Another good day in Coventry

NOTES OF TUTORIAL - IMOGEN RACZ/CATHY MACTAGGART

Wednesday 28 June 2018 

I saw Imogen on 28 June 2018.  I’d sent my essay, now called Gender Bias, to Imogen, and had revised it to the first 11 pages, on Chicago and Shapiro. The rest, on Guerrilla Girls and Grayson Perry was unedited (but my phraseology about ‘considerable gloss’ had made Imogen laugh!).  This essay is making good progress.  

We debated what I have to submit, as a part-timer, finishing year one.  Imogen checked the writing word count.  Part-timers need to submit 2 x  2,500 words, but I am part-time, and part of my submission is practical artwork.  On checking, it turns out the word count is negotiable with my supervisors.  

I find Imogen’s ability to sum up my theme in two words – Gender Bias – to be very helpful.  She also gave me a few words to structure my final essay (deliverable next year), which I also find really useful.

Introduction –   Set out research question.  

The problem to address:  the undervaluing of ‘low’ work eg Ford machinists, cleaners, housewives.

Chapter 1 –        The system of value.  (Current writing c2,000 words)

Chapter 2 –        Gender Bias (current writing 5-6,000 words)

Chapter 3 –        My work and how it fits.  

Exploring samplers (c1500 words)

My exhibition, what I’ve done, why, and decisions made along the way

Conclusion

We debated materiality as used by Grayson Perry.  Unassuming materials.  Mundane. Soft materials (ie clay before firing). Scale.  

I said I felt I had made immeasurable progress since being at Coventry.  The combination of Jill as stitch specialist and Imogen as art historian suited my needs and style very well, and I am very glad to have transferred here.  I’m finding my subject really interesting.

Imogen reminded me to get my act together and sort out the revised Ethics form!

Actions:

CMT to revise Ethics Form and send for approval.

CMT to finish working on GG/GP and send to Imogen.

CMT to attend seminar The Laugh of the Medusa, Helene Cixous on Weds 11/7/16

IR to send the above reading material? 

Then I met with Darren and his Mum, Helen, who is over from South Africa to spend a 3 week holiday with her son.  Helen and I hit it off straight away.  We had a lovely meal in Wagamama, generally chewing the fat about what it is like to be a student, particularly comparing my study abroad experience in Perth, Australia, and Darren's experience here.

Archive Training at Valance House Museum

Great day.

What is an archive?

Original and unique.
Products/activities of an individual or an organisation
Evidence
Primary source for historical research

Any format - paper, digital, sound, clay tablets, perfume etc

Museums tend to do objects
Archives tend to do paper type records.
Local studies tend to have secondary sources.

Care in an archive - temperature and humidity controlled; acid free; careful handling; handle photos by edges.

Structure - arranged by curator.
Maintain the original order, in order to demonstrate the original purpose of the record;
Show the relationship between records of the same organisation.
NOT a library catalogue.

valancehousecollections.co.uk
localstudies@LBBD.gov.uk

Important Acts for Women and Factories research.

1909 Trade Boards Act
Entrenched differential of pay between men and women.  3d per hour for women; 6d per hour men.  Applied to paperbox making, tailoring lace finishing; chainmaking.  Female industries.

1911 National Insurance Act
Industrial workers only.  Covered health insurance for employees only.  Not for self employed or homeworking.

Sheila Coyne Barking Books Made in Dagenham.

Using the Archive

Ford Bulletin 5/7/68 p7-8
Female got "20% more" but no rate of pay given.  So just how low was the original rate of pay?
Average increase for male and female staff was 11%.
"Deliberately generous" according to Ford management
"Objective evaluation" scheme is not detailed.  Was the objective quality based on masculinist values?

Ford Bulletin 5/7/68 p7
Masculinist values - 'consider the most valuable asset - the employees'

Job evaluation exercise - does not give criteria.
'The position of women employees in our wages structure represents a considerable step forward'.  But does not explain whether it is compliant with the law.  Does not mention legal requirements at all.

Ford Bulletin Vol 8 Iss 280

Badly written - asks questions and does not answer them directly.
- Why not pursued to JNC?
- Why was dispute not made official via procedure?
- Why a dispute was raised on an unregistered claim?
- Why did the union support a picket the day after agreement by the National Officer?
- Why did the River Plant Convener not allow a review?
- What can ensure agreements are not broken at will?

Basically the procedure was exhausted; the local reps under-estimated the strength of feeling of the local women workers (ie ignored women workers); fact finding exercises were based on masculinist values.

Ford Bulletin - sexist - very much on lines of The Sun with scantily clad p3 women, and anti-women cartoons.

Ford News 23/11/84.  p7

Union recommend agreement to offer arising from strike.  Union states significant improvements in cash and benefits to all employees.  Increases labour costs by 9%.

Ford News 14/2/84 -p5

Grandad making wedding dress - implies anyone can do machinist work.

Notoriously Militant - The Story of A Union Branch - Sheila Cohen. 2013 Merlin Press

1968

p90 Claiming for skilled C grade.

p88 Union claimed 'equal pay'.  Women wanted C grade, not equal pay.  C grade was semi-skilled.  They were in B grade - unskilled.  The new wage structure discriminated against women.

Equal Pay Act - equal pay for like work, not equal pay for work of equal value.

The women were in B grade.  Most production line were B.  Management were worried about consequential claims if the women were upgraded.

However by 1984 (the next strike), women machinists were the only B grade workers needing a Certificate of Competence.  All C grade workers had to have a certificate of competence.  Having argued for this for 16+ years, there was a walkout.

p136. Just In Time - very few seats in stock due to new stocking procedures.
30/11 All out strike.

Management claimed women had equal pay with the Janitors.  This was not the issue - the women wanted the skilled C grade, not to be equal with unskilled staff.

p163 1990 Management created a fight among the workers.  Management contracted out

seats (affected the women machinists)
janitors (affected unskilled men)
caterers (affected women catering staff) and installed vending machines.
cleaning overalls (affected light duties staff) to Sketchley.

Just In Time processes linked to outsourcing.

Agreements & Conditions of Employment - Hourly paid employees - Jan1985.  

p48 3A Equal Pay .  Women paid same rate as men
p93 05234 Sewing Machinists B grade

Eastside Heritage Association are seeking photos of

prefabs
1950s and 60s fashions
Roundhouse tearoom
Clip of people dancing
Photos of asian/black people working in factories
Equal Pay Rally 1934
Ford Women Strikers

Art Class at Vanda's

Great class at the Granary.  http://www.vandacampbell.com . I was a bit out of sorts driving up, drifting into negative thoughts about historical slights, of which I have many.  Class was just what I needed!  

We started by looking at an artwork of our own choice, from the last few weeks.  I chose one of my cleaning fluid bottles.

Cleaning bottle

Class was about identifying one's own expertise and playing to it as a strength.  Lots of us struggled with associating the words 'self' to 'expertise'.    We were told to get on with it!  

My strengths, as demonstrated in this drawing: 

Bold gestures; 

drawing with credit card; 

one bright colour linked to black; 

speed of execution; 

contrast of bold and delicate lines/marks.

Then we added our own views to each others lists.  

My expertise as seen by others:

Fragmentation; seeing beauty in the mundane; 

indicative and use of colours; 

narrative; 

mark making; 

suggestion; 

less is more; 

space; simplify; 

brush marks.

Vanda gave out A1 sheets of paper, for a series of drawings of same type of object (cleaning fluid bottle), using key words from list.  

First sheet of practice drawings

Large section

Small section

 Small section

I worked with credit card drawing, and created several different versions, working larger than usual, on A1 paper, sideways on, so the height of the paper was A2.  I simplified to blocks and lines of colour, drawing the whole shape of the cleaning bottles, but larger than usual, sometimes overlaying 2 or 3 bottles.  Photos to follow.  

I debated how best to display them, keeping display for my Progress Review for my MA.  They did not fit in my usual square sketchbook, neither would they fit an A3.  But they would slice up beautifully for a bespoke concertina sketchbook.  Then I got out some smaller, cropped work from last week, also in black and red.  This would work up into a lovely concertina sketchbook, A2 length, maybe one third the width of A2.  A long narrow concertina that would be sinuously extended for display.

Something to consider was prioritising the purpose of making an image:

- Create an exciting painting
- Identify subject matter
- Identify specifics of what/where it is

People don't say - what a lovely image of Beachy Head, what a lovely landscape, what interesting techniques.  They are drawn in by interesting/exciting technique, then realise its a landscape; then read the artist statement and realise it's a specific place, Beachy Head.

So with my samplers, I need to get the watercolour effects of my sketchbook, then people realise it is a sampler, then who it's about. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't matter.  That's how I build skill.

For next class - bring tools that enhance the message.  Eg in my case, draw with identity card not credit card.

More sampler progress

Starting to add the cleaning fluid bottle.

Needs more work to get the hand drawn graphite effect on the white nozzle.

Progress on Sampler

Glove and toilet roll

Not sure whether to work it simply, with just the Izal logo, or whether to try to copy the watercolour effects from the artwork.  Will the watercolour effect add to the imagery, or detract from it?

Page from Toilet Cleaners concertina sketchbook

Do I work it fairly simply and pared down, until it is finished, then decide whether to add in more water colour effects?  I'm worried that if I try to get the water colour effect, I will wreck it, and won't be able to undo it as the threads will be tangled.  I don't want it to get too busy, but also I want it to be sufficiently complex to read as an original work and to be VERY difficult to copy.

Starting to stitch the 30p entry fee sign and money slot.

This is about 4 hours work, and I have simplified it from the sketch.  There is another layer of stitch to be added.

Tutorial - 14 June - with Imogen

NOTES OF TUTORIAL - IMOGEN RACZ/CATHY MACTAGGART

Wednesday 14 June 2018 

I met  Imogen on 14 June.  I said I had been working with the East End Women’s Museum/East Side Community Heritage and was volunteering with them to do oral history interviews, as part of my MA skills development.  I had finalised the design and script for my sampler, and there was a lot of stitch to be done. Imogen queried whether I used the term embroidery, sewing or stitch and why.  I like stitch, because it makes me feel less old-fashioned than embroidery or sewing. Stitch as a verb – to join, adorn or enclose with thread by piercing with a needle. Sew – to join, attach, enclose or work upon with a needle and thread.  Embroider -  to ornament with designs in needlework; to add ornament or fictitious detail; exaggeration or invented detail.

I was making good progress with my essay ‘cooking on gas’. I should press on and get it to the Final Draft stage, now it has rested for a couple of weeks.  Imogen advised to:

-      Think about themes and compare/contrast between artists (Chicago and Shapiro). They were working with similar themes, in different ways. Decoration and meaning.

-      Where is it going

-      Make statements and elaborate; identify notions and unpack.  Sometimes I do this well, and sometimes I don’t.

-      Consider underused female crafts; abstract expressionism. 

Consider visual linguistic coding. Visual tropes – culturally understood – multi-level. Issues which are normalised yet undervalued.   Perception of textiles – female labour.  

Don’t worry too much about word count. What is in it, is what is important. I’m aiming for about 5,000 words.

Imogen said I needed to revisit my Ethics form – because of recent alterations to the Data Protection Act. Where my work has evolved, the ethics form needs to take into account my upcoming exhibition and oral history; and potential progression to PhD for destroy dates etc.  

Actions:

CMT to get essay to Final Draft by 27/6/18 (next tute after Tessa Lynch talk)

IR to provide one example of where I make the statement and elaborate, and one where I don’t

CMT to revise Ethics Form and send for approval.

I'm a bit worried about this.  I've been writing about Chicago, Shapiro and Perry because of what they have done and how it informs my practice.  I have not been considering them in relation to each other.  I'm not really interested in them in relation to each other.  But is this part of ramping up my writing skills to MA level?  I think it is going well ... but is Imogen pushing me to see just how well I can do?  I did really well in my first piece of writing before Christmas, but hit the buffers big time in January as I felt maintaining that level of achievement was unattainable!

I would like to get this work wrapped up really early, as I'd like some time off over the summer.  The first year of the Masters finished on 21 Sept, and the new year starts on 23rd!  It seems ages since Jim and I had an extended holiday together.  I think it might do him good as well - he's had a rough time of it recently with various aches and pains.

OK - first thing to do is print and read my essay so far, then see how I can compare and contrast.

Processions march, London 11 June 2018

What a wonderful event.  Celebrating 100 years of some women getting the vote.(ie those over 30 and with a personal estate).  I found out a few months ago that the reason for the age and property bar, was because had all women been given the vote, they would have out-numbered the voting men, post WW1!  Another snippet of information gleaned today was that the colours Green, White and Violet, stood for Give Women Votes.  The marchers assembled along the whole length of Park Lane – so we walked from Marble Arch, to Park Lane, Piccadilly, St James St, Pall Mall, Whitehall, ending up at the Houses of Parliament.  I spoke to a lots of women: young feminists; Masters students; domestic violence campaigners; educated women from Girton and the Fawcett Society; school teachers and guide leaders.  There were some truly amazing banners.

Dancing to 'voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir". 

My friend Sally created these silk batik banners.

I’m considering a trip to Bletchley Park, to look at the work of coding specialists. I think there were many women employed this way, but this banner has inspired me to find out more.

This is the memorial to women working in WW2, by Maggi Hambling.  It shows many different roles carried out by women - but does not actually show a woman!

Father and son supporting their women

Squinty selfie

Best in Show!  Love the bag caption!

Private View, Anglia Ruskin University

I went to Anglia Ruskin to see the PV with my friend Jane.  We went to see a former Shedio art class member, Brenda's work in her final year show.  Her work has come on so much - and in a completely different way to how she was working in  class with us.  Back then, she was very much into small, 2D, texture.  Now her work is large, 3D and sculptural, in cement!  This is good, because a degree should make your work change, develop and move forward.  She's looking at the subtleties of change over time and traces of things no longer present, as evidenced by process dictating outcome.   Hurrah for Brenda!!!

Brenda Phillips, artist; with Jane

Brenda with 'Collusion'

Brenda and Jane

Another thing I thought was inspiring, was how much support Brenda had from her husband Tony.  I've spoken to him at every event she has participated in, and with these latest pieces of work, he has been chief Health & Safety officer!  The cement pillars are exceptionally heavy, and cannot be allowed to fall over, as they would do serious damage to whoever they landed on.  So each pillar has a metal pole which has been drilled into the floor.

I have to add that I thought my personal two 'best in show's were placed as neighbouring exhibitors - Brenda (yippee!) and Sophie Neville. And it turns out Sophie won first prize for her artwork, and Brenda won second!  Sophie Neville is a young feminist who does not pull her punches with her text-based feminist art (right on topic for me!).  She creates small pieces in embroidery hoops with single impactful statements (making her work contemporary by use of the soundbite) but, even better, the wall hangings with multiple use of text appropriated from social media and headlines.  Oh - My - Word!

Section of No Surprise, copyright Sophie Neville

No Surprise, copyright Sophie Neville

Section of No Surprise, copyright Sophie Neville

No Surprise, copyright Sophie Neville

The small writing gives information about sexual harassment
- in this case about the self-documented pedophile, incestuous philander Eric Gill
(whose New Johnston typeface is used and lauded by London Underground!)

Copyright Sophie Neville
Hand embroidery

Resist, copyright Sophie Neville
Hand embroidery 

Time's Up, copyright Sophie Neville
Hand embroidery

I like Time's Up for its use of symbols.  The red alarm clock, followed by an up arrow.  Works with both people who enjoy words, and those who don't.

I was so glad Sophie won the £2,000 Supanee Gazeley prize.  Sophie will take a year out to get some funds behind her, then aims to take MA Art & Politics at Goldsmiths.  More power to her stitching elbow.  I will follow her with interest.