Project outline

The project follows on directly from the Making Drawing Collaboration which culminated in an exhibition at the Crafts Study Centre. (Check out my other page for more information). This project is a little bit different. Rather than people swapping drawings to interpret, this one will have 2/3 people interpreting one drawing. At the heart of both these projects are questions about human creativity, and the potentiality of drawing and making, they take inspiration from previous projects exploring similar themes by Alex McErlain, Alice Kettle and others.

So far the project has had an overwhelming response, there are over 33 drawings, and over 45 people taking part.

Random selection

Having spoken extensively to Nick Lees who has supported this idea since the inception of our first project,  we have decided that the drawings you interpret will be randomly chosen at a zoom meeting. For the last project, this randomisation worked incredibly well, and gave many unlikely but beautiful challenges, explorations, and connections. I hope you will be excited by this prospect.

Next stages

Stage 1 – Sharing and allocation of drawings

Stage 2 – Research & development

Begins after the first zoom meeting and ends with a symposium. (Jan/Feb 2024)

Drawings will be discussed and initial perceptions shared via small zoom meetings. Every participant that has given a drawing will say something about their motivations in making the drawing to add context to the drawing. Local meetings will be arranged, and relationships formed.

A project blog will be started where early ideas and developments are shared to help develop a sense of broader community and practice. Updates will also be added to our Instagram account.

This stage will end with a symposium at Anglia University, Cambridge (Including digital links so that people can join online.) Participants will come together for an informal show and tell  with a schedule of talks, presentations, films, demonstrations and public facing workshops in which the 13 drawings will be interpreted by the public.

Stage 3 – Refinement

Follows the symposium and ends with the exhibition. A period for refinement and production of exhibition ready material. Alternative forms of dissemination e.g. website / online exhibition will be explored alongside a physical output. Stage 3 will be approx. 6-8 months.

Stage 4 – Reflection & new initiatives

The period after the exhibition where participants who wish to, engage in more rigorous critical writing to reflect upon and disseminate the research and practice undertaken – e.g. for submission to Arts Cabinet or other academic journals, or for development into a book or an international conference which could then encompass drawing initiatives from elsewhere in the UK/Europe.