Countdown begins

Miles 172
Carbon Footprint
Expenses food 22 euro (including lunch for assistant) Materials and equipment 96 aplus an IOU for assistant travel expenses.

I arrived in Silvermines at 9.15 to photograph the Model Town, this being the last day of school.

Off to Nenagh to meet up with Clive Moloney who has just graduated from LIT with a degree in sculpture and is interested in getting some public art experience. I saw his work in LIT last week and I liked it.

I took a stop off to buy some plywood and materials and then a quick trip into Civic Offices to check in with Martina. Still no word on the Councillors special meeting . . . . *¬^#~*^$

Anyway, Clive and I got to work, fixing up the partition, making new inserts for the windows - basically turning the thing into a white cube. We sat down together for a philosophical discussion about the project. Clive doesn't like the work Imagining in the title but couldn't think of an alternative under pressure! As agreed I set the voice recorder to record our conversation but I don't think I remembered to switch on the microphone. The plan was to make all of our conversations part of the research.

I explained to Clive that I don't have a budget for an assistant but that I could cover his travel and food expenses. I do have a budget for a project with teenagers which he may well take on and I will offer him some kind of space in the outcome publication in exchange for his input.

Don't want to exploit anyone.

We met with Canadian artist Laureen Marchand for lunch; she has been on a 3 week residency in Connemara, leaving tomorrow. After that we took a trip out to Silvermines, looked at the different places in the town. A couple of the boys from school said 'hello' and one of them told me his mum is interested in the museum.

I was keeping an eye open for public places to exhibit the Model Town; I think the porch of the church could work. I'm not mad about using something that is exclusive to one group of people (Catholics) even if they are in the majority in Silvermines - I prefer to make things available to everyone. Still, in the absence of public space, it could be a good starting point.

Back to Nenagh just in time to phone around some transport companies - still no word from on high re; planning. I dropped Clive to the bus, returned a call to the Tipperary Voice (they want to do a follow up piece on the Space Shuttle - I said I would let him know by Friday if there is any movement).

I have publicised that it will be open next Wednesday so this is very frustrating.

I drove back to Ennistymon and worked until 9.30 in the office designing lettering and a notice for the outside of the Space Shuttle.