ARTISTS TALKING

# 21 [21 June 2009]

Yesterday, I met with Jenny (I’m talking Hunt & Darton mode a bit now); we had our first activity day. To explain, we decided last month that we wanted more activity in our collaboration, less hard slog, but more opportunities to share physical activity together, of which this experience will feed back into our practice. We decided activity days, once every two months would suit as best, and that we would alternate in who would devise and organise the activity- anything from ditch walking (Holly) to a karaoke session (Jenny). This activity, not only allows us rest bite and the chance to make more of our lives like most that choose to pursue a recreational activity, it also allows us to experience further what it means to be human, what it means to have an activity, and hobby, a physical interest and in doing so what that teaches us about what it means to be human, beyond what we already know and experience and how those outside of a certain activity may see it as rather absurd behavior.

Yesterday’s activity day would focus on songs written by women for women, the majority of which reflect on love. This activity day was slightly more tailored to an up coming performance at a live art festival themed around Music in Norwich in July. After purchasing the top women songs compilation album, we selected lines from the lyrics that we liked, fragmented, ordered, came up with a few moves, my favorite an awkwardly long synchronized backing singer style movement, to no music and we couldn’t quite believe we had created a 7min performance! Not only a achievement in itself, and on reflection allowing us to see these success of these activity days, it also allowed us to work out that we can create 1 minuet of a performance per hour. Good to know!

A more epic activity starts next week. We are heading to Gower to take part in a horse riding week. I had proposed a residency period with Jenny for this Escalator project. With this recent interest in recreational residency and having already spent much time working in a theatre for a performance earlier this year we decided that this residency would be best for us if it were to incorporate some kind of activity. Accidently stumbling on an article in the local paper about a horse riding centre in Wales, we knew this was it. 

We have decided to keep a blog during the week, a separate one to this, so look out for it also on AN talking!

# 22 [29 June 2009]

Finally, a bit of time again. After another hectic week lecturing, I am finally finished with that side of things until september. The next 3 months will be crucial in getting my head down with completing the rest of my proposed escalator project. Although on track (I hadn't realised until I read back through my proposal and thought, yes, i'm doing it) theres alot of the pysical stuff left to pursue. This although gives me most pleasure is also tough and really hits home the transition from collaborative practice to solo and the gaps between collaborative performance and solo visual art bits and bobs.

So I will be residing back in Sandon (the village) daily after the next week in Gower, and plan to get more of a grip on these feelings surrounding 'home' memory, family, upbringing, rural life and key spaces such as the village hall and the phonebox, all of which sit deep in my own childhood, and the period of which I grew from the age of 8 to 18. 

Yesterday I visit my parents and asked for a few key photos I remembered being taken in the village hall. These are of joint birthday party's at the hall with my brother. What I really find interesting in these images is what my parents are doing to entertain and create games among the 30 or so 7-9 year olds and there enthusiasm and ability to collaborate to provide such unique and entertaining environments. i find their presence very performative and physical and hope to re-enact some of these images in the hall over the next month. Im not sure where they will lead or how interesting they are to others but I am not going down that road yet- it feeds negativity and its hard enough to dip into this past as it is! 

# 23 [29 June 2009]

My uncles over from Australia, an artist and head of a Fine art practice BA course at western australia university until the recent closure of the course. I am hoping to meet him next week, and excited at the prospect of discussing work with him as an adult (the last time I saw him I was 15 or so...). I have read about much of his early work, letters my mum kept from him and find his work has parallels in places with my own investigations, performative, a love of drawing, collaborative at times and operating under a guise; a name constructed from a jumbling of his own name.

Originally my mum had arranged for him to visit her and then we would all have to be at hers that day (The siblings that is). However because of Gower i will miss this occasion and I am pleased. It would be a day controlled by my mother and would not be a true reflection of her children who are now adults. We would be seen within the 2 point 4 children setting, with a diluted identity and one shadowed by childhood and I am happy to have a reason to meet him alone and share with him who I am not who I may perceive to be..is that bad?

# 24 [29 June 2009]

Whilst 'home', I also decided to look for a photograph that I knew I had seen before, and of a memory that is far greater than that of just the photo, a memory of not only a day, but also a moment in which I worked with my Dad on a project I had devised- to make a hobby horse for a local hobbyhorse day being held in Wallington, the next village to ours.

The day involved a hobbyhorse show, with prizes fro best hobbyhorse, best groom, best rider etc...

I did not have a hobbyhorse so embark on designing and making one with the help of Dad. Among other things we were thrilled when we decided to get hold of some real horses hair from a horse riding centre my dad worked on as a handyman, pulled from the barbed wire fences enclosing the horses.

I would be the groom- dad the rider!

It was serious stuff, and we won!

This day sprung to mind when considering my relationship with horses, in order to prepare for the Gower residency. On Saturday, after spending the day in Colchester it sprung to mind that there were some key photos such as this one with hobbyhorse that could potentially link in with the project. Another also shown, my first riding experience at the age of 1 and an half.

Not only do these photo track my own history but again echo the enthusiasm and playful nature my parents live by and their overwhelming support in all that wanted to achieve. This is starting to take shape more in my head, and although I am aware of things potentially  becoming self indulgent. I am still keen to present this information in some format that becomes more universal and interesting to others. 

# 25 [3 July 2009]

So, I find myself in Gower, its a little rainy, but today is 'rest day', no riding and so I find time to tell you about a blog I am keeping with Jenny, alongside this one, specifically for our residency. The address is www.huntanddarton.blogspot.com. Although its not a AN blog (Because we wanted equal access and although I have a number of times verbally sold Jenny AN membership, she has not made it happen yet ) it is a blog and like this one, forming a large part of the mini Wales project within the grander scheme of the ongoing Escalator project. The difference, that blog remains much more creative, and less chatty than this one and is working as a good tool to start to edit what we are seeing and experiencing, moving the raw material closer to some kind of interpretation and sculpting ready for further development and editing once back in England. We have been focussing specifically on collecting data relating to our growing relationship with our designated horses, people moral, langauge, chat and instructions. 

# 26 [21 July 2009]

 After a really good and productive experience in Gower, in residence with Jenny I return to normality for a while, well for a week anyhow. 

Whats been different;

I have developed a love of horses- found a male that I don't have the upper hand over (-Darbs, an flea bitten grey horse!), miss spending day after day scouring uneven terrain in all weathers, have discovered new ways to use a blog creatively, have discovered a new confidence with text/words in performance, have found some new ways to introduce new materials into the performance work such as collage, video and drawing and have had to re adjust to viewing the world at an eye level of 5.5ft rather than 6.2ft.

With such a rich experience, excellent use of a blog (www.huntanddarton@blogspot.com) and new and fresh working methods I have decided to embark on another residency process. Only this time at my studio in Sandon to crack on with the much talked about 'Sandon work' which makes up most of the creative processes proposed in my Escalator project. I will be living out of my flat for a week, and working in my studio and in and around the village of Sandon.

The time away has given me much clarity on this work and allowed for editing and conclusion with many of the ideas I have been juggling with.

Current ideas stand at:

• 4 acts around village:-

1. Telephone box- paint, attach new door, film- youth, graffiti, social change. (Film and photo post and pre action).

2. Mend village road sign- create new signs, introduce colour.

3. Plant flowers, create shape based on "you have to go away before you can come back". Horse shoe, curvaceous shape of sorts. To go on village green.

4. Re-design youth club poster.

• Cut grass on village green - 1 day durational project.

• Road surfaces- London- Hertford-Sandon- corn, strawberries, salt, sugar- staining.

• Presentation event in Village hall late August.

# 27 [21 July 2009]

Sandon: Day 1

Rules

•Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

•It is now costing us to have waste removed. Take your rubbish home with you.

•Recycle as much waste as possible.

•The council now gives permission for this land to be entered on foot for recreation only, but this permission may be withdrawn at any time.

•No cycling.

•Danger fragile roof, use crawling boards.

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Matt- not sure how we will hang it. (In response to me asking him if he would make me a door for the telephone box.

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Goose- 5 kids were not scared, they said it had bit their dogs bum, but that their mate hit it with a tennis racket and now it doesn't come near them. They had bread too.

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0-touching

10- more than five meters

Contact with telephone box 20/07/09= 0

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Fertilizer came in 3 lorry loads. White against royal blue. Feminine somehow. Small white grains, dust, movement, repetition, maneuver, backwards and forwards, collaboratively, instruction, signal, up, down, swinging, elevated, ordered, large, hard and soft, labeled, noisy, action, event.

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Sandon is split between two ordinate survey maps. 553 and 554. you have two buy two to get the full picture!

# 28 [21 July 2009]

Day 2:

Quote for door came back as £375 + VAT. More than I was expecting and showing no signs of charity.

Rethink- Toms Dad! He would do it for half the price- A better option also as I will be able to get more involved (hopefully), just worried about his motivation- Im going to have to do some monitoring, which is slightly uncomfortable. Apparently the key is to give a deadline!

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White gloss paint, unforgivingly is never as you imagine it to be on a surface. How does it do that- manage to erase its presents from your memory- only for you to make the same errors with it.

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No action on farm today- no deliveries, no farm workers, no traffic, no dogs.

The rains not good for the harvest. Corn gets flattened, delay in harvesting, delay in harvest being over.

(Saw the farmer's son in Tesco last night, failed to see his purchases).

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No kids in village

Only event- a royal mail van had boken down, flat tyre by the look of things.

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Decided on the shape for the flowers- developed from some mapping exercises.

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Decided on date for sharing of work with villagers- been negotiating the village hall.

Thursday 28th and Friday 29th. 

# 29 [22 July 2009]

I have decided on a new sign-

Tokyo: 5988 miles>

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Ideas- update:

•Video footage of Hertford/London/Sandon with a focus on Roads.

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Commentary:

Some things take a longer time to make than you expect.

When I think of an idea I fail to spend any time thinking about the practicality of making, time, and costs.

What appears to be small is actually quite large.

What appears to be quick is actually quite long.

There's more work to it than I thought.

It all costs something that has not been costed.

Will it all get stolen?

or worse vandalized and left there, only half of it, hanging by its corner, split, broken, swinging in the wind, up side down, soggy, wet and ugly?

# 30 [24 July 2009]

The Door- an update.

So I'm learning a lot fast, about how to deal with chippies!

New quote: £327 without VAT with materials.

Better, but still a little above budget.

Im brave and re negotiate- I share my budget (he's nearly family...see below) ...£200 all inclusive, thats the max, even if it becomes a bigger job, something goes wrong, thats all Ive got. I need a witness here, there's whiskey on the go, I wanted it in writing but thought that was taking it to far...

What I learnt:

•Remember that it is important to get a price before thinking it will definately happen and that you will go ahead with it what ever the cost.

•Never tell your budget

•I want to receive a quote, they want to give an estimate

•Get several quotes, look at the difference go for the middle one. Never go for the lowest.

•Read the small print and challange the wording if necessary 

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