Back to business...L5 Business!

It's been ages.

In fact, it's crazy how long ago I last wrote a blog. 

I think I was about 5! OK, exaggeration but JANUARY! That's madness, where did the last 8 months go? There's only one way to tackle this. Those who've followed in the past can smell the bullet points coming, those new to this may feel a sense of relief that bullet points are coming!

Friendly fire bullet points.

• Jan - came home from Slovakia
• Feb - thought about Slovakia, tried to re-adjust back to life in Liverpool
• Re-united with the Homebaked crew and do stuff with them
• March - continued plans to start my own CIC (Community Interest Company) 
• A wake up call - told to 'suck it up' for a few years and build some foundations (ooeh)
• April - focus on the CIC and the words 'long' and 'term'
• Enter mild shock at the idea of focussing on 'long' and 'term'
• Move my sculpture, L5 6QW from South Wales to Bootle, Liverpool
• Made the 2013 GIT Awards
• Funding for the newly named L5 Mural secured May 2013
• Relieved then terrified about securing the L5 Mural money
• June/July - Mural stuff, forms and stuff, bakery stuff (Homebaked), funding stuff, forms, more forms, trip to Lyon as Homebaked ambassadors to speak about the project, move into The Royal Standard studios, the birth of L5 CIC
• 150 Granton Road, Everton, Liverpool 5 6QW gone. Forever.
• August - move L5 Mural Project to September

150 Granton Road, Everton, Liverpool 5 6QW

The L5 Mural Project 

When? September 2013  

Where? Homebaked (old Mitchell's Bakery - side wall) - Donaldson Street, L5.

"I want to paint something beautiful on something others deemed not."

So the idea was simple, paint something big, bold, striking, vibrant, edible almost on a building that had been included in the Housing Market Renewal initiative in Everton and Anfield, the area I grew up in and currently living. The HMR scheme resulted in hundreds of families and communities being up rooted and moved. I've written about this on many occasions and if you would like to read more about work I made initially in direct response you can find if here: http://l5-6qw.tumblr.com/

An article written by local writer Amy Jones is a great overview http://www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2013/06/the-silent-protester-jayne-lawless/

A long with a group of teenagers, a couple of filmmakers, some fellow artists I hope to create something positive in an area that has had more than it's fare share of negatives and quite frankly has had enough. It's time to move forward.

This is just a brief intro to bring you up to speed.

My aim is to use this blog to document the project from a personal point of view. 

I hope to set up a facebook and twitter account that all of us working in the project can access - to upload as we go.

Breathing deeply. It's a big piece and I hope everyone gets behind it. My main aims are to give teenagers the opportunity to work with professionals, produce a good piece of public art and shine a positive light on our patch. 

L5 Mural wall - Homebaked (formerly Mitchell's Bakery) corner of Oakfield Rd and Donaldson St

Is it really nearly over?

Ok, I need a word invented that means happy and sad at the same time, yeah, yeah I know I could say bitter sweet but that's not right as there's been no bitter. Happy/Sad in equal measures and I mean really high up on each scale, like 100% happy and 100% sad when thinking about the fact that this is my final week here and reflecting on the last three months...

So, what's happend?

Well, I should start with the exhibition. On the 22nd December on a cold Saturday evening I'd say around 20 or so hardcore BG guardians took to the bridge, lighting fireworks from our hands courtesy of my film-maker and future superstar Victor Krc, remember the name, this kid's remarkable. So anyway, the idea was to meet on the bridge with lanterns to release out over the Danube before walking back to the BG house and officially opening the exhibition (or expedition as one of my neighbours kept calling it). Viktor brought these fireworks that we lit and held pointing at the sky and praying there wasn't some kind of malfunction and they exploded in the opposite direction, health and safety boffs would've had a heart attack in the UK! We all survived and it was really good and marched back into the warm.

I'd arranged to have a large steel drum (Cyprus style - those who know, know) placed outside in the garden to have a roaring fire to greet visitors, keep the smokers warm and because it just looks damn good. So, the fire blazed in the background whilst everyone started mingling and looking at the work. It'd been such a mad build up the show and I did what I always do which is to give myself too much work, sleep became a fond memory. The reaction from everyone made it worth it though. I have no idea how many people came but there was A LOT, the house was packed and thanks to Zoli we had enough drinks, the becherovka (drunk in egg cups due to lack of shot glasses) lasted about half an hour I think! I had to give a speech and listen to Gyuri and Karol talking about my time here, I still have no idea what they said, one in Hungarian and the other Slovakian so I'll have to wait for the video then have it translated. People were laughing though, which is a good sign...I think. My favourite part of the night was hearing people read out 'their' bits on the wall...you'll know what I mean in a second when you see the photo's.

Jovilagvan, a local band that plays all over Europe had agreed to play in my living room, that was pretty sound of them and it brought in even more people. Thank you, köszönöm, ďakujem.

http://jovilagvan.blog.hu/ Check them out...


So I this was my stuff...

photographs by Ivett Puskas

Thanks to Ivett for taking some great photographs, she's also made a panoramic view that I'll print and leave behind at the BG place as the work itself will be removed and painted over this week. I wouldn't expect any other future BG to have to work around such a big piece, it just wouldn't be fair. Sorry to all those who wanted it to stay...

Lusta = Lazy

Tatarak at Sil's (I ate raw beef, still can't believe it)

I don't speak proper English according to Joseph and Zoli

Matyi supports the wrong team

Viktor rules

somewhere in there is the door way to the bedroom

OK...so then there was a small matter of CHRISTMAS and Janet and Dave's arrival which is a full blog in it's own right but for the purpose of staying concise I'll sum up by saying it was great to have friends from home here over the holidays, we ate, drank and were very merry. They were introduced to the mighty Green and shown some real local hospitality from the Pinterova family. We even had snow!

and then...New Years Eve, let's just say that was an adventure!

So here we are, I moved out of the BG place on the 3rd, I got quite emotional but it was made easier by the fact that I was just moving up the road to another apartment until I fly home on the 15th. This is the highest compliment I can pay to the people here, that I am very sad at the thought of leaving. But I'm not focusing on that now...I still have Viktor's video from the BG Night to come and other loose ends to tie up so I'll leave the farewells until later...

In the meantime, look...

Poster designed by Peter Ducsai up in The Green with Zuzi's thumb

Sil showing her gift knitted by my Aunty Eileen

prezzies from home, my Mother knows best!

doing 'her bit'

ahhh Chrimbo bossness in my homemade BG hat

frosty morning BG garden

The Boys

So this is Santa (Karol) I've been telling you all about! Told you he was Santa didn't I? Sporting my BG hat

oh the irony

Janet and Dave doing Kwak beer

Dave doing the Chrimbo dinner

us lighting sparklers on the bridge on NYE

Happy what nots

view from Zuzi's balcony

view from my new apartment, the words, 'feet' 'on' and 'landed' come to mind!

last night from the balcony

So looking forward to the next week here...

BG out.

Nanny Pots

It's been a while between blogs and I've gone round in circles about how to approach this. I thought about just not mentioning it, battling between 'staying professional' (whatever that means) and being honest. My time here in Slovakia has a had a giant hole in it and last week I had to leave my post here as Bridge Guard to fly home for my Nanny's funeral.

So this post is just for her, the funniest, most stubborn, contrary, generous, loveable pain in the backside you ever could meet. When I told her I was coming to Slovakia, she looked at me with 'that look' and turned me around to look at my back, she said, "what's at the back of ye!?" Another chinese whispers moment, it makes no sense whatsoever but we laughed for about 5 minutes. She never did know where I was going, just that I was going away again.


Nanny stuff...

Fish and Chips

TJ's, London Road, Liverpool

Aldi, didn't matter which one but mainly the one on County Rd, Liverpool

Nanny heaven (even though sometimes she swore to me she'd never even been!)

another favourite

London Road. Liverpool

Scouse

The Bridge Guard - Part Five - Budapest

My head is exploding with things to say as so much seems to be going on so I may go back to one of my favourite blogging tools...the list!

But, before the list I have to report immediately a major shift in my personal psyche. I'd say around a week ago or more - I'm losing track of time and days - this is a good sign with me - anyway, I felt this change. It was like I suddenly stopped watching life here and became part of it. I stopped being an observer of other peoples lives. I realised this when I stopped looking in my diary to see who or what was coming up that filled portions of the day. I stopped watching other people do their 'everyday' and started doing my own. This is hard to explain, but I suppose I stopped being 'aware' of myself...and as soon as that happened the work started. The fun really started with new friends Silvia and Zuzi and I happily became all ravelled up in my new Sturovo life. Such as...

- weekends at The Green Pub

- a first trip to a local outdoor pool where you sit outside in hot water in the night time and don't freeze to death, I want one.

- trips to Billa

- trips to Kaleidoskop Has 

- trips to Tesco in Esztergom and paint shops with Bogi

- Bogi and her husband actually thinking I would eat a chickens stomach

- trips to Lidl

- trips to the other Billa, the one near Lidl, not the one in town

- Liverpool matches in the pub

- trips to  more various places looking for face paint

- halloween zumba class

- halloween Rick Astley mask

- school visits to the studio and great ideas

- long talks about writing letters to Rick Astley

- long walks along the Danube

- tons of cardboard from Joseph's factory

- making a massive pencil with some lead, bamboo sticks and masking tape

- making a massive drawing all over the walls in the 'middle room' of the Bridge Guard residence, (obviously I'll be leaving the residence as I found it afterwards...)

- making cardboard sections for the drawing and loving with all my heart having a studio where I live that is warm and bright and looks out onto trees

- glueing cardboard together with some kind of corn glue that doesn't stink which is grand

- being told on many occasions that I don't speak 'proper' English

- realising I have a mailbox outside the residence

- discovering Budapest and falling in love with place

- meeting Hanneke, Santa's wife and curator of the Bridge Guard in their amazing apartment in Budapest

Have I mentioned Budapest yet???

My Aunty and Uncle (the one's you met in the last blog) had said that I'd love Budapest and everyone I know who's been loved it (well apart from one friend, there's always one!) But I wasn't expecting to absolutely love it! My initial reaction getting out at Nyugati train station was that it reminded me of Manhattan, anyone that knows me knows what a soft spot I have for that place, for those that don't, I lived there when I was a youth for awhile and this is probably the highest compliment I can pay Budapest. The wide avenues, some with trees and big old mansions, the unique shops, tons of bars, tons of people, tons of colour, tons of cafe's, tons of restaurants, a sex street; you know you're in a big city when there's one of those! It's vibrant but not in an overpowering way, it's dynamic and big and exciting but not too loud or overwhelming. There's an architectural wonder at every turn, I felt excited walking around, I felt stimulated and I felt like it was one of those places that no matter how many times you visited you'd always discover something new.

So it's safe to say I will return to Budapest! 

OK, that's enough talking here's some pictures...

Buda Castle

Chain Bridge, Budapest

Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest

toilet door in Szimpla Kert, Budapest

view from our apartment in Budapest

neighbours in Budapest

Budapest

horses at Heroes' Square, Budapest

Silvia with boss lion

100 ft to get in the church please

a church, Budapest

Magyar Mezogazdazagi Muzeum, Budapest

Are you happy now?

I miss you a lot

you know that right?

St Mathews Church, Budapest

chicken's stomach at Bogi's house - yum - not!

Zumba halloween costume

Andrea's zumba halloween class, Sturovo

a taste of home

Rick halloween mask with Sari at Kaliedsokop Has

Rick moves to Green Pub with Zuzi

CLEVER!

lots of cardboard from Joseph's factory

massive pencil

massive drawing

outlining with paint

starting to add card board

over the door

Thank you for reading...