Our Speaker Programme today was by the artist Claire Barclay. I have been aware of her name but never her work. It was quite an interesting talk, that both endeared me to her work, but also pushed me away from it, although she herself seems lovely. The being pushed away part probably stems out of my own aversion to sculpture, in that I often find it hard to react to it, or find something in it, or indeed describe it. Something in it has to speak to me or I am left shrugging my shoulders going “um…….” What appealed to me most about Barclay’s sculptures was the craft elements – the woven wheat, the crochet wool over metal bars, straw bails with lime render (these look particularly gorgeous). She also talked about the importance of the space in which her sculptures are shown, in that how she makes them interact with the space and the viewer. The idea of being forced into the room to see everything, instead of being able to do a sweep and judgement at the door, the idea of being confronted by something sharp by going round a corner, going in behind sculptures in a way that means behind is just as much the front. The idea of a stage setting and props in the setting also creates a suggestion of narrative. She also hinted at background to some items – slave trade, crystals and dreamcatchers, australia – but then she overwrites all this with stating that it is only about the viewer, and what they see – that her sculpture is about “nothing” and the audience therefore can read their own stories. This is something that bothers me in a sense, because I still think an audience can have their own interpretations, whether the artist has implied one or not, and also because she did seem to be hinting at meanings behind her installations and objects. What her sculptures are definitely about is the act of making and constructing the objects themselves, the craft behind them. Maybe by not applying a conceptual meaning to her works she is highlighting this even more? Making the viewer focus in on the actual object rather than its story and reason for being there makes you concentrate on the object itself, its relation to other objects, the space and then its narrative in the space. I just contradicted myself there I think, but I guess this is what makes an interesting speaker programme, artists who make you consider their work, rather than forgetting everything they have just said within 5 minutes!