On a "field trip" to Oxford and London next week, leaving tuesday 4th arriving back thursday 6th. However i also have an installation room booked for the 10/11/08 to 14/11/08.
The performance piece has been discussed with my lecturers to make sure no health and safety regulations are broken. Last time my room was locked up to prevent a performance piece that would have broken these regulations. Which ended up wasting a lot of time, and as all practicing artists know, time is very precious.
For this site-specific installation i need a bath tub, any size, any shape, any material, any condition (as long as it can still hold water without leaking). I started by ringing around local building contractors, privet builders and plumbers. After a fair few phone calls i felt like i was never going to find my bath tub. Until i recieved a message from a local plumber, "Uplands Plumbing" had checked with their client and had arranged for the bath tub to be left outside for me to collect, free of charge, wonderful!
I really appreciate the help the public offers to me. In the past ive tried to gain access to old unwanted cookers and washing machines. The council were of little use, infact they told me that once items entered the site for disposal they couldnt leave and suggested that i look for one outside of someones home!!! Luckily enough a member of the public saw a poster of mine and contacted me, he was moving and gave me his cooker free of charge.
Anyway, theres a bath tub, in near-new condition, waiting for me outside someones home. Unfortunatly my own car was recently scrapped, and as much as i want a van – i cant afford one. Renting! Everyone has said "why don't you rent a van when you need one rather than spending so much money buying one?" My answer is simply that 'they' will not let me. Even though i have had a clean drivers license for 3 years, im still 'not old enough' to hire a van for 1hour. If only my age wasnt such a burden to me.
Next plan of action is to contact the head of maintainence at the university and ask for him to allocate one of the vans and a driver to my cause. I've spoken to him before in the past and he always seems happy to help, so hopefully this Monday morning i will be on a mission to collect my donated bath tub. Otherwise it will have to wait until the Friday, which would be a week after it was put outside for me. I dont want to push my luck, or to upset the people who have given permission to me. And i definetly dont want to lose the bath tub!
