This will probably be one of the last posts I make for this years project. I went into the Exhibition last week, and well it just goes to show... one should be prepared for anything. I got to the Centre and it was full of kids and parents and other interesting people from the project. The artist I was working with spotted me and came over to say hello. She asked me if I minded saying a few words after the Art Officer and the lady from IMMA and the Gent from the County Council had done their speeches. The first thing I thought was, O god I should have changed my shoes and worn my good jacket and had a go at brushing my mop. Luckily my trusted beret did the usual covering of a multitude of sins. Funny how when one reflects on events that have happened, what you look like and what you were wearing seem to always take precidence over the project or work that you were standing up to talk about, which is after all the most important thing. I don't usually have a problem with talking so I thought that this would be a doddle, but was amazed at how nervous I became as my 'talking' wore on. I thought all this community work was supposed to work miracles when it came to being able to make speeches at the drop of a hat, but I was totally unprepared for this and couldn't help thinking afterwards that I could have said more about the artist and their school, instead I flew the flag for IT Carlow ( I mean WSAD) and our little module and what we were supposed to be doing for it.. blah blah... Later I was soaking up the atmosphere that some of the artworks created. The kids that I worked with had some of the finished pieces strategically placed around one of the pillars in the room. It instantly brought a smile to my face, remembering the kids making them and how I had seen them develop from nothing to these little caricatures, and they all had real presence. Well they had made it to an exhibition after all. All the little incidents in the classroom, popped into my mind. The painted faces seemed to have an air of superiority when you looked at them now. On reflection, painted faces do tend to make you feel superior, on some human level, so do puppets I find. People seem to attach much more importance to listening to what a puppet has to say rather than what a person has to say. Mind you I find some people are just like puppets sometimes. My mind continued to roam and I wondered why the school exhibition was not scheduled to be on before the 'main one' in the Centre. I suppose that is just how the time schedule worked out.
The highlight for me was to finally see the real pink fluffy head in the glass showcase. There it was. Finally Louise and I were sharing the same floor, her work up on a pedestal and my feet still firmly planted on the ground... well maybe one day... I will be helping with the hanging of the school exhibition in May and I am really looking forward to seeing the schools big hall filled with all the children's fantastic creations.
This project has taught me that one can get much enjoyment out of doing something that is totally unrelated to what you 'at' sometimes. It gives you a totally fresh outlook on your own work, and is sometimes a much welcome break from all the stress and strain of our ordinary little lives. Bettina's world, sometimes an interesting place to be!