Inspire 52 - Week 33. Edinburgh Festival, Fairy Tales and Windows

Lots has been changing last week marked the end of something and this week marks the beginning of something new, and it started with a trip to The Edinburgh Festival. I was invited by House of Fairy Tales, and thought 'Hey, why not', so I popped on a plane and went.

A lot is going on at the moment I can hardly keep up with myself, so do excuse me for lack of attention I have been paying to the blogs recently ... yep last week you only got pictures! Lots of exciting stuff is going on and I am doing so much creatively it is hard to know which thing to choose each week for the Inspire 52 project. I think I can safely say that doing this project has initiated a whole wave of intense creativity into my life which is amazing. I feel so lucky to be living my dream quite frankly, and indeed the journey is far from over!

So without further a do this blog will be in 2 parts.
Part 1. A few pictures to describe what happened in a snap shot with my visit to the Edinburgh Festival and with House of Fairy Tales
Part 2. My inspiration.

Part 1. Inking it up at the Hoft Examiner - Edinburgh Festival 2012

 

 

Thanks to everyone at House of Fairy Tales for welcoming me ... I had a great time and it was great to work with you guys and the kids.

Article to be published soon in the 2nd edition of The HoFT Examiner playper - Prof. Ink's trip to Edinburgh.


Part 2. So what inspired me in Edinburgh?
The city was amazing and indeed an inspiring place. What jumped out visually at me was the windows. I have only done one illustration so far, but I have a feeling these will be appearing again somewhere along the line.


Windows

Looking through the glass as the winds divide,
A spectacle below, a burning fire inside.
As dancers adorn the streets of cobble stone steps
The waiters are inside, waiting on bets.
But who will win the ticketed affair?
Who will pass by without a care?
Who will stop and glance up to view,
The window up there with the reflection of you?

by Hazel Evans August 2012

 

I think I will be going back to Scotland, this was a first time for me and will not be the last ... I quite fancy getting the Highland fling on and getting on up into the mountains for a good old hike.

Inspire 52 - Week 32. Puppet Theatre

 

I have been invited up to Edinburgh by The House Of Fairy Tales, and thought 'hey why not!'. I've never been to Scotland, don't know anyone, not sure what the plan is apart from perhaps sharing some of my skills as an artist and working with kids and doing some fun stuff ... sounds like a good enough plan for me! ... But before I go I did a few pictures for their first edition of The Examiner ... the children's news paper for the Edinburgh Festival 2012.

 

 

 

Inspire 52 - Week 31. Pop Up Paper

This week, after a lot of cancelling, I finally managed to make it to Portland. These injuries I have had for the last 5 weeks have been making it difficult for me to get around, but I am gradually mending, so I hope there will be no more set backs along the way.

So the Olympics has rocked off to a great start ... apparently as I don't watch tele!! But Weymouth and Portland have been very quiet as there was so much hype about the roads being bad ... so now is in fact the quietest and best time to go to assure yourself a spot on the beach and also great entertainment all for your self!!

Anyway, enough of that and onto this ...

... Pop Up Dorset invited me to install a mini Paper Forest in their Historic Church exhibition, of course I said yes, as I was delighted about taking the forest out of the gallery environment and creating it in new environments, and this was a great place to start.

http://www.popupdorset.com/

St Georges Church on the Isle of Portland near Weymouth. This historic church here is some information cunningly pinched of Wikipedia ... thanks Wiki!

St George's Church is a Church of England church on the Isle of Portland, built between 1754 and 1766^[2] to replace St. Andrew's which had fallen into disuse and was no longer suitable as a place of worship.^[3] The church was closed in 1914 for many reasons, and fell into further disrepair ever since that time. In the 1960s however, the church fell under the protection of a newly formed group, the 'Friends of St George's Church', who were able to restore the church. Now no longer needed for regular worship, the church is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.^[4] It was declared redundant on 16 April 1970, and was vested in the Trust on 27 October 1971.^[5]

St George's Church is regarded as one of, if not the, most impressive 18th century church in Dorset.^[1] It is a large church built of Portland stone and has a tower, a nave, transepts, an apse, and a kind of abortive dome over the crossing.^[1] The design is reminiscent of Christopher Wren (particularly the tower, with regards to the clock towers of St Paul's Cathedral).^[1] The windows are arranged in two tiers, all with simple, broad raised frames that lack moulding. Architect John Vanbrugh called the result a "a masculine show".^[1] It is a Grade II listed building.^[6]

Well I think that's pretty interesting stuff!!

This venue has an amazing vibe about it. It is soa beautiful and grey on the cliff top in Portland ... Stunning ...

And here's how the Paper Forest worked in the space...

                                          ... For more on The Paper Forest you can see Inspire 52 - Week 23

http://hazelevans-inspire52.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/inspire-52-week-23-paper-forest-and.html 

The Paper Forest soundtrack echos through the church ...

Click on the images to enlarge

See you next week ... I don't have a clue what I'm going to do next week!!

Maybe something Olympic inspired?

P.S. Hazel Evans artwork, Adventures Album and other signed collectible merchandise are on sale at the exhibition.

Inspire 52 - Week 30. Battle For The Winds

You may remember in week 27 I prepared 20 butterflies for The Portaland Blue Butterfly Project which is part of Battle for The Winds and The Cultural Olympiad. I really should have made 27 as I like playing with numbers in that way ... anyway ... Week 30 is actually 27 in as much as it has the 27th July in it and that means the launch of the Butterfly Project ... watch them fly out of the page!

So I was invited to be part of the perfomance for Battle for the Winds Part 2. Duldum's Lair which involved over 3000 butterflies in the end would you believe!

"Portland's High Angle Battery becomes the setting for an evocative performance created by Portland Islanders working with Lorna Rees, Activate Performing Arts. Dancers will perform within the battery itself to a soundtrack created using the voices of local people.

This historic and derelict landmark will also form the backdrop to an installation of 2692 blue butterflies - the rare Cretaceous Silver Studded Blue which is unique to Portland - each butterfly represents a young person who lives on the island. Visit the site and hear tales from islanders, explore the atmospheric 'ghost tunnels', encounter the dancers and try and discover just where Doldrum lurks..."

From Battle for The Winds Website
http://battleforthewinds.com/the-battle/friday/


THE BUTTERFLY ILLUSTRATIONS

Here are the illustrations created during the event.

The first one was during the dress rehearsal where I had more time to start to get a feel of the landscape. As the performances began I had to re-set the butterflies that flew out from my sketch book and create a new piece. The flow was very beautiful to work on in fact, as it was very fluid and changed with the flow of new audiences coming to watch for each performance.

I was inspired by not only the butterflies that came and fluttered around me, but also the silence in which they fluttered carried by the warm summer breeze.

Towards the end, the performances got closer together and this has reflected in the landscapes of the images - I like very much that at the beginning there is lots of ink on the page and then towards the end, one butterlfy fluttering off into the sky - This whole sequence in itself represents the feeling of development of the performance art with a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

These are the sequence of illustrations below - Click on the images to enlarge

 

Portland Blue Butterfly

Fly oh fly through the winds of the blue seas,

Across waters emerging waves sprinkling sweet life

To the door of the earth connecting with winged keys,

As the mists flutter softly into the sky.

Hazel Evans July 2012

 

PURCHASE A BUTTERFLY ILLUSTRATION

If you would like to have a one off souvenir of the Portland Blue Butterfly Project and of the Cultural Olympiad 2012, I have decided to sell all the art works and donate 20% to the Butterfly Conservation Charity - http://www.dorsetbutterflies.com/

Exclusive Offer:

Original Hazel Evans ink on watercolour paper.

Signed and numerically ordered.

The Portland Blue Butterlfy Poem hand inked on the reverse of each illustration.

There are only 7 originals to document this event and no prints will be made.

 

Special unframed prices:

Dress Rehearsal  - £75 - SOLD

Performance 1    - £55 - SOLD

Performance 2    - £55

Performance 3    - £55

Performance 4    - £55

Performance 5    - £55

The End              - £35

Please email info@hazelevans.co.uk to reserve and pay for your picture, or any other enquiries.

For more information on my work please visit www.hazelevans.co.uk

And before I go ... here's just a lttle montage I put together ... 

Inspire 52 - Week 29. Night Swimming

The imbalance of the torn tendon in my foot has caused back strain and a whole load of wonkiness in the spine ... which thanks to a few visits to the Chiropractor, I am now in line again ... however... this week, I work through the pain of the stressed out muscles and just let something happen ... this is what happened ...

By the way... there was very little thinking involved ... it's more like an artistic spew!

  

Night Swimming

In line of the piercing spine

The rhyme stopped the ticking time

Change is a foot for a new pair of specks

As I waited in the queue to be checked

It is the place for the bold to go

a place unfolded from an unfolding flow

Into the arms of another so bright

Out of the arms and into the night

Keep in line a voice came from beyond

As the slippery path delved into the pond

Floating and boating under the water

The voice was falling and nobody caught her

Amongst the reeds and the leaf fallen trees

The water was cold as it bubbled and breathed

The fish swan beside me and flickered scaled light

And I swam deeper and deeper into the night

The reeds grew taller and as I swam to a wall

At the bottom of the pond a door not for us all.

 

I long to dance and jump around and back to 100% Hazel again ... but I can't help feeling that this is one of those life lessons that acts as a pivotal point in the compass of life ... new directions ...

Inspire 52 - Week 28. Change Is A Foot

It all of a sudden occurred to me that this is what I should call this blog, 'Change Is A Foot', in the most obvious sense a lot of change is happening at the moment and despite the injury to my foot, I would have to say that it is all really great and exciting stuff.

Walking Through Bruises

Walking though the footsteps of yesterdays bruises

Blue running though my veins, it stains and infuses,

Reminding me that I am the result of all the days

I've left behind and journeyed through this maze.

Les blues sont imprimé sur ma peau comme des tatouages

Les échelles monte de plus en plus haut, étage sur étage,

Et encore ils sont la, les bleus d'hier me regarde,

Sans savoir changer, me laisser partir, prendre l'écarte.

Stop. The clock stopped on this story a long time ago,

These footsteps are mine and they shine on my new show.

Stop. I was asked to stop, take time, reflect and think,

One stride connects to another completing the missing link.

French verse translation

The bruises are printed on my skin like tattoos

The ladder goes higher and higher, level upon level,

And still they are there, yesterday's bruises look at me,

Without knowing how to change, or letting me go, or stepping away.

Due to current internet access I am unable to upload all the work in progress pictures... I will do this at a later date.

Inspire 52 - Week 27. Portland Blue Butterfly Project

Week 27 = 27 July

"On 27 July, 2692 handmade blue butterflies will be studded all over the High Angle Battery in Portland as part of 'Doldrum's Lair'.

To celebrate the unique Cretaceous Silver Studded Blue Butterfly which is only found in Portland, local artists and members of the public are coming together to create a butterfly to represent every young inhabitant of Portland. To make this possible, we'd like you to help make a butterfly.

This project is part of Battle for the Winds, which is managed by Activate Performing Arts in partnership with Portland Community Partnership and will form part of the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Doldrum's Lair project is kindly funded by the Arts Council." Lorna Rees - Portland Blue Butterfly Project

portlandbluebutterfly.blogspot.co.uk/

And so I set about making some inky blue butterflies this week ...

 

 

Portland Blue Butterfly

Fly oh fly through the winds of the blue seas,

Across waters emerging waves sprinkling sweet life

To the door of the earth connecting with winged keys,

As the mists flutter softly into the sky.

Hazel Evans July 2012

 

 

Click on the images to enlarge

And so here we are  ... 20 butterflies, ready to fly into the sky and join the Portland Blue Butterfly Project... in the post they go ...

Lorna Rees, who is managing the project is an awesomely creative and inspiring person - we have crossed paths on many occasions as she also works at Lighthouse a lot with Activate Performing Arts, so I was delighted to hear about this project and thought it would be great to contribute some inkyness for the project as feature it as part of Inspire 52. Indeed there is no better timing than this week to have done this - Week 27 and the launch of the butterfly project is 27th - Couldn't have timed it better, even if I do say so myself!

... I hope you like my butterflies Lorna :-)

It has been great to create a new piece outside of my work on The Monochronium, but to still use the bluey black inky has been great ... I'm loving this ink ... The poem just came to me as I was in the zone - just zoning out with the butterflies, imagining them fluttering over the Portland landscape, in the headlands on the coastline.

Other than blue butterflies ... this week has bought me new challenges in the form of moving house and getting torn ankle ligaments in left ankle ... I have certainly some interesting blue tones going on on my ankle which can be seen as 'interesting'! ... and, oh the joy of crutches and moving around about 4x slower than usual ... it certainly gives you a new perspective on everyday whereabouts ... I wonder if this will have implications on next weeks Inspire 52?

Elevation Embarkation