We've just packed away after the first public Soft Drive event.
Over the
weekend we have had a steady traffic of visitors and colleagues from this and other projects, delighting in the skill
and humour of Arthur Watts and offering their perspectives on the
why and how this building works on us. When people visit, they stick around; they look at the Watts map, Lindsay's photos, the Anthology and the folder of details , and they talk about the cottage, about our work here, and more often than not their own.
Jan
Hancock (right) was over earlier from the Civic Society, she told me
and Ellie of the history of the society and its archive, how cataloguing is about to begin. Jan and Ellie had a useful talk about the effects of archiving and presentation, about her work for Portsmouth Museum services,where she ran small exhibitions of objects without information or context, inviting speculation and interpretation.
and Ellie of the history of the society and its archive, how cataloguing is about to begin. Jan and Ellie had a useful talk about the effects of archiving and presentation, about her work for Portsmouth Museum services,where she ran small exhibitions of objects without information or context, inviting speculation and interpretation.
We talked
about the editorial role of the local curator and collections
manager; how most municipal and national collections draw on the
arbitrary accumulation of artefacts by explorers, colonists,
industrialists, and of how the locally-centred collection is a
comparatively new idea.
Musician Deborah Milledge called in, she's a friend of Full Of Noises festival and we talked about art and community and how it should be possible to work with both without undervaluing either. Dennis Metcalfe and historian Ian McNicol dropped by; Dennis
describes himself as a Snapper. His photographs of Ulverston form an almost daily record of the life of the town. Dennis notices small details and developments as well as the more constant landmarks. It seems unlikely that there is a square meter of the place of which Dennis has not made some record. His collection- in whatever form it takes – will one day be looked at and mined for precisely these details; sink holes in fields, scarecrows, doorways, buildings caught in mid-development, long abandoned bikes and beautiful juxtapositions.
Musician Deborah Milledge called in, she's a friend of Full Of Noises festival and we talked about art and community and how it should be possible to work with both without undervaluing either. Dennis Metcalfe and historian Ian McNicol dropped by; Dennisdescribes himself as a Snapper. His photographs of Ulverston form an almost daily record of the life of the town. Dennis notices small details and developments as well as the more constant landmarks. It seems unlikely that there is a square meter of the place of which Dennis has not made some record. His collection- in whatever form it takes – will one day be looked at and mined for precisely these details; sink holes in fields, scarecrows, doorways, buildings caught in mid-development, long abandoned bikes and beautiful juxtapositions.
We have
begun plans for a small exhibition at the cottage.
Brian
Hopkins was last in the cottage in the 1940's..he is a botanist
from Cheltenham, and was evacuated to Ulverston from Salford during
the war. He was here for 6 years and is getting together with his
friends from that time. We'll be sending him Ellie's research on
Ann Marie Truter, and keeping in touch.
Great weekend. Thanks for coming and for what you brought.
Great weekend. Thanks for coming and for what you brought.
Comments
Post a Comment