I’m starting this blog because I want to give an overview of the process and ups and downs of the project, the challenges I had to overcome and the support that helped me through.
July 2012: After the incredible dissapointment of not being able to realise my project in the former Swimming Baths, I contacted ‘The Port of Sheffield’ project. They introduced me to the Grain Warehouse at Victoria Quays/Sheffield and I totally fell in love with that building.
I wanted to be in it and had to create a new project to make site and soap work. I spent long hours in the Local Studies Library in Sheffield and researched the history of the building. Out of that knowledge came new ideas and I wrote a second proposal for LUSH. I told them about the change of venue, presented them with my new proposal and prepared myself that they might stop the collaboration there. They didn’t.
November 2012: I visited LUSH soap rooms in Poole. I was warmly welcomed and shown round to see how they made their products. That was a very sensual and inspiring experience and it felt important to make that personal connection.
It was a challenge to finalise a date for the project because LUSH was in the middle of their Xmas production and bht (brackenridge hansen tate, contact for Grain Warehouse) was communicating with ‘The Port of Sheffield’ and not directly with me. By that point I also realised I had to try and get funding and ACE’s turnover is six weeks.
Once I had all the info together to make a strong ACE funding application I embarked on that. I got advice from Yorkshire Artspace and it still took me a few weeks to finish it and I worked on it till 3am on Xmas eve and thought I was a ‘press send’ away from having done it. It didn’t let me send it grrrrrr. ACE was closed over Xmas and I had to wait till second of January.
The first thing I did in the New Year was phoning ACE and I found out there was something I hadn’t unclicked. Did that and off it went. I found out 8th Feb. that My application was successful. I was smiling all day.
