News from 2007
Participatory Projects
Liberty Festival
In September 2007 I was selected to undertake a drawing installation and facilitate a participatory art project with the public, as part of the Liberty Arts Festival in Trafalgar Square. The event showcased the work of disabled artists and performers and was attended by several thousand people.
Liberty Festival Drawing Tent in Trafalgar Square. The photo shows a view of the finished tent from the entrance, every surface covered by layers of multi-coloured drawing done by the public.
Voile and timber with coloured permanent pens.
My project comprised of an octagonal drawing tent, constructed out of timber, with transparent voile screens which gave a 360 degree view of the square. The tent was accessible, enabling the public to enter as they pleased using permanent coloured pens to draw directly onto the material, using the panoramic view of the square as a starting point for their inspiration. The tent was attended by all ages, and the end result was a collective drawing in many colours, overlaying my own drawing.
Liberty Drawing Installation location shot. The picture shows a member of the public drawing on an outside section of the semi transparent tent, with the fountain, the National Gallery and members of the public in the background. A placard reads "Drawing Installation. Join in and make your mark. Drawing installation by Sally Booth. Help create a panoramic view of the square".
Back view of a young boy making a wonderful drawing of a pigeon near ground level in the drawing tent.
For more information on participatory projects. Contact me to find out more about this project and discuss commissioning a drawing tent in other locations.
Liberty Festival Drawing tent location shots.
Photo on the left shows the 9ft high drawing installation structure in situ in Trafalgar Square, dominated by Nelson's Column in the background. Photo on the right shows a back view of two children with back packs (they are possibly brothers). They are both engrossed in making drawings on the tent. Permission given.
Exhibitions and Residencies
Chichester Open exhibition
I had two double spread landscape oil sketches accepted in the Chichester Open exhibition. An international exhibition of contemporary painting, drawing and print held in conjunction with a series of concerts and talks.
Below you can see these landscape oil sketches shown before framing. These landscapes are examples of the "black pastel" series made at Cannizaro Park in 2007 in a black spiral bound sketchbook.
Blossom and Pathway, 2007, oil pastel, oil stick on black paper. 30cm x 73cm.
The picture depicts one of the hidden, dark, secret areas of the park. On the right a silhouette of a black tree trunk spreads into four dark branches with bright yellow sunlight showing through. In the centre the composition is cut through by the spiral binding. On the left of centre a dark leafed rhododendron bush erupts with white splodges for blossom, almost oozing out of the top of the picture. It is framed on the left by smaller azalea bushes, the closest in red, while the floor is covered with an orange cinder path. The pastel is thick and sticky, with abstract patches of colour and squiggly marks like wax crayon to depict form, with areas of black left bare.
Looking through to the Azalea dell, Cannizaro Park, 2007, oil pastel on black paper, 30cm x 73cm.
This sketch was made just behind my studio. There is a week in late spring when the Azalea dell suddenly explodes into garish colour, and the picture attempts to capture this brief event. The sketch was made on a very sunny day, with strong areas of light and shade, and dappled light covering the picture.
The view of the dell is framed in the foreground on the right by a large unidentifiable deciduous tree, whose leaves and branches run across the top of the picture, and on the left by a dark, shadowy, abstract form - a wall topped by mushroom shaped hedge with tinges of red. The eye is led through to a shaft of yellow white sunlight on the ground running across the centre of the picture, and rests on the riot of colour that is the azalea dell in the background.
The azalea dell appears to me as a riot of undefined, broken, clashing blobs of colour. The blossom is depicted roughly, with small dots of pastel, from left to right green, soft grey blue, white, burnt orange, red, grey-pink, white, yellow, orange, red, yellow. It seems an anarchic mix!
Holton Lee Residency and East Meets West Exhibition
My first connection with Holton Lee came about as result of the inclusion of one of my Japanese concertina sketchbooks in their first Disability Arts Competition exhibition, held at the Faith House Gallery early in 2007. I instantly fell in love with the gallery and the setting.
In May 2007 I was invited by Tony Heaton, Director, to work at Holton Lee as artist-in-residence, as part of Purbeck Arts Week, My brief was to make work for a solo exhibition at the gallery, combining local landscapes and work from my recent visits to Japan as inspiration for the show.
Faith House Gallery, Holton Lee.
Holton Lee Residency
Holton Lee is situated in a secluded and varied landscape of heathland, woodland and reed beds. I spent the week dodging the torrential rain and making work from exploratory walks in this landscape and around the area of Poole Harbour. This included a series of panoramic drawings and paintings on canvas, in sketchbooks and on roller blinds.
East Meets West Exhibition
The exhibition featured panoramic paintings, drawings and photographs inspired by the landscapes of Japan and Holton Lee. I also made a site specific drawing installation on 6 floor to ceiling roller blinds, showing a panoramic view of the horizon from the gallery. These can still be seen at the gallery by appointment.
The exhibition ran from 28 July - 1 September 2007 at Faith House Gallery, Holton Lee.
Japanese Concertina Sketchbook
Toji - in gardens, Kyoto, 2006
Ink and watercolour on Japanese paper
25cm x 430cm
This postcard shows a section of one of my panoramic sketchbooks from Japan, which was on show at the exhibition.
Description The sketchbook is propped up lengthwise across the page in front of a plain black background. It is only partly unfolded like a concertina. The zigzag shapes show glimpses of watercolour images in yellows, greens and reds, of the view of a sunlit garden from a Japanese tea house.
Oneword radio interview
I was interviewed by Hayley Radford for Oneword radio. This was broadcast on the "The Gallery" on 27th July 2007. They have kindly agreed to allow us to use the interview here.
Residency in Japan
I recently returned from a residency in Japan, funded by the Gen Foundation. I worked in collaboration with the University of Art in Kyoto and delivered lectures and workshops for the students and made work inspired by the Zen gardens of Kyoto. On my return I have been developing a series of sketchbooks from Japan.
One of these pieces was exhibited at Holton Lee in Jan 2007. I will be having a solo show at Holton Lee in Dorset in August 2007.
My work has also been showcased as part of a film installation at the Singaproe Fringe Festival in Jan 2007, by the Helen Hamlyn Centre.
I have acted as guest speaker on inclusive design at the Royal College of Art in Feb 2007, and with Wire Design at the Design Council in March.
In April 2007 I was invited to take part in Helen Hamlyn Centre 24 hour design challenge as a consultant user, as part of Include 2007. I worked with Sprout, who won the award for most innovative inclusive design.
Have a look at previous years news from 2012 2011, 2010, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007.
