The Bridge Guard - Part Four - Words

Erm, what happened to that month!?

It's exactly a month today since I spent that first blubbersome (if it's not a word it should be) day wondering round Sturovo and the bridge... It's gone by incredibly fast.

So...you know the wood I told you about last time? Well, the next day it had gone, yup, just missed out there. But, Kati from Kaliedoszkop called the building firm on my behalf and they said I could have the next lot but then due to bad weather and people being away on holidays and stuff it's two weeks on and I haven't got any wood. SO, after a cracking discussion with my mentor Juliet via skype last night we decided that I should move on with another idea and that maybe the wood thing wasn't meant to be. I'm not sure the building can take some of my bodge-work either. It does need to be in good condition for the next bridge guard! I felt a re-think coming on...

It's weird how thoughts can often just float round on the edge of you consciousness then only in a conversation do they step forward and actually demand your attention. I'd been thinking about a past work I did ages ago back in Suffolk called, Conversation in the Kitchen, it was for a breast awareness campaign going on at the time and the work was to be exhibited in a local health centre. I'd recorded a conversation I'd had with a friend about the project and wrote the dialogue all over a 'mock-up' kitchen I'd created the health centre. It read like a play, it was written all over the walls, plates, cups and saucers etc, covering everything in the discussion and inviting others to read it. This had popped into my head last week as I'd had this idea to use text on the walls as part of this piece here in Sturovo. Thinking about how words had become such an HUGE part of this experience. In that, it's alienating but freeing sometimes that you don't understand what's being said or written, it allows you to drift off or even imagine what they may be saying. Not being able to chat freely all of the time explains this sudden burst of writing I think. I mean, this story I started writing, The Bridge Dreamer, I've never done anything like that before. That's the beauty of the residency though, there was no way I could of guessed I'd of spent the majority of the first month writing. I hate writing. Well I hate 'proper' academic art speak writing. As you may have noted for yourselves!

sketch

So yeah, talking to Juliet, talking about text on the walls, about the wood situation then talking about the drawings and the short version is I've decided to start drawing directly on the walls and use layered cardboard (seeing as I have some) painted black to create some 3d lines along with the drawn 2d lines. I want to do big massive drawings and take over the whole room....Working from my photographs to zoom in on certain sections of the bridge to start with...

scribbles

sketch

sketch

I think another big factor was having my Aunt and Uncle visit last week and being able to talk over ideas in some depth and get some feedback.

So today I went looking for black paint, simples huh? Nope not unless I wanted to pay a million pound for a tube of acrylic that would last me 5 minutes. Luckily I had a new chum with me, Bogi, who took me to tesco of all places where I discovered that they don't sell big tins of colours like in the UK, you have to buy a big tub of white then a little tube of colour and mix it yourself, if Bogi hadn't been there I'd still be there now trying to work out how many tubes I needed for a 4l tub of white! The woman in the shop told me to just try the tube on it's own with a little bit of water, I got stupidly excited about this as if it's OK it'll save me loads of money. I honestly can't believe how expensive stuff like that is here, and I'm not even going to start on shampoo! Or face-paint! (I've been invited to a Halloween themed Zumba class! I have no costume so I was just going to wear my overalls and do my face like a zombie and carry a hammer...why not? A flesh eating workie??)

sketch

Last week was great having Aunty Alice and Uncle Ted around, we spent alot of time in the Green Pub where Zoli was the perfect host! Cheers pal! And the cakes, (drool) in Esztergom were tremendous. In spite of the thick fog that descended over the whole of Sturovo and Esztergom on the day of their arrival we still managed to have a good time without actually being able to see! It did force us into the pub (kicking AND screaming) a lot earlier than if we'd been able to sight see, silver lining and all that jazz...

foggiest fog we ever did see

Alice happy near cake

Alice and Ted, Basilica, Esztergom

Day after the foggiest fog ever but still foggy

happy jaunt across the bridge

cake

On the party front, (which is definitely now 22nd Dec) things are moving in the right direction and fingers crossed there'll be a terrific band performing on the night, chinese lanterns, fire, mulled wine, people, costumes and an added surprise. Early stages so lots can change/develop but I at least bought one chinese lantern today! It's a start! I'll ask politely for other 'Bridge Guards' on the night to bring one too. They sell them in the paper/art/craft shop in Sturovo for €1.89.

I'll sign off this time with a serious of random observations. Thank you/D'jackujem/Koszonom.

The 26?

She looks happy with the Man's Hands Massage

 clapping dogs

My Father attempting skype for the first time

smarties

boss bench in Kormano, Slovakia

the soup's inside the bread, genius!

what I miss that I should of asked Our Alice to bring, damn.