Matthew Rawcliffe

Some of you might remember that I take one polaroid per week as part of my reflective journal… each polaroid is then dated and transcribed with a word which reflects something of that week. I try and make these images targeted, rather than beautiful or reflective of a highlight - it was inspired by Barbara Bassot (2013) writing in The Reflective Journal, Bassot suggests that photography can be directed towards that moment, for instance capturing calm scenery on a stressful week. I like the way of framing this as something that you need rather than a more literal photography of how this week has looked. I continue to feel authentic (whatever that is?) through these methods, both my polaroid and my typewriter do not allow for mistakes, they are unrelenting and somehow that makes them feel truthful. They both give clear physical imprints, how hard I press the keys or how steady I hold the camera will directly affect the product. It is this physicality that I become excited about within

I am a bit in my head at the minute. I am really trying to push myself to sit in the not knowing for longer, to gather more and soak it all in before acting upon it. Through the masters, I am discovering that my voice as a writer has a clear tone whereby the ongoing questioning and exploration is a process I am inviting the reader into. Not needing answers to questions, just using the process to ask better questions. (Maybe even asking worse questions to ask better questions?) I also discover that I benefit from constantly reorienting my questions: I’m asking my books > I’m asking my body > I’m asking my history > I’m asking art > I’m asking my art > I’m asking my instinct > I’m asking my mum…   I come into this blog (and also sometimes the studio) to ask through producing, to ask through forcing myself to form things, but I become better at opening up to the vastness of what things is - and that feels integral.   I know very little about what my research will be,

take the body of work from an artist you admire and relate it to notions of knowledge, certainty, positivism.   I am going to use this task from the handbook. It is the first one and it feels like a nice gentle way to look towards what this research will be…   The first artist that came to mind under the headline of admiration was Bryce “The Sandman” Wong - I do not currently have any tattoos and I always tell people the only person I would let tattoo me is him. He designs skate shoes for brands including Nike and Vans. I came across his work because of the illustrations and graphic designs he makes on Instagram - I love cartoons and I love the art (especially sculpture) of antiquity, the first work of his that I saw blends those worlds in a way that I really enjoy. I also picked him because I expected it to be hard to relate his art to particular viewpoints or philosophies, I wanted to see how a seemingly illusive artist who I only know through 1080px by 1080px frames could reveal him