Total chaos at the moment. I am moving back into my house with dog, cats, partner and we are trying to get straight as fast as possible. I am trying to work – have had some orders for translations, including a 24-page fund prospectus, am doing more funding applications for DAD with Joanna and trying to keep enthusiastic despite a recent unsuccessful bid (always disheartening but as Joanna says "nothing good ever gets lost").
I went to the "Wild Flower" event in Margate on Thursday organised by the University for the Creative Arts – I'd been drafted in as notetaker and worked with Peter Liversidge to discuss the "artists perspective" on audience engagement/development. Basically the artist doesn't really care but everyone else does or has to. From a DAD point of view, we have to, so it was quite useful to think about what it means to engage an audience and how to evaluate it – development and enrichment of (children's) vocabulary is one way for example. It was quite nice to get another of Peter's gin glasses. Quite a fun day even if long and hard to assess the use of. However, the final report might give us some juicy catchphrases.
After lunch we were all supposed to sow wildflower seeds in Margate – very biblical. With a twist though – because as the biologist and gardener pointed out – it is in the infertile, poor soil that the seeds have the best chance of flourishing. But then of course fertile ground in the bible probably doesn't necessarily mean fertile as in enriched with nutrients but fertile as in willing to accept new ideas.
