Presence
by Karen Rann
Parts of Presence – Ness Bank Church
The residency began by exploring the theme of Spirituality with primary school children. Using the differences between how we feel on the inside and how that differs from ‘outside’, we talked about finding space and peace within ourselves for reflection, and thinking about others, and how that differs from taking joy in the world around us, in colour, space, being with people and having fun.
In workshops, using the ‘fortune teller’ origami shape became a practical method for exploring the theme as both flat and folded they have ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ spaces.
We created colourful, wacky, fun designs for the outside, and using warmer colours, created gentle, precious interiors. With some of the groups we made ‘precious things’ you can hold or wear in your hands.
The second part of the process was to write ‘inner messages’ to people special to us. As I was hanging this display, I found one folded in a post-it note tucked in one of the storage boxes, it was written by one child for another: “you changed my life”.
With a theme as special as this, the process of creation is as important as the finished artwork. Their four bright, colourful designs became the ‘parts of Presence’ of which over 1,000 were printed.
Presence – St. Andrew’s Cathedral
With the involvement of communities attached to St. Mary’s Church, Ness Bank Church and St. Andrew’s Cathedral, this residency afforded the opportunity to touch the lives of a huge number of people for whom spirituality is important.
The little origami ‘parts of Presence’ were distributed throughout Inverness and beyond. People special to us were thought of and remembered and messages to them written. Many were written for people we didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to. There are also words we should have said and never did and in amongst heart-rending messages are also ones of joy, humour and a few wee drawings by some of the children taking part. There are also messages in other languages including quite a few in Polish.
Those returned were attached together in sixes to create forms akin to snow-flakes or carbon molecules which is what you see suspended in the Cathedral.
The inside/outside theme is reflected here in the colour, joy and ‘big space’ the installation occupies. However, there is also an opportunity for thoughtful interaction too: by carefully opening a flap you are invited to read an ‘inner message’.
Installation Images
Video
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Karen talks about her work, creative process and how she engaged with the challenges laid down by the project.
File is 70Mb in size and is for download only. Left click on the image, or right click and select 'Save Target As...' or 'Save Link As ..' to download.
Alternatively, a dvd featuring Karen and the other resident artists can be obtained by contacting Susan Christie using the Contact Form
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Residency Images
Press Release for Presence
On Tuesday 15th January 2008, the public are invited to attend the official opening of artist in residence Karen Rann’s art installation – ‘Presence’. The opening takes place at Ness Bank Church on Tuesday followed by a piped procession to the installation at St Andrews Cathedral.
The installation acts as the culmination of the well received artist residency project The Other Side of Air which has been in the city (Inverness) over the past nine months.
The artist in resident Karen Rann is an established artist having worked extensively in the UK and also exhibiting and performing in Hungary, Romania, Germany and Japan with her artwork encompassing installation, sculpture and performance. Karen creates installations and events on a large scale using unusual materials that are unique to their location, of which is the case in the residency in Inverness.
Presence was developed in a response to working with varying local community groups, schools and the Ness Bank Church, St Mary’s Church and St Andrews Cathedral in the early stages of her residency. Karen explains the initial stages of the residency, “The residency began by exploring the theme of Spirituality with primary school children. Using the differences between how we feel on the inside and how that differs from ‘outside’, we talked about finding space and peace within ourselves for reflection, and thinking about others, and how that differs from taking joy in the world around us, in colour, space, being with people and having fun.”
Influenced by each group and the city itself, Karen and the groups involved worked on a series of ‘snapdragons’ style origami shapes to explore the theme as when both flat and folded they have ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ spaces.
“We created colourful, wacky, fun designs for the outside, and using warmer colours, created gentle, precious interiors. The second part of the process was to write ‘inner messages’ to people special to us. As I was hanging this display, I found one folded in a post-it note tucked in one of the storage boxes, it was written by one child for another: “you changed my life” ” said Karen.
Also being showcased at Tuesday’s launch will be the work of an established local photographer Fin Macrae. His work will also be exhibited at St Andrews Cathedral and emphasizes the theme “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. The initial conversations Fin had with the artist Karen Rann about the project influenced the theme of his exhibition, “It made me think about the way we all have a public face and if asked "how are you?" will always answer "fine". The way we can all be guilty of judging by appearances (for good and for bad) and first impressions are something I find challenging and this is something I wanted to explore a little with this work”. The exhibit offers some thought provoking images which are not always what they seem at first glance.
The residency project series has been a fresh approach in the arts community of the city, and its popularity will encourage similar future events. All projects were well received in the local area, highlighted by Susan Christie, Project Director of The Other Side of Air; “We've been amazed by the phenomenal enthusiasm & support for the project. It's been lovely to see so many people embrace the idea and get really excited about it!”
The Other Side of Air was facilitated by Inverness Riverside Churches Association with three 12 week residencies exploring ‘arts and spirituality’ in the broadest sense. The project was also supported by the Scottish Arts Council Partners Scheme, Inverness City Partnership, The Methodist Trust and Highland 2007. The residency is the first in Scotland to link a group of churches and artists to create three residencies.
The first was centred upon the Merkinch Area with artist-in-residence, Liverpool-born Del Whitticase designing a powerful and awe-inspiring artwork System for Trinity Church. The second artist in residency was undertaken by Geoff Broadway whom challenged artists and the residents of Inverness to explore aspects of spiritual life in contemporary society through dialogue and creative means creating his piece Small Wonder, a sound and light installation.
The opening was held at the Ness Bank Church, with a piped procession over the bridge to St Andrew's Cathedral.
Presence was accessible to the public from 15th January to the 2nd February 2008 at St Andrews Cathedral and artwork by the children and community groups that Karen interacted with were displayed at Ness Bank Church.
STORIES FROM ROSIE NEWMAN, ARTIST SUPPORTING KAREN RANN IN THE OTHER SIDE OF AIR
‘Common Threads’, 11 Dec 07
Today I met up with the sewing group ‘Common Threads’ who usually meet in Merkinch Community Centre but today they had invited me to join them at their Christmas lunch at the Village Spice Restaurant in Academy Street.
I transferred all my snapdragons and paraphernalia into two carrier bags rather than the boxes so as I could liaise through the Christmas shoppers. I had spoken to Alison, the Project Worker on the phone and felt that her voice sounded vaguely familiar. When I met her at the lunch party, her face reminded me of a very lovely woman I had met in a residency a year ago so I felt at home when I sat down amongst 10 women from Bangladesh, Jordan and India as well as Irish, Scottish and English. Although I had only planned to stay for a coffee, I caved into the offers of spices and curries, madras and kormas. I introduced the snap dragons after starters and explained them slowly as there were two sign language interpreters for the Jordanian lady who was deaf. Alison remembered making tiny snapdragons and having to make them work through wee sticks. She said they didn’t have a name for them and I said I had noticed that most people ‘sign’ them and this is universal for them. The Indian women had used them as kids too but the Jordanian woman hadn’t; the first person not to recognise them and the interpreter explained the idea to her. They all joined in and Jen Cantwell fortunately had tonnes of pens to share. There was a jolly atmosphere of scribbling good wishes and eating warm rich food, aromas and all.
During our conversations, the ladies who were signing taught us some actions, which where like dances using hands and accompanied by expressions that felt very friendly. Joyous lunchtime softness and like the fabric, like knitting together, the talk embraced sewing machines and pictures from their countries that the women had sewn to create a collective wall-hanging. The messages they wrote were interwoven with the chatting and the eating. Jen wrote a good wish for the mystery person who had taken her bin in for her and for the lollypop lady and the strange man who says ‘hello’ and always makes her smile. I wrote my good wish for the lovely sewing group ladies who had made me feel so welcome and for the cheery carpark attendant at Rose Street who had said I had a nice smile. When we stood to leave, I noticed that one of the women was pregnant with her baby due on Christmas day.
Stories from Merkinch Art Group
I had to travel through the darkness to get to the group. I had been pre-warned that the Merkinch Art Group where weary of being involved in more projects and I had re assured them, through their tutor, that only a minimal amount of time and effort was required from them if they wanted to be involved and their contribution would be so very useful for the project.
I pulled over in the wooded lay-by to check the directions and decided to ring the centre so as I didn’t get lost in the one-way systems when I entered Inverness. I heard the voice of a very cheery janitor who clearly and merrily talked me through the procedure to find the community centre. I scribbled his words of wisdom on the back of an envelope and headed off again away form the Black Isle, over the bridge and over the roundabout, Over the iron bridge, bare left, under the railway bridge, first left. There we are, a community centre with two pantomime dames outside the entrance smoking.
I found the art group - a small gathering of ladies of different ages - in a well lit warm room around the back and they where all busy making woodcuts. Georgina introduced me and I began to explain the art project and taking out the sheets of paper, I began to fold. One by one the ladies put down their tools and began to remember the fortune tellers that they had made as children. ‘Come on lets have a go,’ said one woman and soon everyone was folding and turning the paper into familiar triangles, forming shapes with older fingers where once young girls would have folded and bent. During this process, they became a gaggle of giggly girls and chatted about their memories of colouring them, recalling that their written messages had not always so kind!
I told the group about the library man who had not been able to think of a kindness for anyone, but instead his message was hate. One old lady was alarmed by this, not because of his rudeness but because she felt sorry for him and remarked that he needed help, how sad it was for him to have harboured such hate for so long, and that he hadn’t been loved enough. We were all thankful that we could indeed acknowledge people’s kindness for us and that it was a good thing.
I wrote a message for the janitor in mine, “thank you for showing me the way”. I packed up my bag, now loaded with good wishes and bid them all farewell and left them, they resumed cutting wood. On the way out, the janitor appeared from his kiosk and with a smile said to me ‘Goodnight dear, have a safe journey home.’
Rosie Newman
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