Day 2 - 26 January 2011

Driving down to the school today, there were two families being interviewed on RTE 1 about being without all their techno devices, games,  phones, ipod's etc and the TV for a week.  Last week they were handing it over and this week they were getting them back.  It got me thinking about when I was a kid and how little we had in terms of  digital gadgets and devices to occupy our time.  I thought how strange it must be for a kid today to have no idea of how to occupy their time or thoughts without some sort of intervention from a device.  I thought it would be an interesting exercise in college to switch off everything for a week  and just get a book or pen and paper and do something the good old fashioned way, just to see if it could be done.

Anyhow, today was my second day in the school.  I arrived a little early again to help set up, and the sight of 27 'white heads' with the most amazing caricature features, peering out the window was quite a sight! We had 29 out of 31 in attendance today and I was given the task of helping  the 7 who were absent last week, to catch up while the Artist went on with the rest of the class.   Luckily I had listened the week before, and listening is something I am finding increasingly hard to do lately.  I find that if I am interested in something I can hear 7 conversations at once, but if I am not....  This blog is not called 'Bettina's World' for nothing.  The rest of the group went ahead and primed up the dried heads and they were about to move to the next step when one of the children asked why they had not attached the shoulders to the head yet.   This question luckily, led the table I was at,  to catch up rather quickly to the other group, as they  all did it together  today.  They rolled up two sheets of newpaper into oval ball shapes,  and taped them to the milk bottle just at the base of the neck. They then continued on pasting the white paper strips over the newspaper to get the form completed.

I looked up this link , (I think it is someones blog),  http://ayearofpositivethinking.com/2010/05/31/a-great-artist/ because  the Artist in the school said they had based the idea of their project on 'the pink head' by Louise Bourgeois.  I liked this bit from the link:

“My name is Louise Josephine Bourgeois. I was born 24 December 1911, in Paris. All my work in the past fifty years, all my subjects, have found their inspiration in my childhood.

My childhood has never lost its magic, it has never lost its mystery, and it has never lost its drama.” (Louise Bourgeois, epigraph,  Louise Bourgeois: Destruction of the Father / Reconstruction of the Father; Writings and Interviews 1923-1997)

But to get back to the task on hand... the next step was to paste colour tissue paper over the body and shoulder area.  They had to tear small pieces of tissue paper and overlay them so that the body was covered up to the base of the necks they had made.  Some vibrant colours started to emerge out of the sea of white and in a way I was sad to see the white go as it definitely made a real impact, but also happy to see the bright colours emerging out of every corner of the room.  It was as if the sun had instantly come out.   One by one they covered them over and then they had to put them back up on the window ledge to dry.  During the break,  the Principal came in to introduce himself.  He  told me he had been on a holiday to South Africa recently and had had such a fantastic time. That is always good to hear because not too long ago, I would've been ashamed to admit I was from there,  because of all the negative comments I would inevitably have to endure, and the assumption that just because I was a South African,  I would be racist.   That conversation reminded me that I would soon be home again  to get another dose of  vibrant colour, vivid blue skies and some sun during the  Easter Break, and by then,  this project would be over.  There was also talk about the question of funding  from the County Council for this project for next year, and that again has called into question the importance of funding for initiatives like these for artists.

Day 1 - 19 January 2011

Well I woke up early this morning as I had loads to do before I finally got on the road.  -1deg and my icy windscreen took about 5 minutes to clear.  By the time I got to Enniscorthy the temperature had risen to 2 deg and the road was frosty and busy.  I still had some way to go and  I had forgotten about commuting and what a pain being stuck in traffic could be.  Anyhow I was listening to some jockey on Radio 1 who went to live in America and who practised the art of 'flipping'.  I had no idea what that was, but it turns out, it's the same thing as bulemia, and most of the American jockeys do it to keep their weight down, without them having to worry about what they eat.   It got me thinking again about people who leave 'home' for a better life somewhere else and end up trying to fit in with what is the norm were they are,  and how it turns you into someone you never thought you would become.

 Before I knew it I arrived at the school.  It was a lovely country school on the top of a hill.  I found my way to the art room where the Artist had a couple of kids helping set up the tables etc.  I joined in mixing the paste for the papier mache project they were going to continue working on today.  They were fortunate in that they had a designated art room so there was lots of room, despite the class being large, and today  27 out of the 31 were in attendance. They had previously started on  the heads for the project. They were basing the heads on the 'Louise Bourgeois' piece they had chosen.  This week they were going to attach the head to the 'shoulders'.  We made the bases with 2L milk bottles that were half filled with water.  The water in the bottle was it give it some weight to enable them to work with it in an upright position.  There was lots of sticking cutting and pasting and curious questions being asked about my 'funny accent'. One little boy asked me if I was from Northern Ireland.  It was such a pleasure to be among happy kids for a change.    They were all very helpful and eager to get on with the task.  I was also amazed at how they all were so attentive during the demonstrations the artist was giving.  She has a lot of experience working in the schools and it showed.  So much of the work is done before you ever get to the school and I know from experience, if you not prepared when the class comes through the door, you are in trouble.  I learnt that her husband was the guy that gave me my bike lessons a couple of years ago too.   After the big clean up, it was lunch time and I headed home.    I had a great morning and am looking forward to going back next Wednesday to see how the 'heads' dried.  They are going to prime them  and then the real fun begins.. painting them up... I can't wait to see how they turn out.   I wanted to find the image that they saw but wasn't sure which one it was so I am just adding a little clip about some  of Louise Bourgeois work.  I think she was a remarkable woman, considering she was discovered so late and also because she worked up until she died in her late 90's.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I 'm starting tommorow... it's only a day away!

Well as I predicted last year, I was kept very busy up until the Christmas break and even after it.  Thankfully our exhibition went well, despite it being a very last minute effort due to the weather and various other factors.

After we got back for the new term,  I received a call from the lady  I am to be working with this term,  about the school project I am getting involved in.  We both agreed that it would be better if I started the following week as she felt she would have chance to run it by the school again.  So tomorrow I have to drive for about an hour before I arrive, and I have agreed to go in a little early to help her set up.  We are going to be doing papier mache, messy and fun!  So hopefully, tomorrow, I will finally have something to put in my blog about my chosen project.

The children have already selected the project which they chose from looking at various pieces of work from the National Collection at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. They were shown a CD of reproductions  which were created especially for their project.  The class art projects are supposed to be based on their understanding of and responses to the work they chose themselves. 

The idea,  as far as I can see, is that after they make the various projects, the Artists select some of the childrens work, which they exhibit alongside the work from the Museum of Modern Art  at the Wexford Arts Centre at the end of the project.   The children will also have a chance to see their work mounted in their own schools.

I wish they had these projects  in my day! We had chalk and paint and were given an hour a week to do art and the thrill of the day was... we could take it home.!!!  I must dig out my picture I did when I was about 7.. my grandfather was so proud of it he hung it on his wall (upside down) for about 30 years. I eventually got it back when he died.  Funny thing was, I only found out last year, when I saw one on my travels in a exotic garden in France, that it was  a leonotis leonurus plant.

 http://www.healthynewage.com/arbonne.html
I wonder if  my teacher knew?

My Community Project .. finally some news...

Last Friday, I finally got to see the ladies who were coming in to discuss the project I was interested in.  They had fabulously colourful pictures to show us some of the art projects they had done with children from the various schools involved to date.  I am always amazed at how unafraid children are of colour... and at how effortlessly they come up with the most amazing ideas.

It seems that my project will officially start for me after the December Break, if I am accepted.   I am looking forward to it as the facilitators and children  have already chosen their themes for the new project by looking some of the art at IMMA.  I think I will be doing two sessions on a Wednesday by the look of it but it will be confirmed after the snow melts and they can run it by the Principal and School Board.   My job will be to help out and maybe document some of their work.   So until then I will  concentrate on our college exhibition and the Christmas Break.  That should keep me busy enough until then...

What Community is not!

For many people the word community conjures up images of people  the pulling together,  working alongside people you know and who you have grown up with, who you know from childhood and who has lived next door to you "forever", and who would help you out of any bit of strife you may find yourself in, with a cup of tea and a chat. Real live people.

 I was speaking to a friend about what community means to them recently and I thought I may put another side of the story out there too.

For many foreigners who find themselves living in small Irish communities, the  experience may not always be so positive. You may have lived next to the same people for many years and your children may be in the same schools and you may even find yourself going to the same events that they do,  you could even work in the same building,  like the same sport or cultural events they do, but for many, this does not constitute belonging to the same community.  You are somehow "tainted" because you may look different or your accent doesn't quite fit in, or even if you don't agree with the general opinion in the community.  For these ostracised people living in these communities, it  sometimes becomes more of a burden than a pleasure.  They may feel isolated, not only from the people they left behind, but also from the people they choose to join.  

As far as I can see it seems pointless to try and make everyone like each other, like one big happy family, because as I have said before, some people just don't like some other people that much,  no matter who they are, but at least they have the privilege of getting to know them first before they make that decision.

Jeanne van Heeswijk, Dutch artist, visits Dublin



Giant Wooden Bunny - Jeanne van Heeswijk



Last week some of the students from 3rd year took a trip to Dublin to see Dutch artist Jeanne van Heeswijk.

Unfortunately there was not enough interest (being a Friday) to get the wheels on the bus rolling, so some of us had to stay behind. 

I think we missed something good... but I took a look at her website.  http://www.jeanneworks.net/

It's very extensive but it gave me some idea of what she's about.

I  really liked the giant wooden bunny (see image).

I especially liked the sound of her "Talking Trash" project and would love to do some sort of experiment regarding how much waste we produce in our college.

Anyone got any ideas?

Reflecting on discussion in class about what images a Community Centre conjures up in people's minds

Last week we were asked to draw a community centre and a 3rd level institution during our Community Development lecture at college.  For the community centre most people drew a building of some sort.  To me it looked like they had probably drawn their own community centre or one nearest them.   Most of them had a single storey.   Most of the views looked at the front of the building.  Most had the front doors closed.  None of them had any people in them.

I drew a picture that had a love heart in the centre of it.  This was supposed to symbolize life,  people and their children.  The heart was surrounded by an open ended circle, which had hands on either side of it.  I thought this could symbolize the openness or open door policy most of the community centres have.    As an after thought I drew a few simplistic houses on the outskirts of the open circle to symbolise the people living amongst   "community centres".   They were integral to all of the people who used them, for a myriad of different reasons and occasions, but also seemed to me, to be used mainly by the locals of the area.



Rough sketch of what came to mind thinking about community centres...

The image I had in my head was one of togetherness and caring.  It was for me, the "centre" or "hub" of any area that has a community centre and one that stood as a kind of resource centre for the people who live around the locality.

The 3rd Level Buildings were portrayed quite differently.  Most of them were big two or three storey buildings. Many of them had steps up to the door.  They were also mainly drawn from the front view, again with a closed door.   They had loads of windows and some had quite a few extensions or add on buildings.   They were all very formal looking, built in a traditional way, the  way you would expect a formal education building to look.

Again I had a very different looking picture.  I drew a H block.  The H was supposed to represent the division of the educators and the students.  On the top half space of the H, I drew a few ? and a few ! - This to me symbolised the formal educators on the one side  (at the top) and on the bottom half of the H, I drew loads of ????????.  These represented the students at the bottom, questioning the other half.

Rough sketch of what  came to mind thinking about a 3rd level institution...

 

When we started out we had no idea why we were being asked to do this,  but it turned into a very interesting session.  It showed, generally speaking, how we view things to do with  "community" quite differently to how we  represent other more formal aspects of our lives, and how most people saw community centres in quite a negative way, without even realising they did so.