Today I pledged support to this wonderful project. Dyana Gravina is the founder of Procreate Project and she and Paola Lucente are tireless in building up projects and support for mothers in art. I have been lucky to have worked with them previously and exhibited my work at Leftovers last year, as well as being part of their online shop.

This is what they are aiming for: 

"Mother House is the world's first affordable artists studio model with integrated childcare, where children are welcomed into the work space. Help us open the next studio in London!"

Find out more and pledge support at SpaceHive - https://www.spacehive.com/mother-house-studios

www.procreateproject.com

This event is the culmination of a series of workshops held over recent weeks by Desperate Artwives. I was part of the third workshop last Saturday led by Katy Howe, and hosted by Platform 1 Gallery at Wandsworth Common Station. Really enjoyable and thoughtfully planned day.

I began the day thinking about control of space and objects in relation to family and the home. This came out later in a series of imaginary floorplans in which I stepped and invited others to step in. The floorplans will be recreated in a larger scale across the floor of the Gallery for the performances and activities that will be happening this Saturday.

Previous films have reused and collaged other texts (447: Intellect N and Channel Swimmer), while my last film used the poetry of Julia Bird (Blue Flash Flash). In my current work, I wrote a short text myself for the first time. The result is 'Being and being empty'. 

​How to be a mother … who is this being that I am? Wanting to be half-full with the joy of play, a job well done, and the softness of a bed to sink into at the end. Feeling half-empty with a busy brain that won’t shut down and twitches into awakening too early. Feeling overwhelmed by the chores and feeling rubbish as a result because surely that’s really not important. Tossing and turning and struggling to make a zingy start to each new day.
See 'Being and being empty' film on Vimeo

Soon after posting the film up on Vimeo I was very pleased to have it reviewed by Dave Bonta on his blog Moving Poems

The countdown begins ... less than 24 hours to go to installation day of the Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles exhibition 'Halfway Between' at Olympia, London. I'm getting nervous about the delivery and installation because Olympia is SO BIG and there will be so many exhibitors all putting their stands up all at once. But hopefully we have done enough planning and preparation that it will all come together.

This is a preliminary image of one of my pieces 'Gravidity'. I will have two pieces at the exhibition, and we have 20 artists exhibiting. Come and find us ... we are somewhere in the middle, on stand F60. I will be there stewarding on Thursday morning and evening and Friday morning.