MAKING ART The next part of my trip was not just about looking but actually getting involved in the art. First up, I was meeting an artist called Trina Merry. Her thing is to create art using human bodies and a load of body paint. She was making human sculptures of the twelve astrological signs by getting her volunteers to squeeze and huddle together to create the shapes. Once in position, she applied body paint to bring the image to life before she took a photo. I was looking forward to getting involved in this as it was something I could have a copy of once it was all finished. I’ve never been one for taking photographs. I only use my phone camera for taking a shot of the gas or electric meter reading so I don’t have to write down the long number. I think this is because my mam and dad didn’t bother with photos much when I was growing up. My mam hates having her photograph taken as she never likes how she looks and she always turns away or covers her face like some criminal coming out of the Old Bailey. God knows what we would do if she ever went missing as we’d have nothing to give the police to help identify her. We were all pretty hopeless at taking photographs too. There would always be a finger over the lens or heads would be missing altogether. If anyone in our family had a photographic memory it would be useless, as everyone’s heads would be missing. When we did take photos we never got round to getting them developed. We’d go on holiday to Wales for four weeks and only take one roll of film, so 13
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