You Can't Make an Omelette Without Breaking Eggs

Snibston CPD - First Visit - Part 1

I saw this poster whilst exploring and thought "Well, could it be me, where do I start?" I had written a brief, I was awarded a CPD Bursary, I'm one of 10 artists and all of us have the opportunity to think about Snibston, it's collections, the power of transformation and how we might apply it to the site. 

My mentors are Claire Barber and Steve Swindells who are working on their own large scale project Mining Couture and I made my first visit to see them in their working space on site on the 9th of October. I felt like I was taking a step into the unknown, I was both nervous and excited, what would I see, what would it be like, what would we discuss? I had the thread of an idea, a line of enquiry, but what was expected of me and where might it lead? 

Claire and Steve were immediately welcoming, full of ideas, information, enquiry and fun. They were very generous with their time and after some general discussion (and coffee) they began to unpick my idea. I had begun from a very literal standpoint - I had a word in mind - Shift - which appealed because it had a multiplicity of meanings, all of which connected to Snibston, mining, work, fashion, history and place........and then Steve said that what he found interesting about the word was that in might mean a movement in a new or different direction......and he was absolutely right. So anything I had arrived with in my head, would, during this thinking time, move, shift about, change, transform. Intriguing.

Claire then talked about a methodology they had used in their work together, inspired by watching her own young son, which they would like to share with me. They often used making omelettes as a starting point, the way that the egg changed from liquid to solid and became, in effect, a material, they found fascinating. 

It also had resonances with their exploration of the site, inside the museum there was a milk float, in a beautiful state of preservation but outside, in a tucked away corner near to their workspace was another 

milk float,which was exposed to the elements, gently corroding away. The colour of the peeling layers of paint reminded them of curdling of dairy products and the state changing nature of egg becoming omelette. They had been working with the omelettes earlier that day, but had one egg left and wondered if I would like to come out to the space near the decaying milk float to take part in this experiment in making. 

A small gas ring was placed on a panel that had been part of the milk float, there was a slight wind which made the small flame burn quite fiercely, the white and the yolk shifted round the pan, finding their own levels. There are times when new approaches or ways of thinking comes as a rush of fresh air.

Colours, forms and connections started to appear, 

as my eyes moved between the contents of the pan 

and the surface of the panel.

Steve recorded the omelette and I recorded Steve. Whilst filming he talked about having recently re-landscaped his garden, planting a tree and burying an omelette under it. 

I told Steve and Claire about the birth of my brother, a home birth with a love struck midwife in attendance,     

  

how my Dad had buried the afterbirth in the garden and how in Jamaica the umbilical cord is planted    

under a seedling so that the tree would "belong" to that child when the two were grown. 

Eggs are a poignant metaphor for life, 

creation, beginnings and thoughts

 about what comes first...........

Snibston CPD Bursary

On the 23rd of September I attended a fascinating series of presentations at Snibston Discovery Centre by artists involved in Transform. It was an opportunity to see the outcomes of the first four Residencies 

• Geoff Broadway: LifeCycle – Future and Dreams
• Jo Dacombe: Snibston Myth Maps Project
• Brendan Jackson: Unearthing Stories
• Paul Conneally: Spoil Heap Harvest

and to hear from the artist pairings Claire Barber / Steve Swindells, Andy McKeown / Peter Walker and Shanaz Gulzar / Steve Manthorp, the day was hosted by the project's lead artist Maurice Maguire. Apart from seeing and hearing about inspiring projects, it was also an opportunity for the artists in the audience to meet with one or more of the pairings and to start to formulate ideas that might lead to securing a Transform CPD Bursary.

Each artist pairing had much to offer and were working in ways that interested me so, as usual, I found it hard to choose, I did manage to have a conversation with each couple and a mad dash around part of the Discovery Centre as well.

Not only are there many traces of the site's industrial heritage but there is also a fabulous Fashion Collection with garments made, sold or worn in Leicestershire. Although I don't have a body built for fashion, I've always had a passion for it, so this collection was an added bonus. 

It also helped me formulate an idea for my Bursary proposal and I'm delighted to say that my application was successful. I will be spending some time with Claire Barber and Steve Swindells during their Mining Couture Residency, will have access (within reason) to artefacts in the collections and a chance to explore my idea further. This will be research rather than making, but who knows where it might lead me!

Return to Silver Clay

There is something about Norfolk that is totally magical, some people love hills and dramatic landscapes, I quite like an even landscape, and the sense of having a foot in both camps, close to the sea and nestled within the countryside.

In the brief summer that arrived early during the Easter holidays we were able to get away for a week. I had some time to explore Holkham Hall again, there’s so much to see and the restoration of the Walled Garden is an exciting project

Very relaxed deer

Grapes from the previous summer

In the quiet afternoons I was able to do a bit of doodling

 the walled garden belonging to the cottage we stayed in

From the bedroom window there was a view of a sun-soaked graveyard, 
 
often visited by pheasants and a hooting owl. There were walks through salt marshes and along cliff tops. 
There was space to think about future projects. 

Charlie, my whippet, had a few safe spaces to run in, there’s nothing quite like seeing a long dog at full stretch. I love his capacity for joy and would love his ability to run!

The small green below St Margaret’s Church in Cley in a great running spot for Charlie

Later in the year I decided to use some of these dreamy, doodly thoughts 

to make another set of silver pieces.

They are made from a clay which is transformed through firing
becoming silver which can be hallmarked if so desired

You can see the complete set here

Do allow yourself to be tempted and help me to get back to Norfolk sometime in the future! Use the Discount Code AUTUMNTREAT11 at the checkout for free postage till November.

Life Cycles

In August Mac Canonymous and I spent a lot of time cycling to get ready for the Bike Blenheim Pinkribbonride to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care. I went out on several solo expeditions round Geddington, Tywell and Cranford during the scattering of fine, warm days. It felt wonderful to be out with the birds, wildflowers and gently rolling, golden fields. Mac and I paid another visit, on two wheels, to Stanwick Lakes, there are only 7 miles of cycle paths in the country park, but there is a lovely visitor centre on the edge of the lake and the park itself is steeped in history. We started from Kettering, cycled to Stanwick Lakes, stopped for a picnic under this bridge near Higham Ferres then came back via Irthlingborough.

We also made another trip out and cycled along the towpath from Market Harborough to Foxton Locks, a mainly smooth ride, however most of the route is edged with trees and bushes, especially, hawthorne and bramble. Whilst pulling in to let another couple pass, my rear tyre made contact with several large thorns, so I was very glad to find that the Slime inner tubes Mac had recommended, really came into their own.

During the summer there was a festival of cycling at Wicksteed Park, some friends of mine used to come to the velodrome there in the 60's – I think the park is reopening it this year, but we couldn't find it.

Although we arrived after most of the activity had happened but there were still a few sights to be seen!

The Bike Blenheim event was a fabulous experience, very well organised and friendly. We arrived the day before and spent the hours before dusk following (and losing) the route and I must confess I was feeling pretty nervous. Mac had told me that the route wasn’t particularly hilly – hummm – it looked,to me, as though there were some pretty significant hills all the way round the circuit! Our hotel was reasonably priced but the room was deeply disappointing, hot noisy and cramped but the breakfast was good, setting us up for the rest of the day. There was a slight drizzle to greet us, the morning stayed overcast and cool, by the time we reached the Start line the butterflies had truly kicked in; I hadn’t done enough practise, I had put loads of weight back on (how did that happen with all this exercise), I was wearing pink, I hated hills…….then the horn sounded and we were off!

I found some parts hard, but I wasn’t last, I came in somewhere in the middle. Towards the end of the ride Mac was behind me shouting encouragement – I felt a bit guilty as he could have got round much faster without me. I didn’t do too badly on the hills, but I lack physical confidence so I tend to pedal like mad up hills (to get it over with as soon as possible) and coast down on the brakes as I hate feeling out of control, perhaps, with practise, I’ll improve! The countryside was amazing, as were the really, really fit, fast cyclists doing the Sportif. We both thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and raised just over £500, it doesn’t seem enough, especially as 1 in 8 women are affected every year.

I’ve also been lucky enough to spend some time looking through the Birgit Skiold Archive. There is something very intimate about looking through prints without frames or mounts and it was also wonderful to see the artist's progression through form and content.

Some images conjure up a particular time and place, mood or thought, others are so subtle you almost miss their quiet power. Birgit Skiold died from cancer , found during a hip operation, she was only 59 but had a huge impact on print makers though out the world. You can find out more about her life and work here

In between the cycling I spent studio time with Jo Dacombe working on our Miles & Dacombe projects,

Wellbeing Walk maps

and tickets,

postcards and bags for our Ticket exchange day at Whatstandwell You can read more about the day on our Undiscovered Networks Blog.

I had a a brief browse through the delights of Cromford and Cromford Mill before we made our way home.

Mac Canonymous came with us and has been busy putting together a film which will conjure up the spirit of the day. All the people we met were absolutely lovely, very willing to engage with us and share their travelling tales. I have fallen in love with Derbyshire and can't wait to explore it further!

Sweet Treats

There has been lots of activity and public engagement in and around the Cube in Corby just recently. On the 24th of July I was one of a host of volunteers handing out postcards, badges and jelly beans in exchange for memories or stories connected with the town. The postcards were images taken from the Our Corby photographic archive and are part of a larger Our Corby project and Corby's Cultural Olympiad. We were out in glorious sunshine and people seemed more than happy to share their stories, they also didn't seem to mind being approached by a strangely dishevelled woman wearing a a bright yellow T shirt with the Our Corby logo as a skirt.

The space outside the Cube is rather lovely, although one gentleman recalled that the land had originally belonged to a farmer who was bemused by the plans to build the first new town centre on the land as it was the windiest spot in Corby! That afternoon the breeze was welcome, but it's tendency to blow our postcards out of our hands wasn't! There was a real air of celebration plus a brass band, drama in the form of a specially commissioned play Heritage, poetry from Writer in Residence Joel Stickley and Kevin Fegan and the second screening of the film 24 Hour Corby

This week there is a rather gorgeous vintage Airstream caravan parked outside the Cube, which has been converted into The Knowledge Emporium where sweets are traded for knowledge recorded in the Big Book of Everything We Know. As I was working in my studio today I couldn't resist taking a peep inside this beautiful machine, it's well worth a visit. On Saturday there will be readings from the book.

The interior has a magical quality, there's a circular table with curved seating and brightly coloured cushions at the rear of the van and from there you can see a tantalising array of classic penny sweets.

Once seated you are invited to write in the Big Book of Everything We Know, have a chat with the lovely hosts and then you can choose your bag of goodies.

As schools are closed for the summer and the Cube is so close to the swimming pool, the canny children are making the van a regular stopping point, but this isn't just for children, adults will be warmly welcomed too.