Whilst ‘home’, I also decided to look for a photograph that I knew I had seen before, and of a memory that is far greater than that of just the photo, a memory of not only a day, but also a moment in which I worked with my Dad on a project I had devised- to make a hobby horse for a local hobbyhorse day being held in Wallington, the next village to ours.
The day involved a hobbyhorse show, with prizes fro best hobbyhorse, best groom, best rider etc…
I did not have a hobbyhorse so embark on designing and making one with the help of Dad. Among other things we were thrilled when we decided to get hold of some real horses hair from a horse riding centre my dad worked on as a handyman, pulled from the barbed wire fences enclosing the horses.
I would be the groom- dad the rider!
It was serious stuff, and we won!
This day sprung to mind when considering my relationship with horses, in order to prepare for the Gower residency. On Saturday, after spending the day in Colchester it sprung to mind that there were some key photos such as this one with hobbyhorse that could potentially link in with the project. Another also shown, my first riding experience at the age of 1 and an half.
Not only do these photo track my own history but again echo the enthusiasm and playful nature my parents live by and their overwhelming support in all that wanted to achieve. This is starting to take shape more in my head, and although I am aware of things potentially becoming self indulgent. I am still keen to present this information in some format that becomes more universal and interesting to others.
My uncles over from Australia, an artist and head of a Fine art practice BA course at western australia university until the recent closure of the course. I am hoping to meet him next week, and excited at the prospect of discussing work with him as an adult (the last time I saw him I was 15 or so…). I have read about much of his early work, letters my mum kept from him and find his work has parallels in places with my own investigations, performative, a love of drawing, collaborative at times and operating under a guise; a name constructed from a jumbling of his own name.
Originally my mum had arranged for him to visit her and then we would all have to be at hers that day (The siblings that is). However because of Gower i will miss this occasion and I am pleased. It would be a day controlled by my mother and would not be a true reflection of her children who are now adults. We would be seen within the 2 point 4 children setting, with a diluted identity and one shadowed by childhood and I am happy to have a reason to meet him alone and share with him who I am not who I may perceive to be..is that bad?
Finally, a bit of time again. After another hectic week lecturing, I am finally finished with that side of things until september. The next 3 months will be crucial in getting my head down with completing the rest of my proposed escalator project. Although on track (I hadn’t realised until I read back through my proposal and thought, yes, i’m doing it) theres alot of the pysical stuff left to pursue. This although gives me most pleasure is also tough and really hits home the transition from collaborative practice to solo and the gaps between collaborative performance and solo visual art bits and bobs.
So I will be residing back in Sandon (the village) daily after the next week in Gower, and plan to get more of a grip on these feelings surrounding ‘home’ memory, family, upbringing, rural life and key spaces such as the village hall and the phonebox, all of which sit deep in my own childhood, and the period of which I grew from the age of 8 to 18.
Yesterday I visit my parents and asked for a few key photos I remembered being taken in the village hall. These are of joint birthday party’s at the hall with my brother. What I really find interesting in these images is what my parents are doing to entertain and create games among the 30 or so 7-9 year olds and there enthusiasm and ability to collaborate to provide such unique and entertaining environments. i find their presence very performative and physical and hope to re-enact some of these images in the hall over the next month. Im not sure where they will lead or how interesting they are to others but I am not going down that road yet- it feeds negativity and its hard enough to dip into this past as it is!
Yesterday, I met with Jenny (I’m talking Hunt & Darton mode a bit now); we had our first activity day. To explain, we decided last month that we wanted more activity in our collaboration, less hard slog, but more opportunities to share physical activity together, of which this experience will feed back into our practice. We decided activity days, once every two months would suit as best, and that we would alternate in who would devise and organise the activity- anything from ditch walking (Holly) to a karaoke session (Jenny). This activity, not only allows us rest bite and the chance to make more of our lives like most that choose to pursue a recreational activity, it also allows us to experience further what it means to be human, what it means to have an activity, and hobby, a physical interest and in doing so what that teaches us about what it means to be human, beyond what we already know and experience and how those outside of a certain activity may see it as rather absurd behavior.
Yesterday’s activity day would focus on songs written by women for women, the majority of which reflect on love. This activity day was slightly more tailored to an up coming performance at a live art festival themed around Music in Norwich in July. After purchasing the top women songs compilation album, we selected lines from the lyrics that we liked, fragmented, ordered, came up with a few moves, my favorite an awkwardly long synchronized backing singer style movement, to no music and we couldn’t quite believe we had created a 7min performance! Not only a achievement in itself, and on reflection allowing us to see these success of these activity days, it also allowed us to work out that we can create 1 minuet of a performance per hour. Good to know!
A more epic activity starts next week. We are heading to Gower to take part in a horse riding week. I had proposed a residency period with Jenny for this Escalator project. With this recent interest in recreational residency and having already spent much time working in a theatre for a performance earlier this year we decided that this residency would be best for us if it were to incorporate some kind of activity. Accidently stumbling on an article in the local paper about a horse riding centre in Wales, we knew this was it.
We have decided to keep a blog during the week, a separate one to this, so look out for it also on AN talking!
