Unit X: All Under Control

Yesterday I found out that we were expected to make a presentation as part of our routine Tuesday tutorials about our final outcome.  Cue absolute terror! In my brief run-in with Eleanor in the morning, she said that they didn't expect a final outcome but expected us to be pretty far ahead. This is when self doubt kicked in! We all simultaneously had a mini panic attack about everything we had yet to do. The film people freaked out about not having all the footage and a lot to edit. Meanwhile the installation group had yet to source yarns. And to make matters worse we still not sure of where we would eventually exhibit the thing! Over the weekend, Robin had sent out a vague email about ‘provisional locations’ but we were dubious as to whether it was implied that we continue to look for our own.

Miraculously, as it turned out all our fears were in vain as when we finally got to the tutorial, Eleanor and Robin seemed to think we had it all under control! Either we have at last acquired the talent of making things sound less catastrophic than they actually are or at long last this project is actually coming together.

At the tutorial we were also introduced to Adriano, one of the leaders of Unit X, who had kindly organised an exhibition space for us. This came as a missive relief! For the past week, our group has been unsuccessfully trying to organise a location. Most of the credit for this goes to Hannah, who despite our unfortunate timing was still a pretty impressive force to be reckoned with in her pursuit to make a booking. Sadly, her efforts were to no avail as it appears that most spaces are fully booked.  So understandably, the group practically rejoiced when Adriano told us about the basement space we’d be using to set up our installation/ film.

As a follow up to the tutorial, today we visited the location and it’s safe to say we were all very pleased with what we've got. Lizzie and myself came across Incognito earlier that morning on our ‘Yarn Sourcing’ expedition (more about that later) and were immediately taken by the add gadgets and what I can only describe as slightly use-less but highly amusing.....stuff! 

 When we arrived a second time at the quirky little shop on the edge of the Northern Quarter, we were guided behind the counter into the basement gallery space. Currently, this is being used as a store so I assume at some point next week we will all be pitching in to clear things up a bit. The part of the basement we’re actually going to be using resembles a vault with its barred iron door. This is a bit of a happy accident as it only adds to the sombre tones of our exhibition. The space itself is a good size. I didn't think to ask for the exact dimensions of the space so all I can say is that it’s not too big and not too small. So in regards to the installation, we’ll have plenty of room our knitted pieces without having to worry about filling up too big a space. Another added bonus of space was that it had small adjustable light fittings on all four walls that can tilt towards or away from the installation in order to play around with the effects of shadows. Again these fit the mood that we are trying to create as they are not too bright.

 We've decided that we will be setting up the installation on Monday, leaving Tuesday for any adjustments or last minute additions.  The film people have yet to source a T.V and a table/ plinth but have already looked into ‘The Mustard Tree’, a local charity organisation that sells cheap furniture, and will be finalising this soon.  All that is left to do now is to get arm-knitting!