“Give as a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever."― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Monkton Wyld Court, April 2022 Marion and Catherine sit by the wood burner after a full day of work - … Continue reading Sustainable Communities: Musings
ancestors
Ancestree – Creative Writing Workshops
From Monday to Wednesday, I'm going to be running creative writing workshops with Flow Maugran, the creator of Ancestree, an incredible four-storey crochet tree installation in Glanfa foyer at Wales Millennium Centre. The workshops are free and drop-in - see here for more info - no need to book. Ancestree was the centrepiece during the Your … Continue reading Ancestree – Creative Writing Workshops
Acting Out: Cynefin – Week Two
Week two of working with year 4 and 5 children on the ACW Cynefin project. Ceri, the teacher and I made plans for the next few weeks leading up to June's visit. June is going to work with the children on a short performance that will be captured on film by Nick and Marcus from … Continue reading Acting Out: Cynefin – Week Two
Cut-out Critters
I've been cutting out creatures from the experimental print textures as examples of what can be added to The Weaving Tree, an exciting project at Wales Millennium Centre. I planned the birds and hare, but the two creatures below emerged from random marks made in the print-making process, and I love how kooky they are. … Continue reading Cut-out Critters
Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist
I first came across this artist at Tate Modern in 2013, surprised that this was the first exhibition there dedicated to African Modernism. Ibrahim El-Salahi has recently had a solo exhibition at the Ashmolean, Oxford where he now lives. I stood in front of this 8 foot square painting: Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams I (1961–5) … Continue reading Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist
An Otherworldly Journey
“Suddenly, for a time, the door is open, the magic is working; a channel exists between the page and the shadowy cave in the mind.” ~ Susan Cooper One very hot summer, I went on a journey to meet an artist I have long admired. The artist had put out a call for people to … Continue reading An Otherworldly Journey
Stories from the Dreamtime
For Week 3 of the Children's Art and Writing course, the children listened to three stories from the Dreamtime creation myths of Aboriginal culture: How the kangeroo got her pouch, Barramundi, (how the fish came to be in the waters), and a Kunwinjku Dreamtime Story of the long-necked turtle and the echidna, telling why they live … Continue reading Stories from the Dreamtime