Robin Siddall

Studio Art major, Mathematics minor

grief (n.)-- sorrow, burden, weight, or longing derived from loss

My work is rooted in grief, in the idea of presence and absence-- of people, of time, of place, of memory. While my own grief is not often the subject of my work, it is the underpinning of my practice, a driving force of why and how I create.

I work primarily in print and book arts, analog forms that require a surrendering of the self to process. The process of creation makes and unmakes me, attunes me to the present moment, opens me up to a reconfiguration of self, and allows me to heal. I am forced to spend time with and deeply examine my subject matter, whether that be drawn from my own experiences, community-sourced material, or other channels of inquiry. This attention to time and the present is also a mode of challenging the rapid compression and loss of time in a society driven by efficiency and productivity. Working in physical media results in pieces that take time for both maker and viewer to process and understand. My work is a connection to the present moment and a reconnection to the body.

Work Together

book arts, letterpress, papermaking, print

black box open to show index-size cream cards inside; the front card has typewriter-like writing on it that reads 'THINGS I SHOULD HAVE SAID/ ROBIN SIDDALL/2019'

Work Together consists of three projects rooted in community-sourced material.

THINGS I SHOULD HAVE SAID is a filing box of cards, holding anonymous admissions of things someone did not say that they feel they should have. In contributing to this project, these regrets are finally aired and cherished both by the artist in the process of creating the cards, and by the viewer as they thumb through the 100+ responses in the box.

open black box filled with index cards; a card leaning on the outside of the box has typewritten text that reads 'I SHOULD HAVE SAID; If you have time for me, why didn't you have time for him?/ ONLINE SUBMISSION NO. 1'

open black box filled with index cards; a card leaning on the outside of the box has typewritten text that reads 'I SHOULD HAVE SAID/I will never forgive you for what you did but I can't imagine life without you in it/ONLINE SUBMISSION NO. 27'

open black box filled with index cards; a card leaning on the outside of the box has typewritten text that reads 'I SHOULD HAVE SAID/I fucked up/ONLINE SUBMISSION NO. 75'

LOVE IS, a series of 36 screenprints, displays anonymous descriptions of how someone defines or feels love. In its installation, the viewer may walk along this row, pausing to read intimate concepts of love and care.

close up on a row of red text on white paper prints with LOVE IS repeated across the tops; two definitions in smaller type are partially visible at the left and right; in the center is the text 'hard to put into words!'

installation looking down a long hallway with white wall, many prints of red text on white paper hanging in a horizontal row, the words LOVE IS repeated along their types with smaller type below

Traveling Journal grew organically out of the senior seminar group after Wellesley College transitioned to remote learning. Longing for a way to remain connected despite our physical distance, we came to the idea of a journal, mailed from one classmate to the next, in which we can share whatever we are thinking about or working on when we receive it. The journal is bound by hand and the covers are made from handmade paper repurposed from a project that was interrupted by the College's closing.

handmade book with pink handmade paper covers and cream pages, standing on its end on a white background

handmade book with white paper and pink cover, open to show first page with handwritten text: 'THIS sketchbook/notebook/journal is for the students/artists/creators in ARTS 317/318 in the Spring of 2020. We are working remotely but we are working together. This is a sacred sapce for us to share. Let's fill it up! 22 April 2020'

These three pieces embody the contributions of a group of people, without whom the work would not exist.

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