Singing in the dark

Many many thanks to the Harefield Hospital Singing for Breathing Group for their enthusiasm and being game to enter a sauna like mobile dark room on what seemed like the hottest day of the year in order to record their breath either singing or breathing onto photographic film.  The afternoon started with Breathe Project team members Karen Taylor and Annabelle Bond assisting me install the mobile darkroom (a.k.a tent) in the Hungry Hare hospital cafe. It was a delight to record breathing gestures from sighs to contemplative gentle breath and to enjoy in the heat of the dark room the fruits of success of the Singing for Breathing group's training as they beautifully performed onto film songs such as 'The hills are alive..' to 'I like pickled onions.'

Constructing in the Hungry Hare with Annabelle Bond and Karen Taylor.

Looking a little crumpled but nonetheless effective- the specially created mobile darkroom.

Explaining the process.

The talented and enthusiasticSinging for Breathing group at the Harefield Hospital.

Thanks to Karen and Annabelle for organising beautiful cakes and tea and coffee as a well earned reward to the group for their efforts-not many left at the end of the session!!

Karen, Annabelle and I take down the tend and make it ready for its next expedition to the Royal Brompton.

Getting animated about song.

This week I had the pleasure to work with the talented Jason Tinsley of Gargoyle Studios to experiment with ways of visualising song.

As part of the Breathe Project, Joanna Foster will compose a piece for the Singing for Breathing group. The piece will be performed live in the exhibition space and I am exploring creating an animation, which will explore the interactions of the voices and impact of the rhythm and texture of the composition.

Initially taking one section from a call and response series from one of the Singing for Breathing sessions and using fluid dynamic simulation attempted to recreate the interaction of voices within the group digitally. The challenge is to work with colour in this process  of rendering the dynamic exchanges of tone, pitch and rhythm .

Selecting a section from the call and response audio.

Generating the interaction of voices.

Curating the Breathe Project

I'm so delighted to be working with George Mogg on the Breathe Project, her rigorous curation skills optimise the potential for the work to engage with viewers whatever the available space and so make the planning for an exhibition invigorating and enjoyable. With a small window in which to make new work and plan for its display we met yesterday with Annabelle Bond from the Royal Brompton to start making broad plans for the exhibition in September.

George Mogg installing Index by Jayne Wilton for Surge at Plymouth College of Art

George Mogg, Project Curator for Breathe said about the project:

I’m very excited to have my first project meeting with Jayne Wilton today for our new adventure: Breathe at the Royal Brompton. Having worked together since 2007 this will be our 8^th project.  As a curator, it’s been great to work with Jayne on so many collaborations over the last 7 years, presenting her work to the public in a variety of contexts.  Her work ticks all my curatorial boxes- ephemeral, conceptual and sophisticated.  The Sci-Arts element of her practice is fascinating and means that I’m learning intriguing details about the body and the breath all the time.  I think my favorite aspect of her work is her growing body of etched copper plates.  Each one immortalises a spent breath by using the etching process as a way to make permanent the trace of an exhalation.  I’m always surprised by the never ending variety in the shapes and colours produced by this process - and excited by it as an alternative to traditional portraiture.

Embossing makes breathing a relief...

Monday saw the embossing of the plates at Bodenpress of the plates I recorded the week before at the Royal Brompton:

Registering the print on the press.

First embossed print revealed.

One of the finished plates

The etching is complete….

The plates recorded on Monday are now etched, cleaned, edged and polished and will continue to develop their patina between now and being exhibited at the Royal Brompton Hospital in September.

Contemplating the importance of the shoe box

Preparing the paper for printing the embossed prints tomorrow- perhaps because it took so long to cut all the paper- my mind wandered to contemplating the importance of shoe boxes to my practice, this week alone, 4 humble shoe boxes have allowed me to transport my print studio and return safely the inked copper plates, and to become a temporary paper press for tomorrow's embossed prints!

Etching the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Group's Breath into copper.

Having transported the copper plates back from the Royal Brompton, I have spent the rest of the week etching and cleaning them and as of 10 minutes ago I have only one left to clean off. Once that is done I’ll post images of the full array before I go to BodenPress on Monday to produce 3 limited edition prints of each plate.

Plate emerging from the etching bath.

The dreaded cleaning stage!

Edging and polishing. Nine more to go!

Singing for Breathing at the Royal Brompton Hospital

On Monday I had the opportunity to take part in the singing for Breathing group led by composer and musician Joanne Foster. The session was a thoroughly inspiring way of looking at joyful ways of extending breathing capacity. The ACE funding will facilitate a collaboration between Joanna, myself and the singing for Breathing Group.

ACE funding for the Breathe Project at the Royal Brompton Hospital!!

I’m delighted that we have been awarded ACE funding for the Breath Project at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals.  We have quite a tight schedule so its been exciting to get going with the making and collaborations that we proposed.

First procurement is the lovely 410gsm paper for the embossed prints…..

And then on to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation session in the Gym to record breath on copper with the much appreciated help of Vicky Lord and Michael Woolcock.