Chris Rose at Art and Power with latest work

" I think Chris' painting of me is very good. He has it look really realistic and has used a lot of detail to make it look like this. He has portrayed me very well in it and has clearly put a lot of effort into it."

Kirsty Hogben

Actor Training 29th January 2007

The actors have been busy exploring the entrances and exits of mainstream arts... Using our own experiences we have recreated some interactions you might stumble upon in an art gallery, theatre or Museum. These are called performance interventions and they try to change how people experience art.

We had fun setting up art installations and making up characters that could interact with the art.

Some were very funny! Take a look at our pics..

some defy gravity...

If you were wondering what the Emerging Writer's Group looked like today...

Some Odd Objects

In the Beginning Creative Writing group this morning, the writers were presented with a mysterious suitcase full of odd objects.

Their challenge was to pick an object from the suitcase and use it as creative inspiration to write a story.

We realised that objects have stories to tell and even the simplest or silliest item can get our imagination working.

This activity connects to the work of Hans-Peter Feldmann, that we have been looking at in his exhibition at the Arnolfini. His piece, Wunderkammer, is a glass cabinet displaying objects that he has collected. Some of these objects are ordinary, some are strange but all seem to have a story to tell.

The writers started to write some fantastic stories, which will be continued next week.

Art Reviews

Last Friday morning, the Beginning Creative Writing group started to think about how we might review an art exhibition. We talked about the Hans-Peter Feldmann exhibition (which we have been looking at in the Arnolfini art gallery) and began to ask ourselves what we really thought about it. We all had our own opinions about the artwork. Some of us liked it all, some didn't like any of it, and others thought about why some pieces of artwork in the exhibition were better than others.

We found that it could be quite tricky to decide what we thought of a piece of art so we began to think about what it would be like if we saw the exhibition through someone else's eyes. So we did a little experiment. We each began to imagine a new character for ourselves. We pretended that instead of Art + Power creative writers we were a farmer, a maths teacher, an elderly couple, a young female writer and an alien. We looked at Hans-Peter Feldmann's exhibition again and pretended that we were these people to see if we saw things differently. We talked about our experiences and began to see that different people have different experiences when they go to an art gallery. We don't all see art in the same way and sometimes it can be fun to pretend to be someone else.

A new logo for art + power?

Every week the Business Development Group meet at art + power to support each other to develop individual and group ideas - the latest project is to develop a new logo for art + power. Please reply to this post and let us know if you think it is a good idea - and if you would be able to help.
This is what the group say about the idea:
'We would like to research a new logo for art + power. The new logo would have even more power, more edge to it and bring a bigger feel to it all. We want something with some freshness, dynamism and power to it.

We want to deliver a strong message – that art + power enables people to break through and show what they have to offer. We want people to know that we are in control of our path – we are serious, professional and in-tune.

We could have a big launch of a new logo to mark 10 years of art + power. Quite a few of us are interested in helping - we would like to involve more people too. Please let us know if you'd like to help.

What is excellence in the arts?

The Government has published a new report about the arts. Brian McMaster's report sets out a new vision for the arts in this country. The report is called 'Supporting Excellence in the Arts'. The report encourages every arts organisation, artist and practitioner to be as creatively ambitious as they can. I hope the will report spell the end to the phoney debate about 'arts' versus 'social inclusion'. The Government has recognised that this debate could only ever be about art and excellence.

The report comes at a good time for art + power. We are working with Arts Council England SW on a project to explore excellence in the arts. The project will consider how disabled people can help the Arts Council to assess the quality of the arts they fund. To do this we will be thinking about why we make art? Why it is important? and how can we judge if it is any good? We will be exploring these issues from the point of view of people currently excluded from the arts. I am delighted that the Government is encouraging arts organisations and funders to join us in this discussion.

In the report Brian McMaster claims that 'out of the society in which we live the greatest culture could grow, but this will only happen if the cultural sector is truly relevant to 21st century Britain and its audiences'. I'd like to invite you all to join with us and take up this challenge.

Please get in touch if you'd like to help with this project - or just reply to this post and tell us what you think makes art excellent.

I look forward to hearing from you.

My Experience as a Writer by Marsail Edwards

Art + Power's Professional Writer group meet every Friday to write and talk about their work.
Each week will showcase the writing of one of our writers on this blog. Today it is Marsail's turn and she wrote the following piece as her entry for a forthcoming writing competition. I think we can probably all relate to how passionately she feels about her art.

My Experience as a Writer
by Marsail Edwards

If I didn't have my writing I wouldn't be me. I would be someone else who isn't creative. I wouldn't be able to tell someone a story. I would wonder why I have a brain. My blood is made of my written work and it's all piling up in my red folders. I have to write every day in order to keep myself alive. It's a spirit and I was imagining someone taking away my writing and instead of being me I was a zombie walking around in a circle all the time which was locked away in a terrible dream. I have to keep on writing because its a power which leads all the way down to my heart and into my toes.

My experience as a writer hasn't been all that great because I've had letters saying that we don't want to use your written work at this time but thank you very much for sending it in. I feel I'm not going to to give up trying because that doesn't solve anything. If I don't get my work published or it isn't chosen as one of the 65 of best, at least I can say that I've done what you've asked me to do. I've got letters sent back to me to which is a lot better than having nothing from them. It's very hard being a writer because I get lots of disappointments from entering these writing competitions and it's upsetting for me to be turned down. Maybe someday someone will like my writing and perhaps you, as a competition, could send me some feedback.

Writing is something that I do a lot of, and it is part of me. I had someone say that it wasn't much of a storyline. That upset me and more people say, 'I don't like that because it was boring.' My blood is made up of my writing and I first found this belief inside of me two years ago. The reason why I don't give up trying is because I think my work is going to get published one day. Someone will look at my writing and they will want copies of it. It's like people are saying Marsail was born to try. A lot of time I come up looking at a brick wall. On that wall it's wet because of my tears. It's a very emotional journey and that journey will never end because I will keep on trying.

I know that deep down in my heart I will become a much stronger person than before if I keep going, even though people say that they don't like writing. I can't explain that feeling very well, but I know that writing is a pleasure whenever I do it. It makes me me and keeps me alive.

Who is Hans-Peter Feldmann?

Art + Power's Beginning Creative Writing group, which meets every Friday morning at the Arnolfini, have been looking at the work of Hans-Peter Feldmann for creative inspiration. His work is currently being exhibited at the Arnolfini and he is interested in the idea of collecting objects. (You can find information about the exhibition by following this link http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/exhibition.php?id=41)

Today we started thinking about collections and talked about whether what you collect says something about you. Does the fact that you collect stamps or cars or paintings tell us anything about what you are like as a person? Does it give away secrets about what you are really like?

We looked at Hans-Peter Feldmann's collections displayed in the gallery and thought about whether it gave us any clues about him as a person. We imagined that we were spies and looked for clues in the exhibition to find out about his character. We asked ourselves the question 'Who is Hans-Peter Feldmann?' and used our answers to write a poem together. We would like to share our poem with you.

Who is Hans-Peter Feldmann?

He is German and has an eye for the ladies.
He loves dancing and makes movement with shadows.
He works better in the dark.
He looks at the blue sky once a day.

He likes to remind himself of when he was a little boy.
He never gets old because his memories keep him young.
He has been a policeman and a teacher.
His collections are memories of the lives he has lived.

He plays hide and seek behind the curtains.
He has a sense of humour.
He surprises people.
He is playful and silly.

His collections are for other people.
He records their lives.
He preserves objects in photos and behind glass.
He keeps his glass cutters locked in a glass case.

He is a hoarder.
He collects broken things.
He stores his memories.
He can't throw anything away.

He keeps objects around him but he is alone.
He collects objects to replace people.
His books conceal a hidden doorway and behind it we see his real collection.
What does he really collect?

art + power show goes on…..

At the start of a new year, good news for art + power, we have received further funding from the Arts Council. Well done to Dave Richmond for his hard work on the bid and to everyone for their support over the year to make art + power a success!

Potential Unlocked!

Last year, I met three artists through Jo Taylor, pottery & art teacher at HMP Erlestoke. Jo found a + p though the internet, and invited me to meet the artists. I was really inspired and was amazed how all three artists journeys differ, they seem so approachable, self-aware and had strong direction within their art.

One of the artists called Paul obviously has so much valuable experience and fantastic skills, I believe that with these skills and his experience he has so much to offer to the art community. Gary and Derek have a great deal of potential too, and I was amazed that neither of them had any experience of art before HMP Erlestoke. I can see that they are both fast learners and very expressive in their work.
I was truly impressed with all the artists I met; it was great to see how they have transformed themselves through their art and that they believe in themselves as artists.

a + p has no previous experience of working in partnership with HMP service, however, this is a good opportunity for us to develop relationships with potential participants and it enables them to discuss with us and decide the best possible way for them to move forward with their art.

Jo offered a great possibility of setting up a small joint event in the prison, where some of their artists & ours can put up a display in the space and each give a brief talk about their work, maybe around 5 minutes. A few artists at art + power have already signed up their names on the list to say that they are interested.

For the artists at HMP Erlestoke, it would be a rare opportunity to talk about their work and see other peoples work at first hand. If anyone is interested in this project, please contact art + power.

The Imaginary Games Company : Review

The International Day of Disabled People on 3 December 2007 attracted a good audience to Spike Island. art + power's Imaginary Games Company powerfully presented the organisation's work, and the event gave the artists, writers and actors the opportunity to showcase their work. 

The speeches by Peter Sutton, Frances Neville, Daniel Bryan, Lisa Ponting, Keith Geldart, Marsail Edwards, Nicola Roe, Dave Pearse and John Vowles were expressive and thought provoking. They shared their artistic experiences and goals. 

The actors, John Yianni, Daniel Bryan, Daniel Ballinger and Nicole Roe confidently performed a brief sketch of a heated argument about who invented the game. The action then flowed smoothly into the game.

All the participants were able to be involved in the game which was based on a huge snakes and ladders board. The players used game cards, which were colourfully displayed on the walls, to identify the goals, milestones and barriers on their artistic journeys. 

The game gave people a better understanding of art + power's vision. This will also be useful for the outreach. 

art + power pass on their congratulations to the artists, actors and writers and thank them for giving up their time to get involved. Thank you also to those of you who filled in games cards.

Please put the International Day of Disabled People (3rd Dec 08) in your new diary - art + power will be organising an event! 

Matt Roche sold his painting!

art + power want to pass on their congratulations to Matt Roche. Matt completed PASS (Professional Arts Support Scheme) last year. PASS is a one-year professional development course which acts as a springboard for the careers of disabled and socially excluded artists, actors and writers.

Matt sold his second painting 'Suspension Bridge' during the latest exhibition 'Disabling Conclusions' at the Art Gym, Hengrove School last month - Well Done!

New for 2008 : Welcome all!

The first post on our new blog!