what colour is the winter?

What colour is the winter?

What sounds can be heard inside the icy dusk?

What patterns can be found deep within December?

What shape is a tree?  What pathways do branches trace?

What secrets are revealed in the depths of midwinter?

"In winter there are long and mysterious vistas through interlacing twigs and a realisation of vastness and air and of the blue sky dipping behind the lacework to the horizon..."      The Wonder Book of Nature

Scarthin Books Cromford, some transformations in the Childrens Room

Or what happens when a very lovely and enchanting book shop agrees to let you spend the night there...

I've been collaborating with Katy Doncaster for many years on lots of different projects, she's also an artist / forest school leader and educator.  We've been wanting to further develop some work we began a few years ago using old books and exploring stories - and were really excited to be able to work recently with Scarthin Books in Cromford, Derbyshire.   We've made an installation for the Children's Room - everything is made from old books which we've torn, cut, folded, creased, crumpled, scrunched and stuck...

We've covered the ceiling in pages from old books - which took some time, not least because, if you are like me, its really hard to bring yourself to rip up an old book...  But also because there were wonderful words, chapter headings and illustrations on every page and the temptation to sit and look at them all in depth is great...  We've added a host of cut-out trees and forest creatures, so the ceiling becomes an upside-down pop-up book and maybe, if you tilt your head, you might feel that you are walking up there...

We've placed little doors that maybe lead to other worlds where small people made of books talk to crows and gather flowers...

There's a flock of crows - possibly on their way to join their friends at Black Rocks across the way...

The ceiling also has a set of words from children at St Peters School in Ruddington, who wrote their words about why they love books and which were their favourite.  We've set their words into the light coverings so that their handwriting is illuminated.  Stories, tales, illustrations, facts, poems, anecdotes and books are an amazing combination.  Katy and I have both been heavily influenced by books and stories since we were tiny children - we both spend hours comparing our favourite books and tales.  The stories of your childhood are an incredibly powerful thing and never leave you, they sit within you and whisper in your ear when you are far into adulthood... 

In order to get ladders and glue all over we had to install all this when the shop was closed to the public, so we spent the night pasting and sticking and being totally captivated by the books and stories.

Scarthin Books is a very special place and an endless source of inspiration; its been wonderful to work there.

old books and curious questions

There's something really special about old books...  I return to them over and over again for inspiration, ideas, nurture and questions.  I've used them in so many projects and with so many groups of people - there's always something waiting to be discovered and different things that creep out of the pages to alert curiosity...

Mostly I keep my old books intact, but sometimes I take them apart to pull out words

and phrases and use them in creating objects and little books.

I've been really inspired by a collection of old books for children about the natural world - and by the information contained within them and the questions the books ask.  Some of that is to do with the use of words, phrases and language that feels very poetic.  Some of it is to do with the sense of trusting young people to be out hunting for bugs, climbing trees, watching the skies, searching under stones, walking through woodland - things that can be lost for children today.  Some of it is because things are hinted at - which  thereby encourages the reader to go and discover for themselves and to use their own imaginations (rather than giving the reader every single step broken down and neatly set out into boxes with outcomes already decided for them).  Some of it is because older books can be so filled with things that make you smile...

Some of the allure is in books I loved as a child - and the smell and textures of paper and print...  Some books provide comfort and become close friends.  Some books give you doorways into other worlds.  Some books make you question things.  Some books linger in your mind for years and years...

And, what is the moon?

walks and collections - discovering stories collecting stones

I took this photo some time ago and I refer to it a lot when thinking about ways people interact with landscape.  I love the outlines of the figures exploring the stories in the trees against the winter sky.  It was a walk I remember really well - and how my friends and I rounded a corner and came across these horse chestnuts which stood out so strongly against the deep sky colours as dusk fell.  The trees seemed to be so filled with tales and memories... we really wanted to stop and listen...

sometimes you just can't help collecting stones...

or little hats left on the floor of the woodland...

or maybe you have found a feather with every colour in the rainbow inside it - but the colours are only revealed when you walk around and around it and really look closely...



exploring shadows

I explore shadows a lot when working with groups, using projections, ourselves, objects, puppets and lots of different light sources.

Creating shadows almost always leads to the creation of stories and descriptions as new things are discovered and familiar objects suddenly take on new meanings.

It also leads to the exploration of movement and sound as these go hand in hand with the visual world of shadows.

Harby Lanterns 2011

Some images I took at this years Harby village lantern event and bonfire on Friday November 4th.  The weather was really calm, with the clouds leaving for a while so that moonlight and stars shone over the village whilst the event was taking place.

The lanterns looked really beautiful - as a big group and individually.  It's such a friendly event and a huge thankyou to everyone that took part and to all those who worked so hard to make such a lovely community event happen.  

looking down low in the grass at the tiny things

One of the things I love when working outside with children is just how many fascinating things they find when looking amongst the grass, twigs, moss and lichen.  They see stories, possibilities and intriguing things all over and are usually really keen to share their discoveries.  Its also something I really love photographing - the tiny things are very special...

and on the subject of candlelight...

Last winter, whilst snowed in at home, I really enjoyed experimenting with the vast amounts of snow in my garden and a set of tea-lights..

I was inspired by Roger Deakins musings about candles and wanted to find ways to explore the colours in the snow.  I was fascinated by just how many colours were illuminated in the snow by the candlelight - and also how this changed at different times of the day / dusk / night...

lanterns, candlelight and colour

I've been making lanterns with community groups for many years - and never cease to be inspired by the magic of candle-light and people coming together for a celebration.

The images above are from the Harby village lantern project which I've been working on for about 5 years; its so wonderful to see how children and adults in the village have explored their ideas each year.  They come to the workshops eager to make lanterns in the shapes of camper-vans, books, globes, kingfishers, worlds of dinosaurs, cup-cakes and so much more...

Its also a community event which feels very full of heart and a sense of family.  There's little light pollution so the lanterns are able to shine out in their own glory.

And there is something so magical and special about candle-light.  Roger Deakin, one of my favourite nature writers, talks about candle-light in his book "Wildwood", quoting Thoreau who said "electricity kills darkness, candlelight illuminates it".