in the future. For now, I really want to keep my focus on the cyanotypes and enjoy using the materials to create these visual representations of the most therapeutic places in my life..