I submitted my COP work on the history of women's rights protests as a series of 3, and at the time I thought if I got accepted I would just exhibit the digitally printed paper versions. Only a few weeks before the exhibition date I got a response saying my work had been accepted and I'd need to have my work in London by the 4th of March. Once I knew a bit more about the gallery space and the other kinds of work that would be exhibited on the day (it was going to be a big, empty white space with lots of room, perfect to exhibit big pieces) I knew I couldn't really just submit the paper versions. So I started making the fabric wall hangings I'd proposed to make for COP but hadn't had time to do.
It was actually so much easier than I'd anticipated and didn't take very long, all I did was get the prints digitally printed onto fabric, then hemmed the raw edges myself at home, and sewed them onto some dowel I got from the woodwork department at uni. The real learning curve was working out how I'd send the pieces to London. They were an awkward size and shape and needed to lay flat in transit so they didn't crease so I ended up making my own packaging out of some cardboard scraps and wrapping the pieces themselves in bubble wrap. Working out the courier situation was also tricky at first but not as daunting as I expected, it was really just a matter of getting it sent to arrive the right day and time to suit the clients office hours.
The actual exhibition day in London was amazing, the gallery was the Black and White building in Hackney and the opening night was really busy. I met lots of lovely people there, the people at creative debuts are really friendly, and easy to work with. I would definitely try and work with them again. It was also really interesting to see how different the gallery scene is in London compared to Leeds, it was a lot busier as the group that organised it have quite a big following on Instagram which I guess attracted more of an audience.
All in all the experience has shown me that it's worth submitting your work to whatever opportunities that come along, as even if you don't think its likely you'll be picked you might be surprised as you never really know what people are looking for. It also taught me that when interacting with clients I need to remember to reply in a timely manner as there was a few times where I would forget to look at my emails and miss important information or lose track of what was happening. It was also a much shorter time limit to work in than I was used to, which did panic me first as I like to be overly organised, but it showed me how quickly you can pull things together if you need to. It also was valuable as it forced me to do a few things that are out of my comfort zone such as packaging and sending my work. This is such an important thing to know and I really think i'll use this skill in the future.
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