JAYWICK, Clacton on Sea, UK
MAY-JUNE 2019
2 Months, planning, researching, talking and reading / 4 Week making preparations / 1 Weekend residency installations
Initial thinking 9th June review, following days after leaving Jaywick.
This project developed as part of a collaboration between 8 other students from CSM. The 4 part residency based in Jaywick, a seaside village in the district of Essex, England. It is located just 2 miles west of Clacton-on-Sea. laying on the North Sea coast of England, 60 miles from London and 17 miles from Colchester.
This was the first residency I would be taking taken part in.
Which took place towards the end of my second year of studying at CSM. It offered engagement with the local community of Jaywick and groups which have adapted in a particular way to a public space, by calling it home. 'The Usual Project' was put in place to encourage more positive perceptions. The past media had only presented Jaywick negatively leaving many residents overly cautious to outsiders. It became all part of the challenge and eventually bought about a dynamic succession of works which would be imbedded within the community spirit and essance by the end of our time.
'It's Serenity' originally stemmed from a "magical moment" I encountered on the beach while at Jaywick seafront. I wrote a poem searching for a meaning in my thoughts, about an ex-boyfriend who has been incarcerated since December 2018.
Tying with the notions of freedoms, came morality and immortality and love.
One of the most important aspects I deemed necessary when reflecting Jaywick in my work was occurrences which had taken place over the town. Included in this was the horrific drowning of a young child, who at the age 16, without the availability of swimming lessons. Drowned falling from the pier just the summer before our project began.
A blame could be put of lack of local amenities. Or the lack of respect many of the residents face due to their home address. Or even a lack of appreciation to the natural world significant features which implicate Jaywick as the costal town which it is.
I felt having spent reasonable time in Jaywick by the end of the project the work was the need of tranquility. Peace, pause and slowing to our everyday world. Here the community is slower than most but more adhering to one another.
The social circle is smaller and therefore much closer, generally speaking.
I wanted to bring back the appreciation of surrounding to both the residents and visitors. Which meant heading to the beach.
It is probably the largest feature, it was empty and totally free to use.
While talking to local resident and working with a youth club on a bike ride, I found about the incident mentioned previously, from the summer before.
'It's Serenity' was a piece made at the 'studio' aka. the local pub. On the day of showcase we transported the red sofa with me to the beach during an 6 hour stint. I sat waiting, watching between hours of 11am-4pm, inviting those who passed by, to sit with me. And share in the surrounding abundance.
An elemental feature of the work was proposing a pause, a breath.
Allowing consumption of the beauty Jaywick holds in its idillic natural beauty, along the costal front.
With this I invited anyone willing to stay long enough for a conversation, sharing of whatever might be on their mind, or what peacefulness might look like to them.
ITS SERENITY - RED SOFA, RED FISHING ROPE, ARTIST IN SITUATION, FLOATING BOIS MADE FROM BALLONS, STICK ON PEARS, TYRE, TIN BEER CANS, CAR PARTS, PLATIC WASTE ALL PICKED UP AROUND JAYWICK.
DURATION 6 HOURS.
'It's Serenity'
INSTALATION MATERIALS:
RED SOFA, CAR TIRE, BLUE "BIRTHDAY BOY" / "IT'S A BOY" BALLON, RED HEART SHAPED HELIUM BALLON, PEARLS, CAR PARTS, PLASTIC BOTTLES, RED SAILOR ROPE, SCREWS
THE BOY/BOUYS/BOIS
I made my 'Boy'/'Bouy'/'Bois' with a deliberate play on words and around what the sculpture meant.
The floating piece was to signify life and death, fragility of human relationships and humanities small existence on the planet, compared to the power of mother nature.
Our over using in worlds resources is in direct relationship to the fragility of our lives when we forget to love nature and how live in harmoniously with it.
Text written in my diary on 26.7.2019
When I reflect now, nearly two months down the line I can see the work as more of a singular piece which stands on its own.
Although I was attempting to occupy the sofa and the beach and Jaywick with personal thoughts, with many different components to the piece. Through this image, I read more of a semi permanent statement of continious emotions and memory.
When I recall the sequence of events through the day, much of the time I was concentrating on whether or not the 'Bouy' would float.
As, opposed to using the time to think and reflect in harmony at the landscape.
The memory and emotions needed the positioning and location of me, which required the sofa, which needed the beach, which needed the sea, which needed the floating Bouy, which needed the attachment to the sofa, which needed me to hold the rope. It was a moment in time of simultaneous motions.
Imitate audience feed back
This came from a lady who sat with me that day on the beach. joined at the end of the day around 3pm. She asked inquisitively me about my piece and its meaning. I explained about the mortal and immortal. The tangibility of loving and tranquility of my moment on the beach back at the research stages to the project.
Reaction later in the afternoon to Artist Mark Stonor (guiding us as part of collaboration between CSM X Essex County Counsil):
"Amelia's piece with the red sofa, really touched me, hearing her story and experiences, made me think about mine, the people in my life, been and gone."
