Seam, Installation View 2007 Catherine Bertola.
Gold Leaf in Concrete Installation for ‘MOVED’ at Workplace Gallery
Dimensions Variable
CB0040
Courtesy of the artist and Workplace Gallery, UK
Looking at the YSP website I came across work by Catherine Bertola which I really like, so googled her and came upon the Workplace Gallery Website, which has an exhibition of her work on until the 23rd of September this year. I was flabbergasted to see her beautiful Seam works shown, and especially the pic above, which I have inadvertently managed to replicate!
My work A Few Small Repairs, 2011I remember talking with fellow students about this when we started out, and frequent cries of ‘someone else has already made my work!’ would echo round those studios, proclaiming a mixed sense of frustration, jealousy and despair.
What’s the point if it’s already been done?
What’s the point if there are quicker minds than mine out there, so far ahead in their thinking than me??
BUT, as my foundation tutor (Mr Phil Tyler) used to say to us repeatedly, there is no such thing as an original idea, but each time it’s done you’re coming at it from a different angle, heading towards a different place. Nonetheless, there is not much point simple repeating work done by others (not to mention the legal implications!), but now these things make me really happy:
I feel validated that I’m on the right track, whatever that might be for me, and I feel really grateful the artist that has already made that thing I was thinking about has done it for me, thank you very much, which is nothing but helpful.
I am very much looking forward to visiting the Workplace Gallery next week and getting up close enough to really appreciate the workmanship which is clearly an integral part of Bertola’s work.
Fantastic that the show is on right at this moment!
Fantastic that Bertola is working with the overlooked, cherishing the parts of the world which aren’t ordinarily valued, including dust and cobwebs- this interest has clearly filtered into the world to be picked up by people (like me).
Now I can look at this work and think about why these things are overlooked, why there is poetry in celebrating them, and possibly even why the thinking is noticing them now…
I feel work brewing already… Thanks Catherine Bertola, thank you for your beautiful work.
Cadi Froehlich 
new blog entry in appreciation of Catherine Bertola
Nice post lady Cadi I agree that when you’ve made something and then afterwards find out someone else has made a very similar thing it is an affirmation of the rightness of the idea rather than an illustration of your failure to get there first.