Sunday 19 August 2012

THE ART OF MAKE AND DO


I was reading one of my favourite blogs the other day - The Age Of Uncertainty - when I was reminded of my early struggles with crafting. The blogger, Lord Steerforth, a youthful purveyor of old books and interesting thoughts, had written a post about the contents of a 1960s children's compendium of ideas for creative activities. I have one of my own, see above, given to me one Christmas in the 1950s by Granny N (not by Santa, I gave him up when I was 3 after seeing one jolly chap in red outside Woolworth's and then another Yo-ho-ho-ing by a nearby toyshop. Logic told me that this was fishy and destroyed my infant faith in a flash.)
My own book could easily have wiped out any budding creative streak with its quaintly antiquated ideas...



                                                     
These ideas were more like the things Granny would have had fun with in 1910 and not really suitable for a 5 year old living in post Festival of Britain England!


Neither Granny nor Mummy threaded bebe ribbon through their undies in the '50s, not to mention the fact that our house was far too modest to have a  "distant room"


Here is the idea that turned me from making things to other activities, at least for a while. I made "A", the "bedstead", for my doll's house - it was very easy, but looked rubbishy & gave me no sense of achievement at all. The book was put back on the shelves, to be used occasionally for pressing flowers.

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Lord Steerforth's book dated from early in the next decade and was illustrated with photographs, not simple line-drawings, but he was bemused by the ideas it contained - were we really entertained by making newspaper trees, for example?


Well, as it turned out for me, we were. In late 1960s Kent we art students made a giant rolled newspaper tree, as tall as a house - then we set it alight and danced round it as it burned! We called it a Happening. By this we meant it was a spontaneous visual spectacle with no audience, only performers. I remember another such event involving the basement at college, filled with unfamiliar objects and textures. It was completely dark, to be entered and experienced by touch alone. (Only now do I wonder if these activities were created by our tutors for their own amusement.)


Some Art involving jam...


...and an early soft play area - or is this Art too?

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10 comments:

  1. I have to confess; the search is now on for an Ornament for the Dressing Table that is both Novel and Useful- this one has totally done it for me!
    xx
    ps oh, but I haven't got a dressing table!

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    1. Nor have I - just roomy chests of drawers & mirrors(that I avoid looking in these days!)

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  2. Life was so utterly simple then in comparison with today. I was speaking to H yesterday and said that I remember being really thrilled to receive an Addis brush and comb set, the icing on the cake being a little metal scrapper for removing the hairs from the brush!!! received from my Godmother for Christmas.

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    1. Oh yes! At least these homemade novelties might have been treasured too, whereas today's bric-a-brac is bought today and discarded tomorrow.

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  3. Hello,yes life is so material now a days.....
    It does us good to remind our selves of this too!
    We certainly valued our gifts more.
    I love looking through these vintage type of books, thanks for sharing!
    LoVe Maria x

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    1. No doubt you are much to young to have owned one of these books as a child - the results of all ones efforts were often very disappointing.

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  4. I'm sorry nilly but I found the book very scary! Some of those things were quite weird and unsettling! I love the old black and white photographs, takes you back! Really interesting post though enjoyed reading it. jayne x

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    1. Yes they are now you mention it! Those worm-like ribbons especially.

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  5. I'm with Jayne - scary, especially that Lingerie Bobbin holder! Fascinating though - perhaps those students were thinking licking jam from the bonnet of a car because they'd accidentally spilled it - I remember being hungry and poor most of my student life and might have done the same, though not in the name of art!
    Axxx

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  6. Paper trees, mmmmmm magic, well at least that's what I thought when I was a little girl. I'm not so easily impressed nowadays :)

    Jean

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