#dps claudiaespart

[clauetheart]

FarrenxEspart takeover

Working with Lucy Farren will become more of a commonplace thing on the new year, and I look forward to the great work that we will produce. Having already partnered up in the past for the IOT speculative pitch, we will soon be taking on the production of an art book and a series of published photoessays by Joel Karamath. 

Moreover, from the 29th of April to the 10th of May, we will do a blog takeover of WOW: DPS.

My pitch for this would be to combine our practice with the DPS collective and make a kickass takeover of the blog by producing a series of risograph publications with DPS stories, images and accounts. 

This is a response to my wish to produce more frequently opportunities to be able to curate artist’s work in exhibitions, podcasts and publications. Celine, my design partner and I are producing a show before the end of the academic year where we trial out a series of briefs by asking people of different practices to  respond to them, and we will curate and produce a show. 

Similarly, I think that using a similar concept to create a publication can be a great way to engage with our fellow DPS peer’s practices, develop our own and promote working as collectives rather than individuals.

[clauetheart]

Onomatopee

This past October I was in Eindhoven and had the opportunity to attend the Field Essays Éloge Créole lecture and Round table moderated by Sophie Krier at Onomatopee. I was blown away by the tenacious environment of dialogue and intellectual exchange happening over a relaxed and unpretentious setting. Further exploration of the place surprised me with three excellent exhibitions that framed discussions in ways that had a very unique feel.

Onomatopee recently posted a call for internship applications, and I feel that I did apply a bit too late, as the founder Freek, promptly responded and kindly informed me that they where currently undergoing changes and were unable to employ me.

“The work spans graphic design, the building of exhibitions, dissemination of publicity, operating as host/hostess to visitors, organising events, printing material on the risograph, selling books, doing graphic design, writing, photography and more. Work depending on skill and interest. We prefer able multitaskers.”Regardless he suggested I did so again in a few months time and I wholeheartedly appreciate the time he took to respond and encourage me nevertheless. This only fuels my quiet admiration of the place frankly, as it is one of those spaces that quietly hum with creative energy and exude critical thought and design through every pore. I am certain that I will eventually end up working with them, be it during Dps or after. I intend to pursue a masters in the future, and The Design Academy does stand at the top of that list. Eindhoven will be sure to call my name at a later stage and so will Onomatopee, fear not, Freek, I shall be back!

[clauetheart]

ABA ART LAB

For as long as four months I have been dwelling on the influx of self-doubt, a sense of unpreparedness and impostor syndrome that crippled my ability to finalise my portfolio, to send a perfectly written cover letter and a frankly overqualified application to a role that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to apply to.

Aba Art Lab is a gallery and as the name suggests, an art room where artists create site-specific work in response to stimuli. At first glance, looking at their role of illustration intern seemed like an easily attainable internship that would fill the quota of work placement weeks that I required, and would allow me to spend time in Spain near my Catalonian family while learning the language. It doesn’t get more ideal than that. However overqualified I felt, however good the perks, I could not muster a portfolio that satisfied me, as it felt dishonest to who I am as a practitioner. True, all the work is mine, but did it really tell a story I wanted to describe to my practice? The answer is probably not.

Change is good, and growth is impossible without change, but like growing pains, it is a process that can cause quite a lot of discomfort and confusion. It paralysed me as I processed the changes that had already happened, and frankly, being able to travel for a month and a half and not *actually* making any decisions about my future was a blessing.

Working for the DDW was the best thing that happened to me in October, it was a thrilling experience that allowed me to meet designers, students and really inspirational makers. Looking at industry on all levels was insightful and decidedly developed my understanding of what possibilities lied in it other than illustration as a pure form.

It was also uncomfortable because I felt that the more I learned the more I distanced myself from the way I understood art and design, and decidedly it was changing my relationship with it. I could no longer apply as an illustrator to ABA, but was I a good enough designer to be accepted through that application?

Onomatopee really defined much of how I currently feel about the places I want to work with/for, but I will outline more specifically why here.

Applying for the job has had a cathartic effect on me, one that has been propelled by little victories like writting out s.i.p.’s with my design partner, Celine, receiving responses from curators like Risk Hazekamp and in general, a new years fresh and clean slate.

The final factor that contributed to me applying to the gallery was an email I received from Sarah, suggesting I considered the fact someone else had already applied for it with a different set of skills to mine. Mulling over that sentence I rather quickly decided that this was the way to proceed. It is almost like it clicked into place, and within two days I had a portfolio and cover letter ready and a CV that contributes to improving my chances thanks to working with DDW.  Soon after I received an email with a questionnaire which I responded to and returned yesterday. Now I am just in the process of waiting patiently and looking at potential flats to move in...I am not discouraged yet I am essentially a realist; I know that this application was the right move and I have a good feeling about it. 

I will copy the questionnaire here for the same reason as with the Newbridge call; to leave milestones for me to look back onto and to reevaluate my progress and skills.

[clauetheart]

Making mistakes is better than not making them.

Recently I went to a show at the Pennings Foundation by Risk Hazekamp, an artist known for challenging established notions of normalcy and nominations of the self. In the show, she tackles colonial legacies, the concept of ‘the other’, the reification of privilege and the way that these intersecting gazes create dichotomies, knot points which can be used in turn to dismantle outdated preconceptions. 

I talked to the invigilator, and although she offered brilliant insight into the little anecdotes of this or another piece, my thirst for exploring the questions shooting in my mind was not satiated. She suggested I wrote a piece for their website, to contact Risk as well. Sheer happiness fueled my step as I left the exhibit, wondering what would I way to the curator. 

I have been struggling to order my ideas, to collate my questions. I’m altogether interested in the content as much as her way of putting it together and how she herself came to encounter the topic and tackle it. I’m fascinated by the way she single-handedly pulled off a show of that stature, and how varied the work in it is, albeit focused in photography as a medium, the use of the definition was pushed in many ways. I'm deeply intrigued and impressed by this person as she checks a lot of the boxes I myself have been exploring recently as a practitioner (curation, decolonization theorisations, art installations).

It has been a month now, and although I mustered the courage to send the email praising the expo and suggesting an interview, I have yet to ask anything. I feel so blocked and uninspired, I feel I know nothing about the questions I supposedly want to ask, nor the field of curation. I feel like an impostor. I suppose I feel intimidated by the idea of sounding like an amateur, and not reaching the bar I have unconsciously set myself.

But I'm stopping this right now. It has been long enough and I owe it to myself to take the risk, to fail, to err. I was quick to forget my favourite piece of advice, that one doesn’t ever stop learning, and that those who truly inspire me are those who are in constant evolution, renewing themselves and pushing forwards by being fearless. Because fearlessness is not about never failing, but knowing that you will and getting up after it and doing it over and over again, walking one step at a time and being gracious with yourself for it.

[clauetheart]

Not defined, but happy.

Victor Watson prize

Victor Watson’s one of a kind work ethos preserved the ideals that pushed forward iconic products which live in the memories and households of countless families including my own. His belief in the right partnerships and balance between patronage of culture and business is somewhat of a scarce mindset nowadays. Change flashes past us and nobody seems to be able to keep up, forcing the slow-paced to move out of the way for a fast, cheap and high turnover of products, leaving us at times unmoved and disillusioned by what we surrender for comfort. Age-old techniques are being either forgotten or reinvented, but how we do this is of utmost importance so we do not lose ourselves in progress and fail to nurture what lies between the old and the new.

This tension is something Junichiro Tanzanaki speaks of in his essays from the 19th century, amidst the technological commodification revolution Japanese tradition was undergoing. Similarly, the same tension appears in the last Ukiyo-e master’s work, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Torn by the same concerns and need to reinvent print techniques as to survive the flood of machines, he gave Ukiyo-e a rebirth and a face wash before the end of his life. 

My understanding is that not enough can be done to maintain the subjectivity and tension of a world torn between its heritage and its future, and I would like to have a part in preserving the essence of print whilst moving it forward. To do so I would visit TAKEZASADO print studio Where they preserve the technique of woodcuts, passing it down whilst exploring modern themes and subjects, ensuring it lives beyond the borders of Japan and the confines of our memory.

This was part of an application I formulated during the summer for a grant to allow me to push my printing research and practice further. I am deeply thankful for having the support of my printmaking and fine art tutors in the process, and despite not reaching the finalist position I am sure that I will continue to better my work to try again next year. It was important for me to differentiate a print portfolio from what would be more commercial or oriented towards graphic design and curation portfolio. Illustration is a broad spectrum and I find myself more and more comfortable with the fine art approach to printmaking path. DPS did in more than way, incite this conscious separation as well as impulsed me to apply for prizes that were akin to my practice.  In light of the need to be ‘Industry ready’ amidst my own artistic identity crisis(or development), my relationship to art and the industry has been evolving and taking me down new and unexpected paths.  It seems strange to me to acknowledge to myself that I am not one thing, a title that can be so easily marketed, but rather a multiplicity of practices and interests which cater to each situation I present myself with. That, of course, is an everchanging nature and I must endeavour to stay on top of it and slip into the comfortable misconception that I am a “insert art/design title”. 

[clauetheart]

Posts about S.I.P written by Claudia Espart Hernández

As I am aware of how spanking new and devoid of context this page might currently seem, this link is a portal to a whole world of thoughtful reflection on many topics. More specifically it revises my thinking about social imbalance and how I tackled visualisation of that during my second-year final project.

[clauetheart]

DPS KICKSTART!

I believe I cannot begin my DPS journey without running you through a few things that have ALREADY happened during the summer.

Long story short, briefly after receiving my acceptance letter onto the course the opportunity to hop along with the Route Artlantique initiative came along. I was mentally drained and creatively depleted but I threw myself into this yet unknown chapter of my life.  It was the most refreshing and revitalising experience where not only did I make longlasting creative connections but also lifelong friends. This retreat-cum-creative boot camp allowed for my creativity and mind to free up and cross-pollinate. You can read much more about it here.

I returned at the beginning of August and from there onwards, the exhibition that had been gestating in Celine and my mind began to take form as we rounded up previous routers. We began working on putting together the work, the people, the ideas all taking the form of this unspoken narrative we had visions of. Two weeks later Joel walked into the studio after a frustrating few days of radio silence from the rest of the group and dropped the bomb on our lap. “You are aware that you have been curating from day one right? You should take charge and finish what you started” To our surprise, we realised we had been producing and curating, almost like an extension of our personal practice. 

Everything from there is story, one that you can read about here. So, my first DPS experience this year has been to produce and curate an exhibition for LDF. It was hugely succesful in adressing things such as the community space at the elephant and castle shopping centre, the usage of itself and the engagement with the public. Lots of artists, both UAL and otherwise brought to our attention the desire to be included, to participate and engage in the same way. Two courses approached me to ask if I could do a talk for their students and of course I said yes. It was increadible to be able to speak to fellow students and practitioners and feel that the ideas we had nourished ourselves in Senegal and been able to develop for our practice made their eyes shine with a gleam of recognition and ambition to do better. I spoke to first years from IDA and Ba for Design management as well as second years for BA Interaction Design Arts. To find out more about what they where on find out here! 

That was my second  adventure for DPS, this time freelance. 

Parallel to that, I have also been working on a logo and brand design for a new Streetwear Brand, Heavy Manners. I found it fulfilling because of the cultural heritage that weighs on the name itself. The ethnographic research I carried out for it filled me with new connections of subject matter both in terms of appropriation, design and heritage. It was my personal challenge to create a logo that surmounted all that conflictive history in a respectful and empowered way which also fitted the corporate image the client wanted. 

Next week I fly to Eindhoven and for a week I will be volunteering/working at the Dutch Design Festival. I have never done this and I'm really excited about the people I will meet!