tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870883605754312902023-11-16T07:38:42.063-08:00Alternative FieldworkMair Hughes is a visual artist working with installation and photography, exploring material histories and sculptural reconstructions. Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-59742473474695408022020-10-20T08:04:00.001-07:002020-10-20T08:04:49.060-07:00Sculptural Vocabulary 1: Caught in the Mesh<br /><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/AVvXsEhDlT1BYZ7ytdHx3jbhv0uDh7XIei3oZHIiuCHtEfcw31jsynhLzvVv6Cqp6v1nedwnt7nxvQ61yXCg4LKsZWVTcoOR-aig4dG5DA2Plb0pAA0nHE_vk1GyKeaUEdbfuINNSgUqjQsqCLTI/s2048/IMG_4438.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlT1BYZ7ytdHx3jbhv0uDh7XIei3oZHIiuCHtEfcw31jsynhLzvVv6Cqp6v1nedwnt7nxvQ61yXCg4LKsZWVTcoOR-aig4dG5DA2Plb0pAA0nHE_vk1GyKeaUEdbfuINNSgUqjQsqCLTI/w640-h426/IMG_4438.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Particle Psychology': steel mesh, leather, ash, wood, ceramic<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I went to Pound Arts in Corsham to document an installation piece of mine titled 'Particle Psychology'. Conveniently I had visited Devizes Archaeological Museum on the way and it prompted me to think about what I wanted to explore in this post. I am thinking about how sculpture can involve creating and using material vocabularies which sometimes develop over a long period of time. What gives a particular combination and use of materials resonance? </div><div> </div><div>In the museum I was drawn in by the small but significant artefacts such as the
earliest known piece of glass found in Britain, the neolithic tattooing
equipment and the beautiful miniature axe pendants, which I would happily
wear if I could.</div><div> </div><div>When making a sculpture you may be led by many factors other than the use value or structural properties of the materials. Your choice may be influenced by the associative potential of a material and its ability to conjure a particular era or context. By combining materials from contexts that are not usually associated, crafted and sculpted objects can lead us on new paths of association, providing something new in relation to the bank of objects we have already seen. </div><div> </div><div>That is what I found myself thinking about when I made the piece. I was thinking how we mostly imagine invisible particles through the methods that are used to measure or protect from them - such as masks and filters. Or in the case of pollution through the effect over time that a substance has on the stone fronts of buildings. The steel mesh that I used to make the mask-like objects caught my attention because metal is included in what we think of as the 'neolithic' vocabulary of materials, alongside ceramics, rock and bone. However, the way the metal has been processed into tiny, tight, regular gridded mesh also speaks of industrial processing. I think I selected the material for that particular combination of affinity and dislocation. </div><div> </div><div>It also has an amazing shimmery quality and is attractive to the eye but unpleasant to imagine covering the face. Sensory resonance can occur through heightened or combined forms of tactility, or the imagined tactility of the materials. Tactility and surface texture can also be closely related to notions of attraction and repulsion that we attach to materials; their qualities of roughness, smoothness, slipperiness or dryness. </div><div> </div><div>In my next Sculptural Vocabulary post I'll reflect on notions of material hierarchy and value and how they impact on my thinking and practice as a sculptor. <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><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/AVvXsEhedMz5Nb98fVwTJQn4H2k_aAYB4HVHhyphenhyphennWSOSDeI8jmOn_LBppvG2AH1fPZ9oJmahY0xpFPIetE_2MnFrIBH1thxhqDWD3pm0H6G_RQmtsrCMX8tknp8SHlkciCSmSMrHQecL20xmeXNW-/s2048/IMG_4433.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedMz5Nb98fVwTJQn4H2k_aAYB4HVHhyphenhyphennWSOSDeI8jmOn_LBppvG2AH1fPZ9oJmahY0xpFPIetE_2MnFrIBH1thxhqDWD3pm0H6G_RQmtsrCMX8tknp8SHlkciCSmSMrHQecL20xmeXNW-/s640/IMG_4433.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Particle Psychology': steel mesh, leather, ash, wood, ceramic</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qnnZiPk6mPC_Hw3sOBNB-4gz6VFIVR-bzYXVbMFohFHTiZCKxXgFmMosQrbdIWhsfsrPX6HNGId057xWGuyE-lMPR0Z6d9-PMzOzwL6TWh2BkxW-a8LXkX_5mzfr6StKIHdxD6UVHRyU/s2048/IMG_4427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qnnZiPk6mPC_Hw3sOBNB-4gz6VFIVR-bzYXVbMFohFHTiZCKxXgFmMosQrbdIWhsfsrPX6HNGId057xWGuyE-lMPR0Z6d9-PMzOzwL6TWh2BkxW-a8LXkX_5mzfr6StKIHdxD6UVHRyU/s640/IMG_4427.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEj6KEXGBhSlMHy0xH0J00XTYQaeL7U15Uae_qYBh-sqTBLJrmpfEUKsRxHM2irZrXWArHRWUOoR2erpzsabpwX3h1ix2SMcHvVyiO0Flqeqn5w-eNOPN_nGLtDalREroIhgr2uUCo1gJJll/s2048/IMG_4423.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KEXGBhSlMHy0xH0J00XTYQaeL7U15Uae_qYBh-sqTBLJrmpfEUKsRxHM2irZrXWArHRWUOoR2erpzsabpwX3h1ix2SMcHvVyiO0Flqeqn5w-eNOPN_nGLtDalREroIhgr2uUCo1gJJll/s640/IMG_4423.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Particle Psychology': steel mesh, leather, ash, wood, ceramic</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEigMgO9mLa4LF8jr7D7LLsSY6IipULNYHjq2Sp21EIkxwVTYRp9EatZA8pe6QdRb-JMz6X8v5tloF4taznj7bxB6OyJd-n_qBsWOFVtOLy6D3pdAbjOmj88bPQP2wq299m9KiE_i4wjmAAI/s2048/IMG_4425.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMgO9mLa4LF8jr7D7LLsSY6IipULNYHjq2Sp21EIkxwVTYRp9EatZA8pe6QdRb-JMz6X8v5tloF4taznj7bxB6OyJd-n_qBsWOFVtOLy6D3pdAbjOmj88bPQP2wq299m9KiE_i4wjmAAI/s640/IMG_4425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Particle Psychology': steel mesh, leather, ash, wood, ceramic</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particle Psychology, installation shot</td></tr>
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I thought I would take the chance to reflect a bit on the piece I made for the exhibition 'Incendiary', which would have opened at Pound Arts in Corsham in March, but was closed on the evening of install.</div>
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Titled <em>Particle Psychology</em>, the piece came out of research I did into early examples of hearths and burnt waste on neolithic sites, and current exploration in to particulate pollution. I was interested in taking the long view of our history of
exposure to carbon and other particulates in the air. This research also coincided with the atrocious bush fires that were happening in Australia. Experiencing this from afar through the media, the most pervasive images were of the orange and deep yellow skies. The changing colour of the sky engendered a primeval reaction to this environmental event. Although it felt counter-intuitive to me that the carbon particles created by the fires should make the sky yellow rather than grey or black, what seemed to be intuitive is that when the sky changes colour, this signals a warning of wide-scale change and threat. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particle Psychology, installation shot</td></tr>
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Tim Smedley's book 'Clearing the Air' makes some of the complicated
science behind particulates and air pollution more accessible. He
also considers the exposure neolithic people had to carbon
particles from hearth fires and drying kilns in confined interior
spaces, and the fact that this can be detected in the lungs of neolithic
human remains. I found an article in <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/11/neolithic-stone-mask-discovery-archaeology-forgery/" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>
about an amazing set of carved limestone masks from the neolithic
period, unearthed in Israel, which is the site of the earliest suspected
prehistoric hearth (defined as a place used repeatedly for fire, rather
than as a one-off event). I thought it would be interesting to use the
mask, obviously an important cultural form to neolithic humans, as a way to reference the carbon culture of this time period.</div>
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With
distant and nearby focal points in mind, I wanted to use a sculptural
vocabulary
combining both 'ancient' and 'synthetic' materials. In my next post I
will explore how this vocabulary came together and reflect on how it
could develop in future. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particle Psychology, installation shot</td></tr>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-83705167493521035142017-06-14T02:58:00.000-07:002017-06-14T02:58:06.050-07:00Work in Progress for 'Navigations' ExhibitionHere are a few shots of work in progress for the Navigations show...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IdmMyRzDyQHx-dmW2BxAPcR-jBtty3VgsyjmwEnEDs9bhaoyK82uu-5cF0N95MsoVmVObQgTr0Foxyt6yj4zTh2NzngPZOICh5NOT2PByXqDZrMk45jOT2f_BeBQfsA3nsL1b6SAsvC9/s1600/IMG_0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IdmMyRzDyQHx-dmW2BxAPcR-jBtty3VgsyjmwEnEDs9bhaoyK82uu-5cF0N95MsoVmVObQgTr0Foxyt6yj4zTh2NzngPZOICh5NOT2PByXqDZrMk45jOT2f_BeBQfsA3nsL1b6SAsvC9/s400/IMG_0917.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
Making the velvet devore banner - using hand-applied paste that eats away the viscose fibres.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3qT-usp18dhLs7wevdNC6dd7KcVqT-bSUlwc8oen7mXSD07-Mijh0_1ioVc_QB-Vr8XJk-gsSLAkqw4n1wjmmFODAxozquO_0zy3RL3Sed1tPSLnKyMUqXNaajiio6vFrcvDRKKRbRob/s1600/IMG_0931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3qT-usp18dhLs7wevdNC6dd7KcVqT-bSUlwc8oen7mXSD07-Mijh0_1ioVc_QB-Vr8XJk-gsSLAkqw4n1wjmmFODAxozquO_0zy3RL3Sed1tPSLnKyMUqXNaajiio6vFrcvDRKKRbRob/s400/IMG_0931.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the casts from the Ellesmere yard patterns, very quickly developing a layer of rust.<br />
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Making 9-braid plaits from bulrushes, which I then sewed together to make rush matting, which was one of the materials used to line canal beds in ancient times.<br />
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Shapes cut in steel sheet, based on a template at Ellesmere canal yard for a fire box that went inside a Fly Boat. The fire box would have held the ashes of the stove.<br />
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The banner, before dyeing.<br />
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Slip-cast ceramic hand, which will poke through the bulrush matting, a nod towards the tale of Hans Brinker who stopped a hole in a water dyke with his finger.<br />
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It's hard to picture at the moment but there is a plan to bring all these things together in the final installation at Oriel Davies.<br />
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The second cast iron shape, above, is a bit of a mystery. I haven't been able to find anyone who knows what it was for. That is partly the attraction, as it suggests a lot of things, such as holding something in place, or hydraulic channels. The original part has been cast twice and joined together to create an irregular hexagonal frame.<br />
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Testing out the effect of the polychromatic paint on the steel shapes.Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-87454352662249345822017-06-08T15:26:00.002-07:002017-06-08T15:26:46.053-07:00Foundry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whilst dropping off some of the Ellesmere yard patterns to be cast at the foundry in Stroud, I took the opportunity to look around the yard and inside the buildings at some castings in progress. It turned out to be a bit of a treasure trove, if you like this sort of thing! <br />
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Old casting boxes - the top half is the 'cope' and the bottom half the 'drag'...<br />
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Pouring bucket for an aluminium cast.<br />
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Aluminium moulds after pouring.<br />
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-10391443976356376282016-09-21T05:13:00.001-07:002016-09-21T05:13:17.346-07:00Powysland Exhibition<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Monty Canal banner, made in collaboration with stitchers and textile artists from Llanymynech and the surrounding areas, is now on show at Powysland Museum in Welshpool, up until the Christmas break.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With Liz, Joan and Diana, who, amongst others, contributed their stitch and textile art to the banner, I made an initial trip to admire it. We agreed that its trade union style suits the idea of rallying together towards the canal's restoration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is being exhibited alongside wonderful canal-inspired linocut prints by the artist Eric Gaskell. I highly recommend a visit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For opening times of the museum please follow this link...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.powys.gov.uk/en/museums/visit-your-local-museum/powysland-museum/" target="_blank">www.powys.gov.uk/en/museums/visit-your-local-museum/powysland-museum/</a></span></div>
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Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-14147560246436949962016-06-23T03:28:00.000-07:002016-06-23T03:28:05.324-07:00Banner To The Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The banner reaches completion - we have achieved the successful integration of all the component parts!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The backing is now stitched on. All that is now required is for a few curtain weights to be stitched on to the back, and to find some kind of canal-related hanging device, such as a barge pole, from which it can hang during the exhibition. The names of all the stitchers who took part and the date will also be added to the back, for posterity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Liz's canal bridge...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgCD-x8cgBMjIEaLeoQ1OTKGerJTLPqUX5GYUNORZAbNfOhQCIbmB6yZxFRLa-uH78Efrc82Kk13P9Ab7JRWQTTmWF_rFlnNxcdnc-ZZxwi9pcLZwzOGuBtAQnMmACy-19zw0JZQ37WAo/s1600/image4-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgCD-x8cgBMjIEaLeoQ1OTKGerJTLPqUX5GYUNORZAbNfOhQCIbmB6yZxFRLa-uH78Efrc82Kk13P9Ab7JRWQTTmWF_rFlnNxcdnc-ZZxwi9pcLZwzOGuBtAQnMmACy-19zw0JZQ37WAo/s320/image4-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Joan's lock...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba0hKjc_J7CE6Wddp_q78kAUmut3L91wPZvGndV3eMxxfRsD0WZUMs1ba3PNNaBb5HelCrp5n9ksv2IB1QPkrx-EZmOdRDtqLyYmgCjYkjPvOzWKloDyQz11l1GBC3EhottUJYNKo-xiQ/s1600/image3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba0hKjc_J7CE6Wddp_q78kAUmut3L91wPZvGndV3eMxxfRsD0WZUMs1ba3PNNaBb5HelCrp5n9ksv2IB1QPkrx-EZmOdRDtqLyYmgCjYkjPvOzWKloDyQz11l1GBC3EhottUJYNKo-xiQ/s320/image3-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mary's narrow boat inspired painted roses...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qbpiSAxT1Y-9B-C9XdIwPwPIMYxlSuv1sl1e70lDxCiIvP2TYF6fv1xb73aOy7L4yLGsw33T5c0uEAw8gtMYSp1hHdufbW5Z9xHBH3kLBUeAXSjuABWUEXufmEQk0t5V4MjP5SP-WITw/s1600/image6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qbpiSAxT1Y-9B-C9XdIwPwPIMYxlSuv1sl1e70lDxCiIvP2TYF6fv1xb73aOy7L4yLGsw33T5c0uEAw8gtMYSp1hHdufbW5Z9xHBH3kLBUeAXSjuABWUEXufmEQk0t5V4MjP5SP-WITw/s320/image6.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Diana's cogs...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLqVuFx3AHNo4oNneLmE2jIzTgVTeTAgBUpkbdN0VhMcG6WRmPftEyMX5OBqtT3bjj9eDueDzM0ZutC2HTWEDGsonFtVcDF240GKGmd9mce3TcaJ-5REqa9bvq1Ctkq-6jgzye0B96oeF/s1600/image5-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLqVuFx3AHNo4oNneLmE2jIzTgVTeTAgBUpkbdN0VhMcG6WRmPftEyMX5OBqtT3bjj9eDueDzM0ZutC2HTWEDGsonFtVcDF240GKGmd9mce3TcaJ-5REqa9bvq1Ctkq-6jgzye0B96oeF/s320/image5-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gillian's fish...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNjQlW4VhTbvh53i76WszQ3rmK9TcTyHkXEu5Mt6EdxGQmPepqMkeA6JuBZlv8ShnwOBw2aLLBXF4R_UkVtxW3nRLNtfGnsk-RDvT5fZcu7rhEkF-zctdAFXAVCrFqh2nZZo7BCU__Onw/s1600/image5-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNjQlW4VhTbvh53i76WszQ3rmK9TcTyHkXEu5Mt6EdxGQmPepqMkeA6JuBZlv8ShnwOBw2aLLBXF4R_UkVtxW3nRLNtfGnsk-RDvT5fZcu7rhEkF-zctdAFXAVCrFqh2nZZo7BCU__Onw/s400/image5-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Claire's bulrushes...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD4DK08INfALGDggeNCPOyi1YQLjyZ94SjDMseoUH7N3Ij7Ptqcw2WxYKvuppvSJVkpuDgOBHxz6fXSSw-2aNqi20DaIlMNH-on_B6BoA2MpmZRTSUxpBmA9ArNReEi037ZvRPDlohuxP/s1600/image6-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD4DK08INfALGDggeNCPOyi1YQLjyZ94SjDMseoUH7N3Ij7Ptqcw2WxYKvuppvSJVkpuDgOBHxz6fXSSw-2aNqi20DaIlMNH-on_B6BoA2MpmZRTSUxpBmA9ArNReEi037ZvRPDlohuxP/s400/image6-1.jpg" width="298" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The velvet lettering...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLINmebbg2BWAZdPtT9CxngZiqp6w7QdTLbPBaZ9mAz3AmaL5dw_vAEnYKswJJDdfFKHNY-5E_EdPu3DM7TfxaT8aU7hcDfDqGHMnPt_Qj3LhdJfUkWiUshzoY4JnRQ_kKYlVfMYQAatou/s1600/image9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLINmebbg2BWAZdPtT9CxngZiqp6w7QdTLbPBaZ9mAz3AmaL5dw_vAEnYKswJJDdfFKHNY-5E_EdPu3DM7TfxaT8aU7hcDfDqGHMnPt_Qj3LhdJfUkWiUshzoY4JnRQ_kKYlVfMYQAatou/s320/image9.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGAUj_r2DvzPUNOFdG14PmZTidDtge1pyFSwEdOHKqJZ3zq62b7WgAx38s09Q05E3BxEGWPTEdx_T1Ha_XxBOkCLB63L7XG5BffpZtvet42mG8iISUlY1BqvKnb-D9INF_WMWIeXxEwjI/s1600/image10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGAUj_r2DvzPUNOFdG14PmZTidDtge1pyFSwEdOHKqJZ3zq62b7WgAx38s09Q05E3BxEGWPTEdx_T1Ha_XxBOkCLB63L7XG5BffpZtvet42mG8iISUlY1BqvKnb-D9INF_WMWIeXxEwjI/s320/image10.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The central motif of Montgomery canal gearing...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz33_sPfqjj4g0kLDBi7izMtf_n-0aaLskucgdDz0kOnC9dC-D1rLTaJ0nkPgYyonTFn2LkLQUk7u761fLesXfesx2IJKYzK9vmU7GQOiCMbWWZU28wYhcf-fDC8-mF2Ai7uWq92DQT6sz/s1600/image7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz33_sPfqjj4g0kLDBi7izMtf_n-0aaLskucgdDz0kOnC9dC-D1rLTaJ0nkPgYyonTFn2LkLQUk7u761fLesXfesx2IJKYzK9vmU7GQOiCMbWWZU28wYhcf-fDC8-mF2Ai7uWq92DQT6sz/s320/image7.jpg" width="239" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The banner will be exhibited from 16th December 2016 until Christmas at Powysland Museum, Welshpool, alongside an exhibition of prints by Eric Gaskell. Please do come along and see it.</span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-67158457385867691182016-04-16T10:15:00.003-07:002016-04-16T10:15:49.681-07:00Taking Patterns in Hand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WmkGk3Xvz6TBi1LeWAXayWqpO7rrSIDAXR_5Y8ir-FKk17y7O9DUzyKeS_-pHW1qDa5HRyIWVTTti3u8WLTyPJA4DdGCkow79dlv1hQ1pzCNcyi30sNm_6k7z-yzDfQ35XodXHXuwq6p/s1600/pattern_placed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WmkGk3Xvz6TBi1LeWAXayWqpO7rrSIDAXR_5Y8ir-FKk17y7O9DUzyKeS_-pHW1qDa5HRyIWVTTti3u8WLTyPJA4DdGCkow79dlv1hQ1pzCNcyi30sNm_6k7z-yzDfQ35XodXHXuwq6p/s640/pattern_placed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On my last visit to Ellesmere yard I spent some time looking at the patterns more closely. I like the fact that they are physical plans for a whole range of parts. A kit for the solid structures and moving parts required to move water around and keep it under control. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The pattern shop is a repository of potential forms, kept out of use so that their cast counterparts can be replicated after years of service out in the world. They are made of wood, a material that is light (compared to metal), and can be carved and turned. The process of making the patterns, defining these exact dimensions, is so very different to that of making the parts themselves, pouring hot metal in to an impression in sand...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I started to experiment with placing the wooden patterns in still-life groupings, using the workshop adjacent to the pattern storeroom. </span>The light coming through the slanted roof windows, hitting the dusty, painted wood, was beautiful.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The workshop walls and floor seemed of a piece with the patterns, covered with scratches and dust but also beguiling.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was interesting taking them out of the storeroom into the light, giving them some space, but keeping their residue of long accumulated dust, only moving them a few steps away from where they are stored. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But how to organise and arrange them? In the storeroom they are in a</span><span style="font-size: large;"> basic order: smaller parts resting in piles on shelves, larger volumes grouped in the centre and long, tall shapes leaning against the wall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I tried a few haphazard and instinctual groupings, picking up shapes that intrigued me. I then took a selection of cylinders, variations on a theme. These had a more direct relationship to traditional still-life as they resembled bottles, domestic containers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It felt like I'd made a start, begun a conversation, but there is more to explore, so I plan to go back again in May.</span><br />
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Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-71484539393826722652016-03-30T03:28:00.000-07:002016-03-30T03:28:16.820-07:00Collaborative Labour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07KLv5-oV9JKCCoO-9eUQb1YY1xc8vLv3kDfHphvOj6g9pb81XfzrnDQdlce75w64P_njiNPljpbQicmHuhAovVk6DNL6HoenMHOClTKG_EdSpzi057cPc3iNI2XHKs-zUg0tf1Z9cZCC/s1600/image5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07KLv5-oV9JKCCoO-9eUQb1YY1xc8vLv3kDfHphvOj6g9pb81XfzrnDQdlce75w64P_njiNPljpbQicmHuhAovVk6DNL6HoenMHOClTKG_EdSpzi057cPc3iNI2XHKs-zUg0tf1Z9cZCC/s400/image5.JPG" width="298" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ3rLNmlqwZrbNJ9icuf6BIx-sg0_YsiDYtbyDm9ypRPhomOSFQ88xMOiXLUIUx9AxFOCTcrJ-lAD_vSkaoldbdWpmrabEFAqiACVEid28lZNEA3Xo0q4hyphenhyphenWAxzdCvO3woU6Z2JF6td2Z/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ3rLNmlqwZrbNJ9icuf6BIx-sg0_YsiDYtbyDm9ypRPhomOSFQ88xMOiXLUIUx9AxFOCTcrJ-lAD_vSkaoldbdWpmrabEFAqiACVEid28lZNEA3Xo0q4hyphenhyphenWAxzdCvO3woU6Z2JF6td2Z/s400/image4.JPG" width="298" /> </a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a banner meet up on the 24th March. Above are Liz and Joan's sections of the banner in progress. They are using the same palette of fabrics to compose different views of the canal. The colours are very beautiful and make me think of a spring evening on the Montgomery canal. Liz has been inspired by a book on machine embroidery and has added lots of fine stitches over the top of her fabric panels. Joan's composition (on the left) is very dynamic, giving the impression you are just about to go through the lock gates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, it's banner mock up Mark III! (see above). Liz and Joan's pieces are in position but not yet in their hexagonal border. The velvet text has been completed and now reads, 'Montgomery Canal, To The Future'. The golden fringing, just visible bottom right, will add the finishing touch. You can't have a banner without fringing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gillian continued with her fish design, and Diane's cog section was added to the top left of the banner. The next and final meet up will be in April or early May, when we will add Mary's section and finally stitch everything together.</span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-2865263597434753332016-02-28T12:23:00.000-08:002016-02-28T12:23:27.006-08:00Bannerisms<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On Friday the 12th February we met up in Llanymynech to begin constructing the background and central image of the banner. I
brought the pieces I had laser-cut out of recycled leather, and we
did a mock-up of how it would look, discussing in more detail the
individual designs everyone was going to contribute and how they would
fit in to the whole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also did a mock-up of the text sections, using letters laser-cut from yellow velvet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a chance for everyone to take away the swatches of dyed fabric they needed for their part of the design too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We started to get a better idea of the final piece and talked about how we would hang it. Perhaps on a piece of wood or iron reminiscent of canal infrastructure, with fabric loops on the banner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a sense of excitement that we had reached a much more tangible stage of the project. Now we are looking forward to next time when we'll see how all the different decorative stitched elements, such as needlefelting, applique and paper-piecing, will come together around the central motif. </span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-31051597215556330892015-12-09T03:24:00.001-08:002015-12-09T03:24:25.596-08:00CRT Annual Showcase<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Just over a month ago, on Friday 6th November, I was invited to hold a stall at the Canal & River Trust Annual Showcase in Shropshire. There were many other organisations and individuals attending, from wildlife, boating and angling organisations to charities working with young people and the resident Blacksmith at Ellesmere canal yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I displayed the newest additions to the Monty Canal modelling kit: some fish-bellied 'cast-iron' beams, and the moulds used to make them. The CRT education specialists and workshop leaders had a stall too, and it was good to talk to them about some of their canal-connected activities including a modelling kit they use with younger children in sandboxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I
also presented information about the other strands to the residency,
such as the Newtown Field Trip, the textile collaboration and this blog.
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the afternoon there was an opportunity to take part in
planning sessions and I joined the Montgomery Canal group. It was a
good chance to put forward ideas that have emerged from my research and time spent on
the canal but have not directly become part of the project. It was also a good forum to talk about the contact I've had with different communities along the canal, as
well as my own points of view on the future of the canal as a native of Mid Wales.</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3vhPzAhPpFdWIDvjOPhNKRbWQitWvr5VfV2wwKIT2PM9u3FD2ML2NLMRt-AvFtvbpDL6kvEQjKE6hWvmTw0Um-E3uZsyNx_a15d1wvoOUu-QPed8yT532OTYxxKvJsaVNqfq7hpZRA7O/s640/showcase_2.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-17798671105806705302015-12-09T03:12:00.001-08:002015-12-09T03:12:39.988-08:00Layout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a few trials and mock ups we are starting to plan how everyone's ideas can work together in the final banner. See below for a watercolour outline of the layout I did to help visualise what will go where. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvmnQB6Hf0khMBbPuy55oDh9nTrNkjnvCuJj159R3YpA_-LdnlOYWC6aZ5hP4CsRPiBgt460u4zlTaUpnMHHpgYK8d5wBZpUyq5E2e-JmCygoSlIheUMFuWLu870dFXny9f8aZC3TyX5g/s1600/annotated_future_email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvmnQB6Hf0khMBbPuy55oDh9nTrNkjnvCuJj159R3YpA_-LdnlOYWC6aZ5hP4CsRPiBgt460u4zlTaUpnMHHpgYK8d5wBZpUyq5E2e-JmCygoSlIheUMFuWLu870dFXny9f8aZC3TyX5g/s640/annotated_future_email.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of
the visual influences we are incorporating in to the design are Trade
Union banners, retro-futurist art, geometric pattern and traditional
canal boat painting, as well as the engineering, flora and fauna of the Montgomery Canal itself.
In terms of textile techniques, collectively we are likely to use
applique, maybe even reverse applique, paper-piecing and needle-felting,
to name but a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I look forward to our next meet-up in January when we will start to construct the background and central elements of the banner.</span></div>
Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-30697239525080369692015-11-16T03:21:00.001-08:002015-11-21T02:46:22.953-08:00Mock Ups & Motifs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">During last Thursday's session working on the banner w<span style="font-size: large;">e started laying out the text to try out different ways to structure the design. We agreed it would be a good idea to wait until the motifs are designed before positioning the text or cutting the backing fabric to size, so we can make sure there is enough space for everything. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Below are some possible layouts, although they may evolve again as the collaboration develops. The backing fabric will be dyed to fit in with the shared colour palette too.</span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xg83E-QbTkx2cxmKS7E8EidFCJdI1l_0dVOEcC2yiloWSoVMe-wcOMt5yKEiE3n6EZU1JU-8SoxMtH65No-ZMqYHEmHicZEdjczlMwytujoB9epkn78W7SuIfd0NIFbjsOtH2DNgNy_-/s1600/backdrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xg83E-QbTkx2cxmKS7E8EidFCJdI1l_0dVOEcC2yiloWSoVMe-wcOMt5yKEiE3n6EZU1JU-8SoxMtH65No-ZMqYHEmHicZEdjczlMwytujoB9epkn78W7SuIfd0NIFbjsOtH2DNgNy_-/s640/backdrop.jpg" width="634" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Possible layout for the backing fabric</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l_wcaqaq9aqjIw6gj8KRJlRDFDUmNN5o9d75qUki-ZWSYwP-3QB7_qnBPl2gkYqwbYTG4K8RxKgJXe_RTmzHbqdj_4L7I2nm4IG2Vcy7CoLbf3D6vBW6xg-9-4HaZFJm0ghqQrpDFOBx/s1600/mock-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l_wcaqaq9aqjIw6gj8KRJlRDFDUmNN5o9d75qUki-ZWSYwP-3QB7_qnBPl2gkYqwbYTG4K8RxKgJXe_RTmzHbqdj_4L7I2nm4IG2Vcy7CoLbf3D6vBW6xg-9-4HaZFJm0ghqQrpDFOBx/s640/mock-up.jpg" width="604" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Possible text layout</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made a rough guide to the size of some of the motifs that will go on the banner (see image below). The motifs could be oval, square or irregular shaped and most people are going to make two, one for each side of the banner, that mirror each other slightly. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOIQ-XbU444W49VeP3O4FET_0oTdnSWh5hSEQPboUsuaQsdvS8FBL6hIPEy156wGyjIzJRhyCIWeYuYxonRK07I2zDrD9UXy1PzR2k4BjCWFEzVhPdiFYPTKyLF2iKgEBctjHL1MHjF9e/s1600/DSCF6097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOIQ-XbU444W49VeP3O4FET_0oTdnSWh5hSEQPboUsuaQsdvS8FBL6hIPEy156wGyjIzJRhyCIWeYuYxonRK07I2zDrD9UXy1PzR2k4BjCWFEzVhPdiFYPTKyLF2iKgEBctjHL1MHjF9e/s640/DSCF6097.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few images to show how people's ideas are developing...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Liz did some experiments with fabric textures, colours and patterns...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFIOJZ9dJSob2IFpfwihfD5fYutamSMdBOtMFTExA4DoFiyJE9nDFdZAjxWXk9cxLru6C8y43l12m77ZK1BntPTj3ULinsOIOWril-yk1wR8Z1uyKoQslVF4vlwdJr-xhrDW_A-FRRYmB/s1600/IMG_8410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFIOJZ9dJSob2IFpfwihfD5fYutamSMdBOtMFTExA4DoFiyJE9nDFdZAjxWXk9cxLru6C8y43l12m77ZK1BntPTj3ULinsOIOWril-yk1wR8Z1uyKoQslVF4vlwdJr-xhrDW_A-FRRYmB/s400/IMG_8410.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Diana tried different combinations of colours and backdrops for her industrial cog motif...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TkL4CZqwmNxV9eBzPhUgAmAx9T8bx-DFg3SstqVhNruBOrc4Mf6c80JLRL55lHYUj2rWx8-_3DYKDz1crET4VDwNcYGHxsws2YG9ErEp2IjNmgWWTtn-RBsY-MXc6nXz07qAYvpxIvil/s1600/IMG_8411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TkL4CZqwmNxV9eBzPhUgAmAx9T8bx-DFg3SstqVhNruBOrc4Mf6c80JLRL55lHYUj2rWx8-_3DYKDz1crET4VDwNcYGHxsws2YG9ErEp2IjNmgWWTtn-RBsY-MXc6nXz07qAYvpxIvil/s400/IMG_8411.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu986W57baRaKb4I3QZ89s0SnyAfY9BLHyqDmlyY-yFLdIStTJlTWXVFaBUFWEuwVmrrzc7xe5rbJXAfcauonBk5Ix55qMiXy95ey3CFCaXPnZU2hhSuIhSyXY2UzNgoaTznww635ftwKk/s1600/IMG_8412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu986W57baRaKb4I3QZ89s0SnyAfY9BLHyqDmlyY-yFLdIStTJlTWXVFaBUFWEuwVmrrzc7xe5rbJXAfcauonBk5Ix55qMiXy95ey3CFCaXPnZU2hhSuIhSyXY2UzNgoaTznww635ftwKk/s400/IMG_8412.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjYP0JpiYVdZaf7wEw6sU7hGvqusv29NwPevvwaR_X7kMiN0p20FRc-lrDWCXIXOdS7r47nj5dXlYccoK2k8cLhNDIo7jlbAywwTbT7bPfpCWuW7I0Q7a9KG5_C9N3l_RQWz2cKiJt4-1/s1600/IMG_8413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjYP0JpiYVdZaf7wEw6sU7hGvqusv29NwPevvwaR_X7kMiN0p20FRc-lrDWCXIXOdS7r47nj5dXlYccoK2k8cLhNDIo7jlbAywwTbT7bPfpCWuW7I0Q7a9KG5_C9N3l_RQWz2cKiJt4-1/s400/IMG_8413.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mary is planning two floral motifs inspired by canal-boat painting. Joan was inspired by the two images below to design a 'paper-piecing' motif based on lock gates.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7Yn1b11wgpoxmMSw0Zg60vhqf5bsMyWrUu3AZR6smKzRqYKuy8v0DveSrzYM_9AdBbvznwo5nvEWl-nA9lLv-JZfFWYLSDFemU6Wb3IEu4xsHefEIZOjpjBHctylx88EZLeHTvJYWodo/s1600/locks_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7Yn1b11wgpoxmMSw0Zg60vhqf5bsMyWrUu3AZR6smKzRqYKuy8v0DveSrzYM_9AdBbvznwo5nvEWl-nA9lLv-JZfFWYLSDFemU6Wb3IEu4xsHefEIZOjpjBHctylx88EZLeHTvJYWodo/s640/locks_edit.jpg" width="491" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We decided to meet again in January, to give people a chance to develop their ideas and to give a bit of space around the busy Christmas period. </span></div>
<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-67268365808448175212015-10-30T03:40:00.000-07:002015-10-30T03:40:04.726-07:00Banner Palette<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been working on a shared colour palette for the textile collaboration. Because of the difficulty in getting an accurate colour match on a computer screen or printer I decided to use watercolour and give everyone a postcard version of the palette instead.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3TbXwz_8NpYgRFdYdCqaEJf8kAQkf0fx6Dh-kvDZRAIjBJenrv_T82FQhBqHGj-sl8AZthOyHhyrMFgqYViMmI23u0vwM0W3lq3RJ6AoDPy-Jj8201edRplXPs0qAlCYXeGtzoGFba6-/s1600/palette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3TbXwz_8NpYgRFdYdCqaEJf8kAQkf0fx6Dh-kvDZRAIjBJenrv_T82FQhBqHGj-sl8AZthOyHhyrMFgqYViMmI23u0vwM0W3lq3RJ6AoDPy-Jj8201edRplXPs0qAlCYXeGtzoGFba6-/s640/palette.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Devising the colour palette in watercolour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just to give some idea, here is the final palette below. Although the colours look different on screen they are essentially a mixture of strong canal-boat inspired colours on the right, and more watery grey, green and blue on the left.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWQih4T23_vjPsY8TTs_zcvYy11umIKrEOQEwurCAoZv1WF-Cd02uNL5ct93vpWUcIEcIiimp8TCC38bwsf_usqFK07dKFnzWzHSKip9eZ7uw2B5vrU-_YHVx6xpqN_uE44XCWr6OXWp9/s1600/palette_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWQih4T23_vjPsY8TTs_zcvYy11umIKrEOQEwurCAoZv1WF-Cd02uNL5ct93vpWUcIEcIiimp8TCC38bwsf_usqFK07dKFnzWzHSKip9eZ7uw2B5vrU-_YHVx6xpqN_uE44XCWr6OXWp9/s640/palette_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-88727532123162608492015-10-24T00:57:00.002-07:002015-11-10T10:15:34.545-08:00Field Trip Follow Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X0VSbNJPxB5h7ggXziVdJRM-yviw_IuYrK8edI0f7gkc4W5dNg1w75tTId8YDTTVVyC8a5iQ1fydquwRa3dFtDAepFOhLPK1LvchIbM0Qvl0CWg-j3fVokfr4oW9CLyA0WPvWGevcLKz/s1600/field_trip_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X0VSbNJPxB5h7ggXziVdJRM-yviw_IuYrK8edI0f7gkc4W5dNg1w75tTId8YDTTVVyC8a5iQ1fydquwRa3dFtDAepFOhLPK1LvchIbM0Qvl0CWg-j3fVokfr4oW9CLyA0WPvWGevcLKz/s400/field_trip_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the Morning of the 15th October, twenty or so of us gathered in the Canal Road area of Newtown and set off in search of clues and traces along the 'ghost' section of the Montgomery Canal between Newtown and Pwll Penarth. We were a varied group including geologists, historians, poets, artists, canoeists and the generally curious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We started at the remains of the last bridge, just before the mysterious and now filled in canal basin. Joining the dots from there we followed the line of the canal taking in the sites of missing bridges, the canal-influenced architecture, the pump-house and a missing lock, hidden canal-side sheds and bridges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stopping at spots where the aura of the canal as a living, industrial entity was still at its most concentrated and potent, I supplemented the power of the imagination with images of artefacts I have come across in archives and museums during the residency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of us on the walk were familiar with the route we took, but we attempted as a group to strip away our habitual responses and look in a different way. Contributions from geologist Andrew Jenkinson and Kate Lynch, Heritage Officer from the Canal & Rivers Trust, added insights from other angles. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing by the Pumphouse looking at images of its engines and chimney before it was removed.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the end our walk and talk evolved in to a well-earned chat and sip at Newtown Market Hall.</span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-47517251349188440432015-10-21T14:21:00.000-07:002015-10-21T14:21:49.195-07:00Beautiful Beams<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Progress on the Monty Canal Modelling Kit! I've moulded the first miniature 'fish-belly' bridge beams, making it possible to model one of the Monty Canal's signature bridges. They are a very satisfying shape to pull out of the mould, and on this scale a lot easier to handle than the original cast-iron ones...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the bricks, these have been cast using plaster with added iron - so they are almost authentic! The red colour gives them a look of rusty rather than fresh cast-iron.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta daaa!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found a few volunteers after the Canal Field Trip last Thursday to try out the new components.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ0ipHRA7EDxV-1kWQGgqfidyHOlIwqTWTyKH-s4G4kbeXDu7403pMSrL4liC9aLIHUqcY60eUnUisfv7sosDD7xvJSQezGKTu1pOrsFSaRs4Kk91miUf8XWIWt9l_qCtFJlAOIWMtRv6/s1600/field_trip_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ0ipHRA7EDxV-1kWQGgqfidyHOlIwqTWTyKH-s4G4kbeXDu7403pMSrL4liC9aLIHUqcY60eUnUisfv7sosDD7xvJSQezGKTu1pOrsFSaRs4Kk91miUf8XWIWt9l_qCtFJlAOIWMtRv6/s400/field_trip_12.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The model below ended up with an unorthodox but intriguing staircase detail.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge model with unorthodox staircase detail!</td></tr>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-67327681105362151252015-10-14T01:20:00.001-07:002015-10-14T01:20:52.674-07:00Spider Stitches & Bulrushes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcutLS_NQ_xGT2T30j1WlMSAmhYZUTWVLZa_eE_IqtCg4YKqKHSwmFaousUMV-Wvaa8tTK3xLsd9s6XEcKVWjyzBdz0ydsoMARTZEuJfkz8AFhnehc29W4D7sV56qF2fShgbGPW0IYkSs/s1600/small_spider2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcutLS_NQ_xGT2T30j1WlMSAmhYZUTWVLZa_eE_IqtCg4YKqKHSwmFaousUMV-Wvaa8tTK3xLsd9s6XEcKVWjyzBdz0ydsoMARTZEuJfkz8AFhnehc29W4D7sV56qF2fShgbGPW0IYkSs/s640/small_spider2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm getting ready to meet up with a group of stitchers from the Llanymynech area on Friday, to start designing a collaborative textile piece for the Montgomery Canal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last weekend I visited the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester, and found some nice examples of stitching by canal boaters. These belts using 'spider stitch' were apparently made for the boatmen by their daughters.</span></div>
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<span id="goog_545768531"><span style="font-size: large;">Last time I met up with the group we talked about designing applique motifs inspired by canal flora and fauna, and someone mentioned bulrushes. Minutes after leaving that meeting I came across some lovely bulrush specimens near Llanymynech and took a few photographs for future reference...</span></span></div>
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Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-31258143875152128292015-09-28T02:47:00.000-07:002015-09-28T07:12:54.373-07:00Newtown Canal Field Trip 15th Oct<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-78552369996348897082015-09-21T12:04:00.000-07:002015-09-21T12:05:02.170-07:00Heritage Open Day Llanymynech<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I held an Open Studio at Llanymynech Heritage Area on 13th September. It was a chance to talk to volunteers and local residents I had met earlier in the year about progress on the residency. I explained how the canal-modelling workshop I held in Spring has developed in to the idea of a Montgomery Canal modelling kit that will be available to loan after the residency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was also a chance to seek people to get involved in a new stage of the project - designing and making a textile artwork for the canal. After conversations with Joan Zorn of the Llanymynech Limeys, it looks like I have struck gold as apparently there are quite a few avid quilters and stitchers in the area....</span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-88012167868059441532015-09-04T01:55:00.001-07:002015-09-04T01:55:58.234-07:00Open Day, Open Studio<br />
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-11484247255137096332015-09-03T02:06:00.000-07:002015-09-03T02:06:09.586-07:00Re-making The Monty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">In August I finally made a trip to see the Ellesmere canal yard and have a look in the 'Pattern Shop', a room about which I had heard much and was very curious to explore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The yard itself is great, with a dry dock and a huge maintenance workshop (see below) of which I am extremely envious. What artist doesn't dream of a studio so well equipped and cavernous? The crane outside is also pretty impressive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The yard is an interesting mixture of buildings still in use for their intended purpose, such as the dry dock, where a narrow boat was being repainted, and spaces such as the weighing house that look as they would have done the day people downed tools in the 1930s.</span> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z5-DLyeQ6zNXHhBPLPdW9nLwmwh3f-y85Hsaq5vf_a4fjCa7KBvYEI7Nxcqh_RdOmlPvhKVJLer3iuHOvxmTAjnAFyDZvuccsk-nBedYhaZIr3Skqf7kQ7xZEaxiExk0Zt9VcmKdsMbX/s1600/pattern_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z5-DLyeQ6zNXHhBPLPdW9nLwmwh3f-y85Hsaq5vf_a4fjCa7KBvYEI7Nxcqh_RdOmlPvhKVJLer3iuHOvxmTAjnAFyDZvuccsk-nBedYhaZIr3Skqf7kQ7xZEaxiExk0Zt9VcmKdsMbX/s400/pattern_11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The maintenance workshop / Mega-studio</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next to the maintenance workshop, the original blacksmith's shop is still in action, occupied by blacksmith Rowan Taylor who shares it with a selection of relics and artefacts from canal engineering days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One such artefact is this pattern for an iron fire-box. These were used in the little lock-keepers huts to keep warm when there was no adjacent lock cottage. They are temptingly reminiscent of parts from a giant meccano set.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnZQvt6tfm9yH-kxgJKVeQuzIU7nJ_do9C05WZ-ldCC6sdz_Tj7Pb_TMbRC9LRnESnykfWMXnXBQfYHFttLKugm-dUAFStjeGOp-kSdzMeOOkRca5MHYyFW_jt75OlfGpIPicv9gcQGVS/s1600/pattern_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnZQvt6tfm9yH-kxgJKVeQuzIU7nJ_do9C05WZ-ldCC6sdz_Tj7Pb_TMbRC9LRnESnykfWMXnXBQfYHFttLKugm-dUAFStjeGOp-kSdzMeOOkRca5MHYyFW_jt75OlfGpIPicv9gcQGVS/s400/pattern_9.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pattern for an iron fire-box</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now to the Pattern Shop! This was something of a pilgrimage for me. I love mouldmaking and casting and had been told there were many of the original designs or 'patterns' for moulding all sorts of components on the Montgomery Canal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is indeed the case, and what follows are glimpses of a treasure trove of wooden patterns, carved in to all sorts of unlikely shapes that would be more recognisable in metal, but are somehow made strange by their conversion in to this mellow material.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TuaEG1NAyAwhxvtYVnLlLPlQP6gxH1dFBPTVjQQmNTfz4QYSOajOSlxNcliczkuG5dBcg6aGZSPYRjQL3bAbejwHgfOH2V75uCxnVUPVUB8r7aqHyfEGLgEoRGm4pCgyVyQerWm7RwsQ/s1600/pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TuaEG1NAyAwhxvtYVnLlLPlQP6gxH1dFBPTVjQQmNTfz4QYSOajOSlxNcliczkuG5dBcg6aGZSPYRjQL3bAbejwHgfOH2V75uCxnVUPVUB8r7aqHyfEGLgEoRGm4pCgyVyQerWm7RwsQ/s640/pattern.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patterns for all sorts of components: handrails to gearing to depth measures...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a sense that you could put all these parts together to create a wonderful, completely wooden world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm216YoCobPyTYODK7IODVwSQ7vvj9m2ZdX5Ji0Nz3uF1mnpPHpDOGiF1SW_E2sWBWlvTlx6NIYqOg1JCuRhfazC8F-7ncv8cpFy8oi6DfH90BlNGwWxkgN6IfnkfKYbvRhBmEr-Txg_m/s1600/pattern_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm216YoCobPyTYODK7IODVwSQ7vvj9m2ZdX5Ji0Nz3uF1mnpPHpDOGiF1SW_E2sWBWlvTlx6NIYqOg1JCuRhfazC8F-7ncv8cpFy8oi6DfH90BlNGwWxkgN6IfnkfKYbvRhBmEr-Txg_m/s640/pattern_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wooden treasure trove<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvETXu2DD9hy4ri4cEGNkfcnoLQ99CoOU2406K4r0RIe-RA5JgzG8qPN97in2TxY_uFdIBaTfTz_3l4EA7RNpYsGeJMj1DovhPO0z5bS5W3Zxt6jFuAzRjc8l7GOf_hXZK0ualbMOdAjgQ/s1600/pattern_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvETXu2DD9hy4ri4cEGNkfcnoLQ99CoOU2406K4r0RIe-RA5JgzG8qPN97in2TxY_uFdIBaTfTz_3l4EA7RNpYsGeJMj1DovhPO0z5bS5W3Zxt6jFuAzRjc8l7GOf_hXZK0ualbMOdAjgQ/s640/pattern_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF_xywTECZTbFwd5uR_nqd8nYzn3VbWgnXwcjllO1Bnt5z3U4Ens8pBFsly1kFttnxzxiph8n9GgXJH6ezK9Ba3NAd5r0WleTa5WKWyi6Aq3VYa3pYahXdDkEjgnzUhAjpOEYkYHIzP0w/s1600/pattern_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF_xywTECZTbFwd5uR_nqd8nYzn3VbWgnXwcjllO1Bnt5z3U4Ens8pBFsly1kFttnxzxiph8n9GgXJH6ezK9Ba3NAd5r0WleTa5WKWyi6Aq3VYa3pYahXdDkEjgnzUhAjpOEYkYHIzP0w/s640/pattern_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some particularly nice gearing and cogs</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhktT_OCvAF4YJCobTBg70Odni6FgQx_YQJTSXSnykQ16meAUXh59qoZHhgPtxpiEZ0RVFv6P6nBxOJkgF2YutN7VWQj9OM4D6TfnrS0PfivejKbxq4j87vECAbOuZ_GJ3_tuuKZbacNBm/s1600/pattern_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhktT_OCvAF4YJCobTBg70Odni6FgQx_YQJTSXSnykQ16meAUXh59qoZHhgPtxpiEZ0RVFv6P6nBxOJkgF2YutN7VWQj9OM4D6TfnrS0PfivejKbxq4j87vECAbOuZ_GJ3_tuuKZbacNBm/s640/pattern_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rather than speculating wildly (although that would be fun) I am going to find out more about the patterns and their uses at the Heritage Open day on September the 12th and will post some more images of specific curiosities then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until then I will leave you with an image of the wooden pattern for the handrails on the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. If you've ever walked across this aqueduct you'll agree they are crucial, with a lot riding on their durability. The gaps between the rails are rather wider than I would like, but it adds an extra thrill, and it's good to know they can always make more...</span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-10369145021980372842015-08-06T06:39:00.001-07:002015-08-06T06:44:43.659-07:00The Bridge Builders<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzbrQGqpRZoBo_0kO0yXtNMUFMDInIgPiRdtF312WiZYousOuTkAmVFbEd8tXSSgUPAf04mb7pqaKp30j-bqQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The headteacher at Abermule Primary School approached me as they had been doing a school-wide project on the canal during their summer term. I agreed it would be good to collaborate with pupils and get them involved in the design of the 'Modelling the Monty' canal-modelling kit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pupils from the school spent a few weeks in the run-up to my visit moulding their own plaster bricks using silicone moulds I had made. We decided I would come to the school and we would build a bridge model to test the kit. We also thought it would be a good idea to make a stop-motion animation of the process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier in the term pupils had been working with their music teacher performing songs celebrating the building of the canals and the glory days of canal transportation, and one of the songs they performed, titled 'Grand Canals', forms the soundtrack to the animation above. </span></div>
Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-42358233667109751552015-07-27T06:06:00.000-07:002015-07-27T06:06:11.518-07:00Signs & Sketches<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been gathering ideas for a textile banner for the Montgomery canal which echoes the one made to celebrate the arrival of the railway in Newtown in the 1800s. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've looked at ideas that echo the style and typography of the original banner, which proclaimed 'Success to the Railway', but with imagery that reflects the idea of water power. In the sketch below I've depicted water frothing and pouring through lock gates, with drips of wet paint infecting the text as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MSukOnM3pJbWdFVsn2Ksv88v4BXPdXbBH_CFbleTywYIaVvSpiB5RoGFeBvuwo04mu_8k-QEkoNDJ0nXkzDNxpQ3Bq6W3QGHMFbdMahSPkWYU77fBLoXOxf_gNxIu5SMz3HqGqyrYpm0/s1600/banner_flatten_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MSukOnM3pJbWdFVsn2Ksv88v4BXPdXbBH_CFbleTywYIaVvSpiB5RoGFeBvuwo04mu_8k-QEkoNDJ0nXkzDNxpQ3Bq6W3QGHMFbdMahSPkWYU77fBLoXOxf_gNxIu5SMz3HqGqyrYpm0/s640/banner_flatten_small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I like the idea of a banner which mimics one of the officious Shropshire Union Canal 'NOTICE' signs. Here is a sketch of a watery sign, which could carry a message about the process of canal restoration.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXojv1BVEa4lTH2FY8MqmEXHkxtsvwvLK21Q7zt3oIgNLW6csqrXSMfxAurZ7aXEtu4B9zGIHkRK9a1p2FvttdSq699jYMu4cGBQsgU1ggclsL4cO5XZ9akwEfTxB1W9f8x0e19SnQCWb/s1600/Notice_flatten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXojv1BVEa4lTH2FY8MqmEXHkxtsvwvLK21Q7zt3oIgNLW6csqrXSMfxAurZ7aXEtu4B9zGIHkRK9a1p2FvttdSq699jYMu4cGBQsgU1ggclsL4cO5XZ9akwEfTxB1W9f8x0e19SnQCWb/s640/Notice_flatten.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've also been tempted by the idea of a retro-futurist or Steam Punk image that specifically references the Montgomery Canal, so I've been exploring the 'Steampunk User's Manual', below, which covers visual art, literature, design and music.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-KO0rJRFhhwJs-wN79ms1_SPATPPIJRWrhouzyvTsjDfBSxqqI60i5nXmO8G-pDRzAHlrQNhfz4fqRf_eg_OW2NXlNU2Ea6c9ESl4MPJmrXFNGuFU3TfZO10ERpTXbcV9eYU-tOVPAWr/s1600/DSCF5341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-KO0rJRFhhwJs-wN79ms1_SPATPPIJRWrhouzyvTsjDfBSxqqI60i5nXmO8G-pDRzAHlrQNhfz4fqRf_eg_OW2NXlNU2Ea6c9ESl4MPJmrXFNGuFU3TfZO10ERpTXbcV9eYU-tOVPAWr/s640/DSCF5341.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The emphasis on industry got me thinking about the iconic engineering on the canal. A Monty canal Steampunk image would have to include the paddle gears designed by George Buck, as they are unique to the canal, and they echo the Steampunk obsession with cogs. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm4eV6R7qu2-zIxw-3-DTrb5XMSg7eO3KPzHUa6L9fauAtkiOSbZ5HqeLzODlxXQFfCdQjnCLiZwlkeU_mESKAyL0GTPg_GKvIPVPTIi59rf0RooXPNgEc2fEWYutD7siAJfvZAx-eTdC/s1600/monty_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm4eV6R7qu2-zIxw-3-DTrb5XMSg7eO3KPzHUa6L9fauAtkiOSbZ5HqeLzODlxXQFfCdQjnCLiZwlkeU_mESKAyL0GTPg_GKvIPVPTIi59rf0RooXPNgEc2fEWYutD7siAJfvZAx-eTdC/s640/monty_blog.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">George Buck Paddle Gears</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Equally original are the 'fish-bellied' iron bridge decks, cast at Brymbo ironworks in Wrexham. Old photographs of the</span><span style="font-size: large;"> ironworks, (before it was converted to a steelworks in 1885) evoke the amazing productive power of the area and how all the materials and components for building the canal and its structures could be obtained in relatively close proximity, within the melting pot of industrial activity that spanned from Ironbridge across to the coal-fields of Wales. The image below is the stuff of which retro-futurist dreams are made!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKROmyhWBdGPbqNkWtBi2Gq-Owj1f1GATAATCOBkCG26qqFVV4XGdBPW7IgtwRzC21odyQ4BaqtfjB4A6zp-iRnmXa57nH3s2agBY474WdjYUfMMwYjHYtj8t1yrz6Dm1Xa3qzLFZaktz1/s1600/BSW_PA03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKROmyhWBdGPbqNkWtBi2Gq-Owj1f1GATAATCOBkCG26qqFVV4XGdBPW7IgtwRzC21odyQ4BaqtfjB4A6zp-iRnmXa57nH3s2agBY474WdjYUfMMwYjHYtj8t1yrz6Dm1Xa3qzLFZaktz1/s640/BSW_PA03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brymbo ironworks in the 1860s, copyright Peter Appleton and Wrexham Heritage Service</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsCxJ1h220k_gdzZVrEPrtGzOOsB_PZgRSWNms1E0UqVAJDjMnAcdFSMCPfxpYYd68v7VBu5b_iH30DD-bYI7PBfXerO-hVV01K4mcZjBqS_a2T9RTYGIu-tieWu7WjeClqAvpYPSLa_2/s1600/sundown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsCxJ1h220k_gdzZVrEPrtGzOOsB_PZgRSWNms1E0UqVAJDjMnAcdFSMCPfxpYYd68v7VBu5b_iH30DD-bYI7PBfXerO-hVV01K4mcZjBqS_a2T9RTYGIu-tieWu7WjeClqAvpYPSLa_2/s640/sundown.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iron 'fish-bellied' bridge deck on an unrestored section of the Montgomery Canal near Newtown</span></span></td></tr>
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Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-41852516978894767842015-07-06T04:08:00.001-07:002015-07-06T04:13:01.334-07:00Modelling The Monty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigN6WrYRc1VGAmdWs_m_IpgYyyjpO9Hz2-uJl2wUfMQA_RbGoO630wE-tN_bZoNIhUkRr3sMjeGDLk1tR3FPA8t0e119C0Pe1yxXZ9Y2dJDOjvgNidZe1V6lDjkowqnEi4F6S8WkqBzo/s1600/DSCF5077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigN6WrYRc1VGAmdWs_m_IpgYyyjpO9Hz2-uJl2wUfMQA_RbGoO630wE-tN_bZoNIhUkRr3sMjeGDLk1tR3FPA8t0e119C0Pe1yxXZ9Y2dJDOjvgNidZe1V6lDjkowqnEi4F6S8WkqBzo/s400/DSCF5077.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">At Saturday's Making Waves Festival in
Welshpool I set up a little demonstration stand next to the Canal &
River Trust. With Dan Austin as my co-engineer, it seemed like a good
time to try modelling something specific from the Montgomery Canal. In
the end we decided to try modelling one arch of the Vyrnwy Aqueduct. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86MImO-H74I96VX2sSWdI5BOKS4yjdG8p5c12purHwDXDAu-4kIMfWNGfT7HYiPK3eFFMPAttkeK6_GxTk6bkB7SjD6D5rIXJvQSKB4aZ6oxVOUaf0D4TCIntokAbO0y_DrtXKqBpno43/s1600/vyrnwy_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86MImO-H74I96VX2sSWdI5BOKS4yjdG8p5c12purHwDXDAu-4kIMfWNGfT7HYiPK3eFFMPAttkeK6_GxTk6bkB7SjD6D5rIXJvQSKB4aZ6oxVOUaf0D4TCIntokAbO0y_DrtXKqBpno43/s640/vyrnwy_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Vyrnwy Aqueduct (real not model)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First we made a layout of the butresses...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy_ijJMWUFjpRcqMJlIGDAlet3UfoTHW6HsvBBkmaBaVUQkldKyJGu_T0HpBlt_qPdJV4_cwGBuympu8qJOk44wkiB6EOEMJF8akfASWDpbD8a8VKZzRJLltAS5CRpKy9zku_0Lab-2FS/s1600/DSCF5081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy_ijJMWUFjpRcqMJlIGDAlet3UfoTHW6HsvBBkmaBaVUQkldKyJGu_T0HpBlt_qPdJV4_cwGBuympu8qJOk44wkiB6EOEMJF8akfASWDpbD8a8VKZzRJLltAS5CRpKy9zku_0Lab-2FS/s640/DSCF5081.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then we used a sliced-in-half tin as our
'centring' structure. Not strictly authentic, and a few visitors to the
stand joked about whether the canal engineers would have used giant
chocolate tins to form their arches. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTHUXs7GXzlLstlULaWzqqtApfpALLc8YdGgp35OOZXKhgFor1zkL0FjQ2ZunJbx4d4-Z_X4HXJRl4kHTMpcAcwAO1F5FSGuf-eaXsmNjsgL94sAvgkDYl6Q9rKTNOhi_F3YvO-mysXtD/s1600/making_waves_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTHUXs7GXzlLstlULaWzqqtApfpALLc8YdGgp35OOZXKhgFor1zkL0FjQ2ZunJbx4d4-Z_X4HXJRl4kHTMpcAcwAO1F5FSGuf-eaXsmNjsgL94sAvgkDYl6Q9rKTNOhi_F3YvO-mysXtD/s640/making_waves_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Plenty of people stopped to comment on the construction process, and there was much speculation on the design and its stability.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAFGM0Kk_cWTyPkOkxgX2yOr1QYDlT_DT7RdX5zryp2MmcaZGRISjfCo3Hms4sVB3ZSUSWKSft0Aeu8caOTEkblnZTtWnn5Fe3BdX1HYF3ojP6PiN31S_NM35CTg7gMczoxsbDn2okYf7/s1600/making_waves_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAFGM0Kk_cWTyPkOkxgX2yOr1QYDlT_DT7RdX5zryp2MmcaZGRISjfCo3Hms4sVB3ZSUSWKSft0Aeu8caOTEkblnZTtWnn5Fe3BdX1HYF3ojP6PiN31S_NM35CTg7gMczoxsbDn2okYf7/s640/making_waves_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Adults were inclined to observe and
pontificate, whereas young people were rather more keen to get stuck in
and start adding bricks, and once they got started it proved fairly
addictive...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWKhOorEdLYWcE-VUCgRmIJIG0dmiN94C8kYLgxnYW0csWhF6YoC4Afp8ROrNYXViR-RYrqFAjXwPFhzFSnse_cUTBJ09V1YFWvMPjhNiTulxRPVoLKdaHVMECjVlgp8uJVxOeGO3dHul/s1600/making_waves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWKhOorEdLYWcE-VUCgRmIJIG0dmiN94C8kYLgxnYW0csWhF6YoC4Afp8ROrNYXViR-RYrqFAjXwPFhzFSnse_cUTBJ09V1YFWvMPjhNiTulxRPVoLKdaHVMECjVlgp8uJVxOeGO3dHul/s640/making_waves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a much wider arch than had been
attempted with the previous models, so we weren't sure if it would hold
firm, but with a bit of extra reinforcement above the arch we managed to
remove the support in the end. Ta daaa!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHHUQBuShxjuYDNdNrYIeaE4c8E_Y59jtSlIPAkRr1_SnEw6ITItXzuvH47wfCzuOgMQzDMSpbSvOkk6JwJOI-VRSp73k5GHHCee_BYvVP1cpGHwie_2CpT-0AGhpY9q5HpI7UvyWtnFA/s1600/making_waves_18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHHUQBuShxjuYDNdNrYIeaE4c8E_Y59jtSlIPAkRr1_SnEw6ITItXzuvH47wfCzuOgMQzDMSpbSvOkk6JwJOI-VRSp73k5GHHCee_BYvVP1cpGHwie_2CpT-0AGhpY9q5HpI7UvyWtnFA/s640/making_waves_18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The conversations I had with people
during the event lead me to believe that it is a very universal human
desire (which we don't grow out of) to make models of things that exist
or that we would like to exist out of model bricks. Lego, although fun,
is not 'real' or messy enough for many miniature engineers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e02XjEonH-DkZVGoEODbdZ9UDVnKcbZapc3j-e3IUizBzCe2sR-6W-64X5FDEFh_RJmmobkRpXjrAr02kcdAof4u2o-8-HYgQRcMgj_Vlov5NLizUeN2itXQoZZ2fobA-t719nR4Ap7Y/s1600/making_waves_25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e02XjEonH-DkZVGoEODbdZ9UDVnKcbZapc3j-e3IUizBzCe2sR-6W-64X5FDEFh_RJmmobkRpXjrAr02kcdAof4u2o-8-HYgQRcMgj_Vlov5NLizUeN2itXQoZZ2fobA-t719nR4Ap7Y/s640/making_waves_25.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea that the brick moulds, plus pictures and instructions, might be made available as a 'Model the Monty' kit proved very popular. The model itself survived the journey home and will hopefully soon have another arch added before being photographed for the proposed kit.</span></div>
Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-64000675614847966592015-06-18T04:00:00.000-07:002015-06-18T04:00:37.301-07:00Don't Frighten the Horses!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yHvIHjvjRIAE_SXj-hio9HbY2erJ7bHoXkaqcET7yWvlTeGOomnrLd-7Pje3trkRgI-rdoIrBzkdxM260G_fjjpdOkSU5o_ghH45Fa5oSSUuEXCLkNmInRmAmjgxXSQole4HqINByhlq/s1600/flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yHvIHjvjRIAE_SXj-hio9HbY2erJ7bHoXkaqcET7yWvlTeGOomnrLd-7Pje3trkRgI-rdoIrBzkdxM260G_fjjpdOkSU5o_ghH45Fa5oSSUuEXCLkNmInRmAmjgxXSQole4HqINByhlq/s400/flag.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a tour around Newtown Textile Museum a few weeks ago I noticed this rather nice applique banner celebrating the Llanidloes to Newtown railway, now defunct. Last week, talking to local historian David Pugh, I heard a bit of the story behind the arrival of the railway in Newtown. It was designed to be cooperative with the canal originally. It arrived on the outskirts of Newtown, from where the goods wagons had to be uncoupled from the engine and towed by horsepower past the paddocks to the canal terminus on the other side of town, so that the sound of the train wouldn't frighten the townspeople's horses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love the idea that the new high speed rail transport was still in thrall to the needs of the beasts of burden at that point. And canal transport, of course, was completely reliant on horses. Those paddocks close to the town centre have long since been built upon, as has the canal terminus, but the character of the area survives in its layout and architecture. And the canal survives. Which is what makes me think there should be a banner for the canal now - a reply to the railway one that acknowledges its continued life and existence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But what would the new banner look like, and what would it say exactly? Should the typography and design echo the style of the original, or be inspired by the Shropshire Union Canal livery? I like the SUC script a lot, it is very authoritative, blocky and clear. Or it could be a complete reinvention, a kind of 'Steam Punk' banner. I've also been thinking about where it could be displayed. The flagpole from the Council Offices right in the centre of Newtown is a possibility for a temporary showing. But I'm getting ahead of myself, I'll need to start by coming up with that design....</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZOFro6oGA_QVPn-uYmI0OMlgaRjoCZIpTkWI_yEFgoDvzirvbVUMVAJd7Ev-VYqQkhEcn5bx-AKpqwn4YJntR89xz3LgPHhyH_Y8yAryx8aYmSqWMM2wSSNk3_vHRah2uv9xxz7CxWIa/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZOFro6oGA_QVPn-uYmI0OMlgaRjoCZIpTkWI_yEFgoDvzirvbVUMVAJd7Ev-VYqQkhEcn5bx-AKpqwn4YJntR89xz3LgPHhyH_Y8yAryx8aYmSqWMM2wSSNk3_vHRah2uv9xxz7CxWIa/s640/sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shropshire Union Canal signage - Authoritative!</td></tr>
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Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287088360575431290.post-17001367793053408212015-06-04T11:07:00.000-07:002015-06-04T11:07:13.207-07:00"Uphold The Banks!"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVsg4aMdpdkw7PrLzz-PA9ESwivcY1f0SKGZtYE8CeOUaILh2dT99npNeBWgS-PcUB-RRLRJEHUEIXyQ79qbZsOd1RummDywNZmUnnrxTFBlskIj2RXQ0hhDZn3VhHyLscr0oUoVAOFEh/s1600/library_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVsg4aMdpdkw7PrLzz-PA9ESwivcY1f0SKGZtYE8CeOUaILh2dT99npNeBWgS-PcUB-RRLRJEHUEIXyQ79qbZsOd1RummDywNZmUnnrxTFBlskIj2RXQ0hhDZn3VhHyLscr0oUoVAOFEh/s640/library_1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950's book on the history of canal engineering, came to me via Missouri State College Library<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An old book I am delighted to have come across during my canal-oriented musings is 'The Canal Builders' by Robert Payne. It is very much of it's time (1950s), and with a mythical, storytelling tone it takes you across continents and civilisations; Greece, Egypt, Ancient Rome, to wherever man has cut channels to control water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Payne reminds us that Greek historian Herodotus credited the canals with the development of both law and geometry. A legal structure was needed because every canal channel was taxed. I was intrigued by the fact that one of the earliest known written commandments was canal-related:</span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> "Uphold the banks" </span></i><span style="font-size: large;">was found written on a clay tablet. This sounds like a call to arms for canal maintenance that could hold good in any age</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Rome if you were in charge of hydraulic engineering you were a 'Curator Aquarum' - a fine job title by any standards, particularly today's, when being a curator is so in vogue. Canal-building projects were accompanied by a high level of pomp and ceremony. The emperor Claudius chose to celebrate the opening of a canal off Lake Fucinas by staging a naval battle on the lake. Unfortunately the canal itself was a flop, with barely any water able to flow through the channel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the beginning of work of the Corinth canal, the emperor Nero was handed a ceremonial golden spade to cut the first sod. However, to the consternation of onlookers, the entry of his spade in the earth caused a red, blood-like liquid to trickle out. Perhaps it was a bad omen, as upon his death the canal was unfinished at only 1/4 mile in length.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are many more epic tales of thwarted and triumphant canals in the book. It reminded me a bit of reading 'The Monkey's Wrench' by Primo Levi. Its tales suggest there is a supernatural side to engineering, an element of the unknown despite the best calculations, especially when you are digging down in to the earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It also put the restoration of the Montgomery canal in to context for me. It is not uncommon that abandoned waterways should be revived, even after much longer timespans; hundreds of years rather than decades. After all a canal is never permanent without maintenance. Sedimentation sees to that. The existence of a man-made waterway always hangs in the balance of an equation; the reasons for giving the water a way just need to outweigh those for letting the earth slowly reclaim its place. </span></div>
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<br />Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06878401977979783260noreply@blogger.com0