I’m leaving in the morning
So, after 3 months of preparation, and the feeling that life has been on hold for a while, I’m leaving tomorrow morning for italy.
I still feel like my head is full of admin and practical things, and I’m looking forward to being in the apartment in Pietrasanta and taking a breath and reflexion before I start at the foundry on monday.
So – I decided to drive to Italy so that I could take lots of tools and toys and things with me. Decamping half my studio along with the nursery has been a bit of an epic task. I have all the bags, including for my mother who’ll be joining be later, pilled up in the corner of the room, so tomorrow morning I’ll pack up the car and leave by 10. Eurotunnel around midday, France by 2.30 local time, then about 6-7 hours driving to somewhere near the alps called mullhouse for an overnight hotel stop. Then on Sunday another 6-7 hours to Pietrasanta. This residency it definitely turning into a family affair: I’ve persuaded my Brother to help me drive down there, as my husband is left ‘holding the baby’ on his own. Its very kind of him, and unfortunately he has to be back in london for work on tuesday so he’ll be flying straight home on monday lunchtime!
Useful things for others planning a residency in Europe:
EHIC: european health insurance card, can be ordered easily online from here: http://www.ehic.org
Car insurance – some companies only have 60 days or european travel included as standard, but a few have 90, so its worth shopping around. I’ve had to cancel my existing policy and take out a new one, which I had to do before I left the UK. I haven’t found any company prepared to do more than 90 days (and my residency finishes in about 92 days time) so I may have to drive the car back, then fly back for the last week…
I have been posting ads online, and pinning up posters, but I still haven’t found someone to sublet my studio. I one person going to see it on monday, so fingers crossed… I’ve also decided that someone needs to set up a website or mailing list for artist studio vacancies, as there is nowhere (as far as I have been able to find).
The places I have posted:
Arts Admin mailing list (needs to go in the lonely art section): http://www.artsadmin.co.uk/contacts/edigest/edigest-post.php
Artelier – the artquest studio swap service
I tried posting to artnews (http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/) but it didn’t appear on the newsletter, so I guess they won’t post studio vacancies.
Also tried to post here, but never got my account approved: http://www.creativespaceagency.co.uk/noticeboard
Anyway, last minute packing calls, I will try to post again once I get to Italy.
Briony
