HATCH meet 2014
The DIY drawing research symposium was held in the People's Republic of Stokes Croft's newly refurbished studio/community use building, with proceedings begun by Chris Carley (architect) who introduced us to the building and the PRSC's ambitions for it. A meeting with Ivan Eastwood in Bordeaux via Skype then followed, and led into a provocation on the subject of drawing by Dr. Iain Biggs. The ensuing discussion of hedge schools and illicit languages flowed seamlessly into Kyra Pollitt's presentation on signart, where I noticed an intriguing degree of overlap between our research interests all linked by the theme of communication. Specifically in response to logocentrism and different approaches to translation.
Post-lunch we had Professor Pattie Belle Hastings (visiting from Quinnipiac University, US) tell us about her research interest in the liminal space between drawing tool and mark when drawing on an iPad. A bout of giddiness ensued when we were able to try out her FiftyThree Pencil and argued vigorously about the comparative merits of that and 'real' pencils, and what the digital sketchbook allows. Penny Somerville recount her adventures in India, where she taught art and design classes to girls without any shared spoken language. Penny's photographs and sketchbook drawings revealed a noticeable selectivity in her attention, which favoured specific lines and shapes. Theo Wood introduced us to her Museum of Space Exploration, then the presentations finished with a recap of Lynn Imperatore's research.
Drawing chat continued as we progressed to 3 further venues for stages of the evening's meal, and many thanks go to Frankie Partridge, Penny Clark, Theo Wood, Kyra Pollitt and Lynn Imperatore for this. It was immense.
So to summarise: plenty of insights, overlap, potential collaborations and quality food had by all.Thanks to everyone who helped us make it happen, and let's do it again soon!
For more information on HATCH have a gander at this.