Donna in Sydney
I will be back in the UK early May, until then please check out my travel blog: http://studyvolunteeraustralia.wordpress.com
My bread and Vicky Sponge Cake…Yummmy
Lately I’ve been exploring Sensory Loss
One of my projects ‘Being in my Shoes’ is about putting the audience in my shoes and experiencing hearing loss themselves. This work is inspired by Javier Tellez’s film, Letter on the Blind Side, which features an elephant and 6 blind people from New York. This project is not to highlight my deafness, but to explore our individual experiences of reality and how they are governed by our senses. Reality experienced by myself is different to that of a blind and hearing person. I’m interested in our experiences and how we perceive the world. For example my sense of smell is higher than that of a hearing person. My world is a visual world. I read body language and I can ‘see’ sounds. I’m also interested in how quickly we adapt to the loss of a sense.
I’ve invited a group of people to participate in a series of activities. One member will be hearing impaired and will be introduced to the group. (They may all know each other or they may be strangers) The group will be given a task in which they all have an individual role to play. The activity forces the group to interact with each other and develop new ways of communicating in order to get the task completed. I have quite a few people sighed up for this, but it’s a big project that needs planning! Watch this space.
AT the moment planning a series of 5 daily installations based on a piece of text written by myself called ‘The Girl with Wooden Ears’, who goes off in search for sound. The text is written in a similar style to that of a fairy tale.
These installations are planned for May 9th so lots to do to organise this. The installations will feature audio, projectors and weird fabric sculptures. I will keep you updated on this. Today I’m off to Maplins to buy speaker cones and wiring etc for the audio. I’m making the speakers myself and hanging them from the ceiling.
Just playing at the moment…printing onto fabric, a 2D form and turning it into 3D stuffed sculptures!
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Monday 4 April 2011 10:30am – 3:30pm
Master the art of French Knitting (also known as ‘Peg Knitting’) with contemporary artist Donna Vokes during this one-day workshop.
In this workshop participants will master the technique using a small knitting spool, before moving to a bigger spool to make a hat, cowl or a bag.
We will be experimenting with various techniques on the day involving wire, wool, fabric and beading.
No prior knowledge of knitting is required and all materials and tools will be provided.
It’s easy to learn and is popular with adults and children alike.
COST: £35 (All materials included).
Booking Essential.
For further information, or to book a place, please contact Emma Purchase on 01590 682260 (ext. 2) or e-mail: emma.purchase@artsway.org.uk
Please Note: All courses must be booked in advance. Please contact the gallery for further information.
I found a book of poems on my desk today – my tutor left it, forgetting to take it with him after our chat. It was bookmarked at ‘How to Paint a Portrait of a Bird’ A poem written by French poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert who died in 1977. I think it’s a lovely contemporary poem, yet with a classic feel.
First paint a cage
with an open door
then paint
something pretty
something simple
something beautiful
something useful
for the bird
Then place the canvas against a tree
in a garden
in a wood
or in a forest
hide behind the tree
without speaking
without moving …
Sometimes the bird comes quickly
but he can just as well spend long years
before deciding
Don’t get discouraged
wait
wait years if necessary
the swiftness or slowness of the coming
of the bird having no rapport
with the success of the picture
When the bird comes
if he comes
observe the most profound silence
wait till the bird enters the cage
and when he has entered
gently close the door with a brush
then
paint out all the bars one by one
taking care not to touch any of the feathers of the bird
Then paint the portrait of the tree
choosing the most beautiful of its branches
for the bird
paint also the green foliage and the wind’s freshness
the dust of the sun
and the noise of insects in the summer heat
and then wait for the bird to decide to sing
If the bird doesn’t sing
it’s a bad sign
a sign that the painting is bad
but if he sings it’s a good sign
a sign that you can sign
so then so gently you pull out
one of the feathers of the bird
and you write your name in a corner of the picture
Oops I forgot to post the final result, completed at the end of 2010.
This pretty birdy collage is made with a mixture of fabric and paper and then layered with white paint and varnish for a very smooth finish. I presented it on an old vinyl record.
