Monday, July 11, 2011
Final celebration day
I was really happy with the celebration day and think it went really well. I'd been worrying all week because I had so much to do I had a lot of cynotypes still needing completion and was having trouble with the animation and wasn't sure if id be able to finish them both so as result I shortened the animation. On the day it was raining in the morning which I was really worried about the only thing I could think about is if it kept up then the birds might get too wet and fall off. Throughout the setting up it was still raining a lot and cold so I thought people may be discouraged to come out but they did and the weather got better. After the birds were mounted (this took a while because tying wasn't easy and they kept tangling together) I set up the camera and animation under the gazebo and filled the spray bottles and placed them with scissors for guests. When the first person started opening it I was nervous because it was really unpredictable the bird could of got over exposed or the image may have not come out clearly but it worked really well. The instillation all hanging together but blowing in the wind worked nicely because they looked like a fleet just as planned. Once the bird was sprayed the image would be really clear but it would fade after a while because it didn't fix fully, this really reinforced the concept of them representing memories. Everyone was really involved and enjoyed exposing them I felt a really great vibe quite a few people came wanting to try it. I was happy with some comments about the work complimenting the effect and concept. The animation I had on a paper screen next to the instillation and projected it on people's hand it was like the wish coming true (1000 origami birds = a wish) and the idea for the animation was making johns wish for dancing again come true. When John arrived I was really excited to show him and (his wife was there and helped him to see the instillation) we helped him to expose one which he really seemed to like it saying his birds were flying and that it was lovely, I showed him the animation of himself on his hand although he had trouble with Movement. He seemed really happy and seemed to be enjoying everything and asked for a picture of us. John had to leave early for physio but took a bird home and said he would want to keep in touch. In the end all the birds were exposed flying together. Although this project was difficult at times the outcome was bigger then any of our other projects because it wasn't just about us and how good our work was we had worked with other people and effected each other. The whole day was brilliant with everybody's work, working really well and all of the people there really enjoying themselves. I think us all in this group and st Christiphers should be really proud.
Final workshops
Friday June 24th
this workshop was defiantly the most difficult of the workshops. It was really emotionally straining as the demo group came in to interview us on assisted suicide and euthanasia in the morning. I found this kind of uncomftorable because the subject but also because we were around people nearing the ends of their lives so I was wondering how they themselves would take the topic. John I found is a really optimistic peron and doesn't like focusing on anything negative so I sensed he wasn't very comftorable through the conversation which added to the awkward atmosphere for me. The day didn't improve beacause as we started late and then had the interview I only had around 20 minutes with John (he goes to phiso early around 12) which was inconvenient as today we were starting to collect information for the cynotype. I did get abchance to run through the final plans with John though and he seemed really pleased with them. Later on that day we learn that Denis was not absent like we thought but had passed away. It was really shocking for everyone and for me was a bit of a pinch reminding me where we were it was almost forgettable that the people we were working with were terminal because they apear healthy and we have met them in a relaxed environment and although we knew it was possible I never expected anything like this to happen. At the end of the day demo came back to interview us which I felt was really inappropriate consider g the news we just found out and awkward. I didn't really feel like answering and felt we were pushed a bit by the interviewers. The whole day was really difficult and it change my perspective for the project and for the next couple of days I found I was less enthusiastic because the reality set in.
Friday 1st July
The last workshop before the celebration evening went quite well and the atmosphere was much better then the week before. Me and John continued with making material for the cynotype but John usually has to leave early for physio which cuts back on some time. When he does leave I just continued with the assetate and listened to some of the dictaphone recordings and took notes from that. The plan was the same as the week before
this workshop was defiantly the most difficult of the workshops. It was really emotionally straining as the demo group came in to interview us on assisted suicide and euthanasia in the morning. I found this kind of uncomftorable because the subject but also because we were around people nearing the ends of their lives so I was wondering how they themselves would take the topic. John I found is a really optimistic peron and doesn't like focusing on anything negative so I sensed he wasn't very comftorable through the conversation which added to the awkward atmosphere for me. The day didn't improve beacause as we started late and then had the interview I only had around 20 minutes with John (he goes to phiso early around 12) which was inconvenient as today we were starting to collect information for the cynotype. I did get abchance to run through the final plans with John though and he seemed really pleased with them. Later on that day we learn that Denis was not absent like we thought but had passed away. It was really shocking for everyone and for me was a bit of a pinch reminding me where we were it was almost forgettable that the people we were working with were terminal because they apear healthy and we have met them in a relaxed environment and although we knew it was possible I never expected anything like this to happen. At the end of the day demo came back to interview us which I felt was really inappropriate consider g the news we just found out and awkward. I didn't really feel like answering and felt we were pushed a bit by the interviewers. The whole day was really difficult and it change my perspective for the project and for the next couple of days I found I was less enthusiastic because the reality set in.
Friday 1st July
The last workshop before the celebration evening went quite well and the atmosphere was much better then the week before. Me and John continued with making material for the cynotype but John usually has to leave early for physio which cuts back on some time. When he does leave I just continued with the assetate and listened to some of the dictaphone recordings and took notes from that. The plan was the same as the week before
Presentation Day
Today was our presentation day, I have been quite anxious about finally presenting my work as I felt that I was not as prepared as I would have liked to have been before the day of the show and after going to the other community project shows, I felt the pressure was on to deliver a good show to the patients we had been working with.
My initial idea was to focus on how Dennis felt about the past, he seems to have had a good life, but I could not help but question whether there was something he wasn’t telling me as all the trace of his life is virtually nonexistent. Was there something he was hiding? Would he just rather leave the past in the past? This is where my initial idea of using glass bottles comes from, memories which are trapped inside this bottle, which he is now unable to access due to personal choice. The memories are abstract and have been forgotten about, just the way Dennis wants it to be. I want to do an instillation which shows these memories personified. I have chosen to use glass bottles as Dennis has always liked a good drink and a smoke. I propose to hang the bottles as an instillation; these bottles will be covered in wax and will have lost memories trapped inside.
A couple of things were making me anxious I was worried about if we could get the whole show set up in time as we only had an hour and a half. I was also worried about if my piece would hang well and whether the tree would be strong enough to hold all the bottles. Furthermore I was worried about the response we would receive. I was also quite excited as we had been working towards this day for a long time. It was quite exciting to see how the patients would react to out responses to them to see if we depicted their visions accurately.
Luckily there were no problems putting up the show, though some people arrived a little early which was a little embarrassing. All the cakes and decorations had been put out. We all set up out work and I was happy with the position of mine, it was quite isolated, and the piece itself was simple. The contributions to the piece were made like I intended, I was pleased about that.
My initial worry about the bottles not hanging correctly was not a problem at all, although on the day I had to re do all the fishing wire as it was not long enough; luckily I had enough time to do so. It was quite complicated hanging the bottles as I had to find a branch which would hold the weight of each bottle without dragging the tree down, whilst considering the composition.
The response to the show was great; everyone found the work extremely moving. ‘The outcomes were all very strong’; ‘the concept behind the work is great’; ‘the work is simple, though the concept behind the work is very deep and complicated. I was really pleased with the response as I have been very anxious about this show, as the outcome was not work I would normally imagine myself to produce, Never the less I was proud because me and Dennis had made it together.
I feel I did work collaboratively in this project, although it has been very challenging to met the collaborative working criteria after Dennis passed away, I want to take forward the work I was going to produce with him and did not feel it would be right for me to met a new patient and start something new as I had got to know Dennis well and we were both excited for the outcome that we would have made together if the circumstances had been different.
Although my piece was not technically a collaboratively piece as Dennis didn’t help make the whole piece. Though I would argue it still is to an extent because we both came up with the idea together and we would have made the piece together if circumstances had been different.
I am pleased with our outcome, I feel the concept behind the work is strong and it supports the piece extremely well which I am happy with. The piece itself is not that visually pleasing, but it’s simple which I intended it to be.
Overall this has been an extremely challenging project for me though I have really enjoyed it thoroughly. I have learnt a lot throughout the whole project. I have learnt a lot about community art and I am very interested in participating in more projects similar to this.
My initial idea was to focus on how Dennis felt about the past, he seems to have had a good life, but I could not help but question whether there was something he wasn’t telling me as all the trace of his life is virtually nonexistent. Was there something he was hiding? Would he just rather leave the past in the past? This is where my initial idea of using glass bottles comes from, memories which are trapped inside this bottle, which he is now unable to access due to personal choice. The memories are abstract and have been forgotten about, just the way Dennis wants it to be. I want to do an instillation which shows these memories personified. I have chosen to use glass bottles as Dennis has always liked a good drink and a smoke. I propose to hang the bottles as an instillation; these bottles will be covered in wax and will have lost memories trapped inside.
A couple of things were making me anxious I was worried about if we could get the whole show set up in time as we only had an hour and a half. I was also worried about if my piece would hang well and whether the tree would be strong enough to hold all the bottles. Furthermore I was worried about the response we would receive. I was also quite excited as we had been working towards this day for a long time. It was quite exciting to see how the patients would react to out responses to them to see if we depicted their visions accurately.
Luckily there were no problems putting up the show, though some people arrived a little early which was a little embarrassing. All the cakes and decorations had been put out. We all set up out work and I was happy with the position of mine, it was quite isolated, and the piece itself was simple. The contributions to the piece were made like I intended, I was pleased about that.
My initial worry about the bottles not hanging correctly was not a problem at all, although on the day I had to re do all the fishing wire as it was not long enough; luckily I had enough time to do so. It was quite complicated hanging the bottles as I had to find a branch which would hold the weight of each bottle without dragging the tree down, whilst considering the composition.
The response to the show was great; everyone found the work extremely moving. ‘The outcomes were all very strong’; ‘the concept behind the work is great’; ‘the work is simple, though the concept behind the work is very deep and complicated. I was really pleased with the response as I have been very anxious about this show, as the outcome was not work I would normally imagine myself to produce, Never the less I was proud because me and Dennis had made it together.
I feel I did work collaboratively in this project, although it has been very challenging to met the collaborative working criteria after Dennis passed away, I want to take forward the work I was going to produce with him and did not feel it would be right for me to met a new patient and start something new as I had got to know Dennis well and we were both excited for the outcome that we would have made together if the circumstances had been different.
Although my piece was not technically a collaboratively piece as Dennis didn’t help make the whole piece. Though I would argue it still is to an extent because we both came up with the idea together and we would have made the piece together if circumstances had been different.
I am pleased with our outcome, I feel the concept behind the work is strong and it supports the piece extremely well which I am happy with. The piece itself is not that visually pleasing, but it’s simple which I intended it to be.
Overall this has been an extremely challenging project for me though I have really enjoyed it thoroughly. I have learnt a lot throughout the whole project. I have learnt a lot about community art and I am very interested in participating in more projects similar to this.
Celebration day
Although it was pouring down with rain everyone seemed relaxed and excited about the day. We were sad that it was over but also happy that we had the experience that we did. We arrived at the hospice at 9.00am to set up, everyone was helping eachother and everyone brought in cakes, this also went well with my theme and installation of cakes. The other brit students and patients arrived at 11 and the weather brightened up. We all looked at eachothers work and said our goodbyes to the patients.
Everything seemed to enjoy the day both students and patients.
Everything seemed to enjoy the day both students and patients.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Final celebration day – st Christopher’s hospice
At around 3am early Friday morning, I woke up with a shock. I was having a nightmare about forgetting the balloons for the st Christopher’s celebration. I didn’t know how nervous and scared I was until that happened. Sure enough, I put the balloons in my bag and fell back to sleep for a couple of hours. I triple checked my bag before I left; cakes, balloons, traces banner, cyanotype photos, and string, done!
Arriving dot on the time, I made my way to the pavilion centre where the exhibition was taking place, Abraham and jess were the first to arrive, Harry and Laura were held up in traffic with all of the equipment and final pieces, but we were eager to make a start, and as the only thing we all had was cakes and juice, the refreshments seemed an obvious choice.
Everyone started arriving quite quickly after 9, including Harry with all the equipment, so we all had a lot to do to get everything finished by 11. Time was ticking and Laura still hadn’t arrived with the rest of equipment and my final piece, basically, I was getting nervous. About 5 minutes later she turned up and I started to prepare my cast and the cyanotype developments to be hung.
I was a little apprehensive because of the rain, but as my piece was site specific and needed to be in touch with nature to make sense, it could potentially get ruined, nevertheless - I decided to go for it anyway, and if it decomposed or got ruined, let it be. To my utmost surprise, the tree I chose had this beautiful texture when wet, and complimented the cast better than I could have imagined. It was so easy to set up too. There were these little stumpy branches coming out of the tree which allowed the fishing wire to wrap right round and stay secure. I then attached the images of cyanotype. All looked well.
I was really nervous wondering what Steve would think of my piece, but as soon as people started to filter in, I felt a lot better. The response to my work was positive, even though I doubt many people understood what it was about before meeting Steve.
When he came down and saw the piece we made together, I think he really liked it. He even started to take pictures of it with his camera. Everyone’s pieces looked so beautiful when they were hung/presented. I think we all really pulled it together in the end, despite all our doubts.
The feedback altogether was really positive, and it was lovely that Gerry wanted to keep all the work presented permanently.
celebration day — final visit, Friday 8th July
We all arrived at 9am, doused in rain and a little bit of panic. We began setting up, our priorities clearly in the right place — refreshments first. Together, we unpacked the artwork and equipment and began by setting up our own pieces of work. It was wonderful seeing the little bits of one another's work become actual installations, taking form in situ. Everybody worked together once their piece was done, getting the room presentable and full of "finishing touches". The atmosphere was of a calmed, somewhat muted revelry. The cakes were ready, the installations complete for viewing.
It was brilliant working together to get the pieces, displays and refreshments ready for the patients to see, I felt like we were a far more defined team than in previous weeks.
I felt completely nervous, waiting for people to arrive — especially so for Eunice and Fiona. As students, patients, nurses, and family arrived, trepidation & anticipation only set in more. The work that they'd created with me was very much on display, and I really wanted them to feel proud and involved.
Everybody enjoyed themselves. I saw some really heartwarming things — the enjoyment of Steve when he saw the final product of his and Tessa's piece. The reaction John gave when he saw his and Sakile's. He was genuinely enthralled. Not only, seeing him stand and walk to be involved with the piece, it was wonderful. The amount of involvement people felt with Elana's, the intrigue with Alice's, the way everybody stooped and shrank to view Abraham's, the intimacy of Finley's, and the marvel at the delicate, captured necklaces of Mia's piece. The entire event made me feel somewhat overwhelmed, even though everything came together so brilliantly. The little moments in which I caught people looking at these pieces so intently made the whole event feel successful.
What was lovely, though, was that the event wasn't just about product and results, but was also about a social experience; a culmination of conversations tracing to this day.
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It was unfortunate that neither Fiona or Eunice showed up, especially since I was expecting Eunice. It does just go to show the inconsistency that aspects of a hospice can have. I think the whole fluctuation and unbalance that we met with the patients just adds to the uniqueness of the entire experience. Though I wanted to show Eunice or Fiona the piece, I completely understood that there could be many reasons as to why they didn't show up — from the simple to the complicated. This project has given me a heightened sense of patience and understanding.
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p.s. sorry I've made this horribly embarrassing and mentioned everybody's work, it's just everything was so good.
We all arrived at 9am, doused in rain and a little bit of panic. We began setting up, our priorities clearly in the right place — refreshments first. Together, we unpacked the artwork and equipment and began by setting up our own pieces of work. It was wonderful seeing the little bits of one another's work become actual installations, taking form in situ. Everybody worked together once their piece was done, getting the room presentable and full of "finishing touches". The atmosphere was of a calmed, somewhat muted revelry. The cakes were ready, the installations complete for viewing.
It was brilliant working together to get the pieces, displays and refreshments ready for the patients to see, I felt like we were a far more defined team than in previous weeks.
I felt completely nervous, waiting for people to arrive — especially so for Eunice and Fiona. As students, patients, nurses, and family arrived, trepidation & anticipation only set in more. The work that they'd created with me was very much on display, and I really wanted them to feel proud and involved.
Everybody enjoyed themselves. I saw some really heartwarming things — the enjoyment of Steve when he saw the final product of his and Tessa's piece. The reaction John gave when he saw his and Sakile's. He was genuinely enthralled. Not only, seeing him stand and walk to be involved with the piece, it was wonderful. The amount of involvement people felt with Elana's, the intrigue with Alice's, the way everybody stooped and shrank to view Abraham's, the intimacy of Finley's, and the marvel at the delicate, captured necklaces of Mia's piece. The entire event made me feel somewhat overwhelmed, even though everything came together so brilliantly. The little moments in which I caught people looking at these pieces so intently made the whole event feel successful.
What was lovely, though, was that the event wasn't just about product and results, but was also about a social experience; a culmination of conversations tracing to this day.
---------
It was unfortunate that neither Fiona or Eunice showed up, especially since I was expecting Eunice. It does just go to show the inconsistency that aspects of a hospice can have. I think the whole fluctuation and unbalance that we met with the patients just adds to the uniqueness of the entire experience. Though I wanted to show Eunice or Fiona the piece, I completely understood that there could be many reasons as to why they didn't show up — from the simple to the complicated. This project has given me a heightened sense of patience and understanding.
-------
p.s. sorry I've made this horribly embarrassing and mentioned everybody's work, it's just everything was so good.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Final workshop, friday 1st June
I felt pretty anxious about this workshop; not quite sure whether I wanted to see Fiona, Eunice or a new face. However, when I got there, I felt like I could actually bring anybody into my final piece through collaborative work.
Eunice arrived, and I was really pleased to see her. The first thing she said to me, was, "I feel much better today" — and that showed. She seemed much more confident in her drawing skills, wanting to improve on drawings she'd already done and also wanting to look at and use another medium.
She drew her doll once more onto acetate; this time with much more detail. She used the fineliner quite intricately; she introduced shading and gave more shape and trait to portions of the drawing. I think she was much more pleased with this more detailed drawing. I really think that the workshop has been beneficial to Eunice, as she's noticeably become more confident with mark making and the structure and proportions have improved significantly.
Eunice was keen to move onto another process, and I introduced her to clay, and casting her drawings. She didn't really want to draw an object from memory, and really wanted to draw things she saw around her. I wasn't going to stop her; I felt it'd be more beneficial for her to become comfortable with the process rather than forcing her to draw something she'd already drawn multiple times. Whilst I went to mix the plaster, she continued drawing. I handed over the plaster to her and she cast her drawings; ensuring the marks and grooves were deep enough to give enough of a definition and imprint.
Unfortunately she had to leave for physiotherapy before the casting was completely set, so only got to see one of her drawings cast. She seemed to be happy with the work that we'd done, and said that she'd be here to see the Celebration day next Friday. I felt really reassured by Eunice; I feel like she felt completely involved with the work, more confident with her artistic ability and happy to participate in our work.
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I loved spending this time with Eunice, and I'm really happy to see her confidence in her own artistic ability. I just hope her involvement with our project will give her more confidence still, and inspire her in exploring her memories further. I just hope she's enjoyed the process of exploring the traces of her favourite toy through the mediums I've kind-of provided.
I felt pretty anxious about this workshop; not quite sure whether I wanted to see Fiona, Eunice or a new face. However, when I got there, I felt like I could actually bring anybody into my final piece through collaborative work.
Eunice arrived, and I was really pleased to see her. The first thing she said to me, was, "I feel much better today" — and that showed. She seemed much more confident in her drawing skills, wanting to improve on drawings she'd already done and also wanting to look at and use another medium.
She drew her doll once more onto acetate; this time with much more detail. She used the fineliner quite intricately; she introduced shading and gave more shape and trait to portions of the drawing. I think she was much more pleased with this more detailed drawing. I really think that the workshop has been beneficial to Eunice, as she's noticeably become more confident with mark making and the structure and proportions have improved significantly.
Eunice was keen to move onto another process, and I introduced her to clay, and casting her drawings. She didn't really want to draw an object from memory, and really wanted to draw things she saw around her. I wasn't going to stop her; I felt it'd be more beneficial for her to become comfortable with the process rather than forcing her to draw something she'd already drawn multiple times. Whilst I went to mix the plaster, she continued drawing. I handed over the plaster to her and she cast her drawings; ensuring the marks and grooves were deep enough to give enough of a definition and imprint.
Unfortunately she had to leave for physiotherapy before the casting was completely set, so only got to see one of her drawings cast. She seemed to be happy with the work that we'd done, and said that she'd be here to see the Celebration day next Friday. I felt really reassured by Eunice; I feel like she felt completely involved with the work, more confident with her artistic ability and happy to participate in our work.
----
I loved spending this time with Eunice, and I'm really happy to see her confidence in her own artistic ability. I just hope her involvement with our project will give her more confidence still, and inspire her in exploring her memories further. I just hope she's enjoyed the process of exploring the traces of her favourite toy through the mediums I've kind-of provided.
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