End of year memorial: November

The second half of October was so busy getting ready for my first solo show at Laerk Space that I failed to write much for this memorial at all. The following is the chronicle for November. At the beginning of Nov once the show was over I went on to make commemorative works and gave one to the gallerist. The other I got framed using a frame from a work in the show that didn’t sell and put it on my wall above my desk. I recycled a lot of the frames from the show, using ones from works that didn’t sell for other works that I hadn’t yet exhibited.

The above photo shows Adelaide with Henri (not shown by request apart from his hands) in the Yokohama house on 13 Nov but the memorial for November is almost empty. I talk a lot with my daughter when we manage to link up but I don’t remember what we talked about on this day and didn’t make a note of the conversation. We probably talked as usual about little Henri. I talk with them when they’re not too tired, but there’s so much work to do with an infant that it’s not always that they have time to chat.

The following photos show the solo exhibition at Laerk Space. I actually used many of these photos on the Esag blog but decided to add them here additionally for completeness. I’m nothing if not thorough, and I guess I thought that the show warranted more exposure as it was such an important and affirming experience for me.

The above photos show the preparation for the hang, Annie quickly sited what she thought should go where and then we got around to the process of hanging. The following photos show the space once the hang was complete.

The next photo shows me sitting at the back of the gallery waiting for people to wander in off the street. I had some ideas about exhibitions because it’s so difficult to get people to do this transition: now I’m in the street, now I’m inside the gallery. They hesitate on the threshold and almost apologise once they manage to get inside it’s almost comical, when all the time you’re sitting there trying to draw them in using your telekinetic brain power. It’s extraordinary and sobering.

I had some people at the opening, it was good to see friends come together and someone even took photos (see below).

I took some of my more recent work along with me in my backpack, so dropped the panels on the floor when everyone was there so that I could show them (see below).

The following photos show the view from the front of the gallery across the street to residential houses on Wilson St. I used this photo when I was making the painting that I eventually gave to Annie.

I also used the following photos to make artworks, they’re taken on the bus when I was travelling one morning from my house to the gallery.

The following photos show Annie and her brother being photographed with the outdoor signage they took down from the holder attached to the side of the building the gallery was located in. I also used these photos in artworks.

Anther thing that happened in November, in fact late in the month so almost in Dec, was my commissioning Think Renewables to put in solar panels. A guy came around canvassing households and rang my doorbell. When I answered I got to talking with him. Later he had another guy come to go through the numbers, explain the process. After that I signed a contract and Think Renewables called me to organise a site visit by an installer. They consulted with Ausgrid about voltage and the technician came on the last day of spring to scope out the installation site, he went up a ladder to peer at the roof, went down to the basement to see where the inverter would go, and went into the light well to check out where the cabling for the electrics would be put to bring the power down from the roof to the garage.