ARTISTS TALKING

# 8 [22 April 2008]

Tomorrow I'm on the farm trying to make some mirror ball motors work their magic in the farm's ongoing Plant Sale.

The idea is to hide the motors either under the individual plant pots or under the table itself (by drilling holes in the farm's tables, which may or may not be a popular idea). They rotate slowly and very quietly, and I want their movement to be  subtle enough to miss at first, or to mistake for the breeze that moves the plants around all the time.

Most of the plants are proper ones that really are for sale, but I'm adding a couple of new ones made from the kitchen utensils I've been collecting for this project and for some earlier ones, because they come up a lot in my work for one reason or another.

Here are a couple of photos of these kitchen utensil plantpots made by me and by some children who came to play at the farm earlier in the month.

Tamarin Norwood

www.tamarinnorwood.co.uk

www.kulturfabric.org 

# 7 [22 April 2008]

This is the Poster of the show!! 

The private view is on the 1st of May 2008 on the farm, with drink and hospitality in a farm style!

Artist led event...expect workshop...live action around the farm whole day!

Come and joint us!!  Enjoy the art and the animal!

Freightliners Farm, Sheringham Road, London, N7 8PF

Private View : 1st of May 2008 

 Show go on from 2nd-11th of May 10am-4pm (except close on 5th) 

 email: three.range.chicken@gmail.com

# 6 [21 April 2008]

(three) range chicken Workshop, Part 2

B movie- Life on the farm

Collaboration between Nathan.Birchenoug, Craig Kao, and Savvas.  

Apparently in Japan, there is a group of monkey live on a little island.  They like their sweet potato....and one day...one Monkey wash the sweet potato in the sea water, suprice enough..they like some salt on the sweet potato. And then after a months...all the monkey pick up the trick...and enjoy their sweet potato in sea water. 

 As usual the three turn up on sight, get nothing but lots of energy from black coffee. When Savvas start making a pulling mask...than Nathan and Craig start to making a similar duck face, and crocodile face that apply a similar pulling technique. 

Kids start to get hands on tapes, cardboard, a lots of safety scissors, and colour stickers. Cut out shape and stick colour on the mask they design.  Parents started to do all the filming with Savvas self made filming equipment.  

In a few hours time....we are over flow by the animal across the farm. Craig turn to a elephant man ( keep remind him self he is a human being)....the kids made their dragon with Savvas, Nathan in charge of the Pig tail.... The fight start...dragon burst with fire sticker which look like left over from Pimp My Ride. Kids screaming...Parents get their mobile out and start doing the filming across the farm.  Claps and cheers across the farm! One good life on the farm. 

# 5 [21 April 2008]

(three) range chicken Workshop Part 1 

In the Children’s Workshops (8-16th of April), Free Range artists adapt their own ways of working to the context of the farm, hosting a series of workshops.  This was free and open to all – just turn up on the day!  Kids and people get muddy and wet with drainpipes, stitch their own animal toy, make comic greetings cards, draw a map of an imaginary farm, make animal passports. Collective B-movie inspired by farm animal.  These all have been a great learning experience both the farm and artists!! 

 Please let me thank everyone who put in amazing effort to do the text, and images for the workshop poster. 

Thank you Mark C Smith, for taking these amazing images, and all the Artist who prepare this workshop with your heart and hard earning time. 

# 4 [6 April 2008]

On the 24th March we organised a preliminary happening to coincide with the farms Easter Event.  We were placed in a paddock and had taster workshops running under a marquee and a mini art exhibition curated in and around a giant bird box.  Reuben Cope even managed to make a small profit on his adapted bowls game, fuelling a young gambler that even an impromptu blizzard couldn’t drive off the field. 

The happening was a chance to make mistakes and learn from them.  To apply our practices and ideas both individually and collectively to what was a live and curious audience.  We followed the old rules of comedy and were playful and physical.  What was a cold day was also a day of chases and collisions and practical jokes, which kept us warm and high-spirited.  It was a situation quite unorthodox for many of the artist to be involved in but a successful and rewarding one nonetheless.

Savvas Papasavva 

Artist Involved - Alan Charlton, An-Chen Chiu, Carolyn Jackson, Craig Kao, Mala Kaa, Denisa Nenova, Harriet Hill, Isabelle Webster, Magdalena van Straaten, Mark Coutts-Smith, Nathan Birchenough, Nicholas Brown, Reuben Cope, Savvas Papasavva, Su Han Chen, Tamarin Norwood

# 3 [15 March 2008]

Here are some stills from a video of Magdalena getting animal foot prints.

# 2 [12 February 2008]

(Three) Range Chiken part 1  

On Saturday afternoon I noticed that Craig had become agitated, as if nervously anxious about something.  I was concerned (and rather amused) by this, and so decided to question Savvas about what had transpired.  Apparently that afternoon, Craig had been spending some time in the Animal Village, helping to clean the animals’ hutches.  The ‘female-crazy’ rabbit had managed to evade Craig’s attention, and had been let loose!  The rabbit was now trying his luck with the ladies!  However, one of the larger female rabbits was growing weary of this unwanted persistence, and decided to bite the protagonist’s ear.  Teeth sank into flesh.  There were yelps of pain.  Craig looked on, horrified, as the rabbits’ scuffle was diffused by one of the more experienced farm-volunteers.  Craig felt the heavy hands of guilt weigh on his shoulders.

I tried to hide my laughter at Savvas’ story, as we were all ushered into a large room in which the felt-making workshop was due to take place.  At that moment, I caught Craig’s eye.  We looked at each other.  He knew that I knew what had happened.  The look of anguish on his face intensified.

Our look was interrupted by anxious whispers amongst the regular volunteers.  A hushed urgency.  I overheard plans - the injured rabbit was to be taken to the vet right away.  Craig’s head sank into his hands.  I knew that he had heard too.

At this point, Craig was incredibly concerned about the welfare of the wounded rabbit.  With notable trepidation, he asked what was happening.  “We’re taking the rabbit to the vet.  There’s something wrong with its ear”, came the reply.  Craig tried to hide a grimace.

The felt-making workshop gave us brief respite from the commotion.  We crafted balls of felt, which when cut open with scissors, revealed the most beautiful patterns of coloured wool.  However, it must be said that once we had admired and documented our felt ball creations, Rabbit-gate once again reared its ugly head.  News came from the vet that the poor rabbit was suffering an ear infection.  During the commotion, I must admit that for myself (and others) confusion arose as to the cause of the infirmity.

It is debatable as to whether the rabbit’s ear infection was a pre-existing ailment, or had been brought about as a result of the incident.  This was never clarified as Craig (perhaps wisely) chose not to make any further enquiries.

Carolyn Jackson 

# 1 [12 February 2008]

Last Saturday was our first group visit to the farm. We made felt from wool, chased rabbits, fed small animals and big ones, and shovelled a great deal of nice juicy manure into a great deal of bags. Here's Craig getting his teeth into volunteering: