Winter Narratives

From the very beginning, I have felt  lucky to be selected. It has turned out to be a most productive residency for me. My work has taken a new turn, I have rediscovered my love of drawing and conversations on a huge variety of topics, including art, have proved fascinating. There has been an exchange of knowledge that will stand me in good stead for the future. I have met the most lovely people and hope that some time in the future, I can somehow repay their kindness and generosity. I can never hope to create such good food though. The location was perfect of for me and re-locating the kind of work that I do  to a rural site has been change of direction that will be invaluable. I am happy outside with trees and wildlife. I wish to thank Zahir and all his family, Sandiya, Parth and all those who help with the farm, Tarun as well as all the  artists who made the residency the success that it was and not forgetting those back at Artcore Derby for their behind the scenes help. I am looking forward to the April exhibition in Derby. .

Last day here before flying home tonight. We took a tour of the old part of town near to where I had got the boxes. Lots of little shops that were really interesting. Had a last meet up at the chocolate shop. It has been so easy to get on with everyone - something I was a little worried about. I feel that I have made the very best use of my time here and got so much out of it. A late meal at Zahir's uncle's. They are all so generous and lovely. Drive to Ahmedebad airport, fly to Mumbai and then to Heathrow, tube and train home. Isn't it sad to be leaving? Here are the contexts of my work but I cannot attach the QR codes 'for security reasons'.  I hope to do one last post with a kind of evaluation. Three Sounds These three sound pieces together create a narrative that can only belong to this place. Each sound has a box that contains an object or objects that relates to it. The audio can also be accessed by QR code. Rice Box Rice is a staple food of many households the world over. Here, it represents the call to eat and to end the working day. This time was signalled by a gong, a striking of metal which carried over the fields. I was invited to Gopal Baug to strike this gong, a round iron disc hanging from the rafters of a building. This was hit with a hammer. This

Exhibition day so early start. Lists have been made overnight, what to take and what to do. Confident all is ready however but a few last minute things to do such as taping the speakers as they have led lights in them. Had to ask Zahir to collect some black tape - I should have got it the other day. He is so busy, I really did not like to ask. Went for what was probably a last walk around pond and forest. All set up with QR codes around the site, 32 of them as well as three boxes and drawing. I decided against using the film but it is on a QR code. We returned home for quick change and then back in time for press preview. The work was well received and had good conversations with tutors from the university.   Everyone has worked so hard to make this a success.  Thank you.

Managed to do the QR codes this morning. I got up early and thought it through. I have put them on my website rather than Soundcloud and it works well. After, I was taken to buy boxes for the objects. I wanted the boxes to fit exactly with the feather potentially being the most difficult. However, went to a place that just sold boxes in the old part of the city and got a perfect one. The two others were from the art shop. Today it was important to prepare for the exhibition so it was really busy. I did have time for a bit of drawing down by the pond. There were no brushes left so I used a feather. The act of sitting by the water, in silence, feeling very peaceful, was invigorating and I followed the track round the bottom of the hill. Time is going so quickly!  

We have spent quite a lot of time at the university. This morning we went for breakfast before an exhibition which I did not manage to see as there was a workshop about to start in stone lithography by Devraj Dakota. He was very generous with his time and I really enjoyed watching the process. There is a particular way that people who do these processes work. It is very precise and ordered, slow and steady. it shows in their movements. After, back to Highness Farm. Did some photos where I unfortunately realised too late that I was just slumped in the chair, oh well, vanity  out of the window! Tested QR codes with the video I had made and it works well. however, I couldn't make it work with SoundCloud, it just goes to channel where you have to log in. Need to re-think this part.   Our evening was spent with Sudipta. She showed us her work and gave us excellent food.   I realise that I may have some overlap on these posts due to the time lag, sorry.    

I particularly wanted to complete my daily blogs as  a record for the future. As there were some problems accessing the site, these are now retrospective. However, they were written in note form so they are quite fresh. I began by writing some notes about the residency for the artist film. It made me realise how much I have enjoyed this location. Sitting drawing, I have been perfectly happy. I have not wanted to be anywhere else, very unusual for me, I don't normally sit still for long or want to remain in the same place. Summing up the residency so far, I realised that the work I have been doing could only have been made here - my criteria for a successful residency. It is a combination of attention to artist needs, location and the interactions and exchanges with other artists. The rural location really suits me and went for a walk with Parth to the pond, around the bottom of the cliff and back. His plans for the watercourses are impressive and later, these were added to my map as freely running ink trails. I have now planned how to present the sound pieces, linking them to boxes each containing a single object - a feather representing my mimesis of the bird and other animal sounds; rice for the ringing of the gong and bamboo for the composition of working sounds. I have started to enjoy drawing again. Quick