The Shed Gallery installation: 22/10/11

We displayed a final show of work in a shed on the Norwood Allotments, the site LEAF is on, for the event Allotment Soup on Sunday 22nd October 2011.

One thing that we all agreed on when we visited the Katerina Seda Lisen Profile was that we would have liked to have seen more documentation of the process that the people who made the work went through. So the shed installation featured photos of the project in progress, writing from the exercises and the postcards alongside the final collaborative stitched map.


The various forms of our weekly shape records were represented.


And our definitions of the word journey that we wrote at the end of the project.


The shed was a kindly lent by Gilly and Sam who built it themselves out of scrap wood and old floorboards. Their house backs on to the plot and they have been working their allotment for 2 years now.



The installation was available to view for one day only.

The collaborative stitched piece: September/ October 2011

The collaborative stitched map was sewn at LEAF. Around the plots and in the greenhouse when it rained (a really very nice studio it turned out!)


Jo, Ian and I stitched the journey lines that we had taken onto the canvas. Each person was represented by a different colour thread.




I stitched Diane's lines as she was super busy with allotment tasks but she stopped by for a chat and to see things were going whenever she passed by. I also stitched Eileen's lines as she was busy with her final exhibition at college.

A letter: 28/09/11

The Lisen Profile Travel Journal

28^th September 2011

Dear Carole, Diane, Eileen, Ian and Jo,

I hope you are all well and that you are enjoying this amazing weather that we are having! I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch sooner. I have been very busy with one thing and another over the past few weeks.

I am contacting you as it is now time to conclude the project that we started before the summer. Allotment Soup, the creative harvest celebration event that will take place at the allotment is now about a month away. I would like to invite you all back to the allotment (Diane and Ian are already there I know!) to work with me to create a piece of textiles work based on the journeys that we took. I will be transferring the journey lines that we marked on the maps onto fabric and then I would like to invite you all to help me stitch the lines. You can do as much or as little as you like. I will be working on stitching the lines myself but I would love it if you all contributed to the sewing (no stitching experience/ expertise needed!) The work will be displayed during Allotment Soup.

Whilst at the allotment I will tell you about the Allotment Soup event and let you know how you can contribute artwork to the event if you so desire (be that through making a piece of work for it or showing some work that you have already made or not at all!)

The dates and times that I will be at the allotment are Wednesdays 5^th, 12^th, 19^th October (so from this Wednesday) each day from around 10-4. If you would like to contribute to the stitching and/ or the art for the event please get in touch with me either on my mobile or by email to let know a time so I can know when to expect you.

I very much look forward to working with you again and creating a piece of artwork from our journeys.

With very best wishes,

Ruthie

Week 5: Back at the LEAF allotment

A letter: 08/07/11

The Lisen Profile Travel Journal

8^th July 2011

Dear Carole, Diane, Eileen, Ian and Jo,

I hope that this letter finds you well. Many thanks to Diane, Eileen, Ian and Jo for attending this week, I’m sorry that the workshop didn’t work out quite as planned. It seemed that taking the journey from the old to the new library didn’t fit as we had less time; however us taking the journey and talking about it was the main part of that workshop. Maybe we could take it at another time that is better for people? Anyway it was good to have a good rant at each other and attempt to set the world to rights!­

So this is the last week of part 1!

In the first week we looked at the exhibition that brought us together in the first place. We looked at how the artist had created a situation where people took journeys to observe and document a place.

In the second week we met at the allotment to explore how we travel around a place. How we observe things on our journeys; how we notice certain things and not others; how we each record what we see differently. Looking out for certain shapes and materials proved a really interesting way of exploring our environment.

Week three saw us visit the Foxhill art for health exhibition at the Clock Tower Gallery, exploring the journey of an art group and the benefits of coming together in a group and being creative.

And last week we met in Parson Cross to look at how moving the location of an important centre in an area could affect people journeys within that area and how they feel about the area. We talked about the importance of local journeys and all had a turn on the soapbox to have a good old rant about modern life!

In between each meeting we have been using the postcards to record past journeys, current journeys, favourite destinations and fantasy journeys. These, combined with the journeys we have explored in the workshops, have been building personal record of how and where we journey. We have also continued our shape records in order to explore the areas around us differently. The differences in outcomes of this has proved very interesting, from Jo’s descriptive written shape journal to Ian’s photographic journal that directly feeds in to the work that he is currently exploring.

Workshop 5: Wednesday 13^th July 2011

This week we will meet again at the LEAF allotment. This will give us a chance to reflect on the project and have another look at the allotment with Allotment Soup in mind.

We will first discuss our postcards from across the 4 weeks.

· This week is the last week of this section of the project. We will use this week look at how we can bring together some of the elements we have explored so far:

· We will each have a map of Sheffield onto which we will mark lines we have travelled. Over the top of these we will paint, draw, collage and note down shapes we have observed, things we have seen and talked about, places we have been and what we have seen there, comments we have made and what we have got from this project.

· We will then look at the maps and talk about the things that have been most relevant to each of us, the ideas we would like to use in the future, what aspect of journeys could inform each of us in our work.

Task

Please continue your shape records as we will use them this week. Also please think about what has happened at each location at each of our meetings. I will ask you to draw or note certain things onto the map.

I look forward to seeing you all again next week. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

See you Wednesday!

Ruthie

Week 4: A visit to Parson Cross

A letter: 30/06/11

The Lisen Profile Travel Journal

30/06/11

Dear Carole, Diane, Eileen, Ian, Jo and Matt,

I hope that this letter finds you well. Many thank to Carole and Jo for attending this week, we had a really good look around the Foxhill Art for Health groups exhibition at the Clocktower Gallery. Carole and Jo talked me through the group, the work that they had done, the techniques used, how people have progressed over the year the group has been running and why the group is important. It is a really impressive exhibition, it is the first time that most of the group have exhibited. The exhibition runs until late July so if any of you have the chance to pop in to have a look you should do so.

We discussed our shape records and our postcards which brought up some interesting stories and memories. Jo had recorded all of the arch shapes that she saw for a week. At some point she travelled from home into the centre of Sheffield and it was interesting to see that the descriptions and locations of the shapes exactly reflected the route of that journey.

In this letter I will outline what we will be doing next week.

Task

Please continue your shape records. Carry on with the one you have been keeping so far or start a new one. Use the same shape or choose a different one. Use the same method of recording or try a different one. (I drew my shape record whereas Jo wrote hers as descriptions, the different methods yielded different results).

Workshop 3: Wednesday 29^nd June 2011

This week we will be taking a journey through part of Parson Cross. We will meet at the old Parson Cross Library (which has just closed) and then travel across to the New Library Learning Centre (which has just opened). I met Ian whilst being in residence at the old library this spring and Eileen lives just a few doors away. We will explore how the change of location, building and facilities has affected local people. We will undertake the following activities:

· We will record information about the location of the old library.

· We will walk the route to the new library and trace a path that we take.

· We will record observations of the route.

· We will record information about the new library.

· When we reach the new library we will mark the route that we took today on the map.

· We will discuss the journey we have just taken.

· We will discuss our postcards from this week and last.

· We will share our ‘shape records’

The Dates: Part 1

Tuesday 5^th July, 10am-12pm

(I have had to reschedule this day from Wednesday 6^th July to Tuesday 5^th due to other commitments. Please let me know if you are able or unable to make this day)

Wednesday 13^th July, 10am-12pm

I look forward to seeing you all in Parson Cross next week. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

See you Wednesday!

Ruthie