MEANTIME Residency: WEEK 1

New office at Cheltenham

Crystal shop

Psychic 1 hand writing

Beginning of drawing

Discussion setup for opening event 

Reading material and drawing

Residency space and salt rock lamp

WEEK 1 REPORT

I could not have predicted (but then I'm no psychic!) how well my first week at Meantime residency space could have gone. The residency space is perfect for any artist working in any medium- it is homely, light and makes you feel that you can make anything. Its a very special space- bright and airy with large windows and plenty of wall space. I have settled in well. The first day was spent researching local psychics and booking myself a session. Everything was ready for me to visit my first fortune teller on the Tuesday. This was a nerve wracking experience- I have a strong Welsh accent and am not very good on the phone, then there is the unusual experience of going to a strangers home. I stood at the psychics front door full of trepidation. She answered and was miffed that Id arrived early as she was in the middle of another reading. I was handed the sun newspaper and told to relax on the white leather sofa's in the lounge. A young blonde woman leaves and thanks the psychic. It struck me that she too was nearly thirty, well dressed and normal looking. The psychic ushered me into her consultation room. She was very motherly and friendly and put me at ease. The reading began with a disclaimer:

"I am not God,

  I am not a Counsellor,

 This is for light entertainment only."

She held my hand throughout the reading and wrote in an automatic style, interrupting the writing to explain what she meant. I will divulge what she predicted through my work. At the end of my session I asked how I could get back to Cheltenham town centre. She exclaimed "come back in loviee I am driving in to get my hair cut, Ill take you." I was moved by this generous offer.

Back at the residency space I started to consider what would be the best mode of documenting this reading and experience. It struck me that the language she used had been so full of visual imagery that I should make drawings. The black Biro drawings are very illustrative and help form a narrative of the reading. This ties in with the advertising style a lot of psychics use, and also makes a nod to the aesthetics of carnival posters.

The opening event took place on that Tuesday evening. This was a chance to have an active dialogue about the work and was very beneficial as I was able to talk through the whole of the For Future Reference Project and explain in detail what I am trying to achieve now. Many interesting subjects arose such as why it is such a female tradition to see psychics, and why it is very common in the South Wales Valleys to do so. 

Drawing has become the main focus of this work, this is a fresh start and a new direction for my work to take. Using drawing as a way of mapping out performances has taken place throughout my work in the last few years, but I am looking forward to focusing and putting emphasis on this way of exploring my ideas.