Thursday 30 April
Reflections on the camp out and the cultural differences of BYC and WMC
Lili Hall BYU student
When I was a little girl, I would go on road trips with my dad. He would give me a map of Southern Utah and tell me that I could pick any point on any road, and off we would go. As a result, I've been exposed to many rugged terrains off the beaten path, and the sometimes barren/ sometimes lush (it all depends on elevation, the latitude, and the time of year) landscape of Escalante is very familiar and homey to me. I was excited to go to Bryce Canyon with the Liverpool group, though, since this is one famous site in my own home state that I've never seen with my own eyes.
I found that being with people who were seeing this kind of landscape for the first time influenced the way I viewed things–I kept wondering what our new friends were thinking of the mountains, of the highways, the dry air, the red rocks, the heights, the blue sagebrush, the s'mores…of everything. Viewing the sites through their eyes gave me a bit of a fresh perspective on the land I sometimes take for granted. I paid attention to the comments people made–both from the BYU group as well as the Liverpool group. The Liverpudlians expressed things such as "I feel so small" or "everything is so big," while those of us who grew up here said things like "even though I've never been to this very spot, it still feels like coming home." I don't typically realize just how cowboy-ish this countryside really is until I'm with people with lovely English accents!
In October, I came home from a yearlong study program in England. Having lived in the English countryside so recently, I can't help but juxtapose the two places (Utah and England) in my mind as I embark on this Mapping the West art collaboration. The two landscapes are so vastly different… but they're the two parts of the world most familiar to me.
I think that travel impacts the way one sees and appreciates their own home. The fact that I've seen Liverpool gives me a bit of insight as to where my new friends are coming from as they come out to visit. I can't help but link the two places in my mind as I approach this Mapping the West book arts project, and I think that my piece for the show will be an exploration of my thoughts as to how the two places and their people are (or are not) linked insofar as my own experiences are concerned.
Thursday 30 April
Bryce Canyon and the first day of camp out
Cath Mcgrail
Wow what a day, the weather improved as we travelled south to Escelante andwe reached Bryce Canyon by lunchtime in bright sunshine. We ate a delicious lunch prepared for us by our hosts and then we set off to walk the canyon.
You get a taste of what is to come when you look over the rail at the incredible landscape below, the alien shapes and the intense colour, but walking down the steep path right into the canyon you become engulfed and swallowed up by these monolithic sculptural forms, the deep deep orange colour intensifies and changes constantly with the changing light.
The trek takes you deep into the heart of the canyon and bottoms out into a dry river bed. At this point you are in the middle of a western movie and lizards are skittering across your path.
The trail then begins a steep ascent up through the canyon and the landscape changes again. Looking back the rocks change shape and colour and then finally you reach the top of the path and the landscape is again laid out before you.
I was lucky enough to stand on this path alone, no other walkers and in silence. I have never felt so overawed by a landscape the way I have here.
We use superlatives all the time, awsome, incredible, superb, wonderfull, but in the case of Bryce Canyon they all apply and then some.
I have discovered the worlds best architect and sculptor is nature itself and I would not have missed this sight and this experience for anything.
Wednesday 28 April
Book intro and planning for camptrip
Christine
We’re off to the desert on the first leg of our foraging tour to gather images and impressions that we can interpret into print. We leave at 8 o’clock in the morning, but I am nervous about the task ahead. It’s hard to prepare for the project when you have no idea where you will be going, or what you will be doing. And you don’t know what you don’t know yet.
We are all armed with the technical skills to produce something special, but we don’t know what to expect from the landscape we are about to see for the first time no matter how many cowboy films we have seen.
My mind is full of dangers and hazards such as scorpions, snakes and sand, and it is hard to concentrate on anything else, so planning ahead a challenge.
Despite these dangers I am looking forward to the trip. New experiences are good for the soul and I hope that inspiration will flower in the desert.
Wednesday 29 April – Caroline
Michelle's Book arts intro
This morning we had a presentation on book making by Michelle followed by a demonstration on paper folding techniques. Although I am a third year, this was new to me because I joined the Wirral Met in the third year and hadn't done bookmaking at my previous University. It was a fun day, but also challenging thinking about what we are going to present as our final piece. We have bought paper and materials in the very well stocked University shop (we are completely spoiled now, we must speak to our college reps when we arrive home!). Tonight we have had an amazing meal at our host's house and are preparing for our adventure to Bryce Canyon tomorrow. Hair wash night tonight as facilities are going to be stretched for the next three days of camping. Lydia has bought $20 dollars of sweets to eat on way, hope it stays down as will be driving for at least 5 hours!
Lydia
We had already tried the majority of exercises in paper folding but today was a much needed refresher course. I found the ideas the BYU students had were very interesting and made me think about folding, collage and paper sculpture I had not previously considered. I enjoyed the lesson and it has definatly promted me to start thinking about the format I want my "Mapping the West book" to take. I am excited but anxious about the camping trip, but as with everything else I will end up really enjoying it, even with scorpions and bears.
