One of the most important considerations of a piece of work is the title. A title is a signifier, it enables an artist to provide information to the viewer. A title can be loaded with meaning, it can be ambiguous or descriptive and it can simply be left untitled. The most important thing is – that whatever the title does, or doesn’t say about the work – it is intentional, not simply an afterthought. One of the most important things about my work in the final degree show is that both pieces are about Place and Time. Where they were made, what they represent and when they were made are extremely important in terms of tracking change and recording moments in time.
Silvertown 2019 – 2021
Whilst thinking about the title for my work I was keen for it to signify the materials used and the tracking of geo-demographic change over time. I have decided to call the work ‘Silvertown 2019-2021’. On the surface, this might sound as if I am simply describing the colour of the cans and referencing them to a town and therefore to shelters and I actually quite like the fact that this is all people might take from it – it is after all quite true. However, this title works on more than one level and for those in the know, the title is actually site specific. The area of Newham in which I live is called Silvertown and this is where I collected all my cans between the years of 2019-2021. The years are intrinsic to the title – they are not simply representative of the year the work was made, but of the social and economic change that has taken place in Silvertown over that period as regeneration of the area continues to take hold. The title is both descriptive and deceptive depending on your local knowledge and I like that – hopefully those who are interested enough will probe and others can simply enjoy it for the aesthetics! I had considered using lyrics from ‘Silvertown Blues’ by Mark Knopfer, but having thought long and hard I decided that I had my own story to tell – those familiar with the song, may connect the dots and the use of the word Silvertown references his work anyway.
Flagship House ’21
Having been inspired by the likes of Gees Bend and Rosalie Gasgoine and finding a sense of comfort in the process of quilting, I created this quilted shelter out of cardboard that had been delivered to my home – 21 Flagship House during lockdown. Again the title has layered meaning. On the one hand it claims to be a ‘Flagship’ House built in 2021 – elevating the status of the homeless shelter, the best of its kind – the show home of cardboard shelters. On the other hand it references Place and Time – my home, 21 Flagship House, created during the pandemic of 2021 and a self portrait of my life during that time – the boxes, the text, all tell my story. I could have called it 21 Flagship House or Flagship House 2021, but Flagship House ’21 makes it all the more ambiguous, yet all encompassing.