I showed Lipsum ii first in an MA Sculpture crit and then later at a cross-pathway MA Computational Arts/MA Sculpture crit.

In my Sculpture BA the standard was a silent crit, i.e. the artist offers only their work’s title (if it has one) and listens without interjecting while the group discusses the piece. The MA approach has been: what form can this crit take that is most useful for you? For some, that means taking five minutes at the top of their session to provide context, explanations, point out features or to pose particular questions to the group.

In general, I find crits are a vital part of my practice. Specifically, I am discovering that the silent crit is the most effective structure for me. In an exhibition context I choose to share minimal exposition, e.g. in wall text. It is therefore valuable to me to hear how my work reads when it stands alone.

In Unit 2 I have been considering the visual language of function, making objects that in some way suggest use but are holistically ambiguous. The work’s potential ‘purpose’ (outside of the purpose of an art object) arises in crit discussions time and time again. Observing the ways in which the group chooses to interact with the object, their questions and speculation – it all feeds into this line of enquiry.

I treat these sessions as research and record as many notes as possible throughout. I write down comments verbatim where I can, closely paraphrasing otherwise (a course mate told me recently that she makes audio recordings of her feedback, which is something I intend to do in the future). I use these notes for later critical reflection on my work. Below are a selection of quoted words and phrases from the two crits in which I showed Lipsum ii.