Stumbling across stories

I had an amazing story told to me the other day, just on the off chance as I was passing.  The person showed me an object and started telling me about her mother and how it had belonged to her.  She also spoke, in relation to the object how her mother was very into ‘make do and mend’ and the object reflected that.  She talked about how she’d always thought about making something out of it…a new artefact….exactly what I want to do….!  It was quite strange.  I got an overwhelming desire to help realise her dream of wanting to create an artefact.  I asked if she would like to tell me her story and thankfully she agreed.

On one side I feel a bit naughty as my collection process is technically over and I am on with most objects, however the other part of me felt this was a story that needed to be added, taking the total (I think) up to 10.  There may be objects that in the end don’t end up as finished as I hope due to people moving on or wanting not to be involved in the end, but I think 10 is manageable anyway.

Looking forward to adding to the collection.

Plymouth Making Futures

Not just any old conference, but one that you have to get on a ferry to get to it!!!!  The Plymouth Making Futures was hosted at the stately home on Mount Edgecumbe Country Park.

It was a really exciting conference to go to, because conferences I have attended previously, bar the fashion design ones have never had a ‘making’ focus.  It was really exciting to hear the different ideas of making, how people are using it either, for wellness, in industry, for archeology, for historical reference.  How people come up with ideas.  What craft is and will become.  It was so interesting.  I have realised or feel like I need to up my presenting game.  I get very anxious before I present and so need to think of a way of presenting that I can ad lib but also so I know what I need to say.  That will be my next challenge.

GingerBread Men and Women again

I decided to make the ginger bread recipe again and re-film as the first time I’d used the wrong sugar and so they came out a bit grainy.  I re-filmed it and again the same feelings of reading the story, hearing the interviewee talk etc came flooding back.  I really need to start reading into the transferal of emotions as its so funny how every time I start making the ‘memories’ I’ve been told come flooding back.

I took them when I went to meet the participant and when she tasted one she exclaimed “the taste instantly takes me back”, which was a really nice reaction.  She also complimented me on how they were made and explained the reason her mother had made girls and boys was for when they sold in the shop, little girls wanted girls and little boys wanted a boy.  A nice addition to the story.

It feels like each time I re-meet participants they are continually building on this memory that has begun, almost to the point that I feel like I knew the person or lived the memory myself.