I read Jane Ponsford's last blog entry with recognition, as I too am enjoying keeping up with the progress of other projects – especially, as it happens, Jane's! I think our residencies have similar and dissimilar aspects that I'm finding interesting to ponder. At the moment, I have no workshops or open studios built into my agenda, while the education/community involvement element of Papertrails seems a significant part of the project. I suppose Festial is more introspective in structure, but I'm looking forward to sharing the outcome of my reflections with other people as the project unfolds.
Still on the theme of others' blogs, I'm finding the new Airspace one giving food for thought. AndersonMacgee's questioning of the notion of permanence and eshewing ownable objects as the inevitable outcome of 'art' resonates strongly with me.
Going back to Jane Ponsford's post – if she or any other bloggers would like to visit Festial for real, you would be most welcome!
The new equipment that is part of the Arts Council's support for Festial has been ordered and is starting to arrive. Indeed, a delivery man knocked at the door a few minutes ago with the first item. Exciting, but scary as I have to work out how to use unfamiliar technology. The best way will probably be just to get out there and start! Certainly, in the past I've got a lot of the ideas and images that I've felt were the most successful through making so-called mistakes…
Late this aftrenoon I'm due to pick up the medieval mugs and jugs from the North Norfolk potters: not earlier, they said, as their kilns will be firing today. This brings home to me how elemental and primal the process is. Neolithic, medieval and 21st century potters all firing their pots.
It’s strange feeling that nothing much is happening on the project when the days are slipping away. Other priorities have to be dealt with and yet there is still clearly so much to do. Last night I sat down and listed everything I could think of that needs to be addressed before Rogationtide. It filled an A3 sheet. This is now sellotaped to a kitchen cupboard where I will see it every time I reach for the muesli or a tin of tomatoes. Will this help, I wonder?
The problem lies in the fact that we are going to Eigg for over two weeks, with only a day between our return and the three-day performance/installation for Rogationtide. This means I have to have all materials and equipment in place before our departure – and forward-planning is not a big feature of the way I naturally work. And the launch takes place on the evening of the first day, so I need to think about that, too. It will be a modest affair in comparison to many launches, but still ….
However, I’m heartened to find that Festial insights and ideas are now coming in thick and fast – especially when I’m in the shower, for some reason! Today I realised that there are 51 poppyheads simply because the 52nd has broken off … and how many weeks are there in a year? and what measure of time is Festial concerned with? Possibilities, possibilities.
Well, the potters must be working away like mad as they've kindly promised me that the mugs, jugs and even a couple of bowls for medieval munchies will be ready for May 2. That's fantastic, and really helps me to feel Festial moving towards reality.
At the same time, I've made a sobering – if fascinating – discovery. Back in the church for another poppyhead pattern-making sesh on Sunday afternoon it soon became apparent that these covers must be figure-hugging, so to speak, to have the impact I'm after – and that, in all honesty, no two of them are actually that closely alike! So it's back to the prospect of 51 individual 'fittings'.
This realisation effectively rules out the possibility of having the piece ready for slash07, given that we'll be away on the Isle of Eigg for over two weeks of that time and that I really need to prioritise the planning of my Rogationtide event at the end of May. Oh yes, and did I mention the need to continue to earn money? Trevor and I work in editing and publishing, and I teach A level art, albeit only once a week.
The plan now is to work on my poppyheads as an ongoing part of the project, and to get some work together in the wake of Rogationtide for slash07.
The fact that this plan gives me only just over a week to make enough work to fill my part of the exhibition space is something I'll put to the back of my mind for now…
A local pottery is interested in becoming involved in Festial by supplying mugs and jugs, based on medieval originals, for the oft-mentioned ale! This is good news and will be great both from practical and promotional points of view. I've never done this kind of seeking-sponsorship thing before – the idea just came to me when I was washing up a mug and suddenly thought of contacting the pottery that had made it. It's a place up on the North Norfolk coast that attracts a lot of visitors so it will be great if the potters are interested in making info about my work available to people who visit their premises.
Another development is that I've started making work in the church. Wood Dalling church has 51 amazing wooden poppyheads (yes, I counted!) on the ends of the pews, all ideosyncratic and individual, and I'm going to make each of them a fitted cover from white bedsheets and pillowcases. This is a large undertaking! I experimented yesterday with making a pattern for one of them, and it worked, so, hey, only 50 more to make. Except that, as Trevor pointed out, although every one is different, some of them are similar enough so that they could share the pattern for their cover. Duh – why didn't I think of that?! Phew, that will cut the workload down substantially. The idea is to have a piece of work ready for our exhibition in early-mid June in Norwich. Slash07 will show the work of the eight artists in the artists' group that Trevor and I belong to. Coincidentally, it is to be held in a church – one that's hired out as a gallery – St Margaret's, St Benedict's Street, Norwich.
festial[at]world-tree[dot]co[dot]uk
http://www.world-tree.co.uk/festial.html
Spent the day in Cambridge yesterday and met with Katie, my mentor. I've realised how good it is to talk over aspects of the project and especially to be reassured that there really is something there that is worth sharing with an audience.
One thing Katie was keen on was that I spread the word amongst the inhabitants of Wood Dalling – something I was musing over in this blog a couple of days ago. As she says, if you're making contemporary art in an area where it may be little experienced, understood or appreciated, you almost owe it to contemporary artists as a community (however that may be defined!) to make the most of an opportunity like this. And on a practical note, it might just help to avoid embarrassment when I'm caught doing what will probably seem to be very strange things – it's ok, she's an artist!
