Hanham Week 5

We come up with a working title: Things You’d Never Expect to See, About Me, in a Library

The morning’s session is personal and intimate - the afternoon’s session is packed with people but contains unexpected insights too.

We start to think about the performance we are making together and about the upcoming residency. We make little books (one for each participant) detailing things we have loved seeing.

We wonder: How do we embed the performance so it has to take place in a library; What would happen if we played the “Tail’s Game? or re-staged some of the blindfold leading

Whether we could provide insight to “what I’m thinking on the inside”; is there something symbolic to stand if for something I’d like to do?

We’d like to see: the cookie monster; a mix of crazy subversive actions and personal moments (the pen, the chain)

We talk with Ella about developing a performative moment - might it be something in sign language (something we might not expect of her)

We discuss things they thought I’d never do: give up drinking, get married, work with the public, write a book

In the afternoon we share sage-like proverbs including:

When anytime you are feeling blue, look, no act, happy.

If I should get away I will happily run wild

A trouble is often doubled every time you don’t talk

We share unexpected things about ourselves firstly with each other and then we develop them into performances and conversations

I travelled to New Zealand on my own - it took 3 days to get there

I went to an international football match

I jumped off a cliff

I drove a racing car

I’ve saved someone from drowning 3 times in my life

I learned to drive at 13

I’m a secret poet

I play the cello

I sing kareoke - it’s like an old englishman’s sing-along

I like to bounce all over the place

I learned to drive in my late 50s - then I’d go anywhere

I used to be a bus driver - I wasn’t very well behaved - I liked to drop the oldies to their doors!  There were 5 men and me on the test - guess who passed?

I take long walks

Hanham Blog Four

A cat’s whisker in a mobile phone case

A crystal with healing powers

A pen handcrafted by a late husband

A wedding ring

A set of keys

A necklace

Last week I asked the group to each bring  object of personal significance to today’s session.

Through a series of exercises we learned  of their relevance and the stories behind the objects.

Tender, funny, sad; the group shared performance moments and again the participants grew in trust and understanding of one another.

In thinking more about our alternative tours we mixed fantasy and reality and explored questions of audience, shared experience and truth.

Somewhere in the library:

A woman searches frantically for her keys. They represent her freedom.

A man hands out homebrew to the audience whist reminiscing about mixing alcohol with cheap jam

A woman in overalls shouts from the roof where she is working

A man cuts out a pattern for short trousers as  a wartime tune plays softly in the background

Our tours are intimate, otherworldly,anarchic and beautiful.

I can’t wait to see what emerges in the next two weeks.

Hanham Blog Three

Creating work new work always excites me, it ignites my passion and curiosity. It is why I do what I do. Working with others in this process is the other reason. Glimpsing moments, possibilities and grappling with the seeds of ideas is thrilling, and a real privilege. Facilitating these ideas to develop, change and intertwine is even more exciting. On a project like this it is always hard for me to live by my motto of ‘Trust the Process’ as, well, people understandably like to know what they are getting themselves into (or funding, or investing in, or promoting etc) but yet again, this trust, sprinkled with a hefty dose of bravery, exuberance, trust and laughter from the groups has paid off. It’s week three and a corker of an idea for the year's work is shaping up in our collective imaginations!

I am always amazed at how quickly our RE:MAPPING groups come together and form a sense of togetherness. Strangers on week one, sharing secrets on week two, holding hands by week three!!  Following on from the outrageous tour of the library last week (I’m not sure whether I am eternally grateful or bitterly disappointed that Vivi, our documenter was not there last week!) we began to think about other types of tour using the library as our site.

Inspired piece of work by Rosanna Cade called Walking:Holding

https://rosanacadedotcom.wordpress.com/projects/walkingholding/  we discussed our thoughts about creating personal material, respecting eachother’s contributions and our responsibility to eachother, leading onto and how we could present work in very different ways from what might be expected of us. On the impromptu suggestion of a member of the group I threw my notes for the rest of the session away and we did some Walking:Holding of our own, enjoying casual conversation, unexpected intimacy and joyful communication.

In the afternoon we each conducted mini tours based around items we had on our person, learning more about each other and what we might like to present at the end of our time together. We explored the library through sensory tours and discovered what surprising things happen when we slow down, use our senses to guide us and allow ourselves moments of togetherness.

We started the session with a few name games to warm us up and once everyone was laughing the performance began:

An un-named individual clad in metallic blue spandex raged through the library performing lewd sex acts, wrestling (in what can only be described as amateur in style) and littering, before storming out the building and setting off a dangerous weapon in the doorway (a glitter cannon none-the-less).

Liz and Lucy created this performative tour of the library (with Zoe's support and performance!) based on the list of 'No Ways for The Library' compiled by the participants the week before.   There were hoots of laughter and lots of words of encouragement including (from one participant):

The library is often such a staid place it was great to see something risky it it

Inspired by last week - Linda shared some personal stories about what she enjoys doing at home to relax.

And then it was the participants turn to create a performative tour. This time it was to be a one on one sensory experience ...

The sensory tour created some beautiful and trusting pairings:

I wanted him to give me a tour as I wondered whether I could trust him [to keep me safe]. He showed me that I could and it was quite romantic ...

We reflected together and shared ideas for future sessions. Much of the conversation centred on the desire to continue beyond the scheduled six sessions as well as to be directly involved in a performance.

Could the sessions continue on Wednesdays? I can't make another day?

I'm so pleased that the sessions are on because I come to the library every day and usually on a Wednesday it's closed and I'm quite upset because I have nothing to do.

We started the afternoon sessions with gentle and complimentary games to remember each other's names and to help us warm up. During the mirroring exercise I noticed that participants enjoyed watching as well as taking part. We also challenged caring partnerships to explore working with someone else in the group.

After re-staging the performative tour (much to the delight of the the participants as well as the carers from a local day centre - who were not expecting anything of the kind!) the participants created a sensory tour (one on one) around the library. I really enjoyed watching the tours taking place. It was beautiful to see the role reversal of someone who is often told what to do being entrusted to take care of another. It looked almost meditative as they gently guided their eyes closed audience and instructed them to feel or touch particular surfaces.

We reflected together and it was lovely to hear what people had enjoyed spoken in their own words:

... the mirroring ... steering someone around ... the gestures and Chinese whispers I'm movement ... as we are in a library it would be nice to do something with words ...the performance and Liz in her funny costumes ... the story telling - fortunately and unfortunately - how random the stories were - how fun ...

We concluded the day by creating a playful incident report (detailing the performance) as an intervention into the library staff meeting (due to be held the next day).

Hanham Library - Session One

In the Morning: Working with people wanting to improve their Mental Health

After getting to know each other a little we toured the library searching out golden glittery bookmarks.  We retrieved the marked books and ranged them on the library table -  secretly selecting a book from the stash, we shared our preferences with a partner who communicated our choice to the group in words or occasionally a small performance.

[My partner] chose the map.  As he’s feeling a bit lost in life at the moment.

Life's like a round about . . .

They've got sat nav now!

Taking inspiration from a display of objects including a blow up palm tree, pebbles, and lavender oil we each created our ideal place to relax (perhaps to relax and read or perhaps to do something else like watch a DVD, do some yoga or Cyroc dancing).  Everyone shared their space with a ten second performance or description of them doing their relaxing activity in their space.

Our final activity of the morning was to create a list of 10 rules of the library and then more excitingly a list of 10 No Ways.  Liz and Lucy promised they would create a performance out of the list ready for next week.

1. No space hoppers
2. No ducks
3. No amateur wrestling
4. No throwing books
5. No porn
6. No nudity
7. No heavy machinery
8. No antisocial behaviour
9. No foul language
10. No firearms

AFTERNOON

We started the afternoon retrieving golden marked books and sharing our preferences in performances and conversations.

Doreen chose the dogs book and Ken and Doreen shared stories of their huge dog “Our Tiny”

We talked for a long time sharing stories inspired by the books particularly the ones about sewing:

. . . there was no allowance for clothes but there was for material . . . that was the difference between girls and boys . . . there weren’t men around . . . . “I’d rather tackle a policeman than my mother”

I’ve known [him] for a long time and he's said more today than I've ever heard him say

Liz led us on a tour of the library and read out contributions from Library staff sharing their favourite place in the library.

. . . I like to imagine all the people who have handled the books in the decades before . . . . an ordinary bristolian . . . I want to dream of blue seas and skies . . . I envy them their freedom and guts to make the change . . . my favourite section is, always has been and always will be . . . the evolution of basketball . . . Friday film nights . . . old books into new crafts [Zoe shares her favourite section] . . . a moment in time, I wish we could capture it . . .

As in the morning we ended the day making a small scene of a place where we enjoyed reading: snuggled up on the sofa in lots and lots of blankets and miles high in an aeroplane looking at the world below.

Week Six Staple Hill

Well, you think you know someone, then they put a silver cape on and become a poet! 

Just our usual Tuesday here at Staple Hill library. There were impromptu congas on pedestrian crossings, cross dressing, dressing up, up to mischief goings on....

 I have been blown away by these last six weeks and the people I have met. Stories heard, tears shed, hands held, imaginations unleashed. I will never forget images painted from memories shared: D as a young woman up scaffolding working on a roof to the astonishment of men below, the dances she danced through life with beauty and poise, the way C turned a design on his coffee cup into a metaphor for community, fellowship and friendship; coach trips, car trips, walks through life. Our little groups have spawned friendships as well as creativity and so we have opened out the artists residency to include more group input as we turn all of the wonderful material we have generated in the groups into an artwork. 

Our 'Passports of the Imagination' are coming on beautifully and will be ready in a few weeks; just in time for our public showing of the work. 

Watch this space for an invitation to the party!

Week Three, Staple Hill

This week another fascinating exploration of explorings and journey makings.

We spoke of our favourite journeys and compared transport choices to life style choices. Taking Van Gogh as our inspiration on the subject of rowing boats, we spoke of everything from being un-anchored in life to being stranded on a shore and ways and means of getting around this quandry.

All in all we had both a very philosophical morning and afternoon! From riding a pedal bike outside of time, to how one piece of string can save us from many a mishap, the group bonded fondly over tea and choccie biccys. In fact, all participants seem to have the measure of each other and rather enjoy each others' company.

This became even more apparent in our later exercise of  making up luggage labels so we could take (perhaps only in our memories or imagination) our most treasured object on our imaginary group holiday to a south sea island.

It would seem that the morning group would take

3x teddies
1 radio
1 journal
1  video recorder
1 daughter
1 piece of string

with all those packed we should be prepared for anything!

... So it seems we are very open now to the idea of journeying together by now, so let's see where next week's sessions take us!

Week Two, Staple Hill

I had such a lot of fun today! As described in our first physical exercise, I was feeling a little Bleeeuuuhgggghhhhhhh but ended the day feeling much more Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy! A fantastic energy filled the room as we took the theme of journeying and literally ran with it. Things took a metaphorical turn as we discussed our attitudes that drive us through life’s journeys. Several writing exercises produced some amazing texts, we had Coincidental Catastrophes in Conway and Beautiful Beings at the Bar in Babbacombe.
 The writing that came out of today’s session was profound and beautiful. I began to suspect that we had some published writers in our midst. Watch this space for evidence of their talents! People took a leap of faith in some of the more physical exercises which we will build upon to generate material for creating the artwork as a culmination of these sessions. The artists already have an idea brewing after two really great days at Staple Hill. We will, of course keep you posted.

Week One, Staple Hill

Week one at Staple Hill library was a revelation. Wonderful friendly staff and an another engaged community made us all feel welcome from the moment we arrived and calmed our first-day nerves beautifully.

As you might have come to expect, much tea was drunk and cake eaten and much to our surprise, our participants were ready to jump straight in with some wonderful group sharing. Liz Vivi and I felt very humbled by these stories – not least because they will help to shape the structure of next week's work and allow us room to develop our ideas quicker than expected. Superb stuff.

Speaking of stories, we were speaking extracts from stories in our groups this week. One from Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals' and the other a poem 'Ozymandias' by Shelley. Each of these extracts had been generously supplied by staff at the library and gave us a richer stepping off point than we could have hoped for. With both members of staff having added their personal associations with the texts to the session, the group discussed families and the value of books right from the outset, which located us all in the right space – the library- ready to be taken elsewhere. Perfect.

Responding to the Durrell extract brought about some musings on the bountifulness of nature, whereas Shelley took us to a more barren landscape which inspired imaginings of desserts and the positives and negatives of being alone... interesting stuff indeed.

Transporting our group members to distant lands of fictional tell in this way, we also asked the participants to smell teas from around the world so that we could also travel in our minds to real places if that's what was preferred.

We also each chose one of the vast array of teacups and told each other stories of the cup whether those were simply why we chose it or perhaps who might have owned it and where it had sat in their house.

A sumptuous beginning to this project, we are very excited to see which texts the groups bring in next week to transport the group elsewhere. What with the space feeling so relaxed already, I feel we are truly ready for the next step on our journey together. Exciting stuff!  

I was delighted to have been invited to the Memory Café at Winterbourne last week. The empty tables beautifully adorned with blue flowers (the forget me not is central to the Alzeimer’s Society Dementia Friends campaign) soon filled up and the hall was alive with conversation, jokes and general hubbub.
I was providing a taster session for RE:MAPPING, our new arts based project which starts again this September (Tuesday 15th at 1.30pm) in Staple Hill Library. The afternoon sessions are aimed at people living with dementia, their families and carers.
Seeing as tea was to be served I thought I’d bring some teas of my own along to start off the conversation. We sniffed and felt Jasmine, Darjeeling and several other fragrant concoctions. We watched a beautiful flower tea unfurl in a glass cup. Everyone gave me one word to describe their thoughts about this strange sight. This wonderful group was very poetic, in the cup they saw: Sea Urchins, Kelp Forests, Other Worldly Coral Reefs In Bloom, Artistic Creepy Animals… No one however was brave enough to drink this particular tea!
People had very definite ideas about what makes the perfect cuppa. I found out about peoples’ favourite mugs bringing memories of loved ones, when the best china comes out of the cabinet and some very particular instructions for stirring your tea! As you may find from this list, the ‘perfect cuppa’ is a very personal thing…
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA, by Winterbourne Memory Café
* Put a tea bag in a cup OR warm the pot
* Use one tea bag per person OR one between two
* Use boiling water OR let it cool a little
* Mash the tea against the pot OR stir it 3 times anticlockwise
* Put in a pinch of salt OR not!
* Leave to brew for two, three, five OR ten minutes
* Choose your favourite cup OR any cup will do
* Pour the milk in first OR the tea in first
* Fill your cup not quite to the top OR always leave a little undrunk at the bottom
* Enjoy your brew!
BUT the best advice I found at Winterbourne for the perfect cuppa….?
Get someone else to make it for you!
I had a great time getting creative with people at the Memory Café. It was gentle introduction to the many things we do at our sessions. We use stories, poems and pictures to take us on creative journeys together. We create writing, performances, films and much more in our sessions. The afternoons are fun and enjoyable, and yes we do drink a lot of tea!
I would like to thank everyone at the Memory Café for welcoming me into their group, and for being so poetic and artistic with me in a short hour. If you would like to find out more please email: info@lizclarke.org, or call:
0784 0663616
All are welcome to join us at the sessions whether you are living with dementia, are a family member or a carer.

Week Six

A big pile of soil, some glitter, some photos, various gems, various textual gems that we have shared and some coloured feathers all put together on a world map. … What on Earth?

This week we said goodbye in the nicest possible way to our first group's devised character Eddie who came into being in week five as an excellent example of a 'life well lived'. We saw him off with a fond wave after asking each other what we would like to ask him and composing our answers on his behalf.

We dealt with the Big Questions like 'What do you find funny?' (his answer? 'Me'.) as well as 'What advice would you give people?' (his answer, 'Live openly and fully'). Our creation helped us to understand preconceptions of the Other and of ourselves and how we can challenge these and we love him for it.

Thanks Eddie.

The rest of our extremely creative day was spent with our fingers in the dirt looking for evidence of the work we had made together over the course of this project. We heard special phrases from each of our participants again as we unearthed snippets of stories, conversations and phrases; my personal favourites including, 'Underlying dandelion', and 'Mary Poppins took all the children off to meet the stars'.

One of the most poignant moments in this project for me overall however was one participant's reaction to the jasmine tea flower we unveiled in week one where she observed, 'The moisture feeds the flower – it is like a sea urchin'. This was not only poetic but the support assistant she had arrived with shared with us that in over a year she had never heard such words from her. There were happy tears all round. Wonderful.

Interactions such as these have made for an intensely emotional journey for both Liz and I and we hope that each of the incredible people we have shared it with feel the same. We thank everyone for taking part, being so open as to try new things every week (as well as helping us to eat all that cake!) and for sharing themselves with us.

We have all – literally - planted seeds today (in case you wondered why the soil) and I sincerely hope our orchids grow strong and remind each of us of the times we have spent together.

Thank you all.

Week Five

We can’t believe we are on week five already. We have met some amazing people and been privileged to hear some of their incredible stories. We’ve been around the world many times in these sessions which have naturally had a theme of Wanderlust.

Today was no exception; today we created a map of a Life Well Lived and transposed it onto a stranger’s face! From studying the lines, creases and contours of a face we mapped a journey with troughs, peaks and plateaus. We marveled at how tiny pieces of visual information could change our perception entirely. 

In the afternoon we camped under the stars, toasted marshmallows over a fire (well, a tealight), created our very own constellations and whispered stories under starlit canvas ‘til lights out. Isn’t it strange how cocoa tastes better when you’re camping?

We heard about the monkey who used a little girl’s hairbrush and all fell for an unlikely story about mice and grain. There was an impromptu round of old school camping songs before we all packed up our sleeping bags and zipped the tent shut. Luckily we didn’t have time to eat the pot noodle I brought to share.