FINAL EVALUATION - ALNWICK GARDENS
Our final project was to make an installation for Alnwick Gardens, we were tasked to research Alnwick and the gardens in create something that would fit in with the other sculptures in Alnwick Gardens woodland walk. I had a few ideas that the one that stood out the most was creating an installation with the help of Swansfeild primary school in Alnwick, I decided to go to Swanson Park primary school and teacher lesson there about the work we do at Newcastle College arts department. And also asked them some creative input on the task we have been given. I decided on an idea which had three parts.
The first part would Tepee which I would make from a wooden base and canvas material, I asked all of the children to draw pictures of themselves in black pen. The reason I did this was because I do a lot of fine liner drawings on my website kkinghorn.com and it would tie in nicely with the other works I have done this year. I asked them to draw picture themselves and underneath statement about their favourite thing about Alnwick, these will then be printed onto canvas material and added to the Tepee structure.
As well as including the children from Alnwick I wanted to also do something about the older generation, so I decided to put a force on Facebook asking people to semi-historical images and references from Alnwick and the surrounding areas. I got a good response and a lot of people send me their photos and fond memories of Alnwick.
From this I took a few images that I thought were the most interesting, because these images did not show the tourist attractions or better-known aspects of Alnwick’s history, but were more people led. In the way that the people from Alnwick would recognise the things, more than people are twin from the area. People are twin from the area may not know of these traditions and historical events.
My idea for this project was that I was going to focus on the people of Alnwick not the place itself, and see the police comes into it more people’s memories of a place.
I also did a book review on a book I read called who they once were, the people of Alnwick1894. This is a very interesting book which had drawings of Alnwick town people from over 200 years ago, and character references on who they with. It went famous people or even wealthy people, just random people that this artists seem to come across on the street.
Although this book was very influential in the way of looking at the people of Alnwick rather than the place, which is what I’m kind of looking for this project. This book was based over 200 years ago, and I want people to relate to this project today.
I rang a number of care homes in old people’s homes in Alnwick, asking if I could come in and maybe ask people to do drawings of themselves, or ask if I could draw them and asked a few things about Alnwick but unfortunately I was unable to do this as it was against the care homes wishes. This is explained to me because some of the residents would not be able to fully understand what I was asking of them, may agree to get their picture drawn but not actually want to really. They did say that they would get an activity manager to ring me back but it never happened so I let the idea go.
I decided to take some of the scenes that were given to me over Facebook, , these comprised of an image of the river Aln frozen over and people ice-skating on it in the past, the legend of the dirty bottles and the curse they hold, an astronomer’s house just up my street which often get overlooked, the music festival much loved festival in Alnwick every summer, and Shrove Tuesday football match an annual football match held down by the castle which is an integral part of Alnwick’s traditions.
To tie the installation together, with the old and the new. I decided to create two wooden plaques. And have then either side of the tepee, the first would be titled the good old days. A poem that I had written about how the older generation always go on about the good old days, and housings on quite the same now. The poem is about embracing the right now, not just for yourself but for the younger generation to show them today can be a good day to, or even a better day if you let it.
The other wooden slab would be titled the good days now, in comparison with the first-place lab this place I will be from the statements of the children from Swansfeild Park, the statements are brilliant and the children worked really hard in both their drawings and a statement that they made for me. One of my favourites was this “my favourite thing about Alnwick is, that my dad works in Blackshaw’s garage and sometimes he lets me sit in the for sale cars and eat flapjacks and chocolate because I don’t get crumbs” children statements are so innocent particularly these, it’s impossible to read them about smiling. The perfect wooden slab to contradict the first which is more about what we should be doing for the children and how the older generation perceive the world around us.
Two of the clay slabs, one about Alnwick music Festival, and one about Shrove Tuesday football match I decided not to put in to clay, that’s because I hadn’t issue with the strawberry pickers clear slab which cracked right down the middle. I didn’t want a chance another clear slab breaking thread decided to have them cut into wood, this would work better anyway because then it would go
Clay, wood, clay, wood, clay, wood, clay, wood. And would look more professional that way having as much word as clay. I have finished this project as far as a practical work is concerned, the only thing left of the two wooden slab such a am waiting for to be laser cut into wood, but it’s there and it’s ready be cut and will 100% definitely be ready by the time our installations are placed into Alnwick Gardens.
