Reasons to be Cheerful, Exhibition

This September I have been lucky enough to be on of the many artists selected to showcase their artwork at the stunning Barleylands Craft Village as part of the Barleylands Art Trail 2012.

When I was a child I loved jumping on bouncy castles, laughing, giggling, falling over, going on adventures with my brothers and sister, playing cards, board games, top trumps and the Atari! No fear of hurting myself, what I looked like, who would be watching - just fun. As an adult with the pressures of a family, work commitments, mortgage, household bills - we forget about how curious we were as children, how fearless we were, how we trusted in our imaginations and believed whatever it would conceive – was achievable! Instead we spend much of our adult years reminiscing about the past, afraid to take challenges, try new things or take risks. As part of the Barleylands Art Trail, my exhibition contains several interactive pieces of art that I hope encourage adults to remember what it physically feels like to be a child again, to let go, to have fun, to laugh. The memories on the Bouncy Castle and table cloth are those of my siblings, friends and my own. I hope that you have the courage to go back in time and have a bounce or two, visit the Wigwam, share your memories and let the child in you come to life.

Reasons to be Cheerful (1980's bouncer)

Reasons to be Cheerful (1980's bouncer)

Thank you to Glass from the Past, Studio 28 at Barleylands, being my host venue for 2012.

Threes a Crowd, Felt, buttons, thread and toy stuffing

Little b, Little d, embroidered onto a tablecloth

Close up of "Little b, Little d"

Inside the Wigwam, Felt replica's of everyday objects

Wigwam, Felt, Material, Cane sticks and string

Mother Mask, Prescriptions, felt, embroidery thread and toy stuffing

Tell me a Story, Wooden easel, felt on canvas

The lovely Abigail creating a story on the felt  canvas in the Wigwam

Thank you to all my friends and family for your ongoing support, love ya.

The exhibitions runs form the 4th - 30th September, why not pop along for more information check out http://www.barleylands.co.uk/ If you are interested in commissioning a piece of work please contact Lisa on lisamart@hotmail.co.uk

80's Bouncy Castle

How retro is this! For my M.A. Show I wanted to create a big and bold piece of art work that evoked childhood memories. As a child of the 80's, I decided to investigate my siblings and friends memories and asked them to note them down. I collected memories from lecturers, parents, grandparents and colleagues as my raw material for an installation. The Playpen 2004, and Pod Installation 2004, were constructed for the viewer to physically engage with and respond to the tactile nature of the mediums used. I wanted to create a piece that would physically take the viewer back to their childhood - to allow them to play, to let their guard down, to be a child again. And so the bouncy castle was born.

To start with I drew up plans and made a small model of the castle out of felt, embroidering the memories on the sides of the walls.

After much fund raising and saving, I found a company based in Romania that took on my project. The castle had specific measurement (12ft x 15ft x 16ft) but more importantly had to be strengthened to be safe for adults to use without compromising on the design.

After a long wait of a month, the castle was delivered and here is the finished product. It was interesting to watch viewers respond to this piece and to how they felt they could engage with the work. Primarily viewers enjoyed reading the memories printed around the castle, provoking discussion and evoking memories that they shared.

Initially people read the comments and memories and walked around the piece, joking about times they had been on a bouncy castle, gradually approaching the castle and feeling the material, running hands along the forms of the bumps and testing out the spring by pushing down on it. Once the first brave person got on, people began to follow, still not sure whether it was acceptable to actually physically engage with the art work. Throughout the few showings the castle has had viewers have bounced, flipped, sat in the corner and read, but more importantly remembered what it feels like to let go and have a bit of fun.