PARKFIFTEEN
When I am with you there’s no place I’d rather be
My proposal was chosen by the selection panel, and initially consisted of a sound art installation along a pathway using motion sensors set in motion by persons walking along a path. The sounds consisted of a pre recorded selection of found sound, music and spoken work overlaid in a sound collage evoking some themes and aspects of the Park’s interesting history on which I undertook considerable research and several visits to the park.
For example it included a recording of children playing hide and seek and also reading some lines from Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant.
In addition there is a statue of the late Emperor Hailie Selassie of Ethiopia and I took contact with a senior member of the Ethiopian Church of St Mary Tsion in Battersea and was invited to attend some services including one held outside, and record some Amharic liturgical singing, especially by the women and children, , and this was included in the work. I therefore built personal relationships over some weeks, and was very happy that the member of the church and his teenage son came some distance to visit the installation in the Park.
Installation: After some experimentation and in order to obtain good quality sounds, I did not use motion sensors but minirig speakers with MP3 players. I contacted Sean Mullan who had done a sound piece the previous year to ask about practical aspects of the installation – i.e. security! His solution had been to place the minirig speakers high in the trees. However, I was unable to do this, and so used wire cage type squirrelproof bird feeders and bicycle locks, and dense shrubbery.
The re-edit: I discovered that despite my dry runs and experiments in the park with sound, on the installation day some of the sounds came over differently – some were very indistinct. I therefore had to spend some hours in the Park reediting outdoors with my laptop.
Visitor reactions: I enjoyed talking to the school children who reacted very naturally to the music and wanted to dance. Some were interested technically in where the sounds were coming from.
Sponsorship: As Merton no longer sponsor this event, I volunteered with agreement from the curator Juliet Haysom and the group of artists to try to obtain local sponsorship in exchange for a logo toon the map/catalogue of exhibits free to visitors. I succeeded in raising£300 (£100 from each of three local businesses: Wheeler & Kirk Opticians; pub the Hand in Hand, and Derringtons Corporate Secretaries). These funds were used to pay for the printing of the map. In addition I obtained 5 cases of Peroni beer and 3 cases of wine for the PV.
Collaborative work: I also took part in the Park Ranger work and the multiball football match! In all this was a very good experience in both research, technical knowledge and collaborative practice.
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Project brief: Cannizaro Park, in London SW19 has been the location for art projects for over 3 decades. These projects have been varied in form and scale and have included a variety of approaches including performance, intervention, sound, sculpture and image. There are various different kinds of highly manicured or faux-wild areas in the park: rambling pathways, a pond, sunken gardens, walled areas and expanses of lawn. As in previous years, PARK 15 took place over a weekend. PARK 15 was open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, with Merton school visits on the Friday.
Fundraising/Sponsorship: As Merton no longer sponsor this event, I volunteered with agreement from the curator Juliet Haysom and the group of artists to try to obtain local sponsorship (s there was some interest in advertising locally) in exchange for a logo toon the map/catalogue of exhibits free to visitors. I developed an offer letter, and I succeeded in raising £300 (£100 from each of three local businesses: Wheeler & Kirk Opticians; pub the Hand in Hand, and Derringtons Corporate Secretaries). Naomi Avsec and I also visited theCannizaro Hotel but there was no interest there. These funds were used to pay for the printing of the map. In addition I obtained 5 cases of Peroni beer and 3 cases of wine for the PV.
Collaborative work: I also took part in the Park Ranger work and the multiball football match! It was clear that this event also depended on a lot of help from others, not just the artists. In all this was a very good experience in both research, technical knowledge and collaborative practice.
Visitor reactions: I enjoyed talking to the school children who reacted very naturally to the music and wanted to dance. Some were interested technically in where the sounds were coming from.