Artist's Exchange, Italy

Christina writes from Italy, to share news of herself and family. She talks of an adventure yet to be shared. She has installed the collection of small curiosities I sent, in return for her generosity of making the storytelling shoes.  There are photographs of interior home and workshop space, which she has documented with the tiny gifted camera.  It is a delight to see my work installed in a remote rural location.  Like having a tiny exhibition for one family.  I write back saying her shoes will next be shared with Malmesbury Embroidery Guild, who have invited me to bring Curious Narratives to their June meeting.

Storytelling doll & Curious Narratives poster

Cristina's journal, drawings of the storytelling shoes

Work studio, with gift cards on shelf above

SWINDON CENTRAL LIBRARY

The Time is Upon Us, wrote Sara of Swindon Central Library, who had previously helped me pin down some research into the Sibyls and obtained ancient books from the British Library, a process which inspired a creative exchange towards my planned artist residency, time to enjoy being amongst a world of books. 

An early morning dash and suddenly appears a pop-up installation balanced between travel and large print books.  Exhibition panels were arranged with a small selection of Curious Narratives media, photographs, drawings, treasure box and textile books, dolls and scrolls. Plus too, the purpose made 3-d diorama with collection of small curiosities and Italy soundscape installed.  Arranged two tables for working in situ, together with a shelf to install transformed books and pages.  There was a collection of art materials, sewing machine and boxes of curious stuff which visitors could ruffle through.  

After the dash of setting up in a public setting, gradually people were drawn to engage in discovering "what exactly is going on?"...In response to shared conversations, altered pages and transformed front covers were created and exhibited.  Gradually, more visitors and staff were inspired to join in too, find a word, sentence or add an observation and reflection.  One young woman stayed three hours and stitched two words Order & Chaos and then sang a beautiful song which I recorded on my phone. Another young guy was a newly trained actor and I invited him to speak his page of chosen words, which he did most eloquently.  Folk from 3 years to 84 years created scenes in the diorama, which proved to be hugely popular, and a series of iPhone 4s photographs documented the individuality of the process. At one point fifteen under 5's with their carers visit, and all chose a selection of objects to tell a collective story.  Julie, who had once again come to my rescue brought with her a unicorn for the diorama which was a huge a hit. Later the title The Return Journey was used in her story scene by Hilda Sheehan, one of the Literary Festival organisers, who started to furiously write about what was going on to add to the festival blog, Ben once upon a time Festival photographer, enjoyed using the title The Lies you Told Me, whereas the small school girl asked if she could write her own title The Enchanted Forest.

Admist all the busy goings on, I had found myself feeling unwell and realised subsequently I had shingles.  Hmm, I thought, if I had a real job I would phone in sick.  Instead, Julie was a huge support, as ever, and although at times I felt like crawling under the table, together we receive a collection of people's stories and feel like we have travelled the world with visitors from all nations, backgrounds and interests. About creative practitioners dropped in, and shared thoughts and practice, and about 120 visitors over the four days, engaged and a percentage directly responded, find a word, making a scene, altering a page, or giving me a conversation which inspired an altered front cover. 

See Swindon Library Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.749272245112299.1073741839.483894454983414&type=1

On the last day, the exhibition material needed to come down, and all the altered books completed, and, with visitors dropping in all the time and returning to say hello, it was a against the clock challenge.  Then suddenly, with the help of a team of friends who had pitched into assist, the newly made 'raw' published books became a shelf display, a pop-up installation, filled with thirty five 'first editions' created by myself in response to the public involvement, and included visitors and staff responses too, which was there for folk to enjoy over the time of the festival.  I subsequently returned to view the books and photo document, a young artist who had participated, making a beautiful sculptural book, said she loved the individual nature of each piece, and how the process had allowed people to respond at different layers of experience.  I think they are great she said, why doesn't the library make them into a permanent installation cabinet in the hallway?

Evaluating the process, there were logistical concerns of organising a residency, which was the first, apparently for Swindon and the first time for me in a library.  Previously my residencies had been located in streets, homes, districts or working towards a large scale project.  Working out space, how to fit in with other goings on, being in a public institution, trying not to be disruptive, yet create curiosity in such a short time was a challenge. I think it was a privilege to meet so many interesting people and I felt it was like a fast track learning about the structure of books, pages, fonts, paper etc.  It was also insightful about how people access and use libraries.  A rough footfall worked out on the back of a book toted up about 

The main thing noted was generally how people were lacking in observation, and yet there was the family that visited again and again over three days, the children noticed everything.  How did you make that puppet, where did you get that ruler, who is that character?  It was great to have a child like view of the world. And fabulous to collect snippets of conversations. The lady who had believed in fairies but the man who later appreciated and said he was into telling stories about nymphs.  Then there was the 83 year old lady who when I asked her what to do with a page yet to be altered featuring a rather orange camel, she cried "Oh, I love camels, I think they are magical".  Apparently she loved their eyelashes and used to jive in platform shoes.  Not now, said the husband, well, if you do, perhaps go and limber up in the garden first. The small child too from Nepal who pretended to take Polaroid pictures of me, as I drew into a story book, polaroids of her imagined princess and mummy princess, her father saying, she has learnt so much english from just being here with you.  There was that hugely long and difficult to spell word that the bloke passing by at 9.30 am mentioned, but I have forgotten what is what, but not what it meant, to be lacking in courage apparently.  Ohh, you're brave, said a visiting elderly lady quite forcefully, who went on to tell Julie a long personal story about unrequited love and world war two.  So, those momentary shadings together with a series of timeless interventions, were a gift, something to treasure.  On reflection I wondered if it would have been better to be a roving artist, just have a bag of materials and sit in the different areas and create, and developing a collective story series - portraits of people of swindon.