We held our first salon this afternoon with the overall theme of ‘what we saw, did or found’. The theme allowed members to choose whether to discuss their own research or to introduce someone/thing else.
We began with a fascinating presentation from Lindy Richardson on her interests in embroidery, from her archival work with the Needlework Development Scheme to her personal interests on researching and making work on Saints. She brought examples from both and a great discussion was held on her own approach as well as how this might fit into a larger site of study.
Mike Windle showed us a film he had made on the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth and talked about his interest in film as a document of research as well as his personal stories of the area. We were all very interested in the idea of documentation and how this fit into the larger idea of research outputs but also in terms of personal research.
Nichola Dobson talked about a recent conference presentation she attended at which animator Susan Young showed her personal films including her series on dealing with trauma and memory. The group discussed how again film (and specifically animation) could be used to present a specific narrative of memory.
Unfortunately we were interrupted by a fire alarm which basically ended the meeting but we were able to plan for our guest speaker Alys Scott-Hawkins, invited for December/January from the Arts University Bournemouth.
