Factory Visits

I was very glad to be part of the Surface/Space/Time at the Crypt. Sam Clift and Eve Wheate did a brilliant job curating, and I invigilated on three different days with three different lovely people: Joohee Hwang, Rona Smith and Lucy Fergus. It’s great being around other artists, sharing advice and referenced. Lucy Fergus uses off cuts from the hairbrush manufacturer Mason Pearson, she has inspired me to arrange some factory visits to further explore my love of process.

Ideal Factory Visits:

• - Baked bean factory
• - Jelly bean factory
• - Brick factory
• - Cutlery factory
• - Pie factory
• - Light bulb factory
• - Marble factory
• - Playing-card factory
• - Sherbet factory
• - Pizza factory
• - Crisp factory
• - The Lush soap factory
• - Contact lens factory
• - Hair clip factory
• - Bra factory

There is a scene in ‘Tommy’ where the mother is working at the ball bearing (?) factory and she feints, pulling hundreds of balls off the belt? And in ‘Babes in Toyland’ in the Toy factory? And oh when there are scenes of the news-paper printing factories on TV. I love the idea of working in a factory, and nearly worked in the Lush soap factory in Poole when I was younger. How do they make stuff? It’s so interesting to me.

Spending three whole days in The Crypt was quite an experience. I was shown the secret half of the crypt – hidden behind old doors, perhaps to one day be renovated and used as a larger art gallery. It was very spooky. Some photographs: