Facade and lattice working sketches.
Children, grandchildren and grandparenting were a recurrent theme in discussions with older participants on ageing. Their views were intriguing and complex, heightening awareness of the continuous cycle of life, of which we are an inevitable part. See some participant quotes below.
My current project is a self-designed, socially-engaged art project, called 'Age in the Frame', which grew out of work I'd been doing on age and ageing in the studio, and has now been running for a fascinating 12 months. See details in News and Posts to hear the recorded views of some of the participants, and see some of the early experimental work exploring the subject. A series of more developed images are now emerging.
Paper is both fragile and robust; it allows for colouring, layers, accretions, excavation; it can be ephemeral or solid; stiff or sagging, it rustles, creaks, peels, tears; it’s enduring and ubiquitous; it can be demanding, frustrating, delightful and affirming. Not much different to the human spirit. And the introduction of spray-paint adds another dimension to its character. It couldn't be a more suitable medium for the series 'Age in the Frame'.