From Jess Raby

23 Jan - 04 Feb 2017

I arrived at the airport a little anxious but very excited. In Geneva, I was greeted by Nina. She drove me straight to the house from there. On the journey I was happy to see snow. When we got to the village I was shown around the house and garden and introduced to Nina’s family. I was already looking at what could take part in my next projects. 

Testing out projections in the studio. Dead Rose, digital video

The house is just beautiful. I enjoyed the garden swing sometimes too! The bedrooms are warm and cosy, lots of books which are there for you to read. I loved the studio space, particularly the moveable walls which were key for me as I was able to make a darkened space to film in when blocking out light from the window too.

Filming a rose I found in the village

I started my first day getting to know my bearings and discover things, come up with ideas. The rest of my time on the residency I spent a lot of time playing and experimenting in the studio. I found the time extremely valuable as when the residency finished I felt I had developed my working process and approaches and returned home with clear plans as to what I was going to do in my next two upcoming University exhibitions. 

Filming snow as the sun set

As I came to Trelex on a cancellation I could only come for two weeks but I hope to come back for a longer period of time in the future. 

There are lots of materials and items Nina is happy to share with you. I benefited from a lighting set-up, fishing wire, tape, paper, glue and more. 

When I needed a break from the studio I enjoyed trips out to Nyon, Lausanne, and Geneva. I found the train easy to get. You just buy your ticket form the station in Trelex and head to Nyon for directions to the larger cities or you can catch the train up the mountains for gorgeous views and picturesque villages. 

A gorgeous sunny day in Lausanne. Well worth the trip.

I didn’t come with a plan for this residency, I wanted to open up and let go and enjoy the luxury of having a studio space and no other commitments for a full two weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from this. I am so grateful to Nina for offering the experience. 

I collected objects from my surroundings and experimented with them in the studio. I was glad to find one of few living flowers in the village. Other objects I collected included dead flowers, seeds, a dead wasp, and feathers.

Filming feather, shadow and fan

I loved having the luxury of having time to read a few books that had been on my list for a while. I enjoyed conversations with the other artists I met whilst at Trelex and Nina, talking about my work and artist influences. All in all, what a lovely experience. Time to think, read, make, and review. Perfect! 

You can view more images of my time on the residency here.  

I also made a few videos of my walks around Trelex and in Nyon on my first few days which you can view here.