I have completed the August Challenge, which was from the famous Simon and Garfunkel song Scarborough Fair; to sow a cambric shirt with out seams on needlework. Despite taking me the best part of five months to realise I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The research process took me on an exciting journey to Elizabethan France at the time cambric was inaugurated, through to the then present French monarchy and Elizabethan fashion. The end result is a shirt for King Henry the III of France and Poland, who was chosen due to his turbulent relationship to the Poles who believed him to be vain. The shirt is in a traditional Elizabethan style and uses ribbon as the bind between fabric sections instead of sowing. More information on this can be found on my site www.ameliabeavisharrison.com
The research process is something I plan to take further into my current practice, and has also fed into how I began to research the September challenge, of celebrating one of the early female aviators. The next mountain to climb is completing this work. After getting over the initial feather fiasco (dying feathers and them crystallising, they are to be attached to a kite) I ordered 100 more, which were actually red. The only down side is they are about 10 cm tall and will probably only cover the tips of the kite. This is becoming quite a drawn out process with the feathers, which is surprisingly costing a lot. I have a deadline for the challenge now, as the challenger has suggested it could be a part of a digital festival he is involved with in March. The time frame should be fine, but as I have learnt from this whole process it is quite hard to make 12 art works in a year, at least it is for me anyway.
Only four more challenges to complete, and a venue to find to take the show, and some funding to find to make a publication…
My blog and project is a year old to the day. This time last year I was about to start the 2010 Challenge project. I had assumed that it would be almost over at this point in 2011. In reality I am just over half way. I still have all the art works from August to December to complete. I am hoping to complete the August Challenge in the next few days which will mean there will be less works to make.
It would appear that my practice can not sustain making one art work a month at this point in time. Although that is down to the types of art work I make, and how much time I choose to spend on each piece, its a self imposed limitation. I am surprised that very few of the challenges I have received have been time limited in any way, especially as that is a huge part of the project.
I have now received the final challenge for the project which seems like a fitting challenge to finish with:
December Challenge
‘Celebrate new year’s eve as if it would be already Friday, December 31st of the year 9999. Invite people living already in the future.’
Challenged by Julian Klein
The challenge is also some what reminiscent of the January Challenge, which had a guest list and feels event based in a similar way. The two remaining challenges for the project are to finish the production of all work and find a venue to show the concluded exhibition of work and documentation.
Happy New Year!
I have had a set back with the September challenge. After being happy that all my deliveries of various materials all finally arrived and that I had some free time, things were starting to go well. That was until I crystallised my feathers. For the September challenge I am creating a kite that will be part made of red feathers. The challenge was to celebrate the achievements of Helene Dutrieu as an aviator. Early in her career she got the nick name ‘Girl Hawk’ which became my starting point for the work. It was by chance when researching hawks that I discovered a kite called the Hawk and from there my idea grew. I am working on top of the original Hawk kite to create a new interpretation of Helene’s work, a new Girl Hawk. The kite will be covered in red feathers (a symbol of courage). It was at this point things started to go wrong. I set about dying my feathers and had done research into how this may be achieved, and what to not do such as use boiling water. Despite my best efforts the feathers have crystallised and really can’t be used on the kite. I had no idea feathers could crystallise until it happened, although with the right chemical reaction I am sure most things can.
In other news the August challenge, of constructing a shirt without needle work is going well. I have currently got the body work and two lengths for the sleeves pinned out. I am now at the stage of starching the sleeves into the shape that I need and then attaching the whole thing together, and this is the tricky bit, so there is time for it to go wrong still. I do hope it doesn’t.
I now only have two pages in my challenge book to fill, and in twelve days there will be no time left to submit challenges!
18 days and counting until I will no longer be choosing challenges for the 2010 Challenge. On December 31st at midnight the submissions will come to an end. I do and will still however have five challenges to complete. I had hoped to have got back on track by having some free time but the snow has meant that the Royal Mail haven’t managed to get my deliveries to me quickly. I have three collection calling cards to take to the post office when I have a free moment, to collect my parcels. Despite Christmas I may actually be able to get some work done this weekend, and that’s a good feeling.
It feels a little bit naughty still having challenges going back as far as August to make, but at least they are well thought out. I have almost all the materials except some starch spray and potentially a fabric hole punch gizmo.
I have been writing down the challenges I receive in a small book, and am pleased to say I only have three pages left. Ideally I will receive exactly three challenges before 31st December, but that’s wishful thinking. It will be over or under. If you do have a challenge email one to [email protected]
From all the work I make I intend to exhibit the documentation and products at some point next year. I would also like to make a publication. In the New Year I need to begin trying to find a gallery to take the show on, which currently I haven’t begun, although I realise I should have done this before the project began.
Bring on the challenges!!
I feel a bit giddy, since almost completing the June challenge to appear on a TV show, I seem to have a new bubble of energy. On Monday I went to Glasgow to film a new episode of The Weakest Link. I can’t tell you how well I have done; you will have to watch the show when it airs. It was a fantastic experience but I have signed a contract to not really talk about it until after its on TV. Never the less there are photos on Facebook. Speaking of which a small gang of contestants have now become friends on Facebook, which I think is amazing. From one small challenge a whole other area of activity has opened up, and one of the contestants, Rich, has even set me a challenge! I can see this particular challenge extending into a larger project, I have something up my sleeve. (There seems to be a taboo about talking about using Facebook as if its ‘not proffesional’, well it’s just added a whole new dimension to my practice!)
For the November challenge I have choose the following:
‘Go to a crowded but unfamiliar street (ideally in a town away from where you live) Gather a crowd of twenty or more people around you, any way you can.
Challenge by Martin Reed’
By the end of November I seemed to have a reasonable selection of challenges, which really I could have chosen any of. The choice was split between the above, sneaking an art work into the British Art Show, lighting candles and making people pray, and constructing a weaving out of peoples shoe laces. Incidentally all of which made me laugh in some way.
I have finally begun to order the materials for some of the challenges that are still pending. This coincided with being paid which always helps. The weather at the moment is perfect for the September challenge to celebrate the aviator Helen Dutrieu, so I need to get a move on before all the snow disappears. I have a feeling I am probably the only person thinking that now.
With it being December this is the final opportunity to challenge me, so do email a challenge to [email protected] incidentally I already have my first December challenge already.
