Threshold of Thought: What influenced my latest collection of prints for Derby Print Open?
- Sidney Wilson
- Apr 26
- 3 min read
All of my work, from documentary filmmaking as part of 'The Wilson Brothers Derby' collective to my solo practice, is informed by my own experiences and contains a part of 'me', but my latest print collection 'Threshold of Thought' is some of my most personal.
In these prints, I compare the physical and emotional pain of my lonely training sessions and injuries as a competitive cyclist with the general rollercoaster of life.
With you I will explore my thought processes behind the prints that I will be showing this June at the Derby Print Open.
'After the Ascent' is a result of playing with shapes in the University of Derby print room towards the end of last year. The head shape is based on my own profile and surrounding it are some of the fractured visions I think of when going on long bike rides in north Derbyshire.
The title describes the immense feeling of relief and achievement of reaching the top of a steep climb, when you stop for a well-earned drink and a bite to eat, taking a couple of photographs for the bike tracking app.
The particular 'ascent' I had in mind when I think of this is the brutal Alport Heights climb, near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, which offers some of the most phenomenal views. On a clear day even the skyline of Birmingham can be seen in the west.
The title print 'Threshold of Thought' presents a display of 'memory panels'. Pain, grief and the long arduous physical healing from cycling injuries. Each panel represents some kind of feeling or memory associated with a sense of struggle.
For example, the idea for the panel in the centre left with three birds sat in a tree came after posting a photograph on Instagram of the same tree in Darley Park in Derby on one of my 'recovery walks'. A cyclist friend joked that it might be what my ribs look like after breaking six of them. This injury, including a broken collarbone, was the result of a big crash I had at a cycle race the previous year.
The recurring pattern of stones are inspired by the drystone walls which line the fields of north Derbyshire, they symbolise rebuilding, strength, maintenance, moving forward.
The centre upper right panel of the print is based on a point of view sketch of my legs I made whilst reclining in my hospital bed after the crash I previously mentioned. I use drawings from my sketchbook as a bedrock for my ideas.
For all the prints I heavily utilised glass cutting tools provided to me by family friend, legendary illustrator and master printmaker Charles Shearer, which provide an interesting range of textures. Charles is an ever-present source of inspiration for my practice.
'A World of Pain' is based on my personal experiences during the 2020 lockdown, and the loss of my father during the summer of that year. The title 'A World of Pain' is a play on the words of TV cycling commentator Carlton Kirby, describing what an athlete must be experiencing during peak physical exertions. This picture depicts a cyclist based on myself, completing intense efforts on an indoor trainer, with the backdrop of book shelves and my father Franklin Wilson's fish picture made out of string, spray-painted with silver car spray paint, a piece which was was part of a series that explored the cycle of life through different religious perspectives.
My 'Threshold of Thought' print collection will be exhibited in the Derby Print Open on 1st June in Derby with the exact time and venue to be confirmed in due course.
Very moving Sid and supports understanding of the artworks effectively