side projects etc by Julia Gorman: Have I ever mentioned Grey Area on this Blog?

After we finished our honours year at RMIT, a group of us found a studio to share in the city. It was amazing really, great natural light, great artificial light, 24 hour access, security guards, nice real-estate agent (Phil, we probably didn't appreciate you at the time, but thanks) all this directly across the road from Flinders Street Station, above the very unfashionable Port Phillip Arcade. We were very serious and uncompromising, rigorous in our non-objectivity, attention to space, no frills approach. Phil the real estate agent then offered us use of a shop downstairs for free for 6 months, which we were able to extend for a mere, I can't remember but maybe it was $80 a week. And so Grey Area Art Space was born.

This show 'Hedge' was one of the first we had. I painted cardboard boxes in cardboard coloured paint, stacked them up and painted a fluoro green square across the higgledy piggledy surfaces. I made another green square by running a line of light green tape across the floor, which then hit two pieces of white paint wood of different sizes which were casually leaning against the wall. The light green line turned into a painted line as it went up these pieces of wood, fading into dark green as it reached the top, then it met a line of dark green tape which ran around the back of the cardboard boxes, joining up the square. So there was a green square within a green square. Confused? Just look at the pictures. Oh no, they'll probably confuse you more. For some reason I don't have a view of the whole installation from front on.

I was REALLY into Jessica Stockholder at this stage. It seemed like she was doing everything that I would have wanted to do. Like the inevitable direction of my work was into her work.

Also, if you look at the wall behind the long plank of wood, you'll notice a greenish glow. That's because I painted the back of the plank with fluoro green paint. That's a real RMIT painting trick. We liked 'humour'.