upperthorpe

Today I wondered the boundary of Upperthorpe in Sheffield. Walking anti clockwise with Upperthorpe to my left, meandering along paths and streets that were new to me, quietly observing the edge of the neighbourhood. A man told me, 'there are dogs up there, they may growl but don't worry, they won't do anything'. I trotted on, heart thudding and upon seeing the pack attempted to project a casual attitude. This lasted seconds before I clocked the dogs had friendly eyes and was rewarded with wags and strokes and dog hairs on my navy jacket. Later while trudging up hill sweating, I yearned for the flat (note to self - get fitter). Near the end of my boundary walk I found a yellow post it note stating 'Who Why', sensible questions if you ask me. 

This wandering has been inspired by the Occursus Project, led by Dr Amanda Crawley Jackson (University of Sheffield) in collaboration with Bloc and Site Gallery.

owlerton

Last week I jumped on the number 66 bus from Sheffield city centre and traveled to Owlerton, an unpromising journey to the side of a busy road, out of town casino and dog track and Hillsborough College with cannabis smoking youth outside. Crossing the A61, I walked up Livesey Street, over a bridge across the River Don and climbed stone steps to a dirt path surrounded by trees. Unmarked on the Sheffield A to Z is a cemetery in a patch of slopping woodland. It climbs up to and is contained by a train track, and crisscrossed with well trodden paths. While a handful of people passed by as I snooped about, it is an unpeopled spot and I kept my wits about me. I experienced that odd sense of feeling alone while next to the traffic hum, police siren wail, clatter of industry and prickly pylon buzz. 

Picking my way between the headstones I was in my element, woods and graves combined! I'm fascinated by the stories the headstones tell of Mary, Thomas, Clara and George and the unfortunate roll call of dead children carved into slate. While wandering graveyards I think about the current population being interred, Kyle's and Kylie's one day taking their place by Edith and Arthur - these current names, one day holding nostalgia of times past.

I found a newly dead pigeon, colours still vibrant, flies beginning to land. I found trees hugging headstones, branches wrapped as a comforting arm, a steadying hug and in some cases an overwhelming embrace. I talked to a man with a dog and he told me, 'these are war veterans these'.

knitting

On my 40th birthday last year my friends mum, Catherine sent me this marvellous thing:

We share the same birthday, and her making this happy birthday creature pleased me no end. I was actually quite envious of the oddness, the finishing, the colour-way and expression on happy birthday's face - knowing I'd not be able to resist the urge to tidy and straighten and colour-way! All year I hatched a plan to reply to this gift, to ping back an answer... and this was born:

Catherine has called it Philomena which is a rather grand name. They are bonding and planning a happy life together. I've made a pattern and my sister has requested a creature too, which should be finished by next weekend.

Talking of a happy life together my wonderful friend Anna has just given birth to her first child, Alexi. A year or so ago I knitted Anna a moss stitch scarf in royal blue, using the crappy acrylic wool that I so love. So here is blanket that I've made for baby Alexi, including the blue wool used in Anna's scarf. Well done Anna, Edi and Alexi.

I do love knitting, it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

two timing

On 8th December I posted about my residency Sites in Sight. My proposal included a blog to document the project and spread the word to the local and wider community. It's the first time I've kept a blog alongside a project and its been a great success, having been visited by people from the UK, Russia, US, Ukraine, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Jersey, Norway and Canada. It thrills me to think of these visitors reading about a little shop in Knottingley and our creative endeavours.

This does mean I've neglected three-miles-per-hour and I'm very sorry. Will be back soon with observations on the everyday.

family sculpture show

This child was adorable at last weekends workshop at Hepworth. Was great to be reminded how much fun kids can have with scrunched up paper.

big draw

Drawing on the windows of Costa in Wakefield... an outreach activity with The Hepworth Wakefield to celebrate the big draw in autumn 2011. The following week we filled gallery 7 with two huge floor based drawings using Clare Wood's paintings as inspiration. Participants of all ages imagined the creatures that could inhabit Clare's paintings, and created them using drawing, mark making and collaged vinyl.

art practice in a social context

Yesterday I attended a symposium run by Yorkshire Artspace (YA) in the brand new Knutton Road Studios in Parsons Cross, Sheffield. YA said: 'Through this event we hope to explore and examine the role that art, artists and arts organisations can play in communities and neighbourhoods'.

The day was made up of a variety of speakers and discussion, the audience were engaged and asked lots of questions. Being amongst the debate enabled me to ponder and define my place within it and where I chose to situate myself.

The speakers that really interested me were artists Kate Genever and Steve Pool and Francis McKee, director of CCA in Glasgow. Kate and Steve revealed some of the processes and responses they encountered during their residency (commissioned by YA) in Parsons Cross. They stated 'they want to be artists of the world, not artists of the art world that make work that only speaks to other artists'. Their residency was an exchange with people, not doing something to, but doing something with others. They commissioned other artists by putting out a call for proposals on Arts Jobs and this raised awareness of Parsons Cross/Knutton Road in the art community and got four more people thinking about and responding to the residencies concerns. Questions were posted and teased apart: what is community? How meaningful is an end product? With so much stuff in the world do we want to make more? Kate and Steve raised many concerns and talked sensitively about them, including problematic issues such as art as a panacea, working with both social agendas and creative agendas and fears of being seen as do-gooders.

Art practice in a social context is a complex issue that requires thoughtful, considerate and responsive negotiation, clear communication is key. Kate and Steve's collaborations gracefully acknowledge and faced these complexities head on and created useful and meaningful outcomes.

Francis McKee told of taking on the failing and hated CCA building three years ago and being told, 'You can do what you want with it'. He began by adapting and shaping the building, developing a responsive, open source approach to programming where anyone could propose to use the space. Engaging with the public and communities in this way ensures the CCA shows what the wider community is interested in and creates a diverse rolling programme for the centre. Francis has turned the building into a busy, bustling, well used space with people claiming ownership of the building. He spoke about 'leaving the art out of it', bringing people in for the cafe, bookshop, other events and then inviting them to view the art activity. This honest approach was refreshing, as much of my work in communities has little to do with ART, it is about conversations, ideas, learning new skills and self expression (which is art...).

One of CCA's early projects involved turning a room into a greenhouse, growing runner beans and inviting people to pick their own. Cooking classes were run alongside to teach how to cook the vegetables. The Abundance Project in Sheffield was mentioned as inspiration.