PhD Archive

Academy of Urbanism public open meeting. Arranged with Max Comfort of Stroud Commonwealth and Carole Garfield of Stroud chamber of Trade. Not very well attended but good discussion and commitment from some good people – Lizzi, Stella. Gerb, Steve, Alan and Val.

The Weave has developed its own momentum and my role has shifted. It needs to shift again towards my initial intention of working with the wider community through drawing. The AoU visit will provide further framework for this work or point to the need to be outside of the processes.

Tutorial with Dr. Robert Newell in Swansea. Discussed submitted introduction to Thesis and book of reflective drawings. A number of the reflective drawings have been made on boats and trains and other journeys. I’ve been thinking about how this relates to walking and drawing to develop an understanding of a sense of place. The later is more about the performance of drawing and is done with other people rather than making drawings of them.

preparing for the open meeting and Academy of Urbanism visit. Briefing Lizzi Walton from Stroud International Textiles.

11th and 12th October – preparation of slides and presentation to symposium at a post graduate forum from across Wales. Noticed the commonality with production designers engaged in consulting potential users on the designs of a range of goods. Also noticed differences which suggest to me some differences between design and what I’m doing.

11th September until 10th October,

good to be in a different place, a different culture and language. It helped to focus and shift perception.

11th September until 10th October,

reading, writing and drawing on Corsica – using drawing as a way of questioning and understanding. Also videoing as a way of seeing.

Unfortunately pretty shattered by the day of the festival but did use “mother nature’s drawing machine” to invite people to make drawings around the festival site and made some sound recording. Interested in capturing the aesthetic of the event and some of the ideas behind it.

Most people I approached were happy to join in and draw and liked the machine itself, on the whole people were amused by it. I didn’t lead specific walks, just hung around with the machine, walked with it and engaged people as I came across them.

A surprising aspect of the “performance” was my “invisibility” amongst so many parents with their young children in similar buggies to the one I’d converted to the drawing machine.

Took hours to dismantle the festival. Really felt as if I was doing too much at the expense of making the most of the opportunity to make a drawing. However, this is the nature of co-researching with communities.

setting-up festival site, marquees etc.

7th and 8th – making drawing machine for festival of nature and preparing for Weave Advisory Group.

Have moved away from the idea of the drawing machine being based on Edwin Buddings original lawn mower – the idea of “mother nature’s drawing machine” seems a simpler message for the Festival of Nature.

Meeting of Weave Advisory Group

Preparing for Corsica

led a Rodborough Weave walk as part of the walking festival. No photos, no sound though…l