more thoughts (on rainbows)

Yesterday on my explorations into another area of Maryhill, I became aware that the littered streets seem to improve as I headed out Westward. With my mind set on seeking out "materials" for the project, my immediate feeling was that of frustration, followed swiftly by a feeling of discomfort. It was not until I had time to digest my thoughts that I could articulate the cause of my discomfort. 

Although I am not exactly sure where I am headed with this project, what I do feel quite clearly about is that I do not want to create work that is activistic or overtly political. Clearly there are social issues that exist within the area of Queen's Cross Housing (as in any urban environment), and perhaps the litter is symptomatic of that, but for those that live in these areas it is part of their daily life and perhaps something that they have grown despondent or accustomed to. It just does not feel right for me to launch myself in and suggest some art project that proposes change when I have little knowledge or experience of the real problems that exist and how people really feel about things, and even if I was to pursue this line of enquiry, is it even realistic to be tackling these major questions in a 4 week project. Equally, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of taking the litter and detritus of people's lives and turning it into "art", it somehow feels exploitative if made in the context of the environment. 

....okay with my spiel over, back on the streets, something that did catch my eye was a number of these little blue pens scattered on the street. Going to the bookies is not something I can say I have any experience of, so it took me a wee while to work out why they were even there. It then struck me that where I might want to go with this project is to focus on the universal, like the desire for improvement and transformation, regardless of our background, race, age, gender etc. A cheap, disposable blue pen could mean the ticket for a better life? Is it the rainbow or the pot of gold that we are chasing? Maybe it is an idea worth exploring...