DIY: 2017 – Lizzie Philps: GPS Embroidery

Scrawling ideas of home across the landscape

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Project summary

This is for artists who mother in any way and who have something to say about where we live and who lives with us. We will take maternal expression beyond the domestic space, walking and using simple GPS tracking techniques to write our words large on the land. Working on the beaches and marshlands of Jersey, we will explore high tech tools in a low key way, taking time and space away from responsibilities and extending the possibilities of who writes what and where in the British landscape. We will walk and write day and evening, alongside wider discussions relating to the themes of the project, and exploration of ways to document the process. 

Participants will include emerging artists and those with an established practice in the performative elements of walking and writing. Individuals with experience making feminist, embodied and durational work, who use digital and virtual performance media, or whose practice incorporates craftivism or visual arts are particularly encouraged to apply. Participants need to be able to walk for around three hours, possibly over rugged terrain, and to be prepared for all weathers.

NB: Although the project is about creating work “as a mother”, it is unfeasible to include children in the activities due to the need to take a minibus to the walking locations, unfamiliar terrain etc. However, we will give time during the workshop to exploring how children can be involved in this and other walking practices to enable participants to continue with their children after the sessions. 

How to apply

Applications are invited via the link below. Requirements include details on your practice, its relationship to mothering and place, your thoughts on technology, and details of artists who inspire you.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Dates, times and location

Dates: 9-10 Sept 2017 (Arrival from 8 Sept possible)
Location: Jersey
Shared, onsite accommodation will be provided at a very low cost (up to £15/night).

The artist

My current work explores walking practices as a way to articulate the maternal experience. Performance, exhibition and publication contexts include DIEP’s Performing Parenthood festival (2017), LADA’s Study Room Guide to the Maternal (2016), Walking Women at Somerset House (2016), International Motherhood and Creativity conference at London Southbank University (2015), The Walking Encyclopedia (2014) and Ways to Wander (2015). I developed the performance documentation The Pilgrimage of the Prodigal Daughter (2013) as part of Bristol Old Vic’s Ferment. My practice-based PhD research considers walking documentation and its potential to re-frame the maternal beyond the suburban and the sentimental. I am an experienced educator and lead the BA in Drama and Performance at BIPA, Bristol. 

If you have questions about this project, please contact Lizzie.

This DIY is supported by Jersey Arts Trust.