I have been very bogged down in sorting out the printing of invitations for the concluding exhibitions for the residency. As always I wish that just when one needs to get on with finishing off work (ie artwork) one didn’t have to instead concentrate on press releases and postcards. However the images and text are all sorted out and will be with the printers on Monday and they assure me that they can get it done before Christmas. Looking at some of the other blogs there seems to be heartening news. The ‘tripe installation’ in France which looked as if everything was going wrong looks delicately spectacular, the two studio groups have just had or or are soon going to have exhibitions which prove the merit of their endeavours. And ‘Festial’ as always, just made it’s deadline so I am hoping that a bit of this positiveness goes my way too!
It occurs to me that in our different experiences we are all learning so much during the course of our projects. it would be good to sit down with some of the other bloggers and compare notes. Perhaps my next project should be just that.
Well, gales and rain notwithstanding, the tree in the churchyard now sports a lexicon (though without the definitions) of words from St George’s.
I have been working in St George’s Church over the last few days. My artist in residence role has been slightly overwhelmed by the arrival of ‘Cards for Good Causes’ at the church. I think you would have to be very determined indeed to find where I am working, tucked away in the north aisle behind abundant displays of Christmas cards. Meanwhile, I am finishing off a few strands of work and determining how best to present them for the final exhibition here in January. I am also working on a ‘Tree Dressing’ in the churchyard. This was programmed into the events but has become marooned from its accompanying workshop which has been moved to February! In the absence of community input at this point I am using words from the flagstones and gravestones to temporarily adorn a tree in the churchyard. Many of these words were picked out by participants to use at the Big Draw back in October.
People have asked me how I feel, working here surrounded by ‘dead people’. It isn’t something I have worried about; obviously the past makes itself felt here but if there is a spirit of the place I feel that it is a benevolent one. The words I am taking to use reflect this feeling. The word ‘memory’ is found on the gravestones fairly frequently and has an unintentional poignancy as it fades away but there are also phrases like ‘tender love’ and instructions to ‘follow me’, reassurances that ‘joy cometh’ and only a few admonitions to ‘repent’! On reflection, I suppose I am working with the community on this piece of work, its just a community from the past.
Its one of those funny weeks when things go right and things go wrong and sort of balance each other out. I had been invited to take part in a project next year which I have just discovered is not going ahead, probably because of funding and on the same day I find that a proposal for another project has been accepted. Meanwhile I am still making innumerable (or at least it feels like it!) little paper shreds on pins.
I’m getting a fair amount of work made. I am dividing my time between making hundreds of tiny hand-cast paper fragments and researching opportunities, meeting people, visiting exhibitions and helping other people with their projects. The paper fragments are set on pins and will end up accumulated together as part of a larger piece of work but are rather monotonous to make. I have also been finding more stories related to the commons. During the year I have been collecting stories, which seem to have a connection to the woods (either these specific woods or the idea of ‘woods’), from Elmbridge people. Some are factual accounts some are reminiscences and some are fairy stories. I have then been installing the stories back into the landscape. At first it was very difficult to find contributions from people but there is a growing theme now.
