Late in 2018, after following the suggesting
from one of my Crit to go looking at physical statues found in museums, I visited the
V&A Museum in London and spent the day walking around the statues and
taking it all in for inspiration. The first thing I noticed was the stillness
and quietness that comes from being at a museum, but especially while walking
through the statue rooms as I found myself starting to be stiller myself while
reflecting on the statues and sometimes holding my hand as the statue held
theirs to try and imitate and bear in mind for my own project

. I took quick photos of
everything that caught my eye in the museum and the statements that went
alongside them. For most of the statues, they were all depicting scenes and so
were frozen doing a movement, and so were less of a portrait of the person,
and more focused on the action.

This relates to my project for
when I was photographing my subjects, I asked them to move in certain ways,
often exercise, to give a sense of direction and accentuate details that may
have been lost to the relaxation of the body. My focus was mainly on the hands
of the body and how it interacted with the body or the action it was given, and
the detail that goes into the sculpture of hands.

However, what gained my attention the most was the work of Leonida Cal desi, as
his photograph, Upper part of the Torso
of Neptune, was on display in the photography gallery. The photograph
depicted the broken side of a statue on top of a plinth. And it was the first image I’ve seen of a statue photographed that really interested me, and started
me thinking that as my images discuss the indexical of photography that if I
broke down the castings I have from my own projects and photograph the remains,
breaking down further a product that is representing permanence, and proving that
even stone isn’t permanent.

I was also able to visit the V&A again earlier this year, and while nothing stood out massively for my work it was interesting to see all the work that I may have overlooked when I was so focused on the statue items the previous time, and it was refreshing to walk around a gallery with new eyes as if it was a whole another exhibition.

ROBYN COUCHER

ROBYN COUCHER

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Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art

V & A 2018