In the final post on the Wiltshire Arts Blog Henny Burnett gives her view on the collaboration so far,
Cicatrix: Collaboration and Exchange
'As we enter the last weeks running up to the opening of Cicatrix at The Atrium, Trowbridge on 14th July I reflect on the new skills and experiences I have gained as being part of this project. Key words that I associate with the project would be collaboration and exchange. Each of us brought something different to Cicatrix – with Susan professionalism about attributing value to our time and skills. This is an area that artists need to work on both individually and collectively, we are far too quick in this country as artists to do things for nothing or very little, and this undermines our worth and profession. Pru has contributed excellent wordsmith skills – Cicatrix was her chosen name for the exhibition. I seem to take the role of spokesperson – strange as I feel the least articulate of us. Maybe years of teaching makes me less daunted by public speaking.
The joy of Cicatrix has been working with Pru and Susan exchanging ideas, learning together how to run a project of this kind that involves becoming a jack of all trades. Pru and Susan brought to my attention to key elements in my finished work: the Fums Up and the juniper berry. Fums Up were little figures given to soldiers at the front. They have wooden heads for luck, cupid’s wings on their feet for speed, and a cloverleaf on their foreheads. Susan discovered that juniper berries grow on the Plain with a life span of a one hundred years. Their berries became the new heads for my cast figures. We have met and exchanged ideas with many other people during the last nine months and discussed how to approach such a difficult subject as the First World War. They have included Prof Ewan Clayton who wrote the forward for our catalogue and Dr Alison Hems who will be our guest speaker at the Young Gallery on 30th August. This seems like the start of a journey as we are planning cultural exchanges with Commonwealth countries that trained on Salisbury Plain during the First World War. All are invited to the PV at Young Gallery on Saturday 30th August at 2pm and to bring an object or sculpture to fit within a 3x3cm space to exchange with one of my figures, and become part of both a sculpture exchange and Cicatrix the exhibition.
We look forward to welcoming you at The Atrium, Trowbridge 14 July – 25 August and The Young Gallery, Salisbury 30 August – 4October.'
Henny Burnett