At first I thought the project would be an amazing forum to raise the profile of the groups and charities that interest me, but since being selected, my friends feel I should use it as a platform for myself. I am still undecided about this.
As a long-term survivor of various forms of cancer (including secondary bone cancer) I thought I might promote Christie Hospital, where I received most of my treatments over several years. I'm also a supporter of the Colostomy Association, Scope, YMCA, the Big Issue, NSPCC, Childline, British Heart Foundation (my partner having died suddenly of heart related illness on New Years Day 2007), Leukaemia Research (my 'ex'-nephew died of leukaemia at the age of 14 and I have a friend currently undergoing treatment), various third world charities and a local Aids/HIV support group. Several friends are infected with the virus (one of whom has written her moving yet witty autobiography - you can read a few chapters of it in advance of publication at: www.hivine.wordpress.com or www.hivine.com) and some have died of Aids related illnesses. The general public seems to have little or no idea of how the virus is now spreading through the heterosexual community - with many of the newly diagnosed being teenagers, so along with other members of the group, I am anxious to promote awareness.
I currently have my 91 year old mother living with me who has a mixture of dementia and Alzheimer's and my late father also suffered from dementia and prostate cancer, so they are other areas that concern me.
My first grandchild was born at 27 weeks in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. He weighed less than 800 grams and his survival was in the balance for many months. He is now 13 and I am indebted to that hospital and neonatal care. I first met him when he was 6 months old, on oxygen and still too weak to lift his head by himself. I did an oil painting of him with his mum and called it Miracle Boy.
I have a background in art and have at various times, managed to make money from it, not least when I was living in Zambia. Alas not so in recent years and currently it is nothing more than a hobby. With being a full-time carer I have little spare time (nor inclination since the loss of my partner) and that is mostly used up on DIY in my tiny old house bursting at the seams with all sorts of junk (that might just come in useful) and my mother's furniture and effects.
I have two children, five grandchildren, various step-children and their offspring that I regard as my own. Sadly none of them live close by, so I don't often see them.
Africa had a profound effect on me and I feel privileged to have lived there for some 17 years. Not without its 'hairy' moments though, like being falsely arrested twice, for being a spy (when I was just out sketching on assignments for the mining company).
I make time for a couple of activities - tai chi and salsa, both of them being my time to chill-out from the stresses of daily life and the latter being a huge amount of fun.
For many years I have been an admirer of Antony Gormley's work and have seen it in various settings, but none so impressive as The Angel of The North which I spotted by accident on a train journey from Edinburgh. I should have been travelling via the west coast, but for some reason we were diverted. Admiring the view out to sea on the east coast I suddenly spotted it in all its magnificence. It was breathtaking and a sight I shall never forget.
Like so many of the participants I never expected to be selected by the computer for this project, so I am still rather overwhelmed - and terrified! However, I consider it an honour and I hope I can make the most of my hour and not flunk it!
7 July 09: It's now six days since I heard I had been selected and I am beginning to formulate a plan, but much of it will be dependant on the weather. I haven't yet timed this, but thought it might be possible to make a cast whilst up there on the plinth, though this may not be acceptable to the production team. As it is curing I could show some of my 2D work in print/repro form (I have been de-cluttering of late by donating them to the British Heart Foundation). If there are enough people passing by on their way to work I could launch the prints down to them. On the back of the prints could be a list of causes I am interested in and if the recipient was willing he/she could send a donation to one of the causes. I have just been watching the live webstream and seen several people passing by, so it may work. If there is a deluge or howling gale then this plan will fail, so I'll just have to risk embarrassing my family by doing some dancing and maybe tai-chi. I've promised them I won't sing!!!
The day after - just where did the time go? Total chaos! This is just what I expected. If only things had gone according to plan - I was hoping to hang everything from strung stakes, which would fit into those holes. However, I discovered there was actually a bar across just inside (apparently to strap a wheelchair to), so the stakes wouldn't fit. My plan B was the duct tape, but that wouldn't stick to the plinth - it stuck well enough to the pictures, but the plinth must have been greasy or dusty, so it wouldn't work. People have used duct tape successfully, so it was a bit of a shock - and no plan C. That meant cluttering up the top with the strung pics and therefore not being able to display the pics I wanted to give away - and the relevant charity. I tried to distribute them in the square afterwards, but there were very few takers and everything was so heavy that my friend and I just didn't feel up to carrying them home, as I also had the extra weight of the water mixed with the plaster for the cast.
People just wouldn't take them. The people on their way to work just shook their heads and the tourists said ‘I donna speak English!' Even to groups of young couples I couldn't give the condoms away. I eventually spread the prints at the foot of the plinth and the homeless guys rushed over, then a few passers by stopped and picked one up. Don’t think my charities (and I didn't even get around to mentioning them all) will be receiving much money!
The remaining bag of condoms (also had HIV literature, red ribbon and pack of Love Hearts!) I gave away to one of the homeless guys who promised to give them to friends 'who would find use for them!' As my late partner’s daughter-in-law said - I 'maybe saved a life'. That was nice of her. The homeless guys were marvellous to interact with. In fact they made the day - and I even got propositioned!
One of the things I didn’t get around to was to thank Richard Branson for the idea of the condom give-away. I bought my mobile phone off the Internet from Virgin and upon receipt of it I carefully spread everything out to check all was present and correct – phone, sim-card – instructions – ‘hello, what’s this?’ It was a condom! How cool is that?! Of course I realise it is just a marketing tool (no pun intended) on Virgin’s part, but what a brilliant idea, so I stole it. Hurray for Richard Branson and Virgin!
I also didn’t get around to showing one of my best and certainly the most lucrative painting (reproduction of), which was shown at the Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. There is a selection committee of six and mine was selected by the art critic, Mark Lawson and it had sold before I even got to the exhibition. I saw Mark Lawson and thanked him and he said he was thinking of buying it for himself, but someone pipped him to the post. Hurray for Mark Lawson! It is quite a humorous (if satirical) picture and I would have loved everyone to see it.
More later – at this point I would just like to say thank you to everyone (one of the people I intended to thank was the Mayor of London for allowing the Plinth Project, so my apologies to him for forgetting) – especially the production crew who were so welcoming and made me feel quite relaxed and ‘at home’ – even the security guards were brilliant and I made a friend in Dianne (who, I discovered, is a fabulous singer!). Special thanks to Chi Ko at Jarman Centre, Blackburn who provided the condoms, HIV literature, red ribbons, Love Hearts, bags in which to pack them and the giant red ribbon on the plinth - and to Lyn for coming with me and helping with all the stuff – especially the carrying and quite clearly I couldn’t have managed without her help.
As I doubt very much that my give-away prints would have made much money for my charities I intend (within the next day or so) to list them all and hope that someone might donate.
What an experience – but given the time again I would do it so much better! At least the casting worked!
As I doubt I've been successful in raising funds for my various causes, I thought I would make a list of them here, in the event of any of you feeling like sending a donation to one of them. I know some of you are already doing that, so many thanks.
Bliss www.bliss.org.uk
British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk/
Alzheimer’s Society www.alzheimers.org.uk
Colostomy Association www.colostomy association.org.uk
The Christie www.Christies.org
Mission Medic-Air www.mma-zambia.org
Donate by post: St George’s Lodge, Bathampton Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6SJ
Cancer Research www.cancerresearchuk.org/
Leukaemia Research www.lrf.org.uk/
St Baldrick’s Foundation (for children’s’ cancers) www.stbaldricks.org
Scope www.scope.org.uk
Big Issue http://www.bigissue.com
YMCA www.ymca.org.uk
Shelter www.shelter.org.uk
THRIVINE - HIV monthly support group in Blackburn
Cheques made payable to: THRIVINE and posted to:
Mr Chi Ko, Community HIV Specialist, Jarman Centre, 53 James Street, Blackburn
BB1 6BE
East Lancs HIV FUND Cheques should be made payable to:-
East Lancs PCT Charitable Funds and posted to the address above at the Jarman Centre
Mary’s Meals http://www.marysmeals.org (Support a simple solution to world hunger)
I am taking part in an art exhibition for Mary’s Meals, where you will find the original to one of the prints I gave away in Trafalgar Square.
Artists for Mary's Meals:
Exhibition at the IAIN MACGREGOR FINE ART GALLERY, 5th floor,
34 West George Street GLASGOW G2 1DA
5 – 12 SEPT ’09 10am – 5pm Mon-Fri Support a simple solution to world hunger
