In this second excerpt from Judith Stewart’s essay she refers to our three children using their initials:
Whether it is possible to think of H and M as collaborators in this process depends on how one wants to define collaboration. Certainly their intellectual and artistic intent is not the same as an adult’s, but their contribution to the practice is vital and, to a greater or lesser extent, determines the development of the work. What is perhaps of more interest in this age of relentless screen presence is how this conscious involvement in making art will affect the children’s sense of self. To some extent it could be argued that this is no different to other families where a child’s every move is recorded for posterity, but the Townley and Bradby collaboration is an investigation. Taking part not only involves collaborating in the making but also in the analysis and reflection, so that arguably H, M and C will develop a more critical understanding of how images operate.