Since beginning the process of transcribing the diary and researching Clarice there have been a number of fortunate coincidences that have led me down specific paths. Having decided to explore using textiles for my next work i realised that, although i work predominately using printmaking i have very little experience with working on or with textiles.
I needed to find a way of accessing some tuition and equipment to begin working on my initial ideas. As luck would have it, i received an email from a friend who i had not seen for a couple of years; Lorna Dallas-Conte. Lorna and i first met about 6 years ago, soon after i had graduated. She was working as a Creative Consultant at that time and i was fortunate to have a few advisory sessions with her. Lorna is also an artist and we stayed in touch. In 2009 we collaborated on a sound installation for my exhibition Reading Between the Lines (the first project in response to Clarice’s archive) and then lost touch for a while. Her email, in August 2011 was to say she was now working with London Printworks Trust and it would be nice to catch up.
London Printworks Trust is a charity, based in Brixton, providing a centre of excellence for Textile Print. What could be more perfect! http://londonprintworkstrust.wordpress.com/
In August i went to LPT and discussed my ideas for this project with Lorna. She loved it, agreed to LPT supporting me and encouraged me to apply for Arts Council funding.
I guess that brings me to now. I applied for funding, got it; thank you very much Arts Council England, and so Resting Place begins. Please follow my blog as i will be sharing the research and development of this project as it progresses. I would also love to hear from anyone following my blog.
Research this week will be:
learning how to do free-hand embroidery on a sewing machine with the wonderful artist Letitia Tunstall http://www.tishtunstall.co.uk/
visiting the Red Cross archive in London to research the hospitals and camps in Wimereux and Boulogne
more experimentation in my studio, see the gallery page for images of my progress
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