Groundwork Buisness Planning Day

22/11/07

Up before the sun to catch an early train down to Plymouth.
Not long underway and the sun rose over the frozen fields and burnt away the final whisps of mist...it was really stunning. This transition always holds a kind of magic.

But hold your horses, before i get too lost in the poetics of the everyday the purpose of today's trip was to participate in Groundworks Business Planning Day. In the morning I would join Alex, Anne, Colin, Ed, Karin, Polly & Ray on the Art workshop. The afternoon session called 'Land', which I was excited about as it would be more unfamiliar territory for me, would be led by Bruce and the group comprised: Alex, David, Ed, James, Jo, Mike, Nicola and Wayne.
(check the photos)

The morning session was a really useful starting point for me. I was happy and curious to meet the staff who had signed up for this art focused planning session. We discussed how art might fit into the 3 year business plan for Groundwork - how art might be used to support existing project work, raise the profile of the organisation, be a useful tool to engage people, maintain working relationships and creatively explore local concerns.

Something that Ray and I have oft discussed is the need to challenge traditional notions of art in the public realm/public art. To update notions of intervention in public space. Of course, public art need not be a permanent figurative statue or sculpture on a street or square. Art in public spaces need not be object focused but might instead, as the group discussed, be creative interventions that have impact, local significance yet are temporary (although the memories that such an intervention inspires might be long lived). The group discussed the role of performance/live action in public art/education contexts. There are numerous great examples of socially engaged art projects out there and we shared a few. E.g. The Complaints Choir in Birmingham devised by Finnish artists Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen in collaboration with the Springhill Institute - where local complainees turned their own complaints into a song for public performance with the help of a composer Mike Hurley*.
We discussed building/sustaining audience relationships by taking a holistic, interdisciplinary approach for example taking a sci-art direction (art - health & wellbeing).
Another point that grabbed my attention was the art activism/stunt ideas to raise awareness of issues such as dumping/pollution etc. - Totally gets my vote count me in!

* check out the publication 'Springhill Institute Report on Activities' ISBN: 0-9556107-0-7

Crikey! So lots of ground covered, lunch and coffee required to get energy injection for the afternoon's session. During lunch Ray, Ed and I booked in a day trip for the 10th Dec with the Cornwall team (Bruce, Polly, Tony, Ed). Sadly my tummy bug was later to skupper that beautiful plan.

The 'Land' session provided me with lots of information on the kind of build/landscape projects Groundwork are currently involved in (and it is really broad) - ranging from maintaining nature and park areas to project managing &/or designing playground spaces, sports fields, skate parks and activating these spaces with a range of activities and training opps etc. with a signifcant focus towards youth work. Led by Bruce the group listed their fields of work, graded themselves on strengths/weaknesses and discussed which areas they'd wish to actively push/develop and those that they'd take a more responsive rather than pro-active position on. It was a useful session for me to sit in and observe on.

That day I also got to briefly meet Jackie Francis (who works for Groundwork in Torbay). She is developing a really interesting soap making enterprise with a womens group. I'd like to visit her and meet this group if poss.

Sadly I missed the Community Development & Social Enterprise session that Jocella led. I heard afterwards that everyone had to choose from a selection of miniature toys/figures to help describe how they felt about the organisation and their role in it (I think I've got that right). I use objects (sometimes everday found objects) in my own art work. So I was intrigued by this creative workshop technique.

By way of another related digresssion - I'm currently working with artist and performance maker Tom Marshman on a project called 'The Invitation'. Following each performance from Tom's trilogy 'Everyone's Companion to Life & Love', which he is presenting to groups of older people in Exeter, Bristol, Colchester & London, we are workshopping with the groups about the everyday props and objects Tom uses in his shows. We invite the participants to bring and tell us about their own keepsakes and the memories they provoke. Everybody has a story to share and objects can sometimes unlock such powerful ideas and associations.

Anyway after the Buisness Planning Day, and meeting so many new folk, my head was fit to explode off my shoulders scannners style. As it is now re-capping on the days proceedings. So that's me for now.

Artist in Residence - Groundwork (The early days)

I officially started as Groundwork South West's first Artist in Residence on 14th November 2007.
I've created this blog as a way of sharing some of my ideas and activities surrounding this project as it unfolds.

Who are Groundwork? I'd describe them as a trust engaged in environmental and community activism - working with groups and agencies to improve their local environment and public spaces and responding to site specific concerns and issues. To find out more about Groundwork visit: http://www.groundwork-sw.org.uk

Who am I? That's a work-in-progress! But if you'd like to see what i've been upto creatively of late check out my profile on the New Work Network site: http://www.newworknetwork.org.uk

OK, So I'll begin near to the beginning! That's a good place to start i'm told...

13/11/07
Arrived in Plymouth by train and spent several hours walking around the city to get a feel for the place and let initial impressions wash over me...I headed towards the water, as I always do when I arrive in a new town. Whether that's canal, river, sea, park pond or public swimming baths I have to get to water so I can 'land' in a place!

Related digression (they'll be a few of these!) - I'd like to mention a book for those of you that also have a passion for walking and swimming 'Waterlog - A swimmer's journey through britain' by Roger Deakin. Its well worth a look.

The Lido, which was shut up for the winter, looked amazing - definately something to come back and check out in the summer!
I'm a sucker for a good Lido (that 30's style architecture gets me every time).
Initial thoughts on this grey blustery day overlooking the choppy sea and fenced-off diving boards "you are so doing this residency at the wrong time of year!"
But I've learned already of a local Plymouth group that take a sea dip everyday of the year so perhaps i'll brave it before the residency is out! (watch this space)

I also walked down through the Barbican area, which I'd visited once before when Duncan, Alex and myself had come down for the opening of the Ultra-red exhibition at Plymouth Arts Centre (part of the 'I say culture, you say...! programme).

14/11/07
After an fairly un-eventful night at the Travelodge (apart from some guy running down the corridor banging on doors shouting 'knob-head!' - charming!), I headed out to Totnes to have my first meeting with Ray White, Strategic Arts Co-ordinator for Groundwork, South West.
We talked about Berlin (Ray was just back from a trip there and its without doubt my favourite European city) and discussed projects we'd produced in recent years and jammed about the presentation we were going to make at the University of Plymouth the next morning. Ray and I had chatted over the phone and exchanged a few emails following my appointment in August so it was good to finally meet and talk F2F about how this residency might develop. The brief for the residency is very open, which was/is liberating and daunting in equal measure.

That evening back in Plymouth I met Hannah Jones and Rachel Dobbs (Low-Profile) for a pint. It was nice to see some familiar faces and they made me feel most welcome. I'd initially met H&R during the 'I'm your worst nightmare' performance platform at Arnolfini, Bristol back in April 07. They'd both taken part in my 'Girl Racer III' sewing machine contest and were 'great sports'. Our paths had crossed since at The Exchange, Penzance and Exeter Pheonix and it was so nice to catch up again. They updated me on their exhibition programme at the PCAD Gallery (more on that later!)

15/11/07
Ray and I arrived at the University's Main Hall to make a presentation to 3rd year media and sound students on the 'Collaborative & Contextual Practice' course. Following the obligatory technical problems (yeah yeah yawn!) we shared documentation from a selection of our own project work (undertaken in galleries/art centres, sited in public space, examples of collaborative/participatory interventions..) and Ray introduced the student mentoring opportunity that Groundwork had agreed with the University. A couple of students have since contacted us about this and Ray and I shall meet up with them in the new year (so more on that later too!) Before we left campus we took a peak at the new art school building - looked good and was a darn site warmer than the hall we'd just been freezing our buns in!

After lunch Ray and I headed back to the Groundwork offices at The Millfields (site of the former Royal Naval Hospital) and continued to talk about the organisation, the residency and how my role might begin to play out. Standing in the kitchen next to the hot water urn (I wanna say tea urn - Morecombe and Wise stylee!) I met and chatted to a few of the G-Work crew. Tea and chat, always a good way to start.

Back to Bristol that evening. Mobile phone connection really patchy on this train journey. Sit back enjoy the trip and pick up the current read: 'One Place After Another: Site Specific Art & Locational Identity' by Miwon Kwon (a critical history of site specific/public art since the late 1960's - its written really nicely and i've found it very useful.)