LOOSE ENDS
There is always a point in the lead up to the opening of a project where it feels like my hands are full of loose threads and i am constantly trying to find the ends and clear my palms. I think it is because the bulk of the hard production work and decision making is done but there has still been a long list of small outstanding tasks to do, a lot of which Raphaella and i have got through in the last two days.
I also have to prepare the ribbons for the fifth (and final, lowest) tier of the roof arms. I realised they need to be neatly woven in to keep the beauty of the shape and also begin the colour transition from plain gold/white into what will be a varied palette chosen by the public from pale gold through to deep reds, sienna and dark blues.
Yet the actual fact of the passing of the work to the public is only just over three weeks away so the tone of energy has changed. There is a feeling of a period of intense transition and I am beginning (after a ten days of illness and exhaustion which knocked me sideways) to get very excited. I love the fact that we have created an object that will be a major player in a live experience that will impact a large number of people within a short period of time. The potential scale of participation in this project is a new step for me and i am curious as to how it will go and how the structure will look by the 19th of October.
There have been issues with Willow around crediting which we managed to resolve. The creation of the structure , which is the centerpiece of the project, really has been a collaboration. She has designed something based on an idea I had and done most of the hard work to bring it into existence. She has also been an important sounding board for other aspects of the space design and I understood it is important she is publicly credited for this where possible, as the project has some profile and this can make a difference to public access to her extraordinary work as a sculptor and designer.
Raphaella has been getting in emails from people wanting to volunteer who seem really interesting, (textile students, creative writers etc) and i realise that this project is so interdisciplinary that those working in the space will themselves have a diverse set of threads with which to connect with both each other and the public. I am keen for the team on site (myself, Raphaella, Lili and the volunteers) to be engaged in the making/growth of the piece as much as possible, eg writing/weaving experiences of Origin into the structure and consciously holding the space so it is as accessible as possible.
