As I began sweeping up, I saw another way of working: aided by my broom, Pareidolia, the spirit of Guiseppe Archimboldo and the serendipity of a windless, sunny day …
A way to loosen up, experiment with texture, explore gestural mark making and trial the possibilities of new paint or drawing techniques…
See more about this and other projects at AA2A here
In this series of practical trials, I’ve been responding to the emotional affect of isolation and the shock of changes to normality caused by the impact of Covid 19.
‘Corona, covid, contagion…’
‘Normal’
I limited myself to a lockdown discipline of using found materials that came readily to hand, and to referencing words or text that became intensely familiar, imprinted on my mind by the news media. This was in part a personal challenge to try out new methods, and by interpreting meaning, metaphor and feelings via the material qualities of random finds, I aimed to process shock, loss and sadness and to try to make some sense out of crisis.
‘R naught’
‘Graph’
I have found this craft based method mindful and soothing and it has helped isolation feel almost purposeful: a creative practice in its own right. Outcomes are also taking the form of more abstract, symbolic representations of contagion, vulnerability, frailty and the social impact of health and illness.
Working outdoors brought opportunities to observe and integrate evidence of time passing and to record the earthly ephemerality of weather, light and shadow in the photographs.
‘Co(i)mmunity’
A reminder to stay present and in the moment…
One of Outdoor Art School’s activities that got away! Cancelled due to the lockdown.
A temporary land art project, timed to celebrate the energy of spring in April 2020, in Winckley Square Gardens, Preston. UK
Our plan was to create a large scale ‘cut grass’ drawing in the central area of Winckley Square. Two visuals from the project’s initial proposal, shown here. The overhead view, gives an impression of the intended scale of the ‘drawing’.
Many thanks to Tony Lewis, Park Warden, for his input and encouragement.
Background:
Throughout the arts of the world, this animal’s spirit has been widely interpreted to symbolise resurrection, rebirth, creativity, hope, good luck, nature’s abundance, fertility, motion, optimism and imagination. This includes the ‘Easter Bunny’, a familiar folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, who brings gifts of multi-coloured Easter eggs to children. As a spatial artwork in the outdoors, the leaping rabbit will be visible from many angles, heights and locations in and around the Square, at different times of the day, in sunlight and in shadow, as though ‘alive’ and moving across the undulating ground.
We wanted it to act as a playful yet thought provoking reminder of seasonal sentiments, and also that humans share the earth with many other creatures and forms of life. The silhouette would gradually disappear as the grass regrows and re-greens, just as the earth’s seasons change imperceptibly over time.
The project’s title is a reference to a lyrical description celebrating life, written by the innovative poet, painter and playwright, E. E. Cummings, (1894 – 1962).
We will develop another, even better idea for next Easter!