Dear Cleo

Just wanted to say a big thank you for your support at the Holbourne Museum in helping making possible the Travelling Museum of Possibilities.  It was huge fun.  All ages got involved in making story trays and loads and loads of folk had huge fun in dressing up and becoming a character in a possible fairytale as yet to be....

Thanks for all your advice, the project continued to unfold in all sorts of unexpectedness, including not getting insurance on the promised camper van.  The night before it all began, a local company loaned me instead a vintage VW called Beryl, she was a star.  The art/works festival and the residency was rewarding. It was a total privilege to meet folk along the way and be taken to meet a lovely lady of 102 years and her sixty dolls, which perhaps represented the 56 children she helped deliver into the world.  I never did get to find the special dress with moons, stars and glitter, but was given a rather fabulous set of outfits and wore silver shoes and fur to show off and share my curious ever changing set of collections.  If you would like to find out more do visit my website & blog.

Kind regards


Dear Jill,
 
 how absolutely great – well done!  It’s such a different deal when you are the
One on whom it all depends and its sounds (and looks!) as if it was lovely and
Contributed greatly to the jollity of the world and Radstock in particular.  So pleased
It was helpful, really enjoyed our meeting. And I loved the blog….just been to a meeting about
Peter Blake exhibition next year which reopens the museum – A Museum for Myself is the
Title! You must come…
 
Best
 
Cleo
 
Cleo Witt,    
Head of Education 

Dear Jill,
Thank you so much for the quantity and quality of your work as artist in residence at art|works.  The community seemed to be really ready to engage with your offerings and your ideas, and the photographs that you showed us on Monday evening were very strong and thoroughly enchanting.  I hope that you now have time to reflect on, collate and transform all the material that you have collected, collections, visual, oral and written material [and whatever else] and I look forward to experiencing this stage of the process as and when you are able to produce it.  I hope also that you have opportunity to reflect on the engagement process and its meaning and impact for you as an artist.  I also would be most interested in your ideas about where it might go next.  
Thank you again.
Best wishes
Lesley
 
Lesley Featherstone
Director
Tel: 01761 438 852
Creativity Works, Leigh House, 1 Wells Road, Radstock.  BA3 3RN
www.nesacreativechange.org.uk

Supported by Bath & North East Somerset Council and Arts Council England
Registered Charity No. 1075812 Company No. 3768255 nesa is a company limited by guarantee registered in England

Dear Lesley

Thank you for the opportunity to be artist in residence and to trust me with what started as an open brief.  The overall feeling I have from the residency was one of privilege, a process that allowed for experimentation and artistic development.  It was wonderful meeting people along the way, that some of the Radstock community opened their minds, hearts and homes to me.  As you say, it would not have been possible to work in the way I did, without a huge amount of support from Julie - who is an absolute star, from my friends and family, and the support too of other individuals and agencies, including Creativity Works team, in particular Mags, & Mobile Media, Swindon.  This sort of process is truly collaborative.

I keep thinking of the stories and the images that were unearthed.  I think I will create a retrospective journal as a way of gathering my thoughts, ideas, outcomes and visions.  The photographic works fit in with the genre of Julia Margaret Cameron - do you know her work? I went to her home and now museum on the Isle of Wight.  She loved getting friends and working folk to dress up in imaginary characters.  Only this morning I thought of her as  reference.  I would benefit from some time to reflect, to get someone to look over the imagery/work with a curatorial eye.  Shall we meet at some point for a review of the residency itself and discuss ways forward?

Meanwhile, hope Creativity Works goes from strength to strength from your new base.

Kind regards
Jill

p.s. I have just bought Julie a pink plastic flamingo which I know she had her heart set on everytime we whizzed through Devizes on the way to Radstock it was in a pet shop window and now it is to be wrapped up with a big bow!

The theme of gifting has carried on through the residency of this ten day project. Mobile Media/Create Studios, Swindon, were hugely generous and trusting, loaning me their digital arts bus for the family fun day. At the end of what was for us a really busy day, a fit looking chap stood at the steps of the RV looking up at an exhausted artist.... "Are you Jill, the one who never came on that bicycle ride with me?” Gulp, I thought, it’s Eugene, the cycling co-ordinator from the local sports and active leisure team. “Yes” I said.  "Would I have been healthier going out on that tandem trail with you, rather than dashing round Radstock meeting interesting characters, do you think?"  He talked of how to encourage folk to join their cycle rides as part of the festival.  I moved the conversation swiftly on.... "Do you fancy dressing up?" and suddenly he shared the notion that he possibly had an interest in the culture of cross dressing.  In a flash, Tina's rather gorgeous kimono (which had lived on the back of her door for years) was donned, together with a bamboo chinese hat, Karen’s lovely champagne whicker carrier and an armful of Jan's garden.  The madly creative day was made possible by a team of myself, Julie, Gray (and van) and son Toby who brought Tony, Monica and Jan alias Win, plus food and drink passed to us at critical times by Lesley and Mags. There was the drop in and dress up tent (a gazebo with pretend window loaned by Tony), whilst inside the huge Winabago 37’ Mobile Media van there was rocker sound engineer Barry wearing the white fluffy ‘interview jacket’ knitted by Mon with lots of glitter, watched over by Liz who got rather attached to our Mysterious Woman cloak. The bus was bursting with potential, laptops showing photo happenings from the day/week, story collections exhibited, with space to make - children enjoyed making story boxes from my collections, parents reading nursery ryhthme books, drawings being made and maps, memory stories, songs, poetry and singing being recorded. There was the gentleman who dropped in and admired my collections in an old suitcase. “Do, you know who she is” he asked “A Betterware Brush Lady” and I whooshed him into Barry’s studio to record memories collected from doorsteps.

Our tables outside the van also had all sorts of items “It’s all about communication” said a teacher/mum, as she spent considerable time and focus questioning me about my aims and objectives and whether at any point did I have a plan. “It’s interesting, but could be a bit off-putting do you think?” she said as she fingered some pale hairless biscuit dolls in an old lunchbox, whilst eyeing up my retro household items and memorabolia, including the beautiful gold edged bone bird coffee set. We talked fairytale and myth, its light and dark menacing aspects. “It’s all about play, isn’t it...” she said. Later, I found her happily gazing into her changed reflection in the oval mirror, after spending considerable time negotiating with her son that if she wore a helmet would he wear a brown curly wig and boggle eyed glasses. Meanwhile, I was balancing my wig and endless hats, dashing back and forth to photo document from van to tent, and suddenly everyone was co-creating and celebrating their dramatic skills. “This is such fun” said an entire family “I wish we had this at home”, as the dad donned a pink sari and all became rather regal in front of the landscape. There was, of course, Naeve, a small girl who must have changed outfits at least two dozen times, each time coming to find me to take her photograph. Another tiari, veil and wig wearing father said “Do take a photo with my face included, as I can’t remember the last time I had so much hair”... All the helpers pitched in, and as I dashed back to the bus I remembered Barry’s comment that it had never looked like this before, and gasped when I realised some kid managed to leave his mark on the vintage U S of A vehicle with bluey ink all down the doorway. The mum was cross and the kid subdued, but it was me forgetting I had left my blue ink pad in my art box and he had decided to do a set of fingerprints on a card and then exited leaving a trail.   As we were drawing tiredly but happily to a close, a little creative genius of a girl called Mocca was found in the dressing up gazebo, which nearly fell to the ground at one point so many people had arms and legs folding in and out of clothing. Seemingly alone with all the masks, loaned clothes and fabulous wigs and jewels, her sweet voice could be heard singing "Castle in a Cloud" whilst two small knights looked on rather disparagingly. As we started to pack up, a gang of teenagers I had photographed earlier in the week in the streets donning a Star Wars head and multiple glasses arrived. After great discussion and laughter they took on new characters, realising the once-upon-a-time local Rev Skinner’s dream that Radstock was the home of Camelot, and, as the sun went down, they chased each other round the field wearing cloak and wings.

The whole ten days has been about laughter, being playful, finding out what is possible, inspiring, gathering and developing story. There were so many small and beautiful contributions included in the ever changing collections which provoked people's stories of home and away.  Mary made glass wings for a tea drinking couple, brought a cheery looking foreign lady and Araldite glue, and together with her blue candlewick dressing gown was up for joining in with a local group of residents, and later running madly round an empty field with a feather duster.  Mags, gave yellow cups and saucers and endless encouragement, Radstock residents contributed their get up and go, stories, ideas, and temporarily donated their personal items and, of course, there was the herb pillow. Philippa gave words of encouragement and wore my purple wellies; and a suitcase was loaned. Sophie had a clear out and gave the museum a small box of stones and icons and there was Shan's mother's vase & a bunch of stocks, Wend's biscuits, swiss rolls, a calendar and candles, a tiny jewelled ring mirror and pen.  There were Jan’s hats & Karen & John’s 1950’s memorabolia of Coronation cut-outs, a tin of dominoes and a book of the worlds marvels. Hild's poetry, play, and performative introduction of pac-a-mac wearing Mrs Watson; including her story bag - which had inside many small items, including a ship in a bottle and a film clapper board. Jayne's tray and fox mother-in-law's stole, Julie's sister's whimsies and a blue table that never made it out. Included in the inventory must be, of course,Tony's support, words and advice together with his red camper that wasn't allowed out to play, a 1950's picnic set and huge sacks of hats. Gill’s gnome and mum’s kilt with enamel jug and bowl, Mieke’s wicker hampers & friend Sue’s curtain fabrics. My window cleaner Lennie's painting of a set of blokes he recommended I would never want to meet, which when exhibited on the media bus gathered very positive comments.  Monica's sit-in outside of small knitted houses and vehicles, including knittings of outfits, scarves and hopes for the future.  Sue's amazing artwork which made the logo for the badges and stickers that on the last day I never got to dab onto anyone it was sooooo busy and I forgot! There was of course Jennifer and her journey, and the invitation by Allayne, Andrew and others to visit folk along the way. A huge thank you to Somer Valley FM for the loan of a recording kit, Classic Rent a Bug, Radstock, for their VW Beryl, together with Marilyn & Shahina letting me have the Mobile Media bus to play with - I felt like I had gone to heaven...

It has been about discovering the many layers of community, and celebrating friendship. So, a big thank you all who contributed with giftings, time, enthusiasm and skills, co-creating and making possible the Travelling Museum of Possibilities!

Julie

OMG I can hardly walk this morning - what about you?

I just wanted to say a million trillion thank you's. You made the journey possible.

I wish we had got someone to take a pic of us together, lets do that tomorrow. 

Wrapped in happiness, fatigue and many blankets today.  I couldn't face rushing off in the car for a day with the girls.  And, the thought of opening the back of that van with all the gear inside is giving me nightmares. I dreamt last night of my india journal was empty inside. 

You are a brilliant friend and superb team mate and member of the MOP.

jx

Too tired to write. tbc

Our morning at the Methodist Church coffee morning was really interesting. As we carried the huge laundry basket loaned from Mieke towards the church building, we couldn’t find a way in, we kept circumnavigating the building. A passerby shouted, “what have you got in that basket, a giant cat?”. We finally found a hidden door which a kind gentleman unlocked and let us in. Our entrance into the cafe was interesting too, as people looked up from stirring their tea and saw us plonk our basket full of faces, hats, glasses, a pirates bandana, a sombrero and Sue’s left over curtains for potential cape material. Vince was anxiously waiting with his precious collection of minature books that we had agreed he would bring to show - Pilgrim’s Progress. We set them out on a tray covered in flowers that Allayne offered from behind the counter and a photograph was taken. “Fancy dressing up?” I enquired, as people sat around chatting, trying to ignore the fact that we looked suspicious. “Nooooooo”, they all said, one by one. Ten minutes later, there was Peter reclining against a wall under the clock, wearing Sombrero and curtain blowing me a kiss. Nearby a little chap was smiling, waiting endlessly for a bus, “He could be Winston Churchill?” said a voice. Another lady offered up her son. “What about being a pirate?”, he looked uncertain, but minutes later he was ‘Ooooing and aaaarghing’ and wielding a knife directed by his mother. “How about the pig’s mask and a bride’s veil for you?” I enquired and she flung herself whole heartedly into the correct donning of wig, and mask and netting. I love this, she said, its fun, do you know I once went to an Ugly Bug ball? Suddnely folk on the next door table sprang to life inspired by a chap with a cardie wearing the Dame Edna Everidge glasses “You look like a Cling-on” said one lady, whilst the wife of the said gentlemen agreed to take part and looked rather grand. Finally another chap decided to don a gnome hat, “give him some green hair” was the cry, and so I did. Then they went on to look at the black and white photos on my camera. Ohhhh, they are great. How about making them into a book, with a competition that folk could vote on, the best picture, the funniest, strangest, creepiest. The book could be in the library, we could donate money and buy a copy. Perhaps the money could go to a good cause. “yes, I said” how about the artist’s rest fund?”.