11th December – Box Gallery Dover -the final stage of the Résider/Reside and the distribution of a small publication which explores the theme of residence, location and migration from various points of view -the curators, mediators, participants and artists. A real joy to have such a concrete thing as the outcome of this 6 month long project.
Great turn out for finissage – pizza and mint tea went down well along with the balloon messages and Big Screen showing of my work and that of Pierre-Yves Brest – a really exciting aspect of working in Dover.
The whole project finished today and there is plenty to think about …. the things that stick in my mind are – being alone and away from home for short stretches and able to think and plan without worrying about day to day stuff – with a family, home and various freelance jobs on the go, this was a real luxury. The project felt like a team effort with plentiful support from the organisers and curators, their volunteers, mediators and associates.
Also I was the artist and not an organiser or project manager so I felt really able to focus on making work – something that happens quite rarely. As with most projects there were errors of judgment, mistakes and misunderstandings but these all added to the experience and they signify important markers of progress.
As for writing this blog – Hmm… not sure I managed to be as concise and open as I intended but it has served as a good place to explore and digest the whole project…..but not sure that it is of any interest beyond that.
So only left to say a big thank you to Joanna, Clare and Christine of Dover Arts Development, mediators Lucy and Charlotte plus Benôit and Evodie of espace 36 and of course to Pierre-Yves who was a rock when things looked a bit shakey.
