A New Look for Public Toilets in Dover
(part3)‘The additions’
In my last post I was too busy talking about telling Stories, singing and loud expletives and I forgot to write what I actually ment to talk about:
The artist – builder relationship.
I have have always found this interesting as technical knowledge and information is always exchanged during the course of working together. These conversations often confirm things I am a little unsure about and make me realise that there never is really one correct way to do anything. Which gives one confidence. It goes the other way as well sometimes and I am able to offer something that they don’t know…in this case it was ‘spirits of salts’ which is available in most builders merchants.
When these trade tips are exchanged respect grows and they (the builders) take an interest in what your doing as they appreciate the skills involved because you speak the same language, use the same tools and solve similar problems. Things they know about and deal with every day, but applied to things just a little out of the context in which they are familiar with, this makes it interesting to them and they want to be involved and contribute.
So the additions began to start: these were items which I discreetly embedded amongst the tiling. They represented the builders work or their trades on this site. Rawl plugs, pipe elbows, drill bits, nuts, washers and other items were discreetly placed amongst the tiles. It was clear that disscutions at home had taken place and items brought in from home especially for inclusion.
What I was getting; though my tiling was bonkers and it broke every rule about tiling in their book, they wanted in, they wanted to be associated with it in some way and I think they were surprised when I let them become involved. They fell short of placing tiles on the wall, as somehow this was too far and beyond them which I was surprised at. They were anxious not to mess it up and anyway they didnt have risk assesments for ‘organic tiling’ only ‘regular tiling’ (very funny fell over laughing when they said that).
So they all smashed a tile each, which became a sort of random builder signature. And I placed each tile on the wall in its correct smashed order. Secret makers marks.
The last thing I wanted to mention was the remark by the commissioner when I completed the work.
‘Well – it’s not often that reality outdoes the mental image for me……but this has. It looks great!
Really very exciting and going to be a landmark in Dover.
Thanks very much’
I was happy with that, after a bumpy journey in the early stages of the projct, I am proud to include it in my portfolio.
