Wow! So I am finally here, at the beginning of this part of my journey.
Thank you world!
After so many months of planning, dreaming, working, studying, thinking it feels like over the last few months, and particularly in the last week before leaving the UK, that everything is coming together. After an interesting chat with Lee at Heathrow I began this image on the plane as we approached our landing in Santiago, and finished it off in the sunshine of the beautiful Chilean summer sunshine. It seems to express some of this feeling of the different strands of my practice coming together in this project-hopping journey that I am embarking on here in South America.
The graphite lines speaks of the linear and logical, so in terms of my work perhaps represents animation. The blue is fluidity and spirituality, so work wise perhaps personal artwork. Then the coloured patterned strand is the playful and experimental, so in terms of work the art workshops I run with children and adults. I like the symbol of a plait because as with a plait of hair, each of the three larger strands are made up of many many stands with roots deep in the past and as they come together and intertwine in the present the hairs cross over one another, touch one another, integrate with one another. As the three large strands come together they support one another and together are one incredibly strong plait that can carry a heavy load. The drawing naturally came together into an arrow point, looking forward to the future, feeling strong and with hope.
So I do hope that in this journey that I will have some interesting 'intercambios' - exchanges of art practices and idea, and I hope to do some useful work. I hope that in the residencies I will develop my personal art work with the focus on the social application of art as in the Villa Allegre residency on the 12th here in Chile. In the children's art workshops during the residencies and in the six weeks that I will have with Meninadança in Brazil in May and June I really hope to facilitate the development of the kids artistic voices in activities that will hopefully be fun for them, build their confidence and celebrate their individuality, their communities and their creativity.
In my first days in Santiago I was struck by the words on this mural that says "Some make a simple yellow mark from the sun, others make their own sun from a simple yellow mark". It speaks to me of taking your life into your own hands, making a sun, making joy, from what you have. Like these pigeons basking in the hot sun and cooling off in the water of the fountain in Santiago, live in the moment, love life.
I know that I am privileged to have had a job where I earned enough to save on top of my basic needs. The inheritance gift of my Aunty Jem is also making this journey possible and for that I am hugely grateful and dedicate this trip to Jem. I hope that in some of my work and the exchanges I will have during this journey that I can pass along some of what I have been privileged to share within my own family and communities in the UK, the values, skills, knowledge and above all the love.
Big love from Chile
:-)
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