A Many Sided Thing

A many sided thing

A residency of collaborations

Wimbledon College of Art
16th-27th October 2017


As a member of  'Drawing Connections' I am taking part in the show at Wimbledon Space
The residency begins with an exhibition of an ‘avatar’ from each participant.
I exhibit ‘Left behind’ charcoal on paper. The title is both instruction and circumstance.
I pass these two trees regularly, they are ignored by most, unnoticed in an unkept scrubby patch behind the studio.
Interested in how the eye roams around the shifting detail I need to draw and get lost in the messy tangle. I stand and make several quick charcoal drawings but it becomes to known to my hand and eye, reconstruction begins to stall in its reality.

Left behind

Collaborating together Alison and me walk through the space discussing which direction this collaboration might go.
Our conversation wanders through from an original old door stop that remains fixed in place - a floor that continues up the wall - sounds mingle of people passing through in many directions -  doors banging - fragments of conversation merge in and fade away.

Memories are linked together and I recall a mind sound...

Boinging
...and then laughter behind the toilet door on holiday...for whoever went in their it became compulsory to boing the boingy doorstop.

Boinging

Whistle
Seeing the word brings into the mind the sound of a frequent family walk... the squeaky gates crossing over the railway line with the children a sense of fear, seeing the warning signs, laughing, we whistle as we quickly cross.

Bell in a cold frame
Listening to a radio program on the burying and silencing of Russian Bells ‘ Once heard you can’t unring the bell’.      

Bell in a cold frame

Old and new whistle sign

Whistle booth

Our contribution to the show developed through conversation, linking mindsounds.

An interview with justintime
http://mailchi.mp/ce267e3fd853/just-in-time-arts-events-issues-fri-20-oct-thu-26-oct-2496017?e=9839

Sound Drawing and connections to Abstract Drawing

Listening again to my Sound Drawing 2013. I was showing it with my abstract drawings over the two day Oaks Park Open Studios this summer. It sounds a lot better in a big space.

Sound Drawing and closed sketchbook from Snowdonia Long Drawing

A sample can be found here:

https://soundcloud.com/sound-out-loud/up-20high-20walk-20-20track#t=0:21

The two days were packed with discussions. A little lad listening with his dad explained ( after his dad enquired about my sound drawing) ' The sounds are like charcoal and the drawings and the logs are burnt on the fire to make the charcoal', it's wonderful the way children can grasp easily just what they see.
I love this photo taken by Helen Goodwin of the MA show set up, as Alison Carlier and me dance to a section of sound drawing with the rhythm of fast walking downhill.

As a lady walks into the room she notices the trees outside and my quick tree sketches, as we discuss the Sound Drawing she recalls the memory of being unwell one day on holiday and remaining in her room became fascinated by the ever changing qualities of tree outside the window. On her return home, the photograph she took as a reminder was extremely disappointing, it captured nothing of her fascination. Every individuals memory of a place contains much more than the click of a static camera.