since my last post i’ve enjoyed some time to unwind from figment and the emotions of the personal event that has been with me during the residency. i must thank the staff at the mill for being so understanding and supportive during this time.
if a brief conversation with the project director (who is called hannah and is a core of energy inspiring everyone working towards realising the goal of the museum of making) she reminded me that there’s another beginning coming. these words have been helpful as i resolve in my emotional self the reaching of the set point in time of when the formal residency time frame is met.
i’ve really felt good being a maker at the silk mill and look forward to further time being spent in the mill making.
having got how i’m feeling out i can now look back over the last couple of weeks. during this time i’ve made some more steam tots parts, started to develop aspects of a schools programme for key stage 3 and been part of a meet the maker event.
doing this has given me some time and pictures to reflect upon my own practice in a self expression context as opposed to simple being a maker.
making affords me space to create.
when this wanders towards self expression i have noticed how i become my self aware and uncomfortable with myself. my work in progress assessment of this relates back to a young self where over bearing encouragement has had a negative impact upon me expressing myself through what i make. i see how this potentially needs to be explored within an artistic context where self criticism has relevance and space to be explored.
while we work in the mill there are preparations being made for the renovation work on the building. one such preparation is the assessment of the foundations. in the image a core from the drilling for analysis can be seen.
the steam tots sessions begin in early september. i’ve enjoyed having the freedom of exploration to come up with the parts for these sessions. i hope to be part of the team who facilitate the sessions so i can see for myself how the loose parts become interacted with.
the microbit workshop was rather larger than we all anticipated. the little micro controller being shown off in many different guises and configurations. i particularly liked the tones triggered my fruit example.
one of the biggest challenges for the museum is how to attract key stage three students into the mill for school sessions. we have begun the journey to create something.
yesterday saw me outside the mill complete with clinometer on an ironing board.
so as i prepare to go into the de-brief for the whole period i’m preparing a project to begin at home. the mill has 12 windows along one side and recently on the hub there have been some rather fine models of rolls royce engines.
the project i’m beginning at home is a maquette of a clock using the 12 windows of the mill. having surprised myself within the re-imagined snee snaw project with what i achieved with the arduino platform, i’m going to further push myself using arduino by using components i’ve not used before.
i’ve noticed in myself how the initial excitement gives way to a slightly scared feeling. once again hannah’s words ring round my head … “feel it and do it anyway.”
