The path is narrow...it is easy to fall off

I have been very lax lately, and have been buying way to much new stuff. It is like a drug. I even bought wrapping paper yesterday, something I havn't done in 3 years.

But having just come across this blog I am back on the path of goodness, reused and handmade!

http://abuncandance.blogspot.com/

Melin Medi Weekend

So - a lot didn't go to plan, but that didn't matter.

Friday was a washout, so Saturday morning was spent building the barley sheaf instead of grinding oats. .

With help from Derren and Alyn, a beautiful structure emerged. We used sticks from various trees of the site, bamboo, gold silks, wool and threads.

Saturday afternoon I decided to embroider the Rumi poem onto a piece of linen attached to a hawthorn tree. I left it there for others to complete. Standing beside the river taking the time to stitch the words is a good way to contemplate.

In the evening at twilight I tried to light the fire to make the transformation to the next stage - it absolutely refused to light - of course I had used entirely non-flammable materiels so what did I expect. I think that secretly I didn't want it to burn. And so after three attempts I left it to see the Sunday morning sun.

On Sunday afternoon I finally made some oats cakes on the fire in the garden. I tried three different varieties of salt. I liked the plain best. With cheese and Mari's Plum jelly. Lovely.

Melin Medi

Notice how each particle moves
Notice how everyone has just arrived here
from a journey
Notice how each wants a different food
Notice how the stars vanish as the sun comes up
and how all streams stream towards the ocean.

Rumi

How to make Bara Crai / Oat bread

Location: Under the stone arch bridge

Saturday Midday: Rolling and grinding the oats to make flour

Sunday Midday: Making the flat bread over a fire.

Notice...

Location: The Meadow

Saturday Sundown: burning the haystack

Sunday Sunrise: transformation of the residue

The artworks made at New Mill are very much determined by a period and context specific spirit. The do-it-yourself process of constructing objects from odds and ends demonstrates the value of conceiving art as a model of engagement with the world, speaking not only with things but also through things. Through transformation and reinvention, the works effect a temporalisation of objects that articulates new forms, placing emphasis on the 'act' rather than on the finished 'product', seeking to dematerialise the art object as a commodity.

prepping at new mill. walked in circular direction to create space for the barley stack fire next weekend.

listened to the melody of a fallen tree.

New Mill Drefelin

Exhibition Melin Medi in a month. Visited on Sunday. An amazing place. Thoughts so far are about taxes, hair cuts and reflections. hmmm.

failure and success

I managed to make 4 of the 5 inks I set out to do. The hawthorn was a failure. After filling the pig bladders (which were kind of like a piece of chicken, not so bad) I made small parchment and leather bags to put them in,

and tied tightly with suture. This was left hanging outside my window for 10 days to dry out. It smelt. It got contaminated with maggots. So I froze it, then cut it open the next day. Emptied out the frozen maggots. There was really nothing left with which I could try to make the ink. So although there was no end product, the process was totally fascinating.

Of the other 4,

the oak gall, or Gallo-tannic, was the most successful. A small sample of each ink was on display, in petite bottles from my dad's old dental kit box. Along side was a small book of process photographs and a sample of text written onto calf vellum that detailed the materials, processes and contributors.

Exhibition over. Distinction achieved. What now?

Continue the process -

no buying.

i am thinking of making lipstick next. or cigarettes. or soap. or shoes.

bladders

I have made contact with an abattoir willing to get me a couple of pigs bladders for the hawthorn recipe. Ugh - not looking forward to having to go there to collect. But am kind of intrigued to see what they will be like. I have also ordered my vellum from William Cowley (lovely people), which I will write the five recipes on. NOT cheap - but then why should it be. It is an animal skin. It is a precious object. They are also sending me something to make little pouches out of to put the ink bladder bags into.

2 weeks to go.