Monday, October 16, 2006

North of the Border



Hello all.

Firstly, so sorry to not be very visible on the blog. I"ve been checking in, just kinda having a tough and overwhelming and full-on time.

So, I'm in Glasgow at the moment, doing a live art residency at the Centre for Contemporary Art. I have a beautiful space, which is huge, and empty save me and some collected stuff. Which I'm loving. Good to have a break from reality! I'm two weeks in, and thoroughly enjoying researching ideas in a very loose ended way.



Fuck. I"m drunk and in a city that is not my home. Thrilling and sobering at the same time.

And what of my time here, creatively? Well, I am hanging out in charity shops with all the other dispossessed. And that feels damn fine. And I have a big old red suitcase that was my grans. And maybe I'll hang out with that, and see if owt comes of it.



Journeys. Into my families past. My history in the east end of this town. Talking to my favourity aunty, and covetting her broad glasgae accent. This city is so fucking beautiful. I kind of feel this profound sense of connection with this place, which I never felt before. And my poor worker forebear relatives. Today I saw the former carpet factory both my grans worked in. It is fucking amazing; somebody built it grand. And now it is luxury apartments. Let's take the buildings the workers toiled to make grand, and make them into inaccessible temples to extreme capatalism, and those who are able to own the city. Obscene.



I've spent time at my aunties, she, who cared for others her entire life, and now lives in a part of the city with few buses, people stuck there, with no shops, no transport after 8pm. I secretly record bits of our conversations on my digital camera. For the richness of her voice. For her absolute being-ness of herself. For the voice of one who was never heard in the world, caring for my grandmother, and then her brother, until he died a month ago.



If I had to pick out threads of resonance of my time here, my visits to my aunties once or twice a week would be key. Sitting at the kitchen table, her conversation interspersed with references to god, and his mercy, because this side of the family are working class catholic, and god is present in a very everyday way, with holy water in the house, and religious statues. Despite my rejection of my 'faith' as a teenager, I can in this context, appreciate how church plays a part in this community. It is social. Making sense of tough lives. My auntie went to church quiz and bingo last night.



And my time around elderly people in charity shops. The east end, where half my family are from. Traditionally a working class area, folks would pretty much live there their entire lives. Now, artists have been moving in, due to cheaper rent etc. An interesting mix. So, I hang out, getting the vibe from the elderly folk. Interesting. Wondering about the possibilities of setting up some kinda artist in residence thing.... Have been mapping shops and experiences...

I'll end here lovely people. Hope to see you all soon.

Love and Girl-drag in all it's Fucking Glory
xxxxx Lucille

5 Comments:

Blogger Steven said...

Nice. Dislocated yet joined, you and the city. I am the same with Plymouth. You are making me want to go and make work there.

There is something powerful when you are hosted in another place. Invited and welcome, yet not of the place. But the caveat is that you are 'from' the place, in terms of your family connections.

My only time in Glasgow was on a week long college trip, B.W. (before warren) when I met the most beatuful boy on the first night and then proceded to spend the rest of the week necking and shagging. Loverly.

19 October, 2006 20:15  
Blogger Rachel said...

hey Lucille,
Beautiful writing, beautiful images. beautiful honesty. It's an interesting place you've found yourself in... with many layers.

have you ever read 'the hiding place' by Teressa Azzarouzo? I'll lend it to you if you like, i think it may be interesting for you, it blew my mind. It looks at revisiting childhood memories and family history but also the way memory fools us and the way we fool memories.

also Lucille do you know Jason E Bowmen?

big hugs xxx

19 October, 2006 23:14  
Blogger de-mentored said...

Thanks for that guys.

Yeah, I feel like I am in the right place, even though I don't know what kind of end product I might end up with.... Increasingly, the work lies somewhere in the exchange between myself/process and those I encounter/audience. Kind of working on a hunch...

On saturday I have an open studio, and I have nothing to show anyone, but a map of the city with coloured pins, attaching threads to notes I've made/ prices/ ratings of shops etc... But I feel fine about it. Because each time I talk to someone about the process, they tell me a story. So it is becoming a collection of the stories of others.

At the moment this is simply people I know. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a way of collecting the stories of people who are not heard? If there was way of weaving an amazing piece of collected stories of a cities charity shops?

No, Rachel, I haven't read the book you mention; I would love to read it. This stuff really fascinates me. I have never before experienced such a profound connection to somewhere, and it has to do with layers, and hazy memories, and overheard stuff... And this interests me, I realize, more than the factual precision of record keeping... I am fascinated with how stories and family history can be completely different depending on who is relaying a story... and then filtered through interpretation of the listener... and so on.
Peace xxxx

20 October, 2006 00:06  
Blogger de-mentored said...

And, yes, I do know Jason, from the Space workshops I did a few years ago. And have met a woman up here, Jean Cameron, who has worked with him. She is pretty amazing and dynamic.

Lucille writing, by the way...!

20 October, 2006 00:09  
Blogger de-mentored said...

hi lucille , is good to see you in form , will talk on tuesday , looking forward to it. love the photo also , especialy the jesus one , x x franko

22 October, 2006 19:52  

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