Studio Notes January - Looking Down Looking Back

Hello,

January has been one of those quieter studio months — a little slower, a little reflective. I’ve been sorting, revisiting older projects, and noticing how often walking, looking down, and gathering small fragments still sit at the core of how I work.

One project that keeps resurfacing is Parisgrit. It came from walking Paris, Europe and UK with my gaze directed away from the landmarks and toward what was underfoot and at the edges — worn surfaces, underground spaces, street markings, signage, graffiti, and the things people leave behind. I collected images, bits of street litter, and found objects almost instinctively, drawn to marks shaped by use, neglect, and time. It felt like uncovering another version of the city — quieter, messier, and full of unexpected beauty.

That way of working connects closely to Spaces Below, where attention shifts to what sits beneath the surface — physically and metaphorically — This ongoing project explores manhole and sewer covers I've walked over and photographed since 2005 during my travels, and to my Barcelona residency at Can Serrat in 2005, where walking, observing, and gathering became a daily rhythm. Looking back, I can see how those experiences continue to echo through the work I’m making now.

January has mostly been about reconnecting with these threads, letting them surface again, and making space for what comes next. As always, things are slowly accumulating in the studio — ideas, materials, half-formed works — waiting for the right moment to come together.

More soon,

Jenny