Barry

Ab fab that you are up for it!   I can't believe it is possible to merge my worlds. Mobile Media, Swindon / meets Creativity Works, Radstock.  The festival organisers are thrilled this is going to happen and I think it will be a first for the community.  During the Artworks festival there is lots of different workshops, including some animation, so it would be great to join up the dots in some way.  At the moment, my brain has gone on melt down and I can hardly walk, type or speak from trying to make things happen.  It is always at this point that I try and remember what my proposal consisted of....  And, now my car is packed to the gunnels, I look like hell, and I have no idea what to wear out of my retro wardrobe and I realise I haven't any flipping signage because it was all designed for a tiny Susuki camper van, that I couldnt get flipping insurance on, despite a friend with only one kidney loaning it to me. I am threatening the whole lot going pair shaped if I don't find some energy from somewhere.  Still, I will get back to you next week with practical stuff, like measurements of the tiny gap at the side of the Church Tea Rooms, which is the main entrance to the Green Field site, and whether your golden lobsters are up for a journey to make that van interior a bit more shi-shy.  If all else fails re acces,  we shall have to park up the local slag heap, which I always wanted to do anyway.

So, I will get cracking tomorrow, see what happens. But really I think I need to climb inside the tiny bed of the donated VW camper van that I have managed to pull out of the bag at the last minute and read books with my friends.  Over the next week, something really really serious high end quality art might happen.  If not, some fun needs to be had!

 I was looking up the Singing Detective today, do you remember that series...I loved it. Surreal.  Cheers!  Look forward to working again together. 

Will be in touch. Just nobody mention risk assessments to me for another 48 hours at least.

Allayne

Oh my goodness, at the eleventh hour, a VW camper van has been pulled out of the bag! The Classic Rent a Bug comapny, amazingly from Radstock, have kindly gifted me with the use of a classic VW. Googling, phoning, beggings, searching, asking and praying has paid off.  Dave the owner has been hugely generous and agreed to provide me with a van, and talking with his daughter Rachel, "make it my home".  What a kind family, this is what community is all about - they are supporting the festival and the creative project with a beautiful 1974 split window VW which is a gorgeous green and white (phew will go with our outfits)!  It has been converted to take people to weddings.  What fun. Maybe there is time to find an old wedding dress?

So, at the time of writing, I won't be residing in Radstock, but who knows, something else might come out of the bag.  But I will be arriving to meet Sam the driver at 9.00 am tomorrow. The van has a converted interior so it has no kitchen, but there is a fold down bed which I aim to install Hilda as she is still poorly, so I may be calling on you for jugs of hot water to fill our flasks to keep the spirits up if that is ok?

Must dash, got a risk assessment form to fill in, now I know what I am doing.

PS Mags, said the knitted house looks amazing.

PPS If you want to preview look inside, do visit. I shall be parked outside St Nicholas’ Church, Radstock mid-day onwards. I hope someone brings cakes and sandwiches.

http://classicrentabug.com

Hi Hilds

Just to give a quick update.  Apparently it is not possible to be insured to use the little red Suzuki camper van, unless for domestic, social and pleasure.  I thought the aim of the project was all of that...  Tony originally thought if push came to shove he could drive the van down with Gray, but I have absolutely insisted he is not well enough and needs to recuperate.  It is such a shame that Rev Sue, at Radstock , VW camper van doesnt have an MOT on it, otherwise it would have made the most sense, to park that up in a field of vintage beauties and to sit their and sip from our flasks and read poetry aloud.  So, to summarise, I have signage ready to collect this morning and no vehicle on which to apply it...I rang M4 Vans late last night in Swindon and spoke to a really nice man called Lee who said it all sounded intriguing and totally unique, when I asked if they could donate me a van (they have a rather cute one sticking out the roof of their building).  He said he would ask the boss about the possible loan of a 1983 camper (I have a feeling mustardy yellow).  I spent the rest of the evening re-packing the collections trying to pare it down (...that old thought about if your house was to catch fire what would you take out first) and worrying could I reverse a 1983 camper van in a tight corner.  I had to re-do postcards with Moo as they merged two files on line, but a lovely lady said she would sort that for next week some time.  As for today 24 hour count down, I am having to wait in for delivery of a camera (as last one that I used in Radstock the kids managed to dent in a lost garden), hoping too that a set of vintage nest suitcases and a pair of jeans that I may be able to fit myself and gear into arrives.  All I can think is that when late in life studying fine art, my brilliant tutor said it was not about making pictures, more about problem solving, which is interesting, perhaps we could make a book between us on life's puzzles generated in participatory art schemes. Mags wrote saying THINK LATERALLY.  It is not about the space it is about you. She also said she had persuaded Somer Valley FM to loan a tape recorder gismo to capture story, but because of this apparently I had to be particularly nice to Rupert. I shall need to go re-check my contract.  Oh dear, I so wanted us to have a space to hang out in, to generate stories, documents objects, make little diaromas. Yesterday I went to say goodbye to a brilliant assistant photographer called Madeleine at the Mobile Media team, she is going off on her travels.  When everyone was chatting they talked about journeys and being able to be someone completely different, one's alter ego, when abroad.  What if you are multi-personality? I thought.  Discussions turned to outward bound courses for team building/survival - they all said who would be good at that..."Jill they all replied in unison".  Gasp, I thought, but they all reckoned I could make anything out of anything.  I was telling them about the loan of the camper van, the Museum of Possibilities and I used the word 'graunch' which no-one had heard of, I am sure it is a builder's term for prizing something out of a situation. Then Marilyn said "What about the Mobile Media Bus and I wonder if Barry would be available to drive it - suddenly I can hear the music from the Singing Detective"?  Well, it is that huge retro U S of A beastie fitted out with all mod techno, which does need a bit of a makeover and va va voom inside, as we talked about previously. MMMmm.  But it would be amazing if it could be there on the 25th for all the young and old to have a go at bringing stories alive. So, what do you think matey.  At the moment, Tony has a lent me a navy blue pop up gazebo with sides and a floor. He also, I remembered in the dead of night, has a toilet tent, I wonder what colour that is... Now, surely, no one could possibly refuse insurance on any of that lot!  Meanwhile, on the pyjama clad dawn raid of google I discovered a company in Radstock that hires VW Camper vans for weddings.  Could we get away with that do you think, but the only thing that isn' t in my dressing basket is a flipping wedding dress.  Meanwhile, I would complete the risk assessment if I knew what flipping risk anyone was going to be faced with, apart from at this stage, me leaving the house.   But I am still thinking if you have an artist in residence where is she going to park up with her lovely creative friends, collections and ideas?  The man at the Van garage asked if I was going in convey.  Double gulp.   Fingers crossed, let's see what the day holds, and I have to remind myself that I had intended a couple of things at the start of this project, to consider my work a holiday, to find out how we could develop this as an idea to work in the community nearer to home and maybe far away, and work in miniature.  Maybe it is, as Mary wrote last night, as the Buddha said - 'it is as it is'.

Shall we speak on the phone?

Dear Ton

How have you been today?  Thanks for your words. Hope you haven't been doing wheelies in your head worrying about the little ole MOP project. I really really appreciate all your sterling support. You must have been a flipping gherka in another life.  I have been all day on the flipping case, with Julie calling in at 11.30 and finally we packed it all in at 6.00 pm. However, one or two sets of china washed, a small bird tray received, with a tiny china family, basket and fur. Later in the day the findings of wigs and a beautifully illustrated Wizard of Oz book, the hunt for a retro camera and thoughts of Martin Parr; the acquisition of a rather spotty blouse and strange jacket - and bob's your uncle, or nearly.   Have been endlessly on the hunt for interesting gear for the dressing up session, and I had to stop Julie with an urge to get a donkey mask. In the fancy dress place, in the midst of trying on ‘The Mysterious Woman’s Cape’ with a rather dishelleved Japanese lady’s wig on - I got a phone call - an invite from Mary to go to meet the ladies at St Hughes elders lunch club, so now I will be fed on Monday lunchtime. We shall shepherd’s pie and cheesecake apparently and I shall take my trolley. I am exhausted, shall need to come to Radstock for a holiday!


this new dawn


as Radstock folk sleep
in distant broad Hinton
an artist's mind moves
moves towards them

spirits and minds 
will meet later today
people will become 
engaged
enthralled
excited

because an artist's mind
has moved towards them