Funding for international travel and exchange

My sleep pattern is starting to get back to normal now ( after spending the first 2 days going to bed well after midnight and getting up again at 06.00 ) so I think, hopefully anyway, I can make more sense in my blog.

Yesterday, we checked out two other galleries that were both within walking distance – Tromso Kunstforening ( Tromso gallery of Contemporary art ) – which was so iced over in front that I can hardly believe people risked their lives to visit! … and Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum – the Art museum of Northern Norway.

Both had really interesting displays of Contemporary art – plus a couple of Munch*s in the latter.

Leaving the museum, we bumped into the director – who we are now on speaking terms with, after he came to our PV. Feel like a *local* already!

We took turns at invigilating at the gallery ( jet taking the first 2 hours ) though, when we returned to it, there were already a few visitors. One – Anne Marie had been to our PV and was waiting for us – to invite us to her house for ‘cake’ this afternoon.

We seem to have quite a busy programme though today, as Jet’s wife ´- Lena, is taking us to see a ‘reindeer dance’ at Polaria today. After which, she will take us to Tromso Museum – to see an exhibition of Sami art …and Anne Marie will pick us up to take us to her house.

It is good to have access to transport like this – but we seem to be mastering the buses pretty well. Jet and Lena invited us to their house for a meal last night. Faced with the prospect of a 300 NOK taxi ride ( each way) to the northern point they live in, we braved the local transport – 27NOK wherever you go on the island.

It was good to eat vegetables and very nice food – though, being a vegetarian, I resisted the reindeer meat that was served. Knowing how expensive it is here – we bought a lot of our own packet food, which we have pretty much been living on.One of the other guests – Sven Egil Duøllja was an artist specialising in Sami culture – which is huge here. He had some images of his work on his phone, but I*ll look up his work properly on the website when I get home.

So I think that it is it, up to date so far.

Although Carolyn is up in the ‘bedroom’ working away on her sketchbook as I*m writing this, I*m relying on notes and the many photographs I*ve been taking, to give me ideas for my next works.

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Although the PV was meant to start at 20.00 last night, people started to arrive just after 19.00. The first guests therefore, had to help us put up the labels.

Considering it was sub zero temperatures and no one knew us, it was unbelievably busy.

I hate to say this, but if the PV had been back home and it was this cold out, we would have been lucky to get just a handful of guests – if any!

http://www.smallprojects.no/trade.html#

The guests had a variety of backgrounds, from members of another artists group – who we will visit before we leave, students, teachers, gallery directors and art critics .

There was an Australian artist at the PV – Laureen Lansdown : http://www.laureenlansdown.com/ who was on a self funded residency, to document and create new artwork about the Northern Lights ( which we were lucky enough to see later that night!)

We were also able to chat and discuss the work of a visiting writer : Easterine Angami : http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/easterine who signed one of her books as a gift to us.

I’m still buzzing with infectious enthusiasm from the artists we have met so far. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a PV where people didn’t huddle around the drinks table and ignore what was on the walls.

At the moment, I’m sitting in the gallery while it is open to the public, so I thought I’d use the time to type up the blog.

I know I’ve missed things out, but a least if I get things down in some sort of note form, I can add to it later.

Well… we are here – in Tromso! I’ve borrowed a laptop, which has a Norwegian keyboard and as I don*t understand all of the keys , I’ll do my best to give an update and correct typos later.

The journey here was really long! From getting the 7am train to Birmingham, changing to connect to London and then again to Gatwick, took us to Mid day. Our 2pm flight to Oslo was delayed due to heavy snow ( there – not in the UK! ) so we missed the connecting flight to Tromso.

They put us on a later flight, getting us to Tromso at Midnight – where Jet was waiting patiently outside to pick us up.

Our bags weighed a ton, through carrying heavier clothes and as much artwork and materials as would fit into the cases.

The snow has hardened to ice here and as I look out of the window at the building opposite, I can see huge icicles hanging from the guttering.

The gallery occupies half of a large building – I think there is an office on the other side. It is a typical Norwegian style – wooden and painted blue and white.

One of the rooms, which was previously rented out as office space, has been turned into our bedroom. With a small heater, it is quite cosy.

Yesterday – our first full day here – we got to grips with the log burner. Important things first!

The log burner is in the kitchen area – just a few steps down from the main gallery space, but the temperature drops by quite a few degrees if you walk from one space to another.

It was really hard to work in such a cold space yesterday.

We’d unpacked our artwork and spread it out, making the decisions between the 3 of us where it should go.

Apart from a quick walk down to the harbour to see what was in the immediate vicinity, we spent the majority of the day huddled by the fire threading my wings onto fishing wire…and later on, deciding to paint the gallery walls. ( they probably didn’t really need it – but it was important to us to create a good impression)

To suspend my wings in the centre of the gallery space, jet had to place a ladder on a stack of tables to reach the high ceiling. An unbelievably dangerous stunt, but to which I am truly grateful, as it sets the work off well in the space.

This morning was sunny, so we braved the ice AND a bus! .. to visit the Arctic Cathedral… a journey that took us off the island via a lengthy bridge. The cathedral was closed, but guessing we were English ( too many clothes and the wellies were a give away) one of the staff opened the doors, and speaking in English, beckoned us inside so that we could take photos.

Amazing place!

Back to small projects this afternoon, to finish hanging all our work…and here we are, patiently waiting for visitors to arrive tonight for the PV.

I had to go into work last weekend, on what would normally be a day off, to sort out a problem with the next Tate Members PV mail out, Although it was a pain to go in, it means that I get a day off in lieu ( no overtime payments for me! )

So, today I was going to go across to METAL to take down my work, but it isn’t a good day for them as I think they have an event on. It will have to be Friday now.

This afternoon, I’m heading up to Liverpool Cathedral, as I have an appointment to discuss the possibility of an exhibition there .

I need to find an exhibition space to bring Small Projects back to the UK. Whether the Cathedral is suitable, I don’t know – but it’s worth a try.

Last week, I went to the Airtime meeting at the Royal Standard. www.a-n.co.uk/air

It was really interesting and I made some good contacts. It also gave me a chance to check out the Royal Standard as a possible venue …and talk to several Reps from other organisations.

It would be good to go to Norway next week with a list of possibilities.



There’s been a slight set back to our trip to Norway.

Due to a family crisis, Sue felt that she couldn’t continue with the trip to Norway at this time. With flights already booked and barely two weeks to go before we left, it was a devastating blow.

The Norwegian artists – Small Projects, had changed their plans so that we could visit at a specific time, so it would be hard telling them we couldn’t go.

To cancel and rebook the flights would have cost a small fortune, so the only option was to try to find someone at short notice, to go in her place.

Thankfully, Carolyn Shepherd stood in.

I’d checked the airline website to find out how much it would cost to change the name on a flight – £30. Not too bad I thought. What I didn’t realise, was that it was £30 PER flight. London to Oslo, Oslo to Tromso…and return. Unbelievable! Do I cancel the whole lot, losing out financially – or just except it and pay out?

What choice was there really?