Roseland

Roseland in Russia

I have been working on a new direction for Roseland. I had a number of plans that never took shape over the winter due to events beyond my control. In the darkest, deepest winter I received an email out of the blue from an artist, Henri Grahn, who invited me to take part in Dialogi, the international Biennale of Contemporary Art held at the Manezh Gallery in St Petersburg, Russia. My wish is to work with another artist who is based in Shetland, Susan Timmins, to realise a participatory project that includes people in Shetland and St Petersburg. I plan to invite people to make roses in both Shetland and St Petersburg and then swap them. Susan has a clothes pegs project that has been going a long time. She even has clothes pegs from St Petersburg that I brought her in 2005.

1,100 Rosebuds

I am writing from the village of Newlyn in Cornwall. It is a busy fishing port, but it also is famous for its association with artists. In May 2004 I realised a project called 1,100 Rosebuds at Newlyn Art Gallery. I realise it is the first time that I invited members of the public to make roses.

Visitors to the gallery, pupils from local schools and members of community groups made 1,100 tin rosebuds over the course of one week. We used tin because the tin mining industry formed an important part of Cornwall's industrial heritage which has died out. On the last day the installation was complete, and everyone was invited to return to take their rosebuds away as a memento of their experience and a reminder of the story of the Rosebud and its contemporary relevance.

The story of the Rosebud fishing boat is very famous in Newlyn, and there are a number of reminders. In 1937 the Rosebud sailed up the Thames River in London with eight Newlyn fishermen on board, to take a petition to the Government, protesting against the demolition of their homes.

For the exhibition I also made fortyeight embossed tin plaques, recounting the story of the Rosebud which we hung in the ground floor gallery space. They contained texts taken with permission from Michael Sagar-Fenton’s book about the Rosebud, excerpts from personal letters and news clippings. Joy Batten, whose grandfather sailed on the Rosebud to Westminster, loaned a letter he wrote from London about the journey.

Visitors to this space could also listen to sound recordings of interviews with visitors to the exhibition who had a story to tell with a link to the story of The Rosebud or the issues related to regeneration, such as the fishing industry or housing. As the exhibition and event progressed over the week, local residents brought memorabilia related to the story of The Rosebud for display in this space. Raymond Peake, son of the Rosebud’s boat builder loaned photographs and a model he made of the Rosebud.

This project was a CST project supported by PALP (Artists Led Initiatives in Penwith),
Arts Council of England National Touring Programme and Southwest Arts.

Roseland in Ullapool

This time last week I was winging my way home from the Highlands and Islands Visual Arts Gathering in Ullapool (13 and 14th November 2006) where I gave a talk. I included some images from Roseland in Düsseldorf. The conference was organised by Hi-Arts following the publication of Georgina Cobourn's research in to the state of the visual arts in the region.

Sadly I never saw Ullapool in all its glory, as I arrived at night, surfaced the next morning in the pouring rain for a quick drive to the conference venue and then left in the dark! I saw deer along the road but no scenery.

I did meet lots of folk - new artists as well as some I haven't seen for ages. It was fantastic, too, to meet artists from Orkney. Artists Rik Hammond and Clare Gee (or ussr1049), who are based in Orkney, looked at this Roseland weblog and thought there was a connection with their photos.

Laura's Photos

Laura has sent me copies of some of her photos from the ferry to Rosenlund in Sweden. I've posted them in a new category, devoted to Rosenlund in the hope that I'll get more news and photos to put in there. Maybe I can go one day.

The Pink Umbrella

Dorothée has written to me from Düsseldorf to thank me for the pink umbrella I gave her after the opening at Malkasten. One day it was raining, and she took the pink umbrella with her when she went home. She said she thought it must look very funny because she is so small with the big pink umbrella over her head. It must make people feel very happy when they see her.

A Gift from Hamburg

I just got a gift in the post. I was so surprised. When I saw the word Luftpost on the envelope, I realised it was from Germany. So far I've only received emails since I returned from Düsseldorf, and I had forgotten the thrill of getting post from a different country. It is a wonderful photograph of the opening at Malkasten.....lots of pink umbrellas are in it! Thank you, Ralf!

Portability

Michel and Noriko gave me a somewhat crazy gift at the opening at Malkasten that I just love. It is a miniature, portable altar that folds into a an envelope barely 3 x 4.5 cm. It is shiny yellow plastic with red stitching. I've posted photos here of its interior and the wonderful giftwrap image. I don't know what inspired it, but its portability fits perfectly with my small obsession with wheels for everything to do with Roseland. I found so many wheels in Germany. I came home with nearly 100 different kinds to create new artworks. I'll be screwing wheels onto small paintboxes, or 'malkasten', which I bought in Düsseldorf and have brought home with me.

The Most Practical Gift

Christa and Paula gave me a gift that proved incredibly useful even before I left Düsseldorf. They brought it to the opening at Malkasten, which was so lovely. I saved it to take home to Shetland, but unfortunately I ran out of shower gel on my last day. I opened their gift, wild rose foaming bath soap and shower gel, topped by a stretchy, sparkly pink scrubbing glove.

Francisca's Painting

The day after the Kunstpunkte finished, my neighbour, the artist Francisca, knocked on my door. She asked if she could bring a friend to see my studio. He made a rose and we all chatted. We spoke of memories and twins, and suddenly Francisca left. When she returned she presented one of her watercolours to me, a pulsating heart in pinks and mauves.

The Sea Rose

I was given many gifts in Düsseldorf. One of my favourite gifts had to be the Sea Rose from Vivienne, the fashion designer. She presented it to me at the beginning of my evening at WG. It made me feel more relaxed and positive about the prospect of speaking and teaching people how to make roses. The word in German for 'water lily' literally means 'sea rose', which I much prefer. While I was in Düsseldorf I missed the sea, so this gift made me think of all the water I was missing from Shetland.