ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [21 March 2010]

So this is the first step of what will hopefully be an amazing project to work on. I say hopefully as the Butterfly Park is presently under threat of closure.

The Landowners (Brock plc) want the land back, they won't say why but they want it back - even though they knew it was a nature reserve when they bought the land 10 years ago and have previously been big supporters of the local environmental network. It happened quite suddenly and there was a lot of publicity about the planned closure which has led to a great deal of local support and to the Local Council stepping in with a Compulsory Purchase Order.

In the interim waiting period of haggling and appeals, my residency has been set up. In a bid to try and make the park more visible,(and secure the site as a permanent nature reserve) I will be curating a temporary sculpture trail and series ofart and nature based workshops over the summer months.

Following the summer, I hope to be continuing my research, forming a visual archive of the Park and working on proposals for an on site Visitor Centre. This may be whilst based in a local empty shop where we can set up a temporary visitor centre and also use it as an artist base engaging with the local community over the months that the Park is closed to produce a body of work that can be used in any future funding applications and will lead towards an annual art trail and a final dissertation and installation in 2011.

I'm hopeful.....

If however, the Compulsory Purchase Order falls through and the unthinkable happens that the Butterfly Park is closed I have to have a back up plan.

This plan (though I hope will never be needed) is to continue the archiving process and work with NFRAG (New Ferry Regeneration Action Group) holding the workshops in other local areas of interest. The final dissertation and installation will be a historical reference and memorial of the Butterfly Park. 

But I'm hopeful.....

That will never have to be the case.

The Butterfly Park is an amazing sanctuary in the middle of a vastly populated and sadly run down urban area, it could be such a fantastic tourist site bringing in lots of new visitors with their money to spend in local shops, pubs and restaurants. Being a part of this fight has become so important to me, to save this  small piece of beautiful and peaceful land will undoubtedly take  over my life for the coming months and years.

And this blog will be a (hopefully engaging and interesting) record of my residency here.

# 2 [21 March 2010]

The last two weeks have been eventful. I have had meetings with two members of Wirral Council, both very helpful. Pointing me in the right direction for smaller funding pots until we can get the problem of land ownership sorted.

I have also met with Merseytravel arts Development Officer who loved the Butterfly Park and has asked me to submit some designs and ideas for the local station to see if we can link into the park (next door) through the underpass, showing the way to  the park for the passengers.

I've also met with three artists so far, I am wondering if I should maybe approach one or two more to have a more visual impact.

The three artists so far are all keen to be involved though, I have chosen them for their particular practices.

Karon Mc Gunigall who is thinking up some ideas at the moment that may involve chrysalis hanging in the trees.

Emma Kemp whose work involves some amazing rope installations, she wonders how feasible it will be in the park and how visible it will be once the leaves have started to grow etc. However, she has now been on site and can visualise it, so is going to work on some ideas.

Hayley Parfitt who isplanning on some brick installations linking into the brick making that has historically been produced in New Ferry; her work will make a series of insect habitats in the form of multi-storey flats.

My own work for the site begins with a series of information boards but each will be botaniacal illustrations etched into perspex so that the visitors have to get up close to the plants and animals in order to read the boards. They will dotted around the park, some in quite secret places, I like the idea thta people have to really try and seek them out if they want to learn about the species.

A second project will be to make some seating areas. One lonely bench on site at the moment. By using railway sleepers from the original site (the park was once the railway sidings) I'll make some contemporary benches to live on site.

I will produce more work as the months go by but that's me for a start.

# 3 [22 March 2010]

Hmmm - now I am using this project as an excuse to buy chocolate...

In fairness they are butterfly shaped chocolates AND you can plant the packet which has been impregnated with candytuft seeds, to grow a plant that attracts butterflies...fabulous. 

Have to thanks Sacha in work for spotting this one.

http://www.domesticsluttery.com/2010/03/mothers-da...

# 4 [24 March 2010]

Thought I'd add some photo's of the Botanical Illustration 'Information Boards' I'll be doing at the park.

These were etched onto perspex using a dremmel, very hard work and I couldn't use my hand for hours after. May well look into laser etching instead, depends on cost I suppose.

The Boards are meant to be clear, I didn't want big colourful signs detracting from the nature park. I felt if they were transparent people would have to get up close to actually read them. May hide some around the park too, if people know there are 30 but can only see 20, will it make them want to find the others I wonder?

# 5 [26 March 2010]

I'm now tweeting for the Butterfly Park if anyone wants to follow me or the park or both:

http://twitter.com/wirralbutterfly

http://twitter.com/cazramsay

There is also now a facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Ferry-Wirral/New...

if you want to become a fan, please do.

# 6 [6 April 2010]

What's new in the park?

Not a lot, it's been a while since I have paid a visit. 

However...in the background, lots of things have been happening.

Emma Kemp has submitted her design for the trail, it sounds fantastic. An interactive percussion installation. Can't wait to see it now.

I have contacted a possible laser etching person, through a friend who is a memorial mason (thanks to Rob Turner for that idea) It seems somehow that it's not what you know...

SO this guy is also a memorial mason but has just invested in a laser etching machine and so I have to draw some work up for him to try out and then we go from there. Haven't discussed cost yet but he also needs an artist to draw up some memorial stone ideas so a deal may well be done. :)

I have completed the design for one of the benches and am in the process of organising some steel to be cut and etched as a back rest,may turn out a bit expensive but we shall see. My trusty husband will have to help me make it as I can't even lift one of the railway sleepers, those things are crazy heavy!

I'm meeting Karon at the park on Thursday so will be doing some land art on that day, I had a mad idea the other day that may just work but I'm unsure yet so watch this space.

Then its another clearing/weeding day on Sunday with the volunteers and the AGM on Monday, thats the day I get to talk about the open day and plans for the summer months with the people who run the Butterfly Park.

This week will mainly be me trying to be a graphic designer - posters,flyers and booklets to be designed. I have friends who are real graphic designers, wonder if I should call in a favour?

# 7 [8 April 2010]

Spent today at the Butterfly Park, I went to let one of my artists, Karon, in to have a second look so she could draw up some designs.

Kids off for Easter so I thought as it was a gorgeous sunny day they could come with, took a load of Easter Eggs and hid them so the kids were kept busy for an hour - FAB!

Had a wander and a play, found some hazel branches by the compost heap and decided to try and make a wigwam type structure.

I had some wire and string in the car (always have stuff with me in case I feel the need to make things) and using a branch of a tree as support have started to form the skeleton of the 'twigwam'.

Back on Sunday to do some more. I don't want to have a cover over it and i don't want it looking iike a willow sculpture at all so I think I might hang things from it.

Will use fishing wire tied to the cross branches and hang things that I find in the Park, so stones, bits of brick,twigs,dead leaves,feathers etc.

Have no idea if it will work yet but it was a fantastic way to while away half a day in the sun.

Managed to spot a Peacock and a Comma Butterfly as well as a yellow ladybird and finally got a photograph of the blue snail. 

# 8 [14 April 2010]

We had a work day last Sunday at the Park, it was a beautiful day so lots of volunteers turned up and it's starting to look good now.

I did some more work on the Twigwam though its far from finished, the structure is there now. I need to bind some of it up with some sort of twine or raffia, something that  doesn't quite cover but will make it more of an enclosed space. Plan then is to ask kids to collect leaves, feathers etc form around the park and start filling in the gaps.

Hayley turned up with her husband and they worked hard at retrieving bricks from the back of the site, some of them covered in moss and were beautiful.

She did a test run of one of the insect habitats on a stone base, I've added a photo. I think it's great, love the idea that we're fighting the land owner who is a builder, he wants to take the butterfly park back for construction purposes and here we are building multi-storey flats on site (albeit for insects.)

I also got very up close and personal with a pair of mating tortoiseshell butterflies, they stayed very still and didn't fly away, for obvious reasons.

It was the A.G.M of the Butterfly Park Monday night It was interesting in that I used to work in the past for large charities that had a really good turnover of donations through grants and fundraising. This is so different, hardly any fundraising as such  goes on, it's nearly all through donations of visitors and well wishers really and there is hardly any money at all considering they are a charity. Don't get me wrong, they can cover the costs of running the place but not much else.

It has a lot to do with the landowner, if the Council can complete the complusory purchase order and secure the safety of the park, they can start applying for grants then. It's impossible to apply for funding for workshops not knowing if you're actually going to be there in the future. In court on 11th May.

So much hangs on this, I've grown so attached to the site, it would be heartbreaking to see it go back into the hands of a builder. 

# 9 [15 April 2010]

I'm 40 - I need to keep reminding myself of that as I usually don't feel anywhere near 40 but at the moment, I am feeling more inline with my Mum.

My Laptop had/has a virus - such a pain it's untrue. I was up until 4am last night trying to re-do the Open Day Poster and Press Release, still not finished the Poster...maddening.

4am and the up at 7am getting kid ready for school is NOT a good mix.

Today I shall be mostly cursing computers.

# 10 [15 April 2010]

Poster for Open Day done, don't know how good it'll look on here as a jpeg but it's ok - does exactly what it says on the box...so's to speak.

Very hard to not go too arty, have to keep remembering it's a nature reserve not an art gallery :)