Routes River Rail

Extra extra, mystery of the Orchard revealed!

For a long time now those of us working and living in town have pondered...Whilst rushing through and rushing past buying our milk, apples, condiments and assorted bottles of alcohol you may have noticed that the 'Old market centre' is now 'The Orchard'. How or why it acquired this name, no one knows?

Until now!

Obviously the 'Old Market' a.k.a 'The pig market' has not only changed its name but it has also taken away the wooden pigs that were beloved by all.

The reason? My theory, simple. Swine flu.

 

 

Fly me to the moon!

i-spy a re-edit!

After posting the i-spy work on facebook and in talking to people in Taunton it would seem that loads of people really like the Taunton to Bridgwater planets walk. I've actually learnt what it is and who created it, apparently. Pip Youngman an astronomer in 1997. Anyway, this is really great feedback, as in my cynicism and cheekiness I have started to find out what other people think. Good stuff. I have done a re-edit of the page that explains my current thoughts it. What is interesting is that I started this project looking at the town very much from my own opinion, my own bias. So, finding out what things people agree or disagree with is very helpful. It would seem that people who live here, who know and have done the walk feel very find of it. Would people who don't live in Taunton know about it? Does it matter? We shall see. Keep spying...

http://www.hiddensomerset.com/docs/somerset_spacewalk_leaflet.pdf

Tuesday 19th January - a lesson in listening

I always write these things in retrospect. There's so much information to process on the actual day I need the time to think what has happened. To briefly outline todays events: today was our (myself and Sue) first day of public consultation. First meeting of the day being with Stephan Jennings an artist, canoeist and conservationist on the town bridge at 10.30. As this was the first person we'd spoken to I was essentially shadowing Sue's lead this time, listening to how she explained the project and asked questions. For example a few core questions being:

What does the river mean to you?

What routes do you travel around Taunton?

What would you like to see more of?

What concerns you?

Obviously the approach of these questions are often answered straight away just through conversation but they open up into more specific areas depending on the specialism of the person we're talking to.

At the same time there are four key aspects to consider such as

LIGHTING    SIGNAGE     SAFETY    ACCESS TO RIVER

I wrote down the points from our meeting with Stephan in my sketchbook once I got home whereas Sue recorded our conversation using a dictaphone like creature/fashion accessory. I won't mention too much of individual feedback on the blog just yet as I feel it would be more fair to report when we have collected more information. My blogging will be more of a diary explaining what I am learning about the process of this consultation at the moment. Other meetings we had this day were with a group of 'planners' from Taunton Deane in a meeting run by Diana Hatton, the owners of an angling shop on Station Road and Bronwen Gwillim from the 'Art for life' at Musgrove Park hospital.

It was another quiet day then, as you can see! Useful though because I'm learning double. Learning about how to ask questions and most importantly LISTEN to people's answers!!! Ha. Easy, I know, or so it seems but its very difficult for me to listen, I get too excited and often cut people off! Not that I'm the only person who does this mind but it takes great discipline to listen and listen convincingly. After all a lot of people claim to listen when they're actually not. Seriously though I'm learning a lot this way in both how Sue asks questions and also to the feedback we're getting as a result. I feel much more confident at doing some research independently now if necessary as I am getting my head around the whole consultation thing. The information collected so far is absolutely inspiring! Some really interesting ideas and honest comments being put forward.

It will be interesting to see how we process this information, there are some things that are emerging as the census and others that are more imaginative. However all are very worthwhile and helpful. Like I already mentioned I am keeping notes of everything. To end on another positive note I think I really am beginning to pick up how these art projects work; its loads of organising basically, and great communication.

Also you have to look at the link below, a few people have mentioned it to me after seeing my i-spy Taunton work. I think the work that Wrights and Sights are doing is exactly what I'm interested in at this moment in time. Very good stuff! Look at their Exeter misguided project to get an idea.

Back to college tomorrow and then on to The Brew!

Wrights & Sites

Wrights & Sites

http://www.mis-guide.com/ws.html

"The only constant thing in life is change."

I have been thinking a lot about change (in the broadest sense of the word) in the last few weeks. I think probably the reason it has been playing on my mind is that a lot of what I've learned about project Taunton so far is about change, and that's by no means a bad thing as I am sure a lot of the changes will be for the better, the re-developing around the entrance of the train station for example. Yet, I feel met with a lot of cynicism about change when speaking to people in the town which makes me doubt that 'change' isn't always the best answer. The quote from Petronius presents a more negative view on the affects of change;

 "I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization. (Petronius Arbiter, 210 BC)

So on one hand I wonder if by changing so much of the town so soon will we be creating this sort of confusion? To some extent I know this is a pointless conversation as it is going to happen anyway and needs to happen too in some cases so I think what I'm really saying is we need to be very careful and if by doing so much 'reorganizing' we end up creating confusion then now is the time to make sure that the 'connectivity and legibility' of this reorganizing links up in such a way that confusion is reduced to a minimum. Sometimes I think that 'change' is used as a quick fix and lazy reason to not pursue and try harder to look or work with what there already is. The attitude being why fix it when we can change it? Politicians talk a lot about 'change' and use it as a force for good as sometimes people want change. However when these politicians who talk of change actually get into power it is not long before we want change again with someone else in charge. So even when we get change are we ever satisfied and wait for the next change to improve the first one? Its complicated, and I have no answer, I think it is just more an observation of how the world works.

I remember another quote from an artist working at the time of early modernisation  at the beginning of the 1900's, Edward Wadsworth who said; 'The only constant thing in life is change.' Simple and, yes, slightly obvious as often the best bits of information are but also somehow more reassuring in my ongoing debate on 'change'. Just hope to make them good ones. Ha ha, but I could go on into ethics here and that won't help us at all. Except this one:

'All excellent things are as difficult as they are rare.' Spinoza

 

i-spy good stuff!

Here at last, is some of the more appealing Taunton features, at least in my opinion.

Tauntonians want giant monster under town bridge!

Psychic Brendon's postcard!

 

Thanks, Brendon for this one! Believe it or not he hadn't actually seen my version of this card with tentacles on. Weird! Obviously people in Taunton want a giant monster to attack or live under the bridge. I'll see what I can do.  

Can we not think of the aim of life as being simply to see?

'A similar view existed in ancient India. The aim of life was not to change the world. It was to see it rightly.'

-John Gray 'Straw Dogs

Thank you French Weir!

Ok, so this post is a little late, but thought I'd mention my recent meeting with Amber Packer-Hughes Chair of the 'Friends of French Weir'. Friends indeed, Amber is a friend and fellow Fine Art Student whom I went to Somerset College with so I thought it would be great to hear what she had to say on the project.

Fist bit of news: Friends of French Weir AGM is on Monday 8th February at 7.00pm North Town primary school (I will be going to collect some creative responses from any of you that should be there if you wish to take part)

Really useful stuff to come out of this conversation was the ideas that the 'FFW' had put into place such as the natural log wooden seating/path in the park made from the old trees that were cut down. Good idea, as not only is it sustainable it looks loads better than the sludge brown benches that are all over Goodlands gardens. Apparently there are a group of 'tree people' working for Taunton Deane that do this kind of stuff. I should very much like to meet them.

More places for seating and socialising seemed to be a topic for discussion too and I thought Amber's point about how public seating is arranged was very useful. The idea being that in England we generally arrange all our benches in nice straight rows around the edge of a space, whereas places like, Barcelona have seating that is arranged in clusters, groups or is curving around the edge of a space. Much more interesting and designed for interacting with people. Good stuff.

The debate of the ridiculous naming of the new 'Orchard' came up too. I have to admit, it seems a stupid name, as its not the orchard, its the old market centre or the pig market. Both of the latter names have something to do with the history of the place. What has the shopping centre have to do with apples, or an orchard? Cider is made in Somerset, yes, but I think the re-branding of the pig market has not gone down well with a lot of people in the town. These opinions make me think that whatever work we do on this project it has to kept and remain sensitve to the integrity of the town and its history.

Can you have 'new' and still keep some rememberance of the old? Mark Wallinger's horse is connected to the history of chalk horses being carved into the countryside yet a lot of people really hate the idea. If I had to think of an example where this idea works it would be the angel of the north. Perhaps it depends on the way the work is constructed and executed that makes the difference. I don't know yet.

Um, anyway. So all of this came out of meeting Amber. Thank you.

 

Taunton's postcard sales are up!

There are approx 63,000 people living in Taunton according to the census done in 2001, unfortunately too big a number for me to ever send all of you a postcard! If I manage to receive 63 postcards in the space of the next couple of months in relation to this project I will consider that a minor victory! Please keep them coming in.

This is my third week of working on the project and tomorrow we (myself and Sue) will venture out to begin the first phase of our public consultation (find out more tomorrow).

Already I have begun to find out more about people's likes, dislikes and views on public art in Taunton. Perhaps one of my most interesting conversations came out of buying the majority of the postcards upon my recent visit to the Information centre in Taunton's library. It ain't called the 'information office' for nothing! I arrived to hear a conversation a lady visiting the town was having to the information office assistant. Maybe, I shouldn't be so nosey but you can't help but listen in a place that's so darn quiet, so listen I did. The lady visiting the Taunton said, 'It seems to me there are all these new developments going to happen, at the cricket ground, the castle green and so on but its all so fragmented. There's nothing holding it together. Taunton is a county town, you used to be able to walk down th street and talk to people.' Clearly this lady knows her stuff regarding the changes happening in town and she feels the way, I'm starting to find lots of other people do. Taunton has history as a market town and more, shouldn't we be trying to retain that heritage? The 'fragmented' business is also very interesting. That's where we come in!

DA DA DAH DA! Is your town looking fragmented? Do you have loads of new buildings going up and being knocked down all over the place? Are you missing places to sit? Places to socialise? Places to reflect? Then you need, the 'Routes, river, rail' team! Our team of highly trained artists and creative people can help you get your town back together.....or so the plan goes, anyway. Ha.

Seriously though, what good timing. I should hang out in the info office all day and find stuff out. For example did you also know that it may be moving into the Brewhouse? Good news for the Brew as a more 'hub' of central action but what will happen to the space the info office leaves behind? I'm thinking extended art gallery!!!! Who knows, you heard it here first, it may not happen?

Brilliant, so thank you information office, as always very informative. Definitely something I will have to pursue is finding out what the people who work there think about the routes in the town, and what ways do people visiting the info office use or request to navigate their way through the town? Hmmmm.....