This morning I had a bit of a blow in discovering that none of the conversations I thought I had recorded last night had actually recorded. A valuable lesson in learning how things work properly! I did get one track so I spent the morning downloading and experimenting with Audacity, with the help of Adam, to learn the basics of editing recordings.
From 2-4 I had invited people in to craft. Geoffry popped in for a knit and a chat. I met Geoffry last year during an embroidery project at Access Space. He had happened by the gallery yesterday while having a coffee in the cafe and came in to see what we were up to.
He decided to come back and we spent an hour knitting and chatting. I knew Geoffry was keen on textiles and he told me more about how the projects he is involved with and the work he has done in the past.
We also talked about family members and the different crafts. His mother and grandmother were keen knitters and dressmakers. And his father had been director of a cotton mill in Lancashire before they moved to Sheffield in 1976. Textile crafts are something very close to Geoffry's heart and he said he enjoyed telling his tales.
Later Steve had a go at finger knitting and we talked about the knitting meditation. We discussed creating the recording of the knitting to play during the session and the potential of using wool or long strands of knitting to connect people.
In the evening Abi, Smizz, Charlotte and I went to the central library and took over a table. I crocheted and we all contributed to Abi and Smizz's subvertising project. We had decided we would only approach people who showed an interest or approached us so as not to disturb people. We were not approached. Towards the end of the session one of the librarians suggested moving to a more prominent location by the self-service check outs in order to get in people view and catch them on the way in or out of the library. Abi and Smizz are going to try this out next week.
Later Steve had a go at finger knitting and we talked about the knitting meditation. We discussed creating the recording of the knitting to play during the session and the potential of using wool or long strands of knitting to connect people.
In the evening Abi, Smizz, Charlotte and I went to the central library and took over a table. I crocheted and we all contributed to Abi and Smizz's subvertising project. We had decided we would only approach people who showed an interest or approached us so as not to disturb people. We were not approached. Towards the end of the session one of the librarians suggested moving to a more prominent location by the self-service check outs in order to get in people view and catch them on the way in or out of the library. Abi and Smizz are going to try this out next week.
On the way home I thought about how I would set up a station to represent myself during the second week when I am not here. I want it to include headphones to listen to the sound recordings on. I was thinking about what would represent a memory of craft for me and that got me thinking about the way people store their craft tools and accessories, and how maybe I could use this idea to present memories I have recorded and stored.
My grandfather had a wood shed where he worked and turned wood. He had two rows of narrow shelves running around the whole space. He had screwed old Kenco coffee jar lids to the bottom of the shelves so that he could screw and unscrew the jars down from them. Who know where he got all of the jars from but they served as an amazing storage unit for all his screws and nails and drill bits and everything else.