Residency 'The BLADNOCH ALTARPIECE' 2018 - SLiDESHOW
OBJECT OF SANCTITY - written during The Bladnoch Altarpiece residency at Unit 3 Gallery April-May 2018, on the site of the former Bladnoch Creamery near Wigtown, Scotland. The poem is read by Gary 'Breagle' Martin in the soundscape ‘Till the Cows Come Home’ created for the exhibition (listen on player button above), which features voices of women who worked in the creamery.
IT’S JUST A PIECE OF OLD JUNK
THE HANDLE A YOUNG MAN TURNED EACH DAY
AT LEAVING TIME TURNED BACK THE OTHER WAY
THAT THING YOU FOUND
LAYING ON THE GRITTY GROUND
IT’S FOR RECYCLING NOT ADMIRING
THOSE ROUNDED EDGES CRAFTED
SO AS NOT TO CUT THE USER
HERE A HUNDRED YEARS
WILL BE NOWHERE IN THE FUTURE
HOW CAN IT BE AN OBJECT OF SANCTITY?
IT’S RUSTY, LIKE AN OLD MAN’S MEMORY
A SYMBOL OF UNBREAKABILITY
WE’LL RISE AGAIN,
OUR VIBRANT, STRONG COMMUNITY
LIFE STORIES | GRAPHIC MEMOIR & FICTION
LifeStories 2019 Project with LGBT Youth Scotland (Scotland's national charity for LGBTI young people aged 13-25)
I believe in the power of the arts to make life better and love to work with people to unleash their creative potential. That's why I undertake projects that involve people, communities and collaboration.
Many young people enjoy graphic novels, comics, drawing, painting and inventing stories, but few get the chance to work closely with an artist to produce their own work for publication. In Summer 2019 I had the opportunity to run a series of workshops with young folks to produce this LifeStories publication. They amazed me with the range and quality of their imagination, as well as their individuality. Some stories are illustrated wordlessly in just a few images, some mainly text based, and others weave together text and visual like mini graphic novels.
The project allowed LGBTI young people from across the Dumfries & Galloway region to explore their creative potential and develop confidence in themselves - sharing their experiences, aspirations, challenges and dreams as well as developing their skills in visual art, design and writing. Most importantly, it allowed them to find and use their voices. The result was a wonderful short book that the young people involved can share with the wider community with celebration and pride.
Shared here are the cover and pages by some of the participants, as well as the back cover with all-important credits to LGBT Youth Scotland, DG Unlimited | Regional Arts Fund, Dumfries and Galloway Council the organisations whose support made it possible. If you'd like a full copy in PDF form, please contact me on hopelondonartist@gmail.com
Mural and Performance Project - If These Walls Could Talk 2016 - the walls tell the story of a man who lived in Room 1D at the Carlton Arms Hotel in New York. Supported by Carlton Arms Arts Project and Creative Scotland/VAACMA Award.
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE CARLTON ARMS HOTEL ARTS PROJECT http://carltonarms.com/open-studio-artist-hope-london/