I can't believe that it has been so long since I last posted on the blog. After the worrying time with my son (see my last post) we spent quite a few days just 'being' and not really doing anything purposeful. Luckily it was at a point with work that allowed this to happen. Since then I have been doing a lot of necessary, behind the scenes stuff that wouldn't make riveting reading. This week though, I am devoting my time to research. The two main projects that I am working on now and into the new year are; running the pilot programme for an artist residency locally and also the Surrey-based community art projects that I am involved in as an artist rather than administrator. It all seems rather teetering on the brink stuff right now and I very much want to plunge in and get started. On Friday I am having a meeting for some much needed advice on both aspects of my work and on Tuesday 11 November I will finally meet some of the people I'll be working with on the Caterham project. There is a proposal for an artists blog for that project so when thats up I'll post the links. In the meanwhile I have been looking at the history and geology of the area. Looking at what makes it what it is. Is it the people or is it the place, or is it both? The town has recently had a 'health check' and many of the comments point to a sense of a lack of connection. Art can only do so much, maybe sometimes what you need is a bus that runs on time!
It's been an exhausting, happy, worrying and rewarding few days in that order. The workshops at the Lightbox were tiring but really worked well and Monday was good in the end. There have been such a mix of different things trying to co-exist at the same time that it has been a bit hectic. I have had good news about a potential exhibition, I've been selected for another, I have devised, prepared, run and cleared up workshops. I have visited Alinah and her growing installation at Origin at Somerset House, helping to thread ribbons of words through her structure and I have also been 'Mum' to a twelve year old with suspected appendicitis. We spent most of Monday at Kingston Hospital before (happily) being given the all clear. So I might have a slight blogging break to catch my breath and tend to my son.
Anyway, if you are in London over the next couple of weeks I urge you to go to Origin and see how Alinah's installation progresses. It was going well and finding lots of contributions from the visitors yesterday evening.
Tomorrow I am running some paper-making workshops at the Lightbox Gallery and so today I will be spending hours making cotton pulp; a cheery thought. Actually I enjoy it really!
With activity winding down on this project and the next project moving into consultation stage in November I am aiming to get out and do some recharging of batteries. Over the next couple of weeks I want to go and look at things. Sometimes I feel as if in 'doing' art I never have the time to 'experience' art. I am also visiting co-blogger from Artists Talking, Alinah Azadeh and her installation at Origin. When she posted a call for volunteers to help with some of the installation work I realised that I would very much like to see how that project goes and what better way than by being one of the volunteers! I am really looking forward to being in contact with people, communicating with them and participating in things because they seem worth-while rather than because it's part of a proposal or built into a budget. Yes, re-reading the above, it's clear. I need a holiday!
From a promising start it's turning into a bit of a rubbish week. In terms of tasks to do I have to prepare for more workshops at the Lightbox on Saturday and I am continuing my research for the project based at Caterham, and also preparing information relevant to the development of St George's in Esher into a place for art. I'm not sure why I'm not feeling so positive right now; I suppose I would just like to actually make some work instead of all this 'stuff to do'. Sometimes I'm not so sure that it was such a brilliant move to alter the role of the artist to the all-round expert and general contortionist that seems to be part of the job description now.
Looking at things more positively though, it beats most other ways I have tried of earning a living and next week promises to be much more interesting than this one. I always enjoy running workshops even if I agonize about them beforehand! In relation to that, I had a lovely letter from someone who had been on my workshop at Guildford House Gallery on Saturday saying how much she had enjoyed it so that really puts it all into perspective. And in terms of counting my blessings, I have been approached by a gallery interested in some of my older work including this piece from 1999. So everything is great really!
The meeting on Thursday went well. I am very interested in working with what is now being called 'St George's Art Space'. The building itself is atmospheric and wonderful and there is a huge amount of good will driving the project but that's not enough unfortunately.
Also on Thursday I went back to the Lightbox to visit the installation of my work. One of the pieces is still a little under-lit but I am really pleased with how it looks overall. Caroline Jackman, who has been organising this part of the project in collaboration with Michael Regan from the Lightbox, was there to discuss some final touches and we had a cuppa. It's good being the first of the artists involved in the project to have their work shown but it does mean being the dummy run for everyone else's installation!
Friday was spent preparing materials for the associated workshops at Guildford House Gallery. Running paper-making workshops always seems to involve hauling around unfeasible quantities of stuff; pulp, vats, moulds and deckles, materials of all kinds that might just come in handy, paper dryers, and even an iron and ironing board! Not to mention books, handouts and other paperwork. Saturday itself went really well. Both the children in the morning and the adults in the afternoon were a lovely lot who responded well to the activities and were a pleasure to spend time with. Jane Alexander, from the Guildford Recycling Department who was original instigator of the overall project was along to help and swiftly roped in various 'volunteers' to help with the morning session. Many thanks to everyone involved.
