Artists Jack Brown, Joanna Nowek and Sadie Edginton.
Together with members of the local community we made and planted flags along 'the cut' in Hackney Wick
wandering along the canal - planting flags, talking to people about what we were doing and encourging people to get involved - not only with the flags project - but also with the work we were planning at Exchange Project Space.
we ended up at 'A folly of a flyover' and made more flags, met a few more people and planted a few around the folly
http://www.follyforaflyover.co.uk/
finally we set back along the canal - revisiting some of the flags we had planted - adding some more and getting into a few more conversations about the project.
Quotes from flag day along Lea River and canalside and Folly for a flyover. Sat 23rd July
Old man walking along canal:
'what is it, you'll have to read it to me, I haven't got my glasses'
me: 'You can leave your mark'
walks off muttering: 'I've already made my mark darling'
Yazz, young asian family, carpenter lives in Clapton, really interested:
'we saw it and thought ideas planted in the ground'
Wants to get involved in community projects and building installations.
Cooltan Arts Open Weekend walkers:
'its nice because you see it and you don't know if its an art project or what. Its mysterious'
'How personalis that? Its her A-level notes, how personal is that'
man trying to decipher notes and words on Descartes pages.
Walkers:
'we're not local, but we'll do'
'come along way down'
'Isn't it just littering'
Passers by:
'Did you put a book cover in dog shit? It was very nice'
'Its littered enough without more rubbish down it'
Old man
'Can I sign it? Have you got a pen? I want to write my name on it'.
Questions:
'I bet your artists are you?'
'whats this then?'
'Is there any particular reason behind the book choice?'
Numbers.....
Flags made = approx 700
People making flags - 3x artists and approx 50 members of the public
About 150 people saw them on the day and there are images of the flags on display in our project space.
