Summer in the City

This week, being a tourist in our beloved London.

Houses of Parliament from the Abbey Gardens (free to enter, very quiet and peaceful place)

Despite recent events just up the road from us, scary and unnerving, we keep

...our eyes locked on the overwhelmingly bigger amount of good (see here and here and here)

..our minds working through the deeper questions, avoiding knee-jerk reactions, helped by voices such as this and this and this and this and this (and this which wells me up everytime I watch it)

...our hearts believing in the ultimate goodness of humans and praying for pain, darkness and badness to be transformed.

Rainbow over London (and my washing!)

Holidays await us in the next 3 weeks, coming and going between London and Norfolk and the ever-inspiring Greenbelt Arts Festival. Looking forward to spending a lot of time amongst trees, beaches and the creativity of festival fun to calm and nourish us.

 I'll be seeing you very soon...

A HUGE welcome!

Truly huge! About 3 1/2 metres long...

Last week saw the launch of the mosaic Welcome project I facilitated with Wandsworth Social Services. The pictures say it all....and there were lots of smiling little faces (not shown due to confidentiality, though you can see my little smiler who came along to watch!).

 

One fabulous launch and an amazing work of the heart

The Hospital Mosaic Project was launched last Thursday - unveiled by internationally renowned mosaic artist, Martin Cheek (photo left) and Philip Holmes (photo right) to reveal a wall of over 100 mosaics by artists from all around the world (including yours truly). Everyone gasped - and rightly so.

My mosaic is bottom row, second in from the left

Me and my 'Circles'!

To top the launch of this awesome piece of public art was the heart behind it. Mosaic Artist, Karla Duterloo, invited all contributing artists to learn about (and donate to) the work of the Esther Benjamin Trust. At the launch, founder, Philip Holmes, spoke of the work they do with the forgotten children of Nepal ("last week we rescued 9 children from slavery in the Indian circus trade") and how the work started as a tribute to his loving wife, Esther Benjamin, who took her own life due to the pain of childlessness. The charity has created a career path in mosaic-making for many of the rescued young people, giving them hope and a future. It was deeply moving listening to Philip describe in detail the work they do with such passion. Please do visit their website - they are about to launch the US arm of their charity.

From left: two hospital officials, Martin Cheek, Karla Duterloo, local Mayors, Philip Holmes

Both these wonderful initiatives are a clear example of art bringing life don't you think? If you want to see each mosaic in detail, you can order a copy of the book from blurb here. If you want to see the real thing (photos never do mosaics justice) you can go and see it at the Central Middlesex Hospital, Transport Lounge, Acton Lane, London NW10 7NS. The nearest tubes are Harlesden and North Acton. Well worth a visit!

A season of 'unveilings'

A few days ago I went to an 'unveiling' and in 3 weeks I am off to another. Well, friends, my April, May and June have been a busy old time,  doing two community mosaic projects. Now they are both complete and there is rather a lot of celebrating and 'unveiling' going on!

Last weekend, the Mayor of Camden joined about 150 other people at the Sudanese Women's Association in Kilburn, to celebrate and unveil the wonderful creative work done by local women. A large (1.5 x 1.5 metre) mosaic was part of the project which aimed to create friendships between women of different cultures, which this project achieved most beautifully (funny how easy it is to talk and share stories when your hands are busy making something).

The feedback from these wonderful people (aged 3 - 91, from a wide range of cultures) was so touching. "We never thought we could do something like this, but you came along and showed us and without realising it, we were doing it!" And a great job they did (and worked soooo hard to boot). There are tiles left over, the group has caught the mosaic bug and the next projects are being plotted and planned!

The second community project was with Wandsworth Social Services Click Team which works with children and young people who are in state care.

This group of around 20 young people wanted to brighten up the Social Services reception area and so I hatched the idea to mosaic a giant 'Welcome'!

For two solid days (and a few round the edges by yours truly) the group glued a huge variety of tiles on the giant letters (this included nuggets, vitreous tiles, millefiore and soft glass - great for working with kids). It was great fun and took me back to my youth & social work days!

The outcome is vibrant, cheerful and striking - this is no whisper of a 'Welcome' sign!

It will be mounted and unveiled on July 19th - I'm really looking forward to seeing it in its new home.

Lastly, I am at my third unveiling this Thursday, for the North London Hospital Mosaic wall which features this mosaic of mine alongside many others from all over the world. I know its going to be amazing!

What is so cool about having facilitated this recent crop of community mosaics (including last December with Star/KKF refugee youth club) is that it has bought together the two worlds that I have spent my life working in - mosaics (for nearly 3 years as my profession) and social / community work (for 22 years). Serendipity eh?

When art and community meet...

You are never to young or old to make mosaics.  And here is the proof.

These are pictures from one of the mosaic community projects I have been running in the last two months (yes, I've been a busy bee). Lots of women are gathering to make this mosaic celebrating our unity amidst our diversity.

Some of the participants - May, Caroline, Belle and Joti

The youngest participant has been 2 years old, and the oldest, Belle, is 91! She wins the prize for being my oldest ever student (and what a fantastic job she has been doing in the last 5 weeks).

 

Here's a little technique I invented to help people create neat borders to elements of the picture.  Use blu-tack to create an edge to each 'form' so that pieces are not stuck in the wrong places. Once each form is stuck, you just remove the blu-tack and voila'! Good for working with children too :)

We have 3 weeks left to finish this piece of community art (eek!) before it is unveiled in the community centre where it will live.  It has been wonderful sitting together, nipping, sticking and sharing stories with people of different ages and backgrounds (we have counted true Londoners, Scottish, Ugandan, Indian, Italian, Albanian, Pakistani, Sudanese, Jamaican and more amongst our origins!).  Don't you just love it when art and community meet..?

Arty party party party!

We came, we gathered, we made...

Sally Dunnett from Smart Glass UK teaching us how to make beautiful fused glass creations...

My glass creation (several layer of stacked glass, including gorgeous dichroic) ready to go in the kiln

A few more creations prior to fusing...

Next, in the pub, making jewelry under the tuition of the lovely Louise from Lou Lou Workshop

...and gorgeous vintage fabric brooches taught to us by the wonderful Gillian from Fabric Nation

Claire having fun with needle and thread!

 ...we laughed, we ate, we drank

Lucy showing off her charm bracelet

...we celebrated,  and lastly, we danced!

What better 40th bash could a girl want?

Some of the arty party gang who made in into the picture!

And me...happy at being surrounded by such wonderful girlfriends and of course blokey mates who came in the evening (and those that danced into the night!). I am left  grinning at how many of them said it was the best day they had had in ages...cos they had not used their hands to create for way too long. "Wow...I can't believe I made this" and "Please can you have 40th birthday parties all the time?" being two favourite quotes. I have been wearing my brooch and bracelet all day and am looking forward to seeing my glass creation once it has cooked in the kiln!

Thank you to everyone for making it such a memorable launch into my next decade - I started as I mean to go on, with friendship and creativity at the heart.