Last week-end was all about being a part of a Group Exhibition at All Hallows Church in Lady Bay.

We were eleven Artists,: Paul Liptrot, Pip Crawforth, Sarah Finer, Paula McCann, Laura Matthews, Phil Clarke, Fran Tristram, Chloe Pas, Paul Crawforth, Holly Early and myself.

Beautiful show in harmony with its environment. Although we were many,   it all felt spacious. Cool, calm and collected. Many visitors took refuge in our sanctuary.

The masks returning to their roots in order to manifest as Gargoyles.

Great to be part of a group show where we were exchanging thoughts and ideas. All of us seeing our own work though other peoples eyes and seeing it in a new environment. This in turn gives us a different perspective on our own work.

Such a delight to see how this structure moves and changes it’s character as it has moved from a flat plan, through being a bas-relief hanging on a wall, to becoming a fully three dimensional structure, fully actuated in space.

This week I have been mainly making a Polygonal Brain.

Working with Nottingham University to make a giant representation of a brain                 for a Science Exhibition at the Royal Society in July. Some way to go, with a range of           technologies yet to be attached. A treat to be working with scientists, sharing skills.

Well it has Happened and the Sun Shone brightly and s,the crowds came flocking.

It has been so much fun after two years of hard work.

Finally find The Nottingham Urban Fox that I have been waiting for.

Photo credits to Madi Wallner and Allan, our official  Festival photographer.

Everyone beavering away, in Offices,  Studio’s,  Caves,  Theatre’s and the Streets of Nottingham.  Completing puppets, sets, sewing, risk-assessments, orders, invoices, tickets, chairs, gazebo’s, domes, van’s  and yet so very much more.

We shall be starting tomorrow evening on World Puppet Day, 21st March 2018.

Still no sign of Urban Foxes.

Last making session. From now on it will be honing performance skills in preparation for the Big Parade on Sunday 25th March when so many puppets of so many styles and sizes will be meeting.

The whole gang has worked so very hard and with such good humour.

I cannot thank enough for the special  contributions of our volunteer assistants            Izzy,  Richard and Sophie.

Is it a mask, a puppet, a hat or what?

Whatever it is, it must be the dogs bollocks.

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Reviewing my work with Puppets and looking at how I simplify forms.

So very proud of my four 3rd Year Students with their production of ‘Our House’.  A performance for  Year 1 children at Mellers Primary School.  The narrative and look of the work was closely influenced by research the group did with the children as the piece was devised. The children were delighted to see elements of their own work in the final show.

The group showed much resourcefulness , not only with the acquisition of materials, but also with performance ideas’s  and making the work accessible to the target age group.  Strong Design elements as we come to expect of Theatre Design Students. They rose to the challenge of performing the work in two spaces which could not have been more different. In the ‘Black Box ‘of the Waverley Studio Theatre and the bright white box of Mellers school hall.