April 27, 2001, Newsletter Issue #35: Documentation of your work.

Tip of the Week

Documentation
It is essential to document your work throughout the year as the visual description of your work forms the basis of all your publicity and promotion.

• Slides – are essential for applications to arts boards, agencies, to put into specialist indexes and to send to glossy magazines. They need to be good-quality and to do your work justice.

Although if you have enough experience you can achieve professional results taking your own slides, you may prefer to use a photographer experienced in documenting visual and media work who has been recommended by others.

When sending slides, put them into plastic slide pages in a ring folder – see also Section (5).

• Black and white photographs – are invaluable to send to the art press and local newspapers. If you take your own, combine it with taking colour slides by borrowing another camera!

• Colour prints – can be presented in folders and colour photo-copied for display purposes. Colour photocopiers can also be used to make images from slides and copies can be added to your folder. Laminated colour prints or photo-copies are a relatively inexpensive way of putting information on a gallery wall.

• Images on computer disk – some visual artists are putting their work on computer disk both as an art distribution method and to use for publicity purposes. Subject to compatibility, images can then be used immediately in visual arts magazines.

• Media documentation – it can be useful to document participatory projects and installations on video or film, where images and sound track can be used to put over a complete picture of what happened. A video can be shown at future exhibitions or other events.

• Colour postcards – these can be used as promotional material in galleries, art and craft fairs and also to give to prospective clients, sponsors or promoters.

• Electronic media – some visual and media artists are using the Internet and the World Wide Web to raise their profile and make connections with others and to promote specific events.

Send slides and other material by post in a padded or hardbacked envelope. Don’t send glass mounted slides as they often break, or cardboard mounted slides because they can jam a projector. Ask for Eastern Arts’ free leaflet The Ubiquitous Colour Slide – an Artists` Guide for tips on labelling and sending out slides.

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