Thank you Letters

I received some fabulous thank you letters from Year 2 at Beckwithshaw Primary School, they were absolutely beautiful! Their drawings and descriptions of the sculpture were a delight to read and I was so glad that they all had such a good time. They enjoyed the process of using the willow to weave and for me this was such a significant aspect. Being hands on collecting the material and using it to make a den/shelter is such an instinctive process, a process that as children we perform through the act of play. Through my own childhood experiences the children have hopefully experienced a small aspect of how great it is to be out in the rural environment building and making a den from the materials that nature provides!
I plan to use their letters in some way and will be looking to integrating them into the future development of my work.

"It reminds me of a big hairy coconut!"

Some of the childrens drawings

Beckwithshaw Primary School Visit

What a fabulous afternoon! I invited the children from Year 2 Beckwithshaw Primary School up to the sculpture at Horticap. The main idea was to let them interact and enjoy the sculpture, recording in some way their presence in and around the space. It turns out they are already doing a project about "habitats" in school so their experience of the sculpture will be invaluable to them. They spent there time drawing and writing about the sculpture; how they felt when inside it and what they thought it looked like. They were all eager to do some weaving with the willow and it was great that they were so engaged. Being hands on with the willow, making and learning the process brings the children close to the natural environment.

I placed canvas on the floor to record the childrens presence; the imprints of their wellies! By the end of the afternoon there was quite a muddy mess! I am in the process of drying these canvases and will explore ways of working into the material and organic matter further.

Reach for the Stars!

View from inside the sculpture looking up towards the sky!

The Space Within!