tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28248944025308399322024-03-15T18:09:27.714-07:00Collect ConnectCollect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-55887977361116637652023-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:002023-10-27T22:28:07.732-07:00Alertism - Stanimir Dimitrov<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>It's the final day of the Alertism exhibition and we hope you feel fully alerted! Thank you to everyone who has taken part (artists, writers and First Responders). We finish the exhibition with a new writer (to us), Stanimir Dimitrov, a bright spark in the world of poetry and creative writing. He echoes a sentiment that we at Collectconnect hold in very high respect, to stay connected to each other. Sometimes it's that simple. Dean Reddick sends us his response below. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckYVXgiTytEI66fSHjvJ9e7AJFbnztc8x5BKyLZFlQS1Ta7701ZYty0meMa-QJPhX2PLimhjpZsVmUDo59aUMWSUxx2Rn1MCPOAS5oyGs0KGiQhb1hCYU96214Z9O3pSzl2ah0HdE62tPwTntLcCupYaDm-686Rv681Tdi9hIWJDjar96_jZWcfSE4Wg/s2952/poems_Stanimir%20Dimitrov_1%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2527" data-original-width="2952" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckYVXgiTytEI66fSHjvJ9e7AJFbnztc8x5BKyLZFlQS1Ta7701ZYty0meMa-QJPhX2PLimhjpZsVmUDo59aUMWSUxx2Rn1MCPOAS5oyGs0KGiQhb1hCYU96214Z9O3pSzl2ah0HdE62tPwTntLcCupYaDm-686Rv681Tdi9hIWJDjar96_jZWcfSE4Wg/w400-h343/poems_Stanimir%20Dimitrov_1%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stanimir Dimitrov</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><u>First Responder: Dean Reddick</u></b><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_fTpmtsC3ibv6mHZiAYuO3SPfU3yKPL94bCDD26q1nduQgnepRH2V7ketDSr7bDiI6jTbaLdAmeRcoXubXewURh9UWrtgcO6gDdzRQ7naArWzqYnrwKtmX4fMaRbjkcp88mJlM1_8c6kWVey8NKgkror8-xw5U5Z7ZwlNCuw17zHSxpuPXZxbGpcSOc/s949/Dean_Reddick_1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="949" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_fTpmtsC3ibv6mHZiAYuO3SPfU3yKPL94bCDD26q1nduQgnepRH2V7ketDSr7bDiI6jTbaLdAmeRcoXubXewURh9UWrtgcO6gDdzRQ7naArWzqYnrwKtmX4fMaRbjkcp88mJlM1_8c6kWVey8NKgkror8-xw5U5Z7ZwlNCuw17zHSxpuPXZxbGpcSOc/w400-h400/Dean_Reddick_1b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dean Reddick</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stanimir Dimitrov </b>is a graduate of Creative and Professional Writing (incl. Foundation) at Kingston University London. He has performed live at the National Gallery, London and published his brilliant debut pamphlet, man/ia, in 2022.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dean Reddick </b>is a legend, art therapist by day, highly original sculptor and conceptual artist by night. He likes drawing trees, birds and sharing ideas with his fellow CollectConnect artists.<br /><a href="https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/">https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/</a></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-89997305461356161402023-10-27T00:58:00.005-07:002023-10-27T01:01:59.837-07:00Alertism - Alban Low<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>We have a tempting proposition for you today on the Alertism exhibition. CollectConnect co-founder Alban Low asks you to push the button, but just once only. Can you resist? And what would happen if you pushed it twice. The First Responder who has to exert self control is writer Katerina Koulouri. Read her response below.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztWuk51J8IlQ01bO1tLS7Bfnyl68AuLFuOzvPLZQp3zXC_tPEhRwCSrE6PuufYkXXzeok3Orlt2l_MG1YwEJu6J_OtNJaP0NfXZNBF7_Hy3zv7c0iFBJpHh8F44uFdeUJW7jhm0TMmgVxv3yxH7dgcSGSra3GQCNQk5zr_LeQOKbYPbLUrMsQ0EsxLlc/s2454/image_alban_low.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2242" data-original-width="2454" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztWuk51J8IlQ01bO1tLS7Bfnyl68AuLFuOzvPLZQp3zXC_tPEhRwCSrE6PuufYkXXzeok3Orlt2l_MG1YwEJu6J_OtNJaP0NfXZNBF7_Hy3zv7c0iFBJpHh8F44uFdeUJW7jhm0TMmgVxv3yxH7dgcSGSra3GQCNQk5zr_LeQOKbYPbLUrMsQ0EsxLlc/w400-h365/image_alban_low.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alban Low</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Katerina Koulouri</u></b></p><p>Clear instructions<br />In capitals<br />I could ignore the urge<br />Follow the instructions<br />Keep this somewhere safe<br />Only use it in case of emergency<br />Only once</p><p><span> </span>Some other me is tempted to do the opposite and will probably go ahead<br /> at some point very soon and will press the red button a few times because<br /><span> </span>what’s the point of pushing it only once anyway. I’ll wait to see what happens.<br /><span> </span>Could it be flooding, an earthquake, a fire? Did I just escape some certain<br /><span> </span>death and should be grateful?</p><p>Or, I could just store it in a box<br />Store the box in the cupboard with all the other boxes<br />Postcards and other mementos<br />Forget about it, like all the other<br />Postcards and mementos<br />After all, it’s only a red button next to some clear instructions<br />What matters is that someone thought of me</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Alban Low </b>is an artist and illustrator, working in a signature graphic style for album covers and specialising in impromptu portraits of jazz musicians. He is currently artist-in-residence at Twickfolk and presents the Jazzlondlive radio show on Brooklands Radio.<br /><a href="http://albanlow.co.uk/">http://albanlow.co.uk/</a></p><p><b>Katerina Koulouri</b> is a poet and translator living in London. She was born in Athens, Greece and lived in France for 5 years where she studied Oenology and Modern French Literature. Katerina also holds an MA in Creative Writing (poetry) from Kingston University, London. Poetry, wine and childrens’ books are her passions. She recently published her debut pamphlet, <a href="https://sampsonlow.co/2023/10/24/invitation-to-elsewhere-katerina-koulouri-and-alban-low/">INVITATION TO ELSEWHERE </a>.</p><div><br /></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-7787134039723587182023-10-26T00:47:00.005-07:002023-10-26T01:20:43.795-07:00Alertism - Bryan Benge<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>As we near Halloween the dark nights are full of surprises, orange ghouls and ghostly premonitions. True to form, Bryan Benge's artwork gives us everything we fear. The co-founder of CollectConnect, Bryan's work often reaches beyond home shores, from the Reichstag in Germany to the Ewha University in Seoul, he has an eye for the international landscape. Here he sends out a worldwide alert, beware the Bogeyman! For such a big global threat Bryan has been given 2 First Responders, Sophie Darling and Dan Clarke. Read their responses below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VC0kOjskNoIieZP8tk-TefeuFWLDDKEsFPdh7hX81W3WlM22Qs_o9538HHT-kj9PqSXgHJ3ORAzH1gY3deELMjVCZVK6xE2Y2PR-vc-A72FCpHqEbBUpd5npkw9eN1-ER5z72cI9PTGfT8JQuRrYjgRFVAZ_9LjRvwLY7v05Ns3SkvkQKGJzfIBbpr4/s533/image_Bryan_Benge_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VC0kOjskNoIieZP8tk-TefeuFWLDDKEsFPdh7hX81W3WlM22Qs_o9538HHT-kj9PqSXgHJ3ORAzH1gY3deELMjVCZVK6xE2Y2PR-vc-A72FCpHqEbBUpd5npkw9eN1-ER5z72cI9PTGfT8JQuRrYjgRFVAZ_9LjRvwLY7v05Ns3SkvkQKGJzfIBbpr4/w394-h400/image_Bryan_Benge_1.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bryan Benge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><u>First Responder: Sophie Darling</u></b><br />Fear, sadness… eternal panic at what already happened and what’s to come. How do we understand what is danger, what is panic, and according to who? Do these people care about me? I doubt it</p><p><u><b>First Responder: Dan Clarke</b></u><br />A sense of foreboding dread at the thought of his potential second term, and what that would mean not only terms of his destructive policies, but in terms of the current thinking of US voters</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Bryan Benge </b>explores the digital art medium, his work draws upon autobiography, family history and cultural icons from his past to explore visual memory and re-positioning of the past. Walter Benjamin observes in a Berlin Childhood , around 1900 “Memory is not an instrument for surveying the past but its theater.”<br /><a href="https://www.bryanbenge.co.uk/">https://www.bryanbenge.co.uk/</a></p><p><b>Dan Clarke</b> and <b>Sophie Darling </b>are a creative force, their current work includes fashion, design, photography, DJing, music production, radio show presenting and art, plenty of art.</p><p><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-72617896274321088552023-10-25T00:58:00.007-07:002023-10-30T01:41:40.202-07:00Alertism - Paul March<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>A new name to us here at CollectConnect, but we're really pleased to welcome him to the Alertism exhibition. Paul March is our artist, a mystery, just like the people who send government alerts. Do we ever know the people who are behind an alert, could it be an unauthorised sender? We will forever remember the rogue civil service tweet in 2020, when an unknown employee posted “Arrogant And Offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?” just after Boris Johnson's press conference. Paul's First Responder is Anglo-Brazilian artist Ed Arantus. Rio de Janeiro uses a Siren Alert System that includes a Master Control Station that has the ability to control 180 High-Powered Speaker Stations across the city. Read Ed's response below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNA2ShjLjenCjaTPr3r1-FEgELWIypst6g2fge6mQAhipny10YhSJjk4WuHO6lFCv1EYpmfFvCNgHC-uNqbhN1w2uGYHGT8pAdZhht0vw76nD4ac5B6h9iJvtzcGhLSPmeUC_NePiH6ylcuPGYOQrWBBdHYvvLyR2DlgP4DYOP7ya_0uc-tV9yoByvlI/s783/Paul_March_Alert%20three.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="709" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNA2ShjLjenCjaTPr3r1-FEgELWIypst6g2fge6mQAhipny10YhSJjk4WuHO6lFCv1EYpmfFvCNgHC-uNqbhN1w2uGYHGT8pAdZhht0vw76nD4ac5B6h9iJvtzcGhLSPmeUC_NePiH6ylcuPGYOQrWBBdHYvvLyR2DlgP4DYOP7ya_0uc-tV9yoByvlI/w363-h400/Paul_March_Alert%20three.gif" width="363" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Paul March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Ed Arantus</u></b></p><p>I had one chance to wake them from this world<br />Running blind, just to stay still<br />It is a kindness to stop them all</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Paul March</b> retired from lecturing in 2017 where he worked on, HE and FE, he is still involved in education supporting students. He has decided not to return to lecturing as he finds the education system today has lost it way from its true purpose, so he spends most of his time involved in his own art projects.<br />On leaving school he studied engineering; he later joined the army as a mechanical engineer rising to the rank of corporal in charge of a workshop. His interest in teaching started during this time, having to train other soldiers in engineering. He became an instructor in the army and later in civilian life in sailing, canoeing, climbing, and other outdoor pursuits.<br />He went back to college in later life to study Art and Design, gaining a BA (hons) and later a MA. His latest endeavour is a PhD on the link between science and art focusing on artist and scientist thought processes.<br />For the past 24 years he has been involved in most areas of art and design. He has had several exhibitions around the country and a virtual exhibition in Italy.<br />He is a big advocate of cross discipline teaching, which shows in his work where he combines art, science and engineering, including past professions and hobbies. He has been part of the push towards changing the area of STEM to become STEAM adding art to science, technology, engineering and maths.</p><p>“Equations are to science,<br />what abstraction is to art”.<br />Paul March 2023</p><p><b>Ed Arantus</b> is a conceptual artist and writer. He published his first work in the Censored Zine in 2010 and has exhibited his work ever since at venues like the Contemporary Arts Research Unit in Oxford and the Museum of Futures in Surbiton. <a href="https://edarantus.blogspot.com">https://edarantus.blogspot.com</a></p><p><br /><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-63039880543689171392023-10-24T01:22:00.005-07:002023-10-24T02:12:53.874-07:00Alertism - Stella Tripp<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Often alerts come in the form of a visual warning, a code that needs to be deciphered. In an increasingly overloaded visual landscape we are bombarded with signals via phones, road signs, and packaging. Which do we act upon first? Do we need to make a decision quickly? Here, artist Stella Tripp sends a triptych of images, the challenge for our First Responder is to unravel the mystery behind them. Jessie G Vaughan is our brave responder, she really puts herself on the line by opening the alert live on camera! Thank you to both artist and First Responder for adding a new and unexpected interplay for the exhibition.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16Bg6AMjbnCnXxwjqXTpIJKE8UBjR2PnrpmqTD7QGF1b45qkiDuevXLq88Q8pE-4YSAHj2z6LnliWMqHmpbBNnyV1u2GUtaX1MJz2nmt5jCZbUX_h5slpLYxDUrbDZZ8TOj_gJhCKqjQgWdJgWH_uHcPBcOM4FA_rMJZyurRiMgga4mI30DFd7l1QVjs/s2082/image_stella_tripp_4%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="2082" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16Bg6AMjbnCnXxwjqXTpIJKE8UBjR2PnrpmqTD7QGF1b45qkiDuevXLq88Q8pE-4YSAHj2z6LnliWMqHmpbBNnyV1u2GUtaX1MJz2nmt5jCZbUX_h5slpLYxDUrbDZZ8TOj_gJhCKqjQgWdJgWH_uHcPBcOM4FA_rMJZyurRiMgga4mI30DFd7l1QVjs/w400-h181/image_stella_tripp_4%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stella Tripp</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u><b>First Responder: Jessie G Vaughan</b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='476' height='396' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZBD7z5WDktJpoHOrbPEoEkF6ip3U2Ea1U_W6m4jHgfVS-pbODalW46yerzrOfD9rPiHgKJevqxWZyWJQ8XA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>------------------------------------</p><p>Born in Taunton, Somerset, <b>Stella Tripp</b> travelled to her current home in Devon, a very long way round. After a few years in Israel, Stella returned to Taunton to do a foundation course; then on to Portsmouth (BA Hons Fine Art); a few years in London; three in the USA (MA Fine Art; MFA) and a year in Cornwall, before settling in Exeter. Stella works in a wide variety of media, crossing boundaries between drawing, painting and sculpture.<br /><a href="http://www.stellatripp.co.uk">www.stellatripp.co.uk</a></p><p><b>Jessie G Vaughan </b>has been with us at CollectConnect since our first street art exhibition in 2010, Fab Fridge. When we exhibited mini magnetic artworks on the streets of Bath. She followed this up quickly with Freezchester, a magnetic exhibition in the Arndale Centre in Manchester. An excellent printmaker and artist in her own right, we look forward to exhibiting more Jessie G Vaughan artworks in the future.</p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-88914061852909658682023-10-23T01:01:00.004-07:002023-10-23T01:46:11.352-07:00Alertism - Melanie Honebone<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>We love working with such a broad array of artists, but the first name often on our team sheet will be that of Melanie Honebone. An artist willing to embrace all aspects of the creative game, from painting to sculpture, often with a conceptual edge. The artist formally known as Ezra has been exhibiting with us since Rarities in 2011. When she took a train from Swansea to St Leonards-on-Sea to attend the opening of the exhibition on Hastings Pier. She really does go the extra mile! Melanie's First Responder is an artist who is very much in the Honebone mould, comfortable across the artistic disciplines, it's our co-founder Dean Reddick. He has provided a multi-media response, see it below (we have also included a transcript of the words underneath).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBU5JltYutH6uDrKjYFSoa58pXrNZ5_xOIC7kKxYBnMVW4jARlOVQFk2vsE25UX59rLC3-IqIgvJtEYONF7W3H8f3GlV1ht8JVdCM92E5K8TsVqtUv55bZk4OUYd5huIahKQ-SGrIFhudY3_V8kjh4zWg4F7bM9gZ0x2sHMa-kqvhW9Sz9IIfIkcNqh4/s945/image_Melanie_Honebone_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBU5JltYutH6uDrKjYFSoa58pXrNZ5_xOIC7kKxYBnMVW4jARlOVQFk2vsE25UX59rLC3-IqIgvJtEYONF7W3H8f3GlV1ht8JVdCM92E5K8TsVqtUv55bZk4OUYd5huIahKQ-SGrIFhudY3_V8kjh4zWg4F7bM9gZ0x2sHMa-kqvhW9Sz9IIfIkcNqh4/s320/image_Melanie_Honebone_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Melanie Honebone</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><u>First Responder: Dean Reddick</u></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDQ-JoL9pP5J5nh4oVqJXQvuFduzKWti0u5UYFB_UrSiVXYG7BFJC8aqUdF3LanMUNCPIGHK3K4wsQZ91z9awiQWWGRZQpR7KvQpFRekAZe6T-Ca4Jti_eVIK9hlyP64DCBu-HECmrZHSC_gyrZsOsCcN-evFsjwIZNSmBv4UlErTTBxiVGuvvXfa87o/s2374/FR_Now%20Panic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2367" data-original-width="2374" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDQ-JoL9pP5J5nh4oVqJXQvuFduzKWti0u5UYFB_UrSiVXYG7BFJC8aqUdF3LanMUNCPIGHK3K4wsQZ91z9awiQWWGRZQpR7KvQpFRekAZe6T-Ca4Jti_eVIK9hlyP64DCBu-HECmrZHSC_gyrZsOsCcN-evFsjwIZNSmBv4UlErTTBxiVGuvvXfa87o/w400-h399/FR_Now%20Panic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dean Reddick</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We were already partially decontextualised when they arrived before breakfast half falling through the door <br />Local pressure was high they were already mostly gone </div><div><br /></div><div>Who else knew who else could respond what were we to do <br />We tried diagnostics references were off the scale legends appeared and disappeared several versions manifested faded blurred reinstated </div><div><br /></div><div>Mapping led to further disorientation boundaries bled away islands formed static interfered everywhere</div><div> </div><div>Melanie Honebone Now Panic Melanie Honebone Panic Melanie Now Honebone Panic Now Melanie Now </div><div><br /></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Melanie Honebone</b> is a Wales-based fine artist. She often works in series, providing visual responses to external stimuli such as literature, science, and music. Melanie openly describes herself as a ‘renegade arts experimentalist’ and is happy dabbling in anything that pushes her work to the limit and broadens her own potential. In her spare time she produces music videos and photography for Stone Letter Media, is attempting to learn Welsh, and likes to stroke cats.</div></div><div><a href="https://melaniehonebone.wordpress.com/">https://melaniehonebone.wordpress.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dean Reddick </b>is an artist and an art therapist. He frequently works with casting process and loves drawing trees. <a href="https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/">https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/</a></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-77722598672703632292023-10-22T00:49:00.010-07:002023-10-22T00:56:53.304-07:00Alertism - Mark Carr<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Mark Carr is one of those artists who seems comfortable making work at any scale, in any media, and is willing to tackle any concept we throw his way. One of the themes that runs through his work is a willingness to embrace both written and visual language. This is his eighth exhibition with CollectConnect. His first combined words and mixed media when he became a sushi laureate for the <a href="https://jawspring.blogspot.com/2014/02/mark-carr-mind-hammer-blow.html">Jawspring</a> exhibition in 2014. The exhibition celebrated World Poetry Day, and typically Mark chose to cast light on a subject that is often brushed under the carpet, mental health. Mark's First Responder is also a polymath (like himself), read the response of writer, artist and filmmaker Francesca Albini below.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_zhKu1yyFoQQrmUr4c4hjUFf6ypLC_BCT065KwEfBon5Oij4lz-bszFKN1fox6UShQLHP3jkejqJey4uIgjFMalMbqu2SzNXKTPP10OXpU-X0euhwCeokVnIsNNrf6nrnYZGTIEMTRTR49t03eG7U7dDAXYCZL0Gc9v9RB3hfk6Z3DOhdj7tU24G0Bg/s4023/poems_Mark_Carr_1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4023" data-original-width="2952" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_zhKu1yyFoQQrmUr4c4hjUFf6ypLC_BCT065KwEfBon5Oij4lz-bszFKN1fox6UShQLHP3jkejqJey4uIgjFMalMbqu2SzNXKTPP10OXpU-X0euhwCeokVnIsNNrf6nrnYZGTIEMTRTR49t03eG7U7dDAXYCZL0Gc9v9RB3hfk6Z3DOhdj7tU24G0Bg/w470-h640/poems_Mark_Carr_1%20copy.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mark Carr</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u><b>First Responder: Francesca Albini</b></u></p><p>I wondered if the alarm was for me. If I was a pawn or a node. If the alarm was for them out there or for us. If there is such a thing as us. Am I rescued or targeted? Who belongs? An ominous sense of having to trust the invisible, a spiral screaming a sterile safety.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Mark Carr </b>is a multimedia artist from North East England who says that since he was a child, he has always felt a need to be creative and produce art. In 1984 he graduated with a degree in Fine Art, which he took to Master’s level in 1994. Mark’s inspiration is taken from the world around him and the interactions he sees between people as they express their deepest emotions.<br /><a href="https://armchairanarchist.wixsite.com/mark-carr">https://armchairanarchist.wixsite.com/mark-carr</a></p><p><b>Francesca Albini </b>was born in Venice, and raised in Florence and Genoa. She was always surrounded by art and books, and grew up with a love and need for culture and cultural enterprises. She lives on the South Coast of England where she works as a freelance literary translator and artist. She is often involved in interesting, fun projects, for the promotion of art and culture. She was also a sushi laureate for the <a href="https://jawspring.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-promise-of-francesca-albini.html">Jawspring exhibition </a>in 2014.<br /><a href="https://www.francescaalbini.com/">https://www.francescaalbini.com/</a></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-8207288427960348192023-10-21T01:20:00.007-07:002023-10-21T01:21:58.671-07:00Alertism - Julia Rose Lewis<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>And breathe! Today we take a pause to consider a message that unfolds more slowly than some we've read during the exhibition, and we're appreciating it, after 10 days of being on full alert here at CollectConnect HQ. Julia Rose Lewis asks us to be alert, to awaken our senses, to be aware of the environment around us. We have had the pleasure of exhibiting Julia's artwork before at the Art of Caring and her subject matter for Alertism is one of our favourites too, trees. Julia's First Responder is <a href="https://collectconnect.blogspot.com/2023/10/alertism-natalie-low.html">Natalie Low</a>, who sent out her own alert earlier in the exhibition. Read them both below.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXZr5XKv_77HHlFvCv7FYovIInrAh5yapZczLJSaBlU4hjvZ0xpv3PrhvxDCzECgmUBknK0zXAGZ3nklJAkQPy4f60_TZmUpq238Mo_qxPOniV7Aa0voe4Qydk553tBlPvdzo8cxIWg4ai09NgXVymLrOgJUW6hJ-AYmsXBbEd8gCaZjXnS5r5GoozWQ/s3013/poems_Julia%20Rose%20Lewis_1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3013" data-original-width="2952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXZr5XKv_77HHlFvCv7FYovIInrAh5yapZczLJSaBlU4hjvZ0xpv3PrhvxDCzECgmUBknK0zXAGZ3nklJAkQPy4f60_TZmUpq238Mo_qxPOniV7Aa0voe4Qydk553tBlPvdzo8cxIWg4ai09NgXVymLrOgJUW6hJ-AYmsXBbEd8gCaZjXnS5r5GoozWQ/w393-h400/poems_Julia%20Rose%20Lewis_1%20copy.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><u>First Responder: Natalie Low</u></b></p><p>yes okay </p><p>i will do what i think you are asking me to</p><p>go out from the house and into the dark</p><p>stand barefoot in the grass</p><p>feel your face, tear-tracked and memory-stained</p><p>regard the new stars</p><p>and wait until i hear</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Julia Rose Lewis</b> is a writer and academic. Her research draws on her background in the natural sciences, philosophy of science, and medicine in order to create experimental and hybrid works. She is interested in digital and face-to-face collaborative projects. She has written or performed with poets, scientists, and chefs in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She has published two full length collections, Phenomenology of the Feral (KFS Press) and Strays (co-author James Miller, HVTN Press). As well as a number of excellent chapbooks and pamphlets.</p><p>-------------------------</p><p><b>Natalie Low</b> is a creative knitter, stitcher and quilter. She lives in London, UK with her charming family. She has published two chapbooks Dementia (2015) and School Run (2017).</p><div><br /></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-16625404068758885122023-10-20T01:59:00.002-07:002023-10-20T02:22:54.173-07:00Alertism - María Celina Val<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>María Celina Val is one of those exciting creative minds that we have been eager to work with since she first performed at the European Poetry Festival in 2020 and subsequently for Saatchi Lates, at the Saatchi Gallery. It was a defining year for María Celina, with the release of two excellent publications Children draw fivelfold stars, and Myth & Metamorphosis (Penteract Press). Here she gives us a glimpse of a world where communication is both art and constellation. Our First Responder is Terence Collie, the jazz pianist, composer and creative force in his own right. Read his thoughts below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcDW64lOTkZn8VXPO3RO6NaaPyfvosg95ihzKm7gN8eA-G6jvBlqB3teX6YTUmAMz1HjkRRRcpvyF0xaFFV2979WfcSZEhTWuQ5VNWfdlFLuMVKsL5aN7ZGymW0s86TaUG9m_T-YuMaM9sDz4RdfSWrPbgS9gf6LY5zsrIMNI6oXQCoGGZUsNCVgYwIw/s948/Maria%20Celina%20Val%20-%20Starlike%20Thoughts.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcDW64lOTkZn8VXPO3RO6NaaPyfvosg95ihzKm7gN8eA-G6jvBlqB3teX6YTUmAMz1HjkRRRcpvyF0xaFFV2979WfcSZEhTWuQ5VNWfdlFLuMVKsL5aN7ZGymW0s86TaUG9m_T-YuMaM9sDz4RdfSWrPbgS9gf6LY5zsrIMNI6oXQCoGGZUsNCVgYwIw/w399-h400/Maria%20Celina%20Val%20-%20Starlike%20Thoughts.jpg" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Maria Celina Val - Starlike Thoughts</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Terence Collie</u></b></p><p>Confusion </p><p>Inversions</p><p>What is happening?</p><p>Patterns but no pattern </p><p>Precision in the randomness</p><div>------------------------------------------</div><div><div><b>Maria Celina</b> is an artist, architect, visual poet, contemporary dancer and performer who explores how language shapes and creates atmospheres, worlds and realities through the typographic effect of fonts made of geometric figures and abstractions.</div><div>Maria intertwines art, typography design, space, geometry, language, dance and architecture, when creating compositions with her letters.</div><div>She investigates letters as particles, atoms, symbols, glyphs, and/or as objects. Letters as events that embody potential movement or contain energy. Letters as mass, air, music and/or sound that are meant to be listened with the eyes and that could be related to kinetic art and cosmic energies, interweaving notions of energy, matter and language.<br /><a href="https://mariacelinaval.com/home">https://mariacelinaval.com/home</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Terence Collie </b>is a musician, composer and educator and also a director of Mood Indigo Events, a jazz promoter/agency. He has just released his new quartet album 384,400. The album features roaring virtuoso Italian saxophonist Roberto Manzin, the hard swinging UK based American drummer Ted Carrasco and British bass player and Guildhall graduate with impeccable time and feel, Nick Lenner-Webster.</div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/mua9Zlxg4ZY?si=W5-vY-oW5pk71pXJ">Check out the album preview here</a></div><p><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-3389737670666944962023-10-19T00:22:00.008-07:002023-10-19T00:34:40.394-07:00Alertism - Lucy Furlong<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Lucy Furlong has been a long time collaborator on CollectConnect projects. She contributed to the memorable <a href="https://collectconnect.blogspot.com/search/label/eMotion">eMotion</a> installation at the Tate Modern, and more recently was a writer for the Urban Tree Festival's Sentinel Trees. Nature and walking both play an important role in her work. Lucy released a second edition of her Amniotic City map in 2022, learn more about it <a href="https://youtu.be/9E25IOgfD4Q?si=7n_QyZnwXaBwCncy">here</a>. Our First Responder is Vicki Kaye. Lucy and Vicki have shared a stage before at various poetry events (Writers Kingston event #52 / European Poetry Festival / Óvinir: The Enemies Project) and feature in the anthology FRACTURED LIGHT (ISBN 978-1-915505-09-5).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VXyd0u3Y4mM9h-pEOg-g8gMBm0W8PC5M3DjchQiDBIUzeRmRAWbGhdeMDkQ7prVqYhqpBcY75-8uy40X35zUZC8rqzxTYmPLX0in9BeNYL-GBJ5HsEtlF7CJPiq1zuNUCDR4ScyptTWuo2luQkygZ4sJEVYZAykq57QnEUjFcCxqNFK4hsVdG0KMftc/s3834/poems_Lucy_Furlong_1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3834" data-original-width="2952" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VXyd0u3Y4mM9h-pEOg-g8gMBm0W8PC5M3DjchQiDBIUzeRmRAWbGhdeMDkQ7prVqYhqpBcY75-8uy40X35zUZC8rqzxTYmPLX0in9BeNYL-GBJ5HsEtlF7CJPiq1zuNUCDR4ScyptTWuo2luQkygZ4sJEVYZAykq57QnEUjFcCxqNFK4hsVdG0KMftc/w493-h640/poems_Lucy_Furlong_1%20copy.jpg" width="493" /></a></div><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Vicki Kaye</u></b></p><p>Is kindness an act of revolution? <br />kindness <br />with 'gentle indifference'<br />that word - gentle </p><p>gentle</p><p>so soft yet powerful<br />in the hands of a warrior<br />so full of feeling that implies<br />minding caring<br />judgement is hard-wired<br />and hard to resist</p><p>there is a revolution to be fought</p><p>What is the value of inner peace?</p><p>-----------------------------------------------</p><p>The writing journey of <b>Lucy Furlong</b> has taken her from signing a record deal aged 19, as a singer and lyricist in a band, to a stint in corporate communications working on in-house publications in the 1990s and early 2000s. She attained a degree in creative writing and journalism at Kingston University, and then a MFA in creative writing, specialising in poetry, alongside a Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE). Lucy has published and performed poetry for over a decade, and her work is taught as part of the Open University MA in Creative Writing.</p><p><b>Vicki Kaye</b> is an experimental artist/writer. Having a BA (Hons) in Drawing and Applied Art and an MA in Fine Art, she has had work shown in numerous exhibitions and her visual poetry has appeared recently in Periodicities Journal, and Beir Bua Journal. She is a member of the Space Place Practice artists’ research hub and Spike Island Associates.</p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-48116507997410072122023-10-18T01:13:00.006-07:002023-10-18T01:15:53.080-07:00Alertism - Martin Wakefield<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>We step into the audio-visual Alertism world of the brilliant avant-garde poet and filmmaker Martin Wakefield today. Martin is well known in poetry circles for his highly original performances, at events such as the European Poetry Festival and Poem Brut. A natural collaborator, a highlight of recent performances includes his double act with Patrick Cosgrove at a celebration of the Sampson Low press in 2021 (<a href="https://youtu.be/i5f8t9jMNcQ?si=iyWKl-ZeslbsQjkP" target="_blank">view it here</a>). Martin's First Responder is singer, writer and artist Carole Bulewski, a fellow Sampson Low author. Read Carole's response below</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwuEWrNBOxS45vrICD13tLpjZaH5Nu-mnsvRs2pIpukoJnF-d5XuevtMqyuwJgvnMd01eW-ah0cDX4SsiAwXw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can also view the film on youtube at <a href="https://youtu.be/eEsIncUoohk">https://youtu.be/eEsIncUoohk</a></div><br /><b><u> First Responder: Carole Bulewski</u></b><p></p><p>First impression. From Victor Hugo's poem La Conscience (The Conscience): L'oeil était dans la tombe et regardait Cain (The eye was in the tomb and kept looking at Cain)</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Martin Wakefield </b>is a poet from London. He has published books and pamphlets with Hesterglock Press (Jungle Gym / Poems You Can't Colour In), Steel Incisors (Handsfree with Bob Modem) and Sampson Low (Emptpy Poems).</p><p>Born and raised in the south of France, <b>Carole Bulewski</b> moved to the UK at the end of the second Millennium, eventually settling down in London after a few years in the South West of England, a place that has inspired her many a supernatural story since – writing first in her native French, but now almost exclusively in the English language. In her writing, she explores how the supernatural can creep into the most mundane of situations. Carole is a member of urban baroque group Firefay.</p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-55725676511719262082023-10-17T01:48:00.003-07:002023-10-17T02:35:06.681-07:00Alertism - Dean Reddick<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Dean Reddick is one of the founding members of CollectConnect, a keen birdwatcher and sculptor of our feathered friends. His avian related public art exhibitions include ConnectConnect's 24 hour-a-day art trail sensation Hidebird. For the 2012 exhibition he built a bird hide on a suburban Walthamstow street, but with the birds inhabiting the inside of the hide, and us humans on the outside. Dean's First Responder is Jo Lansdown, see her response below. One of the themes of Jo's response has emerged in other submissions too. The idea that if we are constantly on full alert then a further escalation can result in a different outcome (than anticipated). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_oMXzzQOfmuJW49c1yGFnnTLqC_zgs-0_RGMRTNIyimKyaXm2BgcVFy7e4ba38i2tM3omBw_cdwcEWcYpLVHDxE_C519aDzfkvbgLJwPomJUq8VxfguwdexuQAqJBQjtLiSTDh4bWTjm05X_RYZf7yKPdRHa6c49Wfa7Kz8ItIGw5bUTOwA8-wRGCwM/s3340/poems_Dean_Reddick_1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3340" data-original-width="2952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_oMXzzQOfmuJW49c1yGFnnTLqC_zgs-0_RGMRTNIyimKyaXm2BgcVFy7e4ba38i2tM3omBw_cdwcEWcYpLVHDxE_C519aDzfkvbgLJwPomJUq8VxfguwdexuQAqJBQjtLiSTDh4bWTjm05X_RYZf7yKPdRHa6c49Wfa7Kz8ItIGw5bUTOwA8-wRGCwM/w354-h400/poems_Dean_Reddick_1%20copy.jpg" width="354" /></a></div><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Jo Lansdown</u></b></p><p>Thing is I can’t respond. I’m on full alert already all of the time and have been for months. My head is saying have you (me) got any space to respond? and then it’s asking is this another ‘attack’? Will just the simple act (well it used to be simple) of reading something, allowing it to penetrate a little way into my being, and then feeling my way into my various responses add to the maelstrom that’s in my head (and body) right now? And can I allow that to happen? And the answer is that I can’t.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Dean Reddick has also created a sculpture to go alongside his words. The First Responder, Jo Lansdown, didn't view this before she sent us her response, but we wanted to share this with you now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29KgUoYF9tHBGz9mpZPusSuUn0HMeMTydy8oi7vOTBgWq1Wn0LMZU-59ZAFZfuglb4zvFvztNbCj4O1btJclVNWwGpjHREzHNxl0mhG1WCU-YIyao3U2gRMJ9-ED1vsJOaDEcuYll2XK-lQEMhEUcG3-35WhwoaAUlLo3reHw5dHveq51JRe8h-4bnE/s3000/Swift%20Alert%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29KgUoYF9tHBGz9mpZPusSuUn0HMeMTydy8oi7vOTBgWq1Wn0LMZU-59ZAFZfuglb4zvFvztNbCj4O1btJclVNWwGpjHREzHNxl0mhG1WCU-YIyao3U2gRMJ9-ED1vsJOaDEcuYll2XK-lQEMhEUcG3-35WhwoaAUlLo3reHw5dHveq51JRe8h-4bnE/w400-h266/Swift%20Alert%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sGZPztJtZkwVyXbFTeQ2F9BSbUCcOkLO6-ZTqDuQPL078rtjFhQcqLW6o7I1wB52f19t5Kamr0Cl8kaASQeYakjDiQX9bJCZUMTLQaSGL_kSYExVbuJrVz2LnEq0GaFa0y5yqKplcAzC_5O_UU4eoWUfFtcwuRreR_wf_GGFZSEu38ClIIaLx7NeWeE/s3000/Swift%20Alert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sGZPztJtZkwVyXbFTeQ2F9BSbUCcOkLO6-ZTqDuQPL078rtjFhQcqLW6o7I1wB52f19t5Kamr0Cl8kaASQeYakjDiQX9bJCZUMTLQaSGL_kSYExVbuJrVz2LnEq0GaFa0y5yqKplcAzC_5O_UU4eoWUfFtcwuRreR_wf_GGFZSEu38ClIIaLx7NeWeE/w266-h400/Swift%20Alert.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Dean Reddick</b> is an artist and an art therapist. He frequently works with casting process and loves drawing trees. <a href="https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/">https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/</a></p><p><b>Jo Lansdown</b> has contributed to two CollectConnect exhibitions before. In 2016 her words were included on a Relationship Map that was exhibited at Middlesex University for Mental Health Awareness Week. In the same year, sent a postcard to her future self as part of the exhibition of the same name. She received her postcard in November 2021 (hopefully it didn't get lost in the post).</p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-9405783786265384632023-10-16T03:04:00.013-07:002023-10-16T03:21:28.825-07:00Alertism - Ann Kopka<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Ann Kopka was the poster artist for the 2019 Art of Caring exhibition and her visual themes always provide a graphic twist to CollectConnect exhibitions. Her submission for Alertism is no different. Here Ann represents the visual signals of semaphore using the hand-held flags method, but it can also be employed using rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. I would think semaphore with paddles would be useful in this emergency. Our First Responder today is Robin Hutchinson, director of the Community Brain, and Honorary Freeman of Royal Borough of Kingston.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_PPreLRp9vxL02KJQ4xkUyGUSoiAQ6CGsxkmPYMHZ8Gtcs9WSKGlRnVFWiAlr7lp2KUjZQ-RiybSkJL0qTS87GTRa7yWqOrG_aKJp4cvttNdF-h7FTb5f1cWi7RSUz_phrQ3rtaWk029BQTVE7TQ4o9F96gaaTCVczZagtJjRaFTeiKyv98ZVbW1j_g/s2767/image_EMERGENCY%20by%20Ann%20Kopka.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2748" data-original-width="2767" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_PPreLRp9vxL02KJQ4xkUyGUSoiAQ6CGsxkmPYMHZ8Gtcs9WSKGlRnVFWiAlr7lp2KUjZQ-RiybSkJL0qTS87GTRa7yWqOrG_aKJp4cvttNdF-h7FTb5f1cWi7RSUz_phrQ3rtaWk029BQTVE7TQ4o9F96gaaTCVczZagtJjRaFTeiKyv98ZVbW1j_g/w400-h398/image_EMERGENCY%20by%20Ann%20Kopka.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Kopka</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>First Responder: Robin Hutchinson</u></b></p><p>“Not waving, but drowning”</p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-21243418889827261412023-10-15T00:25:00.001-07:002023-10-15T00:25:06.372-07:00Alertism - Natalie Low<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Natalie Low has many strings to her bow, embracing many of the strange and wonderful artistic formats that CollectConnect has thrown her way. A highlight of her street art career so far would be her delicate crocheted sculpture for the <a href="https://collectconnect.blogspot.com/2018/02/year-2561-natalie-low-smallworldfutures.html">Small World Futures</a> exhibition in 2018. Here are her words accompanied by a response from Ana Pascual Veraart. Thank you Ana.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63xtJk9eINPLD7OZ0ajZRhQsbSzt6DJB2guAXRyiHKzupASQyeCSFG6Kuq-wh463xRmhDVC0dBs1zeGEHuAj2tiNvXF88Clc-104xAWhCdUZq7WbUXFjI92LP_YcklLYO9860g1YV2pArIhwm7nmAdRsvjh3EauYP6QPkfrauxCz5USFnr0uYFbtNYiU/s2952/poems_Natalie_Low_1%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1864" data-original-width="2952" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63xtJk9eINPLD7OZ0ajZRhQsbSzt6DJB2guAXRyiHKzupASQyeCSFG6Kuq-wh463xRmhDVC0dBs1zeGEHuAj2tiNvXF88Clc-104xAWhCdUZq7WbUXFjI92LP_YcklLYO9860g1YV2pArIhwm7nmAdRsvjh3EauYP6QPkfrauxCz5USFnr0uYFbtNYiU/w400-h253/poems_Natalie_Low_1%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Natalie Low</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u><b>First Responder: Ana Pascual Veraart</b></u></p><p>The copy leans towards a positive, calming message. It does promote hopefulness and caution, but does not deliver substantial guidance, which during a state of alert is not only helpful to individuals, but necessary. <br />Specific instructions and guidance aid individuals in a sense of control and purpose. The alert stage is the optimum time to reinforce needed behavior in preparation for emergencies. <br />For example, “Stock up on things you think are important.” should be more specific and expanded with examples. Alerts may cause people to panic. Having a quick list of examples helps prompt thinking.<br />Well done on addressing state of mind and delivering ways to calm, center, and focus.<br /><br /></p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Natalie Low</b> is a creative knitter, stitcher and quilter. She lives in London, UK with her charming family. She has published two chapbooks Dementia (2015) and recently School Run (2017).</p><p><b>Ana Pascual Veraart </b>brings a fresh perspective to this exhibition from the other side of the Atlantic. The most recent Test Alert in the United States was just a few days ago on the 3rd October 2023. The test was organised by Federal Emergency Management Agency and assessed two alert systems: the emergency alert system (EAS), which plays on TV and radio, and the wireless emergency alert (WEA).</p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-21307309482197610892023-10-14T00:30:00.004-07:002023-10-14T01:05:35.440-07:00Alertism - Kezia Reddick<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Kezia Reddick is our artist of the day today. She has been exhibiting with us since 2010, taking part in many of our magnetic art shows, when CollectConnect first hit the streets. She is currently an art student with a very bright future. Our First Responder is Coral Chambers, read her response under Kezia's image.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5p64Gt_787cQjrcG2Vg7tz3GT9D5VrMAeOc_GH3csAMd66yL5NPsuBERVDZfFbarefkGlRNF_u7kwJ3cIQBSq8-TaE5LIX1QEnNqOEL8SGWKJTz8iIAMovms-LN9XizJvzhAGW2pKNvyYcKChLU4YMxShhR0hYXvD_kw8iyHu5bLJ7izupOdFcX4z_8I/s1050/Kezia_Reddick_You've%20got%20the%20whole%20world%20in%20your%20little%20rat%20hands_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5p64Gt_787cQjrcG2Vg7tz3GT9D5VrMAeOc_GH3csAMd66yL5NPsuBERVDZfFbarefkGlRNF_u7kwJ3cIQBSq8-TaE5LIX1QEnNqOEL8SGWKJTz8iIAMovms-LN9XizJvzhAGW2pKNvyYcKChLU4YMxShhR0hYXvD_kw8iyHu5bLJ7izupOdFcX4z_8I/w400-h320/Kezia_Reddick_You've%20got%20the%20whole%20world%20in%20your%20little%20rat%20hands_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kezia Reddick</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u><b>First Responder: Coral Chambers</b></u></p><p>My 1st reaction was.......aw bless him ( the little rat) he's trying to understand the images on the mobile - They changed rapidly when I saw the newspaper above him. I thought someone is going to hit him with it ! This triggered thoughts of anger. Thoughts of speciesium, the way people treat animals based on their species, how if he was a puppy the reaction would be different. Then I saw the images on the phone he is looking at. This made me think how little we think about our actions and how they affect the animals that are just trying to live their lives and survive. So the image sparked initially, joy, that quickly turned to deep sadness.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Keziah Reddick</b> is an artist who works across a range of media. She has a particular interest in telling stories through her art. She has a passion for stories from ancient civilisations.</p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-68070634525625088892023-10-13T01:32:00.003-07:002023-10-13T01:32:59.160-07:00Alertism - SJ Fowler<p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>Our second alert comes from poet and artist SJ Fowler. <br />With all the written pieces for this exhibition we asked writers to submit works no longer than 55 words (the same length as the government alert sent on the 23rd April). The written alerts were sent electronically/digitally to the First Responders. The response below SJ Fowler's work comes from Dutch writer Arlette Hovinga.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IePSfft0Camzc8XG92MDqU7ow_6VbTAvkecVfG1r-i7wgTBsVzZ6lDEajsYmYwgj7dA6dpHFonp3RPgbJ4JvxTub8dwb-v4EZC0ak7cUgUENiCIvtFr57fk7ka9gUmA6lN2-Kvjc449uRvHbKmpOXv-1B0RuLUnRyLZ0JpUaMvBmYg14L1MTLE9kmj4/s2988/poems_SJ%20Fowler_1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="2953" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IePSfft0Camzc8XG92MDqU7ow_6VbTAvkecVfG1r-i7wgTBsVzZ6lDEajsYmYwgj7dA6dpHFonp3RPgbJ4JvxTub8dwb-v4EZC0ak7cUgUENiCIvtFr57fk7ka9gUmA6lN2-Kvjc449uRvHbKmpOXv-1B0RuLUnRyLZ0JpUaMvBmYg14L1MTLE9kmj4/w395-h400/poems_SJ%20Fowler_1%20copy.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><u><b>First Responder: Arlette Hovinga</b></u><div><br /></div><div><div>We are all in this together but our safety is in our numbers </div><div>Remember to always have hope - the thing with feathers</div><div><br /></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>SJ Fowler </b>a poet, writer and performer working in the literary, modernist and avant-garde traditions. He has published ten collections of poetry, over twenty publications of limited edition poetry, art and collaborative works and been commissioned by Tate Modern, BBC Radio 3, The British Council, Tate Britain, Liverpool Biennial and Wellcome Collection amongst others for texts, performances and installations. <a href="http://www.stevenjfowler.com/">www.stevenjfowler.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Arlette Hovinga </b>is an award-winning publicist, marketing/media director, and a professional member of The Recording Academy. She organizes press tours for festivals around the world and designs marketing and press campaigns for artists and labels. She has worked with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Earth Beat Agency, Matt Bianco, Manu Delago, and many others and has written for JazzForum and Jazz in Europe. <a href="http://arlettehovinga.com/">arlettehovinga.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-13173162033723682982023-10-12T00:47:00.005-07:002023-10-12T00:48:54.512-07:00Alertism - Susie Mendelsson <p>Welcome to the Alertism exhibition, featuring artistic and literary works that were inspired by the Emergency Alert test message that was sent to people with a mobile device on Sunday 23rd April at 3pm.</p><p>We start the exhibition with the work of Susie Mendelsson, who creates artworks using wood paper wire and recycled materials to create her darkly humorous sculptures. Susie's First Responder is Ginny Reddick.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsb9mHGtEgnrs50ZTbxeqdLXTwavAqMbx4qL9aOW2GlU6EWhyphenhyphenaGQjmTkBs3kDW9KmHVXrZYj2E834Qsu1QEc516LQsDBpSRWOm_Aq6Wo9L6ghupMXM5Nl1UaWpiLslXkaiLspFkBmuJJOnVQcMPoH4kdpmS9p1ZtuiPT0aPZmdXbxrHfMXBrv-1a1diM/s823/IMG-20231004-WA0001a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="823" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsb9mHGtEgnrs50ZTbxeqdLXTwavAqMbx4qL9aOW2GlU6EWhyphenhyphenaGQjmTkBs3kDW9KmHVXrZYj2E834Qsu1QEc516LQsDBpSRWOm_Aq6Wo9L6ghupMXM5Nl1UaWpiLslXkaiLspFkBmuJJOnVQcMPoH4kdpmS9p1ZtuiPT0aPZmdXbxrHfMXBrv-1a1diM/w400-h399/IMG-20231004-WA0001a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Susie Mendelsson </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><u>First Responder: Ginny Reddick</u></b></p><p>It's OK in here </p><p>you know.</p><p>Sunshine yellow</p><p>Inside and out.</p><p>And if I hold my head</p><p>Just so</p><p>I don't need to know</p><p>Too quiet dawns</p><p>Or swift goodbyes.</p><p><br /></p><p>-----------------------------------------</p><p><b>Susan Mendelsson </b>was born at Hackney, London and educated at the Manchester Metropolitan University, gaining a B.A. (hons.) in Graphic Design. She then took a Teaching Diploma in Art from at University of Haifa, Israel and an M.A. in Fine Art from Coventry University. A figurative artist who has been influenced by the German expressionists as well as medieval art and works mainly in paint and mixed media. In her Suffolk studio she creates the most amazing 3D figures and characters often made from found objects. <a href="https://susiemendelsson.co.uk/">https://susiemendelsson.co.uk/</a></p><p><b>Ginny Reddick</b> is a writer and educator. She was one of the artists who exhibited at the first ever CollectConnect exhibition, Open Fridge, in March 2010. She has curated numerous CC projects including the Walthamstow street art favourite HideBird.</p><p><br /></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-75265435744918233332023-10-12T00:04:00.003-07:002023-10-12T01:18:45.017-07:00Alertism 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzC7ju8OIkuq3rAGlQOYrHkSPcshuSO37YrcPkoss5ntnFTlH8CJsvSXVVvo5OQ6WjlBGRLmBzbC9O_nIGtMdHpxZr5_Iq-YIR1fOe5gN6_P0rx7_Ah3rj3jnUB2QtyQXEV3eomLT2j4_Ono4W6CD2h9AVQzdwAoIM1hy-i_PyM62S2xm8dtaFMldawHI/s4016/alertism_poster_2%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4016" data-original-width="2953" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzC7ju8OIkuq3rAGlQOYrHkSPcshuSO37YrcPkoss5ntnFTlH8CJsvSXVVvo5OQ6WjlBGRLmBzbC9O_nIGtMdHpxZr5_Iq-YIR1fOe5gN6_P0rx7_Ah3rj3jnUB2QtyQXEV3eomLT2j4_Ono4W6CD2h9AVQzdwAoIM1hy-i_PyM62S2xm8dtaFMldawHI/w470-h640/alertism_poster_2%20copy.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><u><b>Alertism</b></u><br /><br /><div>At CollectConnect we asked a group of writers and artists to create work on the theme of Alert. <br /><p></p><p>On Sunday 23rd April at 3pm the UK government sent a nationwide Emergency Alert test message to all those people with a mobile device. Emergency Alerts is a new government service that warns you if there is a danger to life nearby (e.g. flooding, fire, and terrorist attacks). In an emergency, mobile phone masts broadcast an alert in the affected area, and give advice about how to stay safe.</p><p>How does being 'Alerted' affect the individual and the group?<br />What happens to our bodies when we are Alerted?<br />What happens to our minds when we are Alerted?<br />What are the political reasons for Alerting people?<br />Who chooses what dangers we should be Alerted to?<br />What dangers are we not Alerted to?<br />What Alert would you send? </p><p>During October 2023 we sent these artistic and literary alerts to a group of First Responders, who recorded their responses. We will be posting both the original artworks or writing alongside their the responses here on <a href="http://www.collectconnect.blogspot.com">www.collectconnect.blogspot.com</a> and on our Facebook and Twitter pages. </p><p><b><u>Artists</u></b><br />Susie Mendelsson<br />María Celina Val<br />Ann Kopka<br />Kezia Reddick<br />Stella Tripp<br />SJ Fowler<br />Bryan Benge<br />Stanimir Dimitrov<br />Martin Wakefield<br />Dean Reddick<br />Natalie Low<br />Lucy Furlong<br />Mark Carr<br />Paul March<br />Melanie Honebone<br />Alban Low<br />Julia Rose Lewis</p><p><b><u>First Responders</u></b><br />Ginny Reddick<br />Terence Collie<br />Robin Hutchinson<br />Coral Chambers<br />Jessie G Vaughan<br />Arlette Hovinga<br />Sophie Darling<br />Dan Clarke<br />Carole Bulewski<br />Jo Lansdown<br />Ana Pascual Veraart<br />Vicki Kaye<br />Francesca Albini<br />Ed Arantus<br />Dean Reddick<br />Katerina Koulouri<br />Natalie Low</p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-88821045851780647802021-05-23T02:12:00.003-07:002021-05-23T05:57:14.555-07:00Susie Mendelsson & Dean Reddick and Dean Reddick & Natalie Low - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is the final day of the Exhibition and the last day of the Urban Tree Festival 2021 <a href="https://urbantreefestival.org/">Urban Tree Festival</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is an Urban Bonsai that I worked on last week with the participants of our Urban Bonsai workshop. This bonsai is inspired by railway embankments and I have attempted to recreate the feel of a tree lined embankment using a roof ridge tile and a group planting. The moss helps unify the planting and helps hold the soil in place whilst the soil settles and the tree roots begin to grow. This group bonsai will develop over the coming years, with the tree trunks thickening and branches developing. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gJfKVEYOBN65sjaykyt_rkrp7DTld-6qvEFYkc-Mr8u1BHJRyj2Ctts3lzj4rzPa-O1bvAJdYcA1eCXeEoLsGSOxTDcix9xOmTKF5c6Asmou2dd6rv_ua_ck-kzeA7sN91YdeQgA3gA/s1500/Railway+embankment.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gJfKVEYOBN65sjaykyt_rkrp7DTld-6qvEFYkc-Mr8u1BHJRyj2Ctts3lzj4rzPa-O1bvAJdYcA1eCXeEoLsGSOxTDcix9xOmTKF5c6Asmou2dd6rv_ua_ck-kzeA7sN91YdeQgA3gA/w400-h266/Railway+embankment.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Railway Embankment by Dean Reddick</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have two art works to exhibit today. The first is by artist <b>Susie Mendelsson</b> with words by <b>Dean Reddick.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Susan Mendelsson</span><span style="background-color: white;"> was born at Hackney, London and educated at the Manchester Metropolitan University, gaining a B.A. (hons.) in Graphic Design. She then took a Teaching Diploma in Art from at University of Haifa, Israel and an M.A. in Fine Art from Coventry University. A figurative artist who has been influenced by the German expressionists as well as medieval art and works mainly in paint and mixed media. In her Suffolk studio she creates the most amazing 3D figures and characters often made from found objects.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Dean Reddick is an art therapist and artist and a founder member of Collect Connect along with Alban, Bryan and Stuart. </span><a href="https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/">Art Works (deanreddick.blogspot.com)</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXQVIDMokKsHPRMaYd-qQue4j2d-93ijGJ4qfVefkK3x2ZPvZwQeVFAu2iKN1aNoWfA2AXMZ7YiELIQ5R0oQ1Nhd3ptsZUf6Up8RCMq1KFmB5pa2PyRt_82RZmIA1eEKaLnp2lxW2IDQ/s1500/Susie+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXQVIDMokKsHPRMaYd-qQue4j2d-93ijGJ4qfVefkK3x2ZPvZwQeVFAu2iKN1aNoWfA2AXMZ7YiELIQ5R0oQ1Nhd3ptsZUf6Up8RCMq1KFmB5pa2PyRt_82RZmIA1eEKaLnp2lxW2IDQ/w400-h266/Susie+1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Excerpt from the Lament of the Entwives</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
'The Elves began it, waking the trees...'</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Elf:</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>'You are still here then after all of these years?'<br />
</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entwives:</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> 'We have survived as some wives do, long into the
dwindling <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span> </span>of the forests and woods'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Last
Elf:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'You are so few. What
happened to the others?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Entwives:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Gone, down through time, leaving
us alone, our blossom </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>untended and our songs </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">unanswered.'</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><p></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last
Elf:</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>'But what of the Oak, he
seemed <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so strong?'<br /></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Entwives:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'His strength was all stolen to
build engines for war, the </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>mighty, great oak is with us </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">no more'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Last
Elf:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Then what of the Ash, so
stalwart and stately?'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Entwives:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Ash burned well and fuelled men's
greed and kept folk warm </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>when they were in </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">need.'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Last Elf:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Surely not Holly, so prickly and
clever'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Entwives: </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Yes even Holly, gone now, forever.'</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The last
Elf:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i>'With so many trees lost
it seems sad to go on, I can end the <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>great spell and silence your song'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Entwives: </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">'We refuse your temptation to forget
those that are lost. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>For now we will hide in the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">shrubberies and recycled </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>compost.<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We will wait
to see if the Forests grow back, we will </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>look for the acorn, the berry, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the sap. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>We will put
forth our flowers, our fruit and our leaves and </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>keep hope alive</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">deep </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">within all trees.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our final Urban Bonsai comes from <b>Dean Reddick</b> with words by <b>Natalie Low. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHuID3lbCjI_0z516kfMED_TwyY7Hi2tQH1H4mbwMWcHXM8dEQkEj_UCmmvWzuJLw6V88waYeU0p05Rz_ZnuXqmQb68p8jCqUbFImreR3w_XGYlQ5O2clN_i9DRtmV5JmX6PbiT0msNU/s2048/Dean2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1513" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHuID3lbCjI_0z516kfMED_TwyY7Hi2tQH1H4mbwMWcHXM8dEQkEj_UCmmvWzuJLw6V88waYeU0p05Rz_ZnuXqmQb68p8jCqUbFImreR3w_XGYlQ5O2clN_i9DRtmV5JmX6PbiT0msNU/w295-h400/Dean2.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">A rock and a hard place is my favourite spot,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I thrive in surviving where others do not.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your crack in the pavement is my vein and artery:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My city, your city, inherently part of me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My limbs are quicksilver, dripping on down.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’re spreading all over and under this town.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Downtrodden, upended, sidelined and outcast,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m making our plans to return to our past.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Too silent to see us, too many to fight us,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’re gobbling up all your grimy detritus.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Singing along to the car engines’ humming,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So when we do rise up you won't hear us coming.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">A big thank you to all our contributors who so generously give Collect Connect their time and expertise. </p><p class="MsoNormal">And a big thank you to everyone at The Urban Tree Festival. </p><p class="MsoNormal">See you again next year.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><br /></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-35415950900388812822021-05-22T01:05:00.002-07:002021-05-22T01:06:04.460-07:00Lesley Cartwright & Ed Arantus and Ann Kopka & Ginny Reddick - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is the penultimate day of the Urban Tree Festival </span>and there many talks, activities and blogs to get involved in before the festival ends. <a href="https://urbantreefestival.org/">Urban Tree Festival</a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here at Collect Connect we bring you two new art works and two new texts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Lesley Cartwright and Ed Arantus</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px; position: static; width: auto;">Lesley Cartwright</span> was born in Liverpool but later moved to Essex to run a Hostel for homeless teenagers. She made her name in the commercial graphic field and music photography until she developed MS and now paints portraits from her Billericay studio. Cartwright is a multitalented artist who is not bound by genre nor convention. </span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ley9" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">https://twitter.com/ley9</span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ed Arantus is a conceptual artist and writer. He published his first work in the Censored Zine in 2010 and has exhibited his work ever since at venues like the Contemporary Arts Research Unit in Oxford and the Museum of Futures in Surbiton.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://edarantus.blogspot.com/" id="yiv1744488357LPlnk830208" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="background-color: white; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://edarantus.blogspot.com/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC_d-8DrkXo2-Vw2_E3aL7YcVZaMscPnGJqyO-eqBJpDBUtoHbSRqeZh6sDsX75Hm3xEoRFWiBcxhp1RStKXm1eKIu9UcVe-YOUr2Eqoqswo9QQUOYKdMlUOa2uLjF20GnJzlDDkVDDM/s1500/Lesely2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC_d-8DrkXo2-Vw2_E3aL7YcVZaMscPnGJqyO-eqBJpDBUtoHbSRqeZh6sDsX75Hm3xEoRFWiBcxhp1RStKXm1eKIu9UcVe-YOUr2Eqoqswo9QQUOYKdMlUOa2uLjF20GnJzlDDkVDDM/w400-h266/Lesely2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesley Cartwright's Urban Bonsais.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dark comes, Queen of knots<div>Blowin' spells that blind dub-shot</div><div>In the forest, on the rocks</div><div>One-night drunk, crazy clocks</div><div><br clear="none" /></div><div>Dark comes, double knot</div><div>Sleepin' winter rain blew locked</div><div>Makin' twisted blizz street gain</div><div>Must be lost, hurricane</div><div><br clear="none" /></div><div>Dreams baby, snappers rock</div><div>Twisted kid, double drop</div><div>Jungle tie grind heart blind</div>Don't unwind your sweet knot<br clear="none" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Words by Ed Arantus</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Ann Kopka and Ginny Reddick</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Ann Kopka is a visual artist and curator. She has exhibited
in London, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the USA and her work is held in
private collections in the UK, France, Spain, USA and Australia.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Ann studied Fine Art at Central St Martins College of Art
and Design and The City Lit, and Museum Curating at The Tate Modern. She
studied The Practices and Debates of Modern Art at the Open University and
graduated with a First Class Honours Degree.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Ann is a volunteer project co-ordinator at the Heath Robinson
Museum London where she is involved with organising and curating temporary
exhibitions. Ann is a member of The Free Painters and Sculptors, an Independent
artists’ co-operative and charity.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Ginny is a regular walker in Epping Forest.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUxCYbhDrCOYeuwMbbmm9HEoY6oZZq1MGkAzqosq18_ch3IKKOoZSGNiMGh-T3vxdxaIYUekGO8HyDmnjtNO5w_ymTPi6onRiGQRNyKGAU1LWLWOG4BBLIzW1mDwoqFtFA5jcHINS7Ow/s2048/Bonsai+On+Skateboard+by+Ann+Kopka1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUxCYbhDrCOYeuwMbbmm9HEoY6oZZq1MGkAzqosq18_ch3IKKOoZSGNiMGh-T3vxdxaIYUekGO8HyDmnjtNO5w_ymTPi6onRiGQRNyKGAU1LWLWOG4BBLIzW1mDwoqFtFA5jcHINS7Ow/w400-h275/Bonsai+On+Skateboard+by+Ann+Kopka1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kopka's Urban Bonsai</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">360<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hadn’t been
in London for long. I was alone in the grey. I wandered and found myself in the
under croft, by the river<a name="_GoBack"></a>. There were ollies and
alley-oops and acid drops.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I found
a Southbank tree and I actually gave it a hug. (No one does that in
Hertfordshire.) The roots reached under the pavement and anchored in London
clay.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After that I
noticed how they played and fell and played and fell together. (Bailed, they
said) They learned caballerials and flips together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I stayed. I can’t
stand on a skateboard while it’s moving. But I’m still here and so is the tree.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><br /><div><div id="yiv9257853817appendonsend" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></div></div></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-7717706876896490342021-05-20T23:19:00.000-07:002021-05-20T23:19:14.226-07:00Bryan Benge & Natalie Low - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">Today we have a video art work from Bryan Benge
with words from Natalie Low. </p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Bryan is a founder member of Collect Connect and a
member of the London Group.</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a href="http://www.thelondongroup.com/bryan-benge/">http://www.thelondongroup.com/bryan-benge/</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a href="http://www.bryanbenge.co.uk/">http://www.bryanbenge.co.uk/</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Natalie is a researcher and a regular and much
valued writer for CollectConnect.</p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NMX7ZJHTkhA" width="320" youtube-src-id="NMX7ZJHTkhA"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
sun shines & shines & shonny-shines 4-ever. Grand-da says “2-shiny sun
is trouble.” & he knows, he is dead of 2-big freckles. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />He
says "Be-wary bad things inside of good things." I think he talks of
things like us. 2-big & shiny smiles, & under-knives. I think it, but
now I think no. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The
2-little tree comes down 1 day from clouds where big gods live, ago. With
earth-star light-on light-off & hoots in the air. With shiny bird-call air.
With skin like snakes outsides. Only right thing from sky is water. Not a tree,
a 2-little tree. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />&
most, we see trees from stories & old words. Grand-da says, when small,
there are places of only-trees. Only-tree places! We laugh. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />We
all ooh-aah, we ooh-aah more-close, 2-close 4 2-little tree now I think. The
little 1s go stroke-stroke but we do not stroke things we do not know. More
hoots & cries & cries that go from smile to sad. The tree goes crack!
& is not 2-little any more but cracks & falls. A-boom big, a-boom big,
a-boom more-big. We shout & run & fire-burns from its roots. Up up up
it goes, & the fire-burns on us. Up up up it goes. & then it goes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />&
now I feel smiles & tummy-bad both. Grand-da says old trees are friends. So
1 more friend we lose. & I think, I think on his smiling stories. Of things
inside things, that are not the thing, but good. How tree arms hold strings
& swing him & kick feet to the sky & tree-leaves keep out the
sunny-sun & small Grand-da laughs.<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br /><p></p></div><p></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-43246314746618430682021-05-19T23:12:00.003-07:002021-05-19T23:12:52.134-07:00Glen Reddick & Simon Tyrrell - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<p> </p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the fifth day of the Urban Bonsais exhibition. <br />Don't forget to check out what is happening at the Urban Tree Festival <a href="https://urbantreefestival.org/">Urban Tree Festival</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://urbantreefestival.org/"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we have a Bonsai art work from Glen Reddick and words by Simon Tyrrell</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Glen is a keen bonsai grower, a teacher, Leyton Orient fan and expert bird watcher.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Simon
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b> </b>is a
writer and artist whose work celebrates the customary language, marks and
symbols people have used to present, protect and promote their community and
make sense of the relationships, time and space they share. </span>He’s a
founder of The Museum of Futures in Surbiton, has exhibited and performed
across London and had a handful of works published. He’s participating
in emerging collective PoPoGrou and working on a book. <a href="http://www.tyrrellknot.com/" target="_blank">www.tyrrellknot.com</a></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcIA_U208ZBeDaE1Ax8bGjtyCHko2_XzPFh80W-wMHtN8s3tkYR7o25O5lgxsoCupZGs7wB0Zs_bvN4cQs8D6kXSrZSYWaWo_s-RIuLLdj1V_eygKsA6S6HcYWqeM3Y57rtVaXVkaQiM/s2048/GlenBonsai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1741" data-original-width="2048" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcIA_U208ZBeDaE1Ax8bGjtyCHko2_XzPFh80W-wMHtN8s3tkYR7o25O5lgxsoCupZGs7wB0Zs_bvN4cQs8D6kXSrZSYWaWo_s-RIuLLdj1V_eygKsA6S6HcYWqeM3Y57rtVaXVkaQiM/w400-h340/GlenBonsai.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To a town flâneur</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you know about being small?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I live, don’t you know, to give notice for that very special
circumstance</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The prancing chancer’s affordable footprint</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In an indeferent dance on amenity’s tip toe</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An ancient’s survival is no ancestral accident of critical
massing</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As cheapened days return and metal oblivion’s viability </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Through verdant belt, ever-tightened </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And countlessly reckoned with soot rings seared in hate’s
fearful archive </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pending deity’s deforestation, do I not more resemble the
rock on which I grow</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ether-forged in core’s flame, ocean-quenched, prevailing sum
of all the real</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you reckon?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any time, what do you know of such living</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Taking advantage of mine to make yours?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still through bole, branch and bough I bud, bloom and
blossom </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brooking nothing that doesn’t now really matter</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But still unhappy you seem with evolution’s regenerative
path</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So make of me instead a ladder for the two-peaked mountain
of Mars</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mind to no inversion and cast not that lessening shade that
tips our axis</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For there’s no jest in Gemini’s genes conjugating your
destiny</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gendered as sisters we are, to foreshadow masculine endings</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you really not know how I am as much you</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And my species was drawn to a scale par excellence?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, stand by, for I’ve a plan now</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On sun’s fresh foliage </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Draw near, kneel, hold your ear close</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For no faraway whisper of a moon’s assassin</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me sing instead your salvation</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><br /></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-59403931353793235212021-05-19T00:28:00.001-07:002021-05-19T00:29:12.495-07:00Melanie Honebone & Dean Reddick- Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I woke up this morning to read that the Government has revealed its England Tree Action Plan. You can check it out here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-trees-action-plan-2021-to-2024">England Trees Action Plan 2021 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Friends of the Earth had the following to say about the Plan:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><i><span style="background-color: white;">'But following huge public pressure to set a target to restore tree cover, the England Trees Action Plan states that the government will consult the public on a long-term target next year. And although it’s ridiculous to delay given the urgency of the climate and nature emergencies, it at least leaves the door open for a bold binding target next year.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"> <br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">As for the rest of the plan, quite frankly it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. It recycles the old aim to achieve 12% woodland cover by "mid century" (it previously said 2060). And the pledge to plant 7,000 hectares of woodland a year in England by 2024 will leave Scotland and Wales doing all the heavy lifting to achieve the UK’s overall, and inadequate, targets. That's not good news, especially when tree planting programmes in Scotland rely on non-native confers.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"> <br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">So there’s work to do. And when that public consultation launches next year we’ll all need to speak up loud and clear for an ambitious target to restore the right kind of trees in the right places.'</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>from Friends of the Earth campaign email</span><br /></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">We are pleased to provide you with an art work by Melanie Honebone </span><a href="https://melaniehonebone.wordpress.com/">Melanie Honebone (wordpress.com)</a> and words from Dean Reddick <a href="https://deanreddick.blogspot.com/">Art Works (deanreddick.blogspot.com)</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Melanie is a Wales-based fine artist. She often works in series, providing visual responses to external stimuli such as literature, science, and music. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Melanie openly describes herself as a ‘renegade arts experimentalist’ and is happy dabbling in anything that pushes her work to the limit and broadens her own potential. A big thank you to Melanie and all our artists and writers for supporting and contributing to CollectConnect.</span></span></p><p class="western" data-adtags-visited="true" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.7em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dean works with Alban and Bryan at CollectConnect and is the author of the Urban Bonsais blogs, an art therapist, writer, editor and artist. </span></p><p class="western" data-adtags-visited="true" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.7em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgBKyvDw6ZdMOr0NQ_uKMrzJ7ZtxM1I_kAgwEoADi-hxxwX-aWezDjRfdAFqHBmTi2QxOcgVDjF_MGmRaVs73UVIIxWODQ1nFqtUrTYSheis6JLzdNTsWMt-2lNgQl1nQ-uQnrshfZ4Q/s1331/Melanie+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1331" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgBKyvDw6ZdMOr0NQ_uKMrzJ7ZtxM1I_kAgwEoADi-hxxwX-aWezDjRfdAFqHBmTi2QxOcgVDjF_MGmRaVs73UVIIxWODQ1nFqtUrTYSheis6JLzdNTsWMt-2lNgQl1nQ-uQnrshfZ4Q/w400-h299/Melanie+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">The virtually stitched hand of the Goddess</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">flickers, shimmers and skips</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">with neon-pink-angel-blue skin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Flexed and overlaid digits</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">reveal not the command tree in one dimension</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">but a fledged vein-skein</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">cabled up, out and round.</p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Wired Yggdrasill.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SloillsRA-tU9pZpU6DzjX5C7kZSh1hwlH_e_Xo06NAC6jD5ul8ZWvICYSVgqVHINEsMQ99CxIkt0J4eQHEGN8qEIcjxys20NBmmIO5eRud8YLvtfMbBn4y_7twsGj8mh6NiD0uDKFk/s2048/Melanie+H.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1915" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SloillsRA-tU9pZpU6DzjX5C7kZSh1hwlH_e_Xo06NAC6jD5ul8ZWvICYSVgqVHINEsMQ99CxIkt0J4eQHEGN8qEIcjxys20NBmmIO5eRud8YLvtfMbBn4y_7twsGj8mh6NiD0uDKFk/w374-h400/Melanie+H.jpg" width="374" /></a></div></div><p></p>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-25991055983971576902021-05-17T22:59:00.006-07:002021-05-18T00:59:28.585-07:00Bill Mudge & Ginny Reddick - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Urban Bonsai today comes from Bill Mudge with words from Ginny Reddick.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Photographer Bill Mudge has been embedded in the creative industries for all of his working life. Starting his journey as a session musician playing piano and organ on London's vibrant jazz scene. He is now one of the go-to photographers for artists, </span>makers,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and designers who want to translate their work onto the digital page. Working with fledgling and established creatives, growing businesses and world-renowned artists such as Kendra Haste and John Virtue. </span><a href="http://www.billmudge.co.uk">www.billmudge.co.uk</a></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Ginny lives in Walthamstow with her lovely family. She likes to go for walks in Epping Forest.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwPDlpVOCvXt-ZPFe-2o5q7MQamkH8nfb9uuE6IFv-fdBReLXRlpra2xdjn9wigG5J-7CHMyhpqX7Zk1HPRO9bzG7c3s3fCMnCmugI11-oE1H4xyOoKXPQm5-urS1Z6o6A9hyphenhyphen8XmFeTA/s2048/Urban+Bonsai-AP-JPEG-sRGB-2048px-Mudge-Bonsai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2048" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwPDlpVOCvXt-ZPFe-2o5q7MQamkH8nfb9uuE6IFv-fdBReLXRlpra2xdjn9wigG5J-7CHMyhpqX7Zk1HPRO9bzG7c3s3fCMnCmugI11-oE1H4xyOoKXPQm5-urS1Z6o6A9hyphenhyphen8XmFeTA/w400-h268/Urban+Bonsai-AP-JPEG-sRGB-2048px-Mudge-Bonsai.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>s<a name="_GoBack"></a>urvivor</u><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"> </span></o:p></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"><br /></span></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the
grey wave<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">starts
with a path</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">stubborn
roots push<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">at
memories <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">nuthatch,
cabbage white<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">oak
and beech<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a
faded leaf<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">relishes
the final rays<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and
weeks <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">or
days<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">life
fights<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">grey
washes<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">our
tree fades <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and
throws a seed</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;"></span></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824894402530839932.post-9357376361047505112021-05-17T00:45:00.004-07:002021-05-18T00:46:50.650-07:00 Chris Brown & Gabriel Burrow - Urban Bonsais Real and Imagined<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we are pleased to provide an art work by Chris Brown and words by Gabriel Burrow.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chris Brown is an artist, author, editor and art therapist living </span>amongst<span style="font-family: inherit;"> skyscrapers and </span>regularly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> exploring the wilder landscapes of the United Kingdom.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Gabriel is a writer and editor based in London. He recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Leiden University with an MA in Literature and Society. He’s working on various projects, from an audio drama to a novel. He’s also growing his first bonsai.</span><br clear="none" style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">You find him on Twitter and Instagram as @gabrielburrow</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvcQ9Ijj0r5Tu-S6fNmqraTbzNehP1PVd4mDTqK6X2dBkrEvuN7lIqdWSyY7uSEae-mWB-ipUeL5AN1vaKc_ViiWJtjNYVKE24eSSBBNsQG7zwmEURmOw-zavKshU54OEysSuqN1mWWc/s2048/CBUrbanBonsai1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2003" data-original-width="2048" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvcQ9Ijj0r5Tu-S6fNmqraTbzNehP1PVd4mDTqK6X2dBkrEvuN7lIqdWSyY7uSEae-mWB-ipUeL5AN1vaKc_ViiWJtjNYVKE24eSSBBNsQG7zwmEURmOw-zavKshU54OEysSuqN1mWWc/w400-h391/CBUrbanBonsai1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">n
Case of Emergency:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
Smokers’ lungs in office blocks. Every now and again becomes five a day, then
twenty; a rainforest of itchy alveoli stained and scarred.<br />
<br />
Sometimes sparks start fires. We huff smoke and watch them burn.<br />
<br />
We’re going to need more trees.<br />
<br />
But it’s never too late to quit. The glass breaks and we gulp great lungfuls of
air as the emergency system kicks in.<br />
<br />
It, out. Us, in. It, out. Us, in.<br />
<br />
We’re going to need more trees.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>Collect Connecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14474225857860551968noreply@blogger.com0