news: Library of Memory. London - December 2014

Access to the space for the installing of the installation was available only 4 hours before the show was to open with I hoped an enthusiastic first visiting class from one of the schools. The installation therefor was in part pre-fabricated and required pupils from one class to help and transport the numerous part to the space. I have yet to manage a project which doesn't have this final stress up to the last moment and this project was no different. The moment I felt I'd put the last elements together that the not one but 2 visiting classes arrived. 60 plus odd children and the enthusiasm and energy to match makes for, I would say, a baptism of fire. The installation survived and I hope survives to this day in the minds and memories of those involved in the project.

 

news: Library of Memory – final installation

The involvement of 3 schools and around 240 children creates plenty of work and ideas, it also creates a few hard decisions. It is never easy the editing process and as always time and budgets strictly layout  the path and limits towards any final installation and project summary. Early on in the project, a trip to the education resource depot (possibly my absolute favorite place in London, it's an aladins cave, curiosity shop, Santas workshop all in one at the moment of exploding) seemed to let me down throwing up no obvious materials in which to realize the structure of the final installation. There were though some double sided mirrored card which as the project progressed seemed to lend itself to the ideas and work of the children. It's reflective quality and the ability to create a differing perspective through the bending of this material grow more and more fitting as a medium to involve in the installation process. 

 I began to play with shapes that would reflect back on  themselves, lines dissecting and bridging plains and parts and also that of layers, forming a complex single form. 

I wanted also to be able to include as many images as possible, wishing no child to feel they were not involved or represented. Only 4 days before the installation was to be installed did I know of the location and so needed to assume that the work would have to be self supportive. 

I found myself playing with the representative form/symbol for infinity. The idea of something devoid of boundaries, a thread weaving between time, location and form seems fitting and it lent itself to something which could prove to be self supporting physically.

> images are from my project notebook. 2014.