Inspire 52 - Week 37. Cutting It All Up And Down

And so the summer is coming to an end... what a ride - seriously!

As the autumn begins to show it's face and very gratefully indeed I welcome it in with our 'Indian Summer' it also marks a time for change. Two things I have done recently spell this out to me and they have both involved cutting things up, not to disolve them completely, but to make them into something different, like a metamorphosis to take us to the next stage of life.

1. The cutting up the Explosive Illustration collaboration with Hayley Potter.
2. The cutting down of The Paper Forest.

These two events co-incided with each other and indeed began to trace a new pathway forward for each body of work. I won't go into the deatils of wheat the plans are, as with every art project they need to be kept top secret for a while, however, here is a photo documentation of what happened... there are more pictures to come but we will be releasing a full documentation at a later date, this includes a full documentation of the collaboration with Hayley Potter and the making of the book we will are creating together. Click on images to enlarge

1. Cutting up

 

Inking it up

 



 

 

 Planning the disection

 

 

 

The 3m x 4m illustration has now been cut into 52 individual A3 pictures that will form the next stage of the collaboration ... I'm very excitied about the next bit ... to be revealed at a later date. It's been really great working with Hayley this year. As we were cutting up we were talikng about what we have gained from each other in this collaboration, it has been a very insightful and growing experience.

2. Cutting Down

Cutting my way through the Paper Forest ... having lived with it for 2 months in my exhibition, it was now time to cut it down. But in honour of the art work and everything it has bought me as a new installation, story, song and journey of discovery, I had to do it correctly. I began cutting each piece of paper with my big shear like scizzors, cutting my way though the 'thin tall trees speaking tales in time'. I kept the words, poems and comments that the public had contributed and began carving a new path through the forest.

Wonder away, wonder away,

As the trees lead the way

 



Shadows emerged smiling bright

 

The act of cutting through the forest felt quite overwhelming yet exciting at the same time, it was releasing hidden spaces and creating new places - something new was happening and emerging.

 

 

It felt like I was performing inside a piece of poetry.

 

Illuminating shapes and scribing sounds

Murmuring roots from the undergrounds

 

 

The Paper Forest spoke softly to me

And asked me to write my story

 

Conclusion

Cutting up and down the art has been a learning experience, a journey of freedom, an expression letting go and finding new paths forward. 

 

 

 To see the Paper Forest installation in it's original form click here

 

Beautiful edited pictures by Danika Westwood

(Plus some snapshots from my phone)