SEE EYE 23rd - 24th March 2007
-----------------------------------------------
SEE EYE (Collaborative interventions) has brought together a group of creative people, working with the Abbeyview community to provide an artistic accompaniment to the regeneration scheme. This was made possible through interaction with a number of individuals and organisations in Abbeyview, alongside funding from Fife Council and Communities Scotland. The opportunity to present works in alternative spaces, such as a vacant block of flats, as well as efforts to enhance living and working environments such as the library, the regeneration office, and the eco house, has led to the creation of a number of works, some transient in nature, others more permanent.
The SEE EYE team was put together by Nicola Atkinson Does
Fly as a means of working in collaboration with other
artists, alongside the people of Abbeyview , on a series of artistic
‘interventions’. The team is made up of the artists
Hanna Tuulikki, Carol Lambie and Karen Vaughan, musician Stevie
Jackson, cultural broker Ben Spencer, carpenter Nick Millar and
writers Michael Wilson and Chris Hladowski. The team is showing
a series of works at an event in the Allan Crescent flats (112-126)
on March 23rd and 24th 2007, as well as one piece, by Carol Lambie,
in Abbeyview library.
There was a premise of collaboration which dictated everyone’s
individual approach from the outset. Nicola provides the hub or
point of contact for this, with each individual artist acting as
a satellite, bringing new ideas to the project and collaborating
with each other. There were many unknowns, such as which groups
we would engage with, and a concern that we wouldn’t be able
to engage with the community as fully as we would like within a
short time. From the outset there has been a strong desire to create
an interesting and exciting series of works, for the people of Abbeyview
to enjoy. Each individual has their own unique approach and skills,
whether it be conceptualising, constructing work, making films and
installations, playing music, or organising events, and it is both
challenging and rewarding to channel this into collaborative works.
Nicola has talked of the idea of the ‘phantom community’,
the idea that someone else speaking on behalf of the people can
only offer an abstract idea of what their thoughts are. The reality
is always much more complex, and hopefully by taking this into account
SEE EYE can provide a varied program of works which are responsive
to the entire area of Abbeyview, its people and environs.
With regards to the current exhibition the SEE EYE team decided
that, at the moment, a temporary piece is the most powerful representation
of Abbeyview given the fact that it is in a process of transition.
A lot of the work interprets destruction in an artistic way, and
alludes to re-growth and an awareness of what has passed. Metaphors
and symbols abound - the uprooting of trees, family ties, the flight
of birds, the black crows on the estate – alongside music,
celebration and the use of light. Even though many of the works
are temporary they will mutate into other forms – Ben Spencer’s
yew trees will find their way to Pittencrief Park, Hanna Tuulikki’s
lanterns will entertain the children of Abbeyview crèche,
hopefully for years to come, and who knows where Stevie Jackson’s
anthem for Abbeyview will get played,. Furthermore the Cabinet of
Curiosities, being constructed by Nick Millar, as an artistic resource,
housing individual art works alongside books chosen by the artists.
This SEE EYE event has started new ideas and contribute to what
will be created over Nicola’s residency until March 08.
The SEE EYE team.
Flat 120
For 702 Dwellings Nicola Atkinson Does Fly presents
a vision of Abbeyview in the form of miniature cardboard houses
embossed with gold leaf drawings, serving as a memorial to the houses
that have been or are due to be demolished. They will be constructed
and personalised by pupils at Woodmill High School, and exhibited
in flat 120.
Flat 120 & International Women’s week
forget-me-not & Sew the Sofa - Karen Vaughan's artwork,
Sew the Sofa explores the ideas that surround the notion of the
family tree. Working with individuals ‘memories’ or
‘histories’ that people bring along we will produce
physical ‘reminders’ that will be attached to the sofa.
Each piece will be cut into a leaf shape in order to tie in with
this concept. The work will form a permanent exhibition for local
people to sit on in the Regeneration Office, providing a much needed
discreet meeting point.
forget-me-not - Karen Vaughan’s installation
in Flat 120 utilises second hand clothes and furniture. She will
use traditional crafts in order to allude to the ancestry, cultural
identity, strength, re-growth and restoration of the immediate area.
Flat 122
Nest - Hanna Tuulikki is creating apiece called ‘Nest’
that, through the medium of sound and light, seeks to alter the
reality of the flat. By animating the space with two ‘dream
machines’ her work aims to highlight the dual aspects of sanctuary
as opposed to the reality of broken windows and abandoned space,
finding expression in ideas of fantasy/nightmare. By facilitating
a dialogue with the crèche she hopes to discuss how the children
were affected by the process of housing reallocation, producing
a dream machine that will be exhibited in the crèche.
Flat 124
The Electric Box - Stevie Jackson Two songs inspired by
and performed in Abbeyview. Conversations involving the Abbeyview
Junior Wardens and the ex-tenants of Allan Crescent influenced the
song “Electric Box”, with “Bird’s Eye View“
drawing on images of one of the abandoned flats and the piece of
writing below. They were written in an empty flat in Allan Crescent
and in St Ninian’s Church Main Hall then produced as a 45
record. Stevie will be performing his songs live at 1pm on both
days of the SEE EYE event.
Flat 124 & Abbeyview Library
Bird's Eye View & Ghost Lines - Carol Lambie has involved
Abbeyview Library users and staff through the piece entitled Ghost
Lines. Creating a line drawing directly onto the library window,
she will represent the view looking out to the curve of the flats
as seen from a fixed point. This invites interaction from the audience
to realign the drawing with the view, thus giving insight into the
artistic process and challenging what is real and what is interpreted
through subjective experience. Bird's Eye View focuses on the views
from the upper flats that will fall along with the windows on demolition
day, describing them through illuminated drawings. They will be
shown in the darkness of Flat 124 before the vantage point is lost
forever.
Flat 126
Potent - Ben Spencer's work of continuity and foresight
- building on the past for the future. Through consideration of
the environment, and particularly the treelessness of Abbeyview,
the work re-contextualizes this observation of the landscape in
order to celebrate the regeneration of the area.
Michael Wilson's O Wall translations of graffiti found on the walls of Pompeii and other ancient sites, suggesting a continuum of spontaneous unofficial expression (otherwise known as "vandalism") from historical times through to the present. These are reproduced on the interior of the Allan Crescent flat by the rest of the SEE EYE team who have selected a passage from Micheal work and chosen the medium, size and location.
Furthermore, Nick Millar and Chris Hladowski are creating a Cabinet
of Curiosities to provide a legacy for the regeneration
of Abbeyview, documenting the SEE EYE interventions and providing
an interactive resource for the community to engage with and learn
from. The Cabinet will be sited at different venues for one year.
Proposed venues include Woodmill High School, the Regeneration Office,
the Post Office, the Library, the Bowling Club, and the Tryst Centre.
To be launched in August.
The team itself has worked in collaboration with Woodmill High School, the Abbeyview junior wardens, the tenants of Allan Crescent, community youth workers at the Tryst Centre, the crèche in Allan Crescent, Abbeyview library users, the Abbeyview Regeneration Office, the steering group, and the general public who attend the International Women's Day event.
"The Regeneration Forum are extremely happy to see the artist
in Abbeyview doing work with the community for the benefit of regeneration.
It is good to see her working with children and adults alike and
we are looking forward to seeing the projects up and about in Abbeyview."
Sheona Murray, Chairperson of The Regeneration Forum
Photo credit: N.Atkinson Davidson
Chris
Hladowski
Hanna
Tuulikki
Michael
Wilson
Karen
Vaughan
