Barton

The focal point for this park changed, due to practical (and probably financial) reasons. Anyway ……..I knew the low retaing wall that looked horrible was the place that it now had to be? There had to be a statement here.

I did'nt know exactly how or what, untill I thought I would use it as a gallery for all the rest of the mosaics made by the local people.

I stuck the remaining 13 mosaics on the wall, framed them with some black and white tiles which have been in my shed for ages and thought I would paint the remaining wall white.

Yo…..white I realised grafitti would be irrestible and really show up. I had to to something to this wall cos it was just rubbish. I went for a look which has low impact at a distance but very visual when you get near it. Taking a bit of a gamble in a public space making it up as you go along, I went with the checked thing, did not really have a clear vision only to reduce the impact of graffitti when it occurs.

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Take heed by me.

'Always put your cement mixer on level ground'

If I were a premiership footballer I would would get that tattooed on my inner forearm in Japanese.

My cement mixer fell over, it was too heavy to pick up because it was full of cement. So I had to empty it out using a trowel while it was laying down.

I do have more important things to say about this project, but not at the moment. Too tired.

Off to barton to complete this project next week.

I have created 3 threshold features to the park with stone markers, each entrance is guarded by 2 guardians, to make sure everyone is safe in there while they are playing..

While I think of it, I had another conversation there with a government official from the department of education. Oxford city council parks manager (who by the way has been fantasic, so have his team.) had an appoinment to show a party of various suits around. They all came over to me and I explained the project briefly, with focus on the community participation.

I also asked the if they were going to visit the school which I worked in. The answer was, 'oh yes we have already been there'…. blah …blah…'So now will the pupils know how to design parks and make mosaics and sculptures'?

Yes I hope they will, I said.

What I did'nt say was that they are only 10 years old and still in primary school, and this was about their play time. Far better to have outdoor inventive play here, than shoot-em-up games on the xbox every evening. The importance of play may enable them and the youger children on the estate to become well adusted citizens with prospects in good jobs in the future. I did not realise I was suposed to be training them to be landscape architects now!

Back from Barton and the paving is done. No one knicked any of my stuff and all is well. So far.

Just so you get the feel of the place I shall describe the front gardens of the houses just near where I parked the van.

An C reg caravan with moss around the windows, a divan bed, a sofa, large plastic toys to sit in with wheels, along a house or two were, a square yard of building sand, timber planking, fridge, monitor screen, set of stacked garden chairs, giant panda and a teas made.

on the generation game conveyor belt tonight we have….. …………..didnt he do well!

I have been installing artworks made with this community in their new park.

Snippets of conversations and comments while I'm working there, thus:

Is that cement?…..

me – yeh….

my dad used to do that.

My dads gone out to get me some bullets….

me– for what?……….

real bullets…..

me– yeh to go in what?…………

This. (its a plastic toy rifle)

Our dog cant walk got a bad foot.

me– Why's that then?

My brother took it over to the park for fighting (not the one I'm working in) and it came back with a bad foot. It can hardly walk.

The council spend all this money on this and they never put a fence round it.

me– Why do you need a fence?

Its full of shog dite (word change you get it though). Covered in it. They should keep the dogs out.

me– I dont think its the dogs fault, the dog owners should put it in one those three red bins.

This is the best one.

can I borrow that (Pointing to a 2m length of 3×1).

me– why?

So I can build my bedroom.

me– No I using it to get this paving level.

can I borrow that (pointing to a spirit level).

me– why

so I can put a shelf up in my bedroom.

me– no I'm using it to get this paving level.

can I borrow that (pointing to a pair of mullgrips.

me– why.

I want to build some screws.

me– no

can I borrow that (pointing to a metal clip for joining two harris fence panels together)

me– why

Cos I want to mend my grandmothers house.

We were both laughing at this point.

The, can I borrow that game. I expect I may be playing again when I install the rest of the stuff in a week or two.

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