This post was written by a young person completing a six-month work placement with In Focus through Artswork’s Breakthrough Programme. They reflect on their experience joining the team on a visit to London, where they explored a range of art installations and helped support young participants throughout the trip.
We started our journey on the train to London, full of curiosity and excitement of the exhibitions we were going to see.
Our first stop was to the Blagrave Trust offices. We were guided through to see the prints that they had displayed, a mini exhibition of the art that the participants of In Focus had created. It was really amazing to see the distance the artwork had travelled and seeing it displayed, one can only imagine the positive impact that seeing their art could have and inspire.
We started our journey on the train to London, full of curiosity and excitement of the exhibitions we were going to see.
Our first stop was to the Blagrave Trust offices. We were guided through to see the prints that they had displayed, a mini exhibition of the art that the participants of In Focus had created.
It was really amazing to see the distance the artwork had travelled and seeing it displayed, one can only imagine the positive impact that seeing their art could have and inspire.
Our next journey was to the Hayward Gallery to see two exhibitions: Chiharu Shiota with ‘Threads of Life’ and Yin Xiuzhen with ‘Heart to Heart’. In Focus had provided a zine with prompted questions to help guide everyone through the exhibitions to process and reflect on the artists and their works on display.
I had wandered on my own, exploring and taking in the interactive displays and the isolated works in my own time. The zine was really helpful to guide my thought process and interpretations of the art on display. Prompting me to make notes and take the time to think and process their work.
The ‘Heart to Heart’ installation, to me, felt like a huge reminder that anything can be used as an art medium, we aren’t just limited to pen and paper. The large pieces of work mainly being items of clothing. Some pieces were reimagined and warped to create new life and shape, others remaining whole, still being recognisable clothing, then to other works utilising every piece of fabric, cut and sewn, creating a whole world out of material.
My favourite installations were the works from ‘Threads of Life’. I crochet and use a lot of yarn in my own projects, so seeing such large, intricate and impactful displays of how else this medium could be used, was so inspiring. It was a riot of colour with layers upon layers of detail.
A maze of tangles, but planned out with calculated, precise structure. My favourite installation was the piece titled ‘During Sleep’. It contained several cold and stale looking beds with a massive intricate web of black yarn, knotted and wound around the furniture and the room itself, utilising the entire space and immersing the viewer, encouraging and guiding them to explore the space. Seeing both exhibitions was really interesting, seeing how both artists used different mediums with such a contrast. And the different interpretations and impacts each installation had.
Being able to go to London and go see exhibitions can be quite challenging, the transport, the bookings, the travel… but going with In Focus made it feel easy and accessible. It was so fun and interesting experiencing exhibitions and to hear other people’s thoughts, ideas and interpretations of the art. I felt this experience was so impactful, not just experiencing the exhibitions themselves, but getting me to think about different perspectives, mediums and just inspiring me in my own creative projects and practice…
So much so, I created my own zine of the London Trip. Featuring doodles and sketches of the journey, things I saw on my travels and experimenting in the style of the exhibitions (taking inspiration from their work on display) with quotes and my own thoughts of the art works I saw.
