Time after Time: An Artist's Book in the Making

 To test tonal contrast, paper colour and tinting, I have printed dozens of versions of Jo Cox, pandas, Alan Kurdi, tigers, the Aquarius rescue ship, cherubs and Trump on different papers and with different print-settings. I am about to stick the first collage elements to the background so it is a pretty crucial decision. The to right image shows a choice between the shortlisted approaches and I opted for tonal contrast on a white background with fine black or fine white outlines depending on location. To my eye, this approach seemed to be more punchy and complemented the painted elements more effectively. Now to commit and glue!

 Many more tiny leaves. Leaves on a hillside supporting recovering species of tigers and pandas; leaves and flowers growing around Jo Cox, her ideas living on; and leaves growing at the base of Grenfell (turning Grenfell into a living, green tower, has been suggested as a way to celebrate and remember the lives of those who were lost). The first leaves were quite naturalistic and inspired by the paintings in Garden and Cosmos, but these were too mimetic. The leaves-shapes of the second-attempt were more consistent with the overall design, but the colour too bright. The shape and colour of the Goldilocks leaves worked well but are taking an age to paint, a base layer of white required to achieve the vibrant colour I want...once again, it would be quicker to grow the plants! Overall, the colours of the panel need lifting, so I am also wondering whether to make the pale-blue dashes white, a decision that can wait a while.

 I am returning to this tricky aspect of the first panel: remembering those who died in the Grenfell Tower whilst respecting those who still live and remember their loved-ones. After a number of attempts, I have settled on a screen-printed tower with cut-out windows to reveal a layer behind which will be shades of red, pink and gold (the bright lives and the fire). However, I also wanted to be specific, so I have decided to list the names of the 72 people who died as a form of memorial, a pull-out from the main image which can be revealed or hidden.

 I have finally got to the point where I need to complete the background for the 4th plate of the first panel, which includes a depiction of the Larsen C iceberg and the Whanganui River, a river which has been granted personhood in New Zealand, thereby able to claim the same rights as humans. The wavy lines connect the 3rd and 4th panel and shift perspective from elevation to plan-view (hill becoming sea and river). I have looked at examples of water in Japanese and Chinese paintings and have just started testing alternative approaches.

  The content and aims of my Major Project, Time after Time  correspond with some of the AHA conference themes and offer an opportunity to test the potential of the artwork to engage and activity audiences, an aim which was set out in my Project Proposal. So I have decided to submit a proposal to run a session as outlined below. I think this would be a great opportunity to exhibit and contextualise my work and also to collaborate with CT colleagues/research student, so I hope it gets accepted: “This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don’t be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings” (Macy and Gahbler , 2006, p.105). How technology can be used to augment analogue artworks and further engage and activate audiences. Delegates are invited t...

 The zine-making workshop with Ceri Amphlett  was very inspiring and I enjoyed seeing examples of her work and learning about the potential of the zine as a very immediate and direct form of communication. I have since led my own zine workshop with MA students who used is it as part of their climate action activism, the success of this has given me the confidence to respond to a call for sessions from the Architectural Humanities Research Association around the theme of 'Situated Ecologies': Zines have a long history associated with campaigning, sharing information, telling the stories of marginalised groups and activism; they have been designed to circumvent mainstream media and institutions and to democratise political messaging. There is now a renewed interest in the relevance of the zine as a counterpoint to on-line information that is controlled and censored by social media platforms and news conglomerates: contemporary zine makers use the medium for activism - a medium e...