weekly weaves: 200 dailymades in 200 days in 200 ways

Sunday 3 June 2012

200 dailymades in 200 days in 200 ways

top ten most popular post #1: paper streamers

Dailymades was 200 days old yesterday! Congratulations to me. I never thought I’d be able to keep up with making and updating the blog daily, but I have, almost. There have been some days when I have failed to do this on time (at least the updating part of it) but I’m getting better at it, and gaining more from producing these objects as time goes on. The self imposed constraints are that I only use what I have at hand, never purchase anything specifically for the making, and never plan ahead, but work directly with the material to produce the work. This way of working has been a liberation.

Why do it? My aim was to keep up with my practice in a more concerted way by creating a space for logging and reflecting on all that I make. We all live fragmented lives to varying degrees, and it is often hard to make time for what matters most. Right now I’m writing assessments for my university students, creating sets and costumes for One Giant Leap, a performance produced by East London Dance and choreographed by Cheryl McChesney Jones for Big Dance 2012, planning a series of activities for Little Boxes of Memories, a project with Entelechy Arts, and am toiling to grow vegetables and materials to work with at the allotment at the Heygate. There are other commitments too, but you get the picture...

Dailymades as a spontaneous if not 'automatic' way of working has had me produce 200 objects so far, that now stand as an insightful record of my ongoing interests in making and the visual arts. It has allowed me to integrate creative ideas related to the various projects I am working on at any one time, and confirmed my interest in weaving to be of central importance in my practice(no surprises there) whether I model with balloons, plait with straws or pipe with royal icing. Making the Dailymades, I surprise myself everyday, and the meaning of what is produced will reveal itself over time, so I’m definitely committed to another 200 days if not more.

Above and below are the top ten most popular posts on the site. They may not be my all time favourites, but that’s the benefit of going public with such a project…