September Shorts: FOFU

The MMU Art Department run this every year; art students from all disciplines drop their mistakes into big silver bins and the public are invited to an open evening of displayed work. 

You can leave sealed bids for pieces, and a couple of days later you hear whether you've been lucky enough to bag a unique and brilliant mistake. We got our hands on a beautiful block-printed textile in acid colours for a mere twenty. It's a masterful piece.

There can't be many better ways for an institution to champion the necessity of making mistakes. American painter and printmaker Nathan Oliveira is credited with claiming that "all art is a recovery from the first line," an observation that suits writing just as well.

Here's a thing though. One student at this year's FOFU had submitted the most amazing piece of fine art in delicate, layered pencil work. I couldn't help think it might have been their best work, snuck in. It subverts the spirit of the project; uses it instead for personal status. Check me out guys - this is me at my worst.

Sharing mistakes, setbacks, creative mis-steps, threatens the ego. It takes bravery to do it. But it's worth it.  It strengthens the unit, the community, rather than the individual. That's a beautiful thing.