Wednesday 30 November 2011

On The Right Track Upcycling Projects October / November

Recycled fabrics were used for this sweet little project with Year 4 children who created Christmas inspired stencils to screen print onto vintage Horrocks flannelette fabric. There is a different image on each side, which has been embellished with sequins, sewn together and given a ribbon tie in order to make a gift bag. The bags are going to be filled with something home made and will be given to members of the audience when the children sing carols at a home for the elderly. The fabric had been given to Carole by a friend's mother, there is always something satisfying about giving something someone might have thrown away a new lease of life and fabrics have such a power to connect us with people, time and place.


Another winter project was to create a story sack inspired by the The Very Hungry Caterpillar book by Eric Carle, once again most of the fabrics were recycled - Carole has a lot of tiny scraps of fabric kept for projects like these and the calico bags were from a local scrap recycling store. They have printing on one side but applying a fabric panel over this soon disappears the problem areas. As some people had no experience with textiles and were worried about using pins at home with small children around, Carole suggested using small dots of fabric glue to keep things in place before sewing. Once the bags were completed participants could find other online resources to use in conjunction with their Very Hungry Caterpillar books. Link 1 , Link 2, Link 3, Link4, Link 5
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Sunday 27 November 2011

November Photography Walk


Our November Photography explored the Brampton Valley Way between Hanging Houghton and Creaton. Crisp day, wonderful light, rain left muddy puddle along the track, still plenty of Sloes on the top branches in the hedgerows. The Photo Set for the walk can be found by following this link



Saturday 26 November 2011

New Images From Aleksandra


We also had another email from Aleksandra who has been taking her drawing a stage further and using them to create her own prints. Here are her initial ideas and she has promised to send more when she has made them. We are delighted to hear that she really enjoyed the drawing day at the Cube and look forward to seeing what she makes next!


A building (Grosvenor House)
Interpretation of a building
A view and stairs
 Corby Cube
 Monoprint
 Monoprint
 Monoprint

And here are her latest prints which are looking great!







New Vistas Upload from Bethany Olechnowicz


We have just received this lovely image and message from Bethany Olechnowicz

"I am a student from Tresham College, Kettering, from the FdA Graphics Class. A few weeks ago you gave our class a tour of the Corby Cube. I never managed to upload anything to your blog in time for screen printing. But I hoped it would still be okay to email you one of my ideas, so that you could post it on the blog, I'd like to show that I participated. 

Beth."

and are delighted to be able to share it on our Blog. Many thanks Beth!

Saturday 19 November 2011

New Vistas / Wider Horizons Exhibition Opening


Back to Books is a Corby based, county wide voluntary arts organization which has, during the last month been working with artist Carole Miles to stage the first visual arts workshops throughout The Cube, as part of The Big Draw, a yearly nationwide initiative begun by the Campaign For Drawing.  There was a mix of working with locally based professional artists on some fun up-cycling of old china, textiles workshops with adults & students from Tresham college & drawing workshops for all ages & levels of experience.
On the back of all this activity we developed the first art installation in the Chamber Foyer, which includes 16 suspended fabric columns, hung on arms, rather like mobiles, so they float, bob, shift and inhabit the space: produced by Carole Miles, in response to the work created during the public workshops. The textiles and ceramics up-cycled during the workshops are on display and open to the public until December 16th.

  
The Mayor of Corby, Gail McDade and Corby Borough Council's Chief Executive, Chris Mallender walk and talk amongst the Floating Columns

We thought it would be good to try and bring the outside inside the cube and to try and inhabit the long Chamber Foyer space in a way that would add softness and movement whilst reflecting the strong shapes made by the existing concrete columns, so artist Carole Miles in conversation with J Devereux, Corby’s Strategic Arts & Cultural Officer, devised a series of floating fabric columns which could carry reproductions of some of the drawings made. Participants who came to the Family Drawing Days made drawings of the landscape from various windows inside the Cube, a selection of these were made into stencils and screen printed onto cotton strips, other drawings were scanned and applied with sublimation heat transfers.
Images by – Ann Leonard, Lisa Wilkinson, Sarah Stringer, Kate Dyer, Maureen Walvin, Shula Hawes, Willy Gilder, Carole Miles, Bethany Walker, Hayley Langwith, Mollie Durrant-Jones, Bethany Pacan, Rachel Wood, Monica Maguire, Evie Price, Louisa Walker, Hayley Waltham, Olivia Reed, Jason Croucher, Emma Meakins, Aleks Armonlene, Lyndsay Grant Muller, Cathie Shuttleworth, Dora Shrive, Sophie Cullinan, Oscar Cullinan, Adam Kay,  Maggie, Gwen & Rhona from the Stevie Way Art Group, Becky Shippe, Nigel Shippe, Millie Ballard, the Padayach Family, Milec Saba & Family, the Bantin Family, Suryaudit & Family, Kitty Chan & Family , The Davidson Family, the Miln Family, the Finan Family, the Dunne Family and many more….
The Family Drawing Days were devised and delivered by artist Carole Miles and assisted by Sarah Stringer and  Lisa Wilkinson for Back To Books. 
Hoops & Hangers by Michael Miles, Scanning by Sarah Stringer and help with stitching, Kate Dyer. Many thanks to Marie Taylor, Carol Parfitt, Guy Newton, Andy Eathorne and Lubelia Watkin-Wynn and Tresham College for helping to make this such a successful project!
Guests and participants mingle amongst the Floating Columns
Hamish Young helping to animate the space!
 
The Mayor of Corby, Gail McDade, Corby Borough Council's Chief Executive, Chris Mallender and J Devereux, Corby’s Strategic Arts & Cultural Officer admire the cake stands made during the Tea With A View Day. 
Participants made drawings of the landscape from various windows inside the Cube and transferred them onto old crockery to create a series of up-cycled cake stands – observational drawings, sculptural forms and recycling discarded domestic ware, brought together to mark the changing landscape and to hint at all the celebrations that will take place inside the Cube.

 
The Mayor of Corby, Gail McDade, Corby Borough Council's Chief Executive, Chris Mallender
Works are by - Ann Leonard, Emma Boulton Roe, Marian Anderson, Cathie Shuttleworth, Dora Shrive, Sophie Cullinan, Oscar Cullinan, Meriel White, Lisa Wilkinson, Sarah Stringer, Kate Dyer, Lesley Hagger, Jean Chapman, Maureen Walvin, Allan Davies, Sonia Hawes, Shula Hawes and Lyndsay Grant Muller. The workshop was devised by artist Carole Miles and inspired by the work of Esther Coombes
Sarah Stringer making sure all the cushions have been secured to the sofas before the exhibition opening.
The Mayor of Corby, Gail McDade said "I cannot get over the drawing and embroidery of the changing Corby landscape." The Mayor is pictured here with cushions by Jennifer Helliwell and Ros Stoddart. 
Participants made drawings of the landscape from various windows inside the Cube and translated them into a series of cushions to temporarily adorn the sofas in the Chamber Foyer and to add a touch of softness to the environment, an intervention that would remind people of their homes, of conversations with friends or family, of warmth and comfort.

Works are by – Jennie Helliwell, Lorraine Dziarkowska. Ros Stoddart, Ann Leonard, Meriel White, Lisa Wilkinson, Sarah Stringer, Kate Dyer, Maureen Walvin, Sonia Hawes, Shula Hawes, Willy Gilder, Carole Miles, Bethany Walker, Hayley Langwith, Mollie Durrant-Jones, Bethany Pacan, Rachel Wood, Monica Maguire, Evie Price, Louisa Walker, Hayley Waltham, Olivia Reed, Jason Croucher, Emma Meakins, Aleks Armonlene.


 
The project has been delivered in partnership with Corby Borough Council, Corby Cube and supported by The Northamptonshire Community Foundation with funds from the Constance Travis Trust. We would also like to thank J Devereux, Corby’s Strategic Arts & Cultural Officer who has been a source of help, inspiration and refreshments throughout the course of this project!

Photographs by Andrew Rushton & Carole Miles

Friday 11 November 2011

Drawing from the Cube by Dale Page








Work in Progress - New Vistas Hanging Columns Installation

The printed cotton strips made last week are in the process of being transformed. They are being sewn into 
16 cotton columns made from 9 cotton strips, midnight Thursday and Carole is still sewing! Fabric needs fireproofing, side seams need sewing, hoops need attaching.
Hanging on Monday, Project Private view next Wednesday, 5.30 in the Chamber Foyer at the Cube.
No pressure then!