ShelleyGoesToLondon: May Be

A more intense month, starting with the interim exam, which seemed to go well and I eventually heard that my application for transfer to PhD had been accepted. Good for morale although I was clear that unless there was full funding, I would not want to stay on for the PhD. I determined to carry on as though I would be presenting my final show and thesis in July.

With the thought that I would soon be out in the wide commercial world in mind. I accepted a commission from Moorfields Eye Hospital for a series of paperweight gifts for delegates to an international conference and delivered them all on time thanks to James Devereux.

The glass panels for the Bristol Eye Hospital finally arrived amid much excitement.

Annie and I worked away at the Uveitis models - I found it fascinating to play with ideas about immunity, the self and the other, pushing casting and blowing techniques to their limits. We discussed whether these sculptures might help patients to understand and take better care of themselves.

The flute user group at the Bate Museum in Oxford seemed to be enjoying the glass instruments. I met the talented young composition student Oliver Currie and we talked about the potential for him to create a piece of music inspired by the objects in time for the installation of the exhibition in October. Andrew Lamb also introduced me to Chris Garrard, a PhD student, also in Oxford, who made the most wonderful sounds with the objects, using a violin bow to draw a deep song from the rim of a clear dish. We agreed to work together on a series of singing bowls for him to play with and present at the the Oxford Contemporary Music Marathon at St Hilda's College in November.

At the end of the month, I decided to invest in a couple of hours of professional photography with Eszter Segarra. We chose a black background and decided to go for bling or bust.