March 31st
Having spent ¼ of the time allocated for the residency, this interim evaluation is an attempt to look at what I have done in that time, what I would like to do, and what can be realistically achieved, bearing in mind the aims and objectives that were set out at the beginning of the residency.
What I have done to date
At the outset, I set myself a 6 week period to travel around, talk to people, follow my instincts and see how the context of North Tipperary would impact on the development of my practice. During that first six weeks I traveled every Wednesday to Tipp, leaving home between 5.30 and 7.30 am and getting back at midnight.
I have been filming a different stretch of the road on each of those days; this will form the basis of an audio visual piece that I have in mind. The video will be combined with a sound piece based on the song ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ plus the information about my journeys and the carbon footprint of those. To date I have driven 1,125 miles and generated a carbon footprint of 315 kg.
I have created a section on the Shifting Ground website that functions as a public journal and sketchbook of the residency. This currently consists of 16 web pages with images, text and links. I have spent approximately 18 hours working on that website on non-residency days. There have been four articles in the local press, one radio interview and one article that I have written for the CAVA newsletter. I have given one public talk as part of the Visual Dialogues series [attended by Martina Finn only!] and conducted quite lengthy interviews/discussions with 9 people. I have attended four of the Visual Dialogues artist talks and had some initial discussions with local artists.
I have had some discussions with the acting Arts Officer about the work of the Arts Office with particular reference to art in rural contexts, artist development and networking and Public Art. In terms of geography I have traveled in most areas of the county, with the exception of the area around Roscrea and south of Thurles. I am particularly drawn to the area around Silvermines [more of which later].
I have made a connection with someone in Silvermines and through discussions with him have further developed an idea that was germinating in my mind. I believe that I want to develop this connection and develop a project that involves local school children initially, local people with whom I develop contact and from there I would hope to involve a large number of people in a collaborative project. This is a project that would in itself leave a ‘legacy’ and would hopefully have a positive community development aspect also.
Making connections with local artists
I have already had some initial discussions with local artists, one or two who have approached me directly and asked for my ideas on their work or projects. I plan to arrange some meetings for Wednesday evenings, traveling to where the artists are and seeing what comes of that. The idea of a large get-together for artists is something that interests me, but I want to have these informal meetings first.
Generating discussion about the future of art in rural contexts.
My idea is to organize a day-long series of seminars working with local artists, the Tipp Institute and some invited speakers, titled Imagining the Future of the Rural Context. Venue yet to be decided.
Opening discussions with local rural organizations on cultural development as an aspect of rural development.
I have yet to identify small rural organizations at work in North Tipp; excluding the most obvious – Tipperary Institute, IFA, Teagasc, ICMSA – all of which are large and likely to require a more formal approach. The Village seems like a possible organization but my feeling is that the Village is more ‘urban’ in outlook at present, despite the name! My proposal relating to the Housing Public Art budget might be the best way to take this aspect forward – encouraging local organizations to work with an artist over an extended period.
Aiming to generate a sustainable element or activity.
I have one idea in mind, which has to do with the distribution of my own work and which might also continue to have a life for North Tipperary in the future. I anticipate that some of my work with local artists will generate ongoing developments, but on a small scale. Again, I believe that I could make a significant contribution to the Public Art programme as a curator in a way that would generate some very sustainable projects. I anticipate that my work in Silvermines will produce a project that outlasts the residency.
What I can probably achieve in the next 18 weeks
I will put in place a community projet; when I have made some initial contacts I will have a better idea of the project structure and a timeline.
I intend to begin work on a series of photographs, but first I need to locate a large number of stuffed animals in the North Tipperary region.
I will shelve my idea for gallery based works until a later date, and hope to develop these for a future exhibition in the area [longer term view].
I plan to purchase some film-editing software from the residency funds to allow me to carry out my own editing [much cheaper and gives me more editorial control].
I want to work on a series of drawings of maps in the County Council offices.
I will meet with artists on Wednesday evenings. In association with the Arts Office I will devise and organize a discussion event titled Imagining the Future of the Rural Context.
Project Legacy
A community based project in Silvermines, involving collaborative works in public locations and a map of these [a kind of art-trail]. Possibly some public ‘launch’ event as well in the summer.
A gallery exhibition in Tipperary next year of works made in response to the residency.
I will draw up a report on my meetings with local artists, making suggestions regarding their professional development needs.
A discussion event called Imagining the Future of the Rural Context that will be recorded, transcribed and made available through the Arts Office website.
No comments:
Post a Comment