Helen Edling

20th – 31st August
Post Residency thoughts…
Once Upon A Space there was a creation of a collaborative microuniverse.

Big Thank You to all collaborators: David Foggo, Hannah Marsden, Katrin Ostlundh, Iris Priest, Stevie Ronnie, Judy Thomas, Sarah Tulloch and the lovely 25SG ladies Carole Luby and Hannah Marsden

Helen Edling

For my residency at 25 SG I had decided that I wanted to do some kind of collaborative or exchange project, and encouraged by Luby and Marsden when discussing my ideas with them I decided to jump and to try out an idea I have had lying patiently waiting for the right moment in the back of my head for a long time; this was the perfect time and place for it.

It started as an idea based on the “fold over” type of drawing or story telling games where you don’t know beforehand what has been before or who has done what, but you respond and continue ‘the story’. I invited 7 artists and writers and from Saturday to Sunday all 7 people had one day each to be in and work in the space(s).

Katrin Ostlundh

Practically it has worked out as I created a picture/pictures which was the start of the exchange, after which the project was made out of continuous non-hierarchical entries and exit points allowing for multiple interpretations and readings with each person that came into the space responded to what was there. The duration of each person’s time in the space was one day whilst I was present during the whole project being the link between them all, drawing, making soup lunches and generally acting like a support for the artists.

Being interested in ideas of multiple authorship and alternative and open narratives this has been an idea developed for exploration of the potential for the ‘art work’ and the ‘site’ of art to function as a mediating entity for ‘play’ and as an association and imagination trigger when considering ‘play’ as a discursive state holding the potential of exploring and experimenting with states of activity/passivity, and performer/spectator in an exhibition setting.

Bee

Having the opportunity to see these different artists work and respond, create and play as well as for me to be able to be part of the whole process but at the same time being able to follow the whole development of the collaborative micro-universe has been an astounding and privileged experience from which I have learnt so much. The support from 25SG for this project has been absolutely crucial, I have been thoroughly taken care of and encouraged and the willingness and enthusiasm in which they welcome different types of ideas and projects such as this is brave and refreshing.