Today we went on an excursion to the Grainger Museum. It was a collection of bits and pieces that depicted the life of composer Jeremy Grainger. It was much like an extended version of a memory box or time capsule. There were small trinkets that belonged to Grainger, the contents of his mothers handbag when she committed suicide and hand crafted instruments made by Grainger. I found the museum quite narcissistic, it was crossing the line between wanting to preserve your life and all things personal to you in order to leave a lasting legacy and wanting to immortalise yourself publicly to achieve fame and recognition. Some of the objects in the exhibition reflected ideas I have been contemplating for my piece about ‘non site’. The creator of the gallery explained that Grainger has an obsession with composing musical pieces that consisted of solid, fluid notes with no beat to them. We also saw his collection of musical glasses which is a sound that I would consider including in my final piece. I think having that constant, echoed sound creates a clear space for audiences to contemplate the visuals they are viewing. It is also appropriate when looking at ‘non site’ and places of ‘in between’ because they are places of stillness and isolation and having a solid stream of sound would help communicate this emptiness.

Todays class we developed the idea of home. As an introduction we looked at what is familiar to us and how our memories and history can put marks on these places that make them unique and personal to us. From there we will develop the idea of external location before exploring the concept of ‘non site’. Everyone spoke about their living conditions and it was really interesting to hear about how the flaws in their home including, marks, smashes, cracks and dints all tell stories and create meaning behind the initial appearance. Robbie spoke about a house where an elderly person lived and made a mark on the floor where the shuffled along the same path each day. It made me think about how our use of things can create marks on objects. Imprints in a mattress where we lie in the same position each night, stains in my favourite coffee cup, dints in plastic cooking utensils from where you leave them resting on a hot pan, fade marks on the carpet where a table has stood for years, dust behind the bookshelf, faded wood from where the sun beams in through the windows from the same angle each day. Family is an important element to home, the people around you transform a space into a home. When you strip back these familiarities thats when a place becomes isolated and vacant, it is an uninhabited void with no meaning to you.I spoke about my exchange experience in the UK and how even though technically I had a house, a place to stay and return to each day after school but I didn’t have a home. I didn’t get along with my host family and was living in the house as more of a boarder rather then a family member. I was living in a constant state of numbness, just existing from day to day without having a place of comfort or relaxation where I could release. All this tension was accumulating because I was constantly alert of the people around me and trying to be considerate, washing dishes, asking to leave the table, getting permission to eat food, all things which removed my freedoms and individuality. I also spoke about the scene in Fight Club that talks about peoples patterns in accumulating stuff. People often have an idea of the perfect arrangements of items that define them. If we buy this one more lamp or fruit bowl our collection will be complete. Our house will be a gallery of items that represents us. Robbie spoke about peoples hoarding habits and how mess can be organised and create comfort for the owner. Objects have memories that people can be reluctant to let go of. Others are minimalists who prefer a clean, plain pallet. Robbie questioned the difference between a house and a home. Can you be houseless but feel a sense of belonging within a community. Can you be homeless even though you have a roof over your head. House = structure, home = substance. We are constantly looking to repeat our past and return to our childhood. Our sense of nostalgia is strong and we look to emulate this feeling of familiarity. This can create intergenerational traditions, family or cultural rituals which are passed down from generation to generation. I found the idea of spacial relations an interesting concept. If a physical building is demolished do the memories and existences remain. If someone lived in an apartment that was demolished is their existence in the air? Floating in the sky in a sense of limbo?