edge-zine issue 10 Connection

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-Connection.

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Front Cover Art: The Bound

by Sue Parr

CONTENTS

Back Cover Art: Into the future with Granddad...

by Paddy Howe

Disclaimer: Despite careful control of the contents, we assume no liability for the content itself or of any external links. The operators of each interlinked site are exclusively responsible for the respective contents.

Copyright: We hold no claim or credits for images, texts or other materials featured on our sites or publications. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted to the respective owner and artist. No part of the material published on our site or publications, either text or images may be used for any purpose other than personal use, unless explicit authorization is given by the stated owner. Therefore reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.

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Editors Notes

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Tutor Thoughts: Connection - Hayley Lock

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A Mosaic of Time & Light - Bryn Edward Davies

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The edge Collective

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Failure - Stefan J Schaffeld

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The Bound - Sue Parr

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Drawing connections via zoom - Sarah Davis

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Backyard ReConnection - Veronica M Worrall

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Inside Outside - Sharon Mulberry-Rookes

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Journey down the stairs - Samantha Sharpe

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Running Again - Vicky Williamson

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The threads of Human connection to Nature - Sue Gedda

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Holding Together - Wendy Ward

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WHY - Kathy Jones

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Disconnected connection - Anon.

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into the future with Granddad - Paddy Howe

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A Little Magic - Alison Dollery, Sarah Hibbert, Nuala Mahon & Simon Rees

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The OCA Lisbon Group Collaborative

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Archive of a stretch of river - Alessandra Alexandroff

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Submission Call www.edge-zine.com

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Editor’s note: This issue of edge-zine is kind of special. Not only had we to postpone publication for various reasons, workload and health, but also as the theme ‘Connection’ became and is still so meaningful. Questions raised on how to connect, with whom, and when? And does to connect not also mean that something was dis-connected in the first place? One not without the other? In current times many of us can experience this dichotomy personally, physically, and mentally.

With edge-zine we try to be connected, to connect with all who submitted, and to make connections, also with you our appreciated reader!

We feel so honored to have received marvelous and touching submissions that we could not include all in this issue. Some will go to our online blog, Stay tuned.

With great pleasure we have noticed that ‘connection’ was also part of the various approaches of submissions. We are proud to feature different collaborative and collective groups submissions. Demonstrating how ‘connection’ can fuel creativity, keep the momentum and spark in all of us ‘A Little Magic’ as one group is naming themselves, inspired by Hayley Lock’s generous regular guided online workshops and initiated by Helen Rosemier.

We are now reaching out to you with an open call join our curating and editing team. We are looking will work with our fantastic Amy on the layout for to join, please notice that you would need to have to enjoy working as part of our team. We are all from each other.

for one additional volunteer to for a graphic design student who future issue. If you are excited some confidence with InDesign and students and we learn massively

Now it is up to you, dearest reader, to explore and to connect with this issue.

Edge-zine is a creative platform for sharing, showing, experimenting, and collaborating. In that sense, please let us know your comments as well as your creative suggestions and ideas for future issues.

Heads up, our next submission call for our March 2021 issue ‘Catalyst’. Deadline for submissions will be 28 February 2021.

A personal note: I will step down as editor and the curating team. Big thanks to Amy, Catherine and Michael for having enriched my life with new insights, learnings and lovely moments of feeling being connected.

Stefan J Schaffeld

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Imprint: Editors: Stefan J Schaffeld, Catherine Banks, Michael Green Communication: Michael Green Funding: Catherine Banks Design & Layout: Amy-Sarah Opitz Contributors to this issue: Alessandra Alexandroff, Jane Coxhill, Steve Cussons, Bryn Edward Davies, Penelope Day, Alison Dollery, Nicky Eastaugh, Martine Eliot, Sarah Gallear, Sue Gedda, Sarah Hibbert, Annette Holtkamp, Paddy Howe, Hayley Lock, Kathy Jones, Nuala Mahon, Ashley McLaughlin, Sharon Mulberry-Rookes, Kinga Owczennikow, Sue Parr, Simon Rees, Helen Rosemier, Stefan J Schaffeld, Arlene Sharp, Samantha Sharpe, Dhama Thanigasapapathy, Wendy Ward, Vicky Williamson, Karen Woodfield, Veronica M Worrall,Sarah Davis Publication is property of the open student collective of edge-zine, 2016-2020 Email: stefan513593@oca.ac.uk Publication platform: www.issuu.com/edge-zine Website: www.edge-zine.com Twitter: https://twitter. com/edgezine Facebook: https://www. facebook/edgezine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edgezine

Tutor Thoughts:

Connection As Carl Sagan, the American astronomer and cosmologist famously said, we are ‘star stuff’ exploring the stars. Life is the information pathway by which the universe achieves consciousness and self – awareness and begins to explore itself, including evolving new modes of experience, creativity and beauty.

By Hayley Lock

Reality can be seen as an aggregate of objects and phenomena that is linked through relations and connections. These objects and events are linked in an infinite chain joining everything that exists to a single whole where matter is often discrete and everything interacts with everything else. The principles within relation and connection presents systems that form as well as order, expressing the materiality of our reality which has its own motion within that matter.

Jane Bennett in her book titled Vibrant Matter, a political ecology of things professes that everything is alive, interconnected and in process, stating that specific things are drawn to us and are alive through complex interrelationships and entanglements, stating that humans are neither sovereign or autonomous but instead composed of complex webs of active bodies and materials.

All matter is alive and in process with other matter.

On the flip side, it is true that to function, humans appear to need some solitude or quiet time too, so how do we navigate reaching out as well as recoiling back into our personal space to make work that is meaningful, questioning, playful even? How can we make purposeful work that sits within the wider culture?

Turbulence is of course important, but how can we hold on?

The artist Hito Steryl suggested ‘Letters against Separation’ a project where writers from across the world documented the impact of Covid – 19 on their home, work, place and family life. Written through the portal of conversations.e-flux.com this kinship revealed the angst of society along with maintaining a dialogue across continents, to create a closer affinity with one another to assert solidarity within mutual connection as well as relation.

So, when invited to write this piece around the topic of connection it seemed fitting to touch on our connectiveness as human beings in these unprecedented times. To consider our place in it all and to ruminate perhaps around our own existence living in parallel or in sequence with this mutual yet foreign encounter, enforcing quarantine, isolation, distance, superstition, paranoia, fear as well as be moved by the invocation of professed heroes.

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In the midst of the pandemic, and prior to the getting the invitation to write around the theme of Connection I was invited by Helen Rosemier, one of the founders of the OCA London student group to run a Keeping Up Momentum Zoom session to suggest strategies to keeping making work during lockdown. Aware of the separation and isolation that Covid – 19 brought with it, I proposed a workshop titled A little magic as a way to adjust and reflect on our current altered experiences through making work quickly and collaboratively.

I am absolutely delighted to show some of the range of work made across the two half day workshops and say a big well done to all of those who attended.

This is a great reflection on how to work with found materials already at home, to circumnavigate personal circumstances and situations, to collaborate and of course mainly spend time working across multiple disciplines in an open and fluid way. You were all very supportive and generous in your connectedness and for me it was of course, a little magic‌.

Big thanks to all students present on the days and to Holly, Simon, Dhama, Karen, Kinga, Steve, Naomi and Jane (and many more unnamed collaborators) whose images are referenced in this writing. https://oca.padlet.org/helen416376/ skhdk8dpeen4n13f

A Mosaic of Time & L

^

by Bryn Edward Davies Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2020

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he encounter of shadow is something th a t h a s i n s pired art i s t i c e x p r e s s i o n th r o u g h o u t h u m a n hi st ory. I c on c e i v e d t h e i d e a o f th e sh a d o wg r a m as a c ont emp o r a r y t a k e o n t h e p h o to g r a m . A sh adowgraph i s a s h a d o w p r o je cte d o n to a su r f ace t hat is fr a m e d b y a n o p t i ca l d e vice - o r in m y ca se a s heet o f A 4 p a p e r ( s e e fig . 1 ) . It is so m e t hi n g I obs er v e a n d r e s p o n d to r a th e r th a n co n str uc t . I n our i m a g e l e d c u l t u r e th e p h o to g r a p h is predom inantl y d i s p l a c e d f r o m its p la ce o f ca p tu r e .

I l i ke t he ide a o f r e t u r n i n g t h e p h o to g r a p h b a ck to where it was t a k e n .

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Fig. 1. Mann Island (2019)

Fr om t his ba s i c i d e a I d e v e l o p e d a wa y o f se e i n g whic h mo v e s a w a y f r o m na r r a tive o r th e r e p rese nt at iona l i m a g e - b u t t o w a r d s a co n ce p t o f acknowledgin g t h e g a p s a n d in te r va ls b e twe e n t he im ages w e s e e . I t i s b a s e d o n th e Ja p a n e se co nc ept of M a - e m b r a c i n g t h e id e a th a t n o sin gl e im age is d e f i n i t i v e a n d t h a t visio n is a lwa ys i n co mplet e. I n c a p t u r i n g a s e rie s o f sh a d o wg r a m s my p hot ograp h y b e c o m e s w h a t I like to th in k o f a s A Mos aic of Ti m e & L i g h t .

Light

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Fig. 2. Bike Rack (2020)

My i nfluences ar e m ainly away fr om photogr aphy. T he K o rean painter Lee Ufan is a big inspir ation on how I ex p e ri e nce and ar r ange m y shadow encounter s . I l i k e the p h ysi c ality of sculptur e and dr awing by Rich ar d Ser r a.

H e becom es a r efer ence point as I wanted th er e to be a p h ysi c al elem ent pr esent in how m y wor k deve l ops . W hi l e th e l i nk between site- specific ar t and the pho togr aph as d o cu m ent is pr om inent in Richar d Long’s se m i nal w or k ‘ A Li ne M ade by Walking’ ( 1967) . Wor king in the publ i c sp a ce also r elates to the str eet ar tists engagem ent by th e i r own invitation.

My w or k is a depar tur e fr om these influences bec aus e I u se photogr aphy to cr eate the wor k of ar t, as w el l as us i ng th e m edium to docum ent the finished piec e.

A fte r com pleting Body of Wor k I explor ed publ i c ati on p o ssi bil ties that focused on pr ocess - as I bel i ev e thi s i s mor e im por tant than any individual ar twor k . I c ons i de red a wide r ange of physical and digital p l atfor m s . A resi dency was par ticular ly appealing - the pur pos e of resi dencies as an ar tist is to r espond to new s ur r ounds .

B u t m y r ecent entr y into father hood m ade this di ffi c ul t to o rga n ise. In hindsight this was a blessing in d i s gui s e as th e cur r ent pandem ic would have com pr om ise d pl ans to e n g a ge with a physical space.

I resolved to m ake a docum entar y video as i t w as the b e st use of tim e and r esour ces. I was m ost l y at hom e d u ri n g this per iod so I could r esear ch ar tist fi l m s and d e ve l op a cr eative br ief. M y fr iend is a pr ofes s i onal fi l m make r so I was able to em ploy him to under tak e the tas k s I co u l dn’t do m yself - like being behind the cam er a w hen I w a s in fr ont. Although I had som e cr eative as s i s tanc e, my j o b r oles for the video include: dir ector, pr oduc er and e d i tor. In addition I was the focus of the doc um entar y d e monstr ating the pr ocess and pr oducing new w or k on fi l m. It was a m ulti- disciplinar y task that r equi r ed a l ot of p ractical and inter per sonal skills.

Maki ng A M osaic of Time & Light involved ta k i ng a few ri sks. We had a lim ited tim e to film as I could onl y w or k o n l ocation with m y collabor ator for a shor t per i od. We w ere ver y m uch on assignm ent. Also withou t s hadow s th e re wouldn’t be any wor k to cr eate so we r el i ed on th e w eather to star t the pr ocess. In the edit I m ade the d e ci sion to shelve m y Body of Wor k. The pu l i c ati on beca me a stand- alone piece of wor k with the c onc eptual p roce ss being the subject of the docum entar y. T her efor e th e vi ewer only sees what m y wor k looks like at the end o f th e video ( see fig. 2) .

T

h e m os t p l e a s i n g a s p e c t o f A M o sa ic o f Tim e & L ig h t is th at i t i s a r es olv ed p i e c e o f w o r k - w h ile still b e in g a ca llin g ca r d fo r whatever I may do nex t . T h e v i d e o c a n also b e a p r e se n ta tio n th a t co u ld b e shared at a phy s ic al o r d i g i t a l e v e n t . No w th a t d ig ita l p u b lica tio n s a r e becomi ng so m et hing m o r e s t u d e n t s n e e d to e m b r a ce , it is wo r th co n sid e ri ng w hat ce rt ain f orma t s a r e a t t h e m o st b a sic le ve l.

My v oic eov e r f o r e x a m p l e i s e sse n tia lly a n a r tist ta lk. Tr a n sla ti ng publ i ca t ion idea s i n t o a d i g i t a l c on te xt is a n in te r e stin g su b je ct that w oul d benef it f rom f u r t h e r d i a l o g u e .

Th e les s on I t a k e f r o m m y p u b lica tio n a b o ve a ll is th a t p e r so n al vi si on and c ollabor a t i o n c a n b e i n t e r d e p e n d e n t.

A Mosai c of Ti m e & L i g h t i s my visio n a n d I se t th e d ir e ctio n . But havi ng a tr us t ed c ol l a b o r a t o r w a s i mp o r ta n t to a ssist in ta sks I co u ld n ’ t undert ake my s elf . M a n y o f t h e ‘ s m a ll’ d e cisio n s ca m e a b o u t fr o m o u r di al ogue when s haring t h e b r i e f a n d o ut in th e fie ld . T h is u ltim a te ly e n r iched the work ing rela t i o n s h i p a n d t h e q u a lity o f th e p u b lica tio n . So m y bi ggest advi c e t o any o n e d e v e l o p i n g n e w id e a s fo r a p u b lica tio n is lo o k for peopl e who are i t e r e s t e d i n c r o s s- d iscip lin e co lla b o r a tio n . It ch a lle nges and i mp rov es inte r p e r s o n a l s k i l l s - wh ile sh o win g yo u yo u r va lu e to others i n prof es s ional s i t u a t i o n s .

#ENDS#

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dge-zine was interested to hear from Bryn how he connects his UK origin with his new home in Malaysia. His work connects light and shadow, design and art, physical and digital, and personal and collaborative. We followed up with him and scheduled an online conversation. To get connected and to connect. We congrat him for having become a newby father.

The recorded conversation is accessible on vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/441611490 A Mosaic of Time and Light is available on Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/397898040 To view more of Bryn’s work please visit: http://www.indigenousimages.com

Reference: Long, R (1967) A Line Made by Walking, Photograph] At: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/long-a-line-madeby-walking-ar00142 (Accessed on 07.07.20)

The

ing m ly, an To work collaboratively was, as always, a rewarding expe- grid a rience. Using the Padlet initially to share ideas. We came to Conn this collaboration at different stages and looking a little different at the end of the work than we did at the beginning.

Collaboration really is the sum of its total, and while we had contributors start, drop out at different stages and some join Hel a couple of weeks in, all brought valid ideas and suggestions which we need to hone into a finished piece of work.

Conn

Arlene

Our subject of Connection was one that could be interpreted so differently and we all had ideas, gradually we worked through them, starting with some initial work, brainstorming sessions and us all just adding examples of work into the Padlet, we began to see something come to life. Quite appropriate considering our first thoughts were to experiment with creating an exquisite corpse image. Then considering we were meeting on zoom and using technology so heavily now as we’ve all spent longer online, we looked at presenting the work in a style of zoom to bring a familiarity to people but also to highlight that in the past three months, our connections have been via a virtual world.

Slowly we saw colours and patterns emerge, blues, turquoises and pinks dominated our colour palette so we made the decision to retain these and work with them, blending different images together and linking these with the connection lines that were echoed in all of our work.

The work has stretched our technical skills, allowed me to learn new products in the Adobe suite and to bring together painting and photography in one cohesive form. Having the pleasure of curating the images into a final collage and choosing the orders for which they connect and flow was at first daunting (too much choice!) but very enjoyable. For anyone who has yet to work collaboratively, I recommend it, yes it takes you out of your comfort zone, you may work with different people every time, but as an artist, you will benefit and grow from the support and interaction from your peers.

We continued a cycle over several weeks; making work, uploading and then appropriating images to reuse, combine and reform. I found the others’ work exciting and fresh, trigger-

portan ing, h lightf this s positi

The E three from visua emen raphy dynam

Origi proac work, ent co a pro thank impre a sing know lives to sho tion.

Collective...Who are We?

more ideas and enriching my own work. Working digital- Sarah nd curating our final selection of images within a Zoom aesthetic seemed an appropriate response to the brief of We came to this collaboration at different stages and looking nection in this unprecedented time. a little different at the end of the work than we did at the beginning. Collaboration really is the sum of its total, and while we had contributors start, drop out at different stages and some join a couple of weeks in, all brought valid ideas and suggestions which we need to hone into a finished piece len of work.

nection with other humans has been the single most imnt feature of lockdown for most. It has been challengheartbreaking, infuriating, tedious, surprising and deful in turns. Collaborating with other students to explore specific theme seemed fitting and it has proved to be a ive and enjoyable experience.

Our subject of Connection was one that could be interpreted so differently and we all had ideas, gradually we worked through them, starting with some initial work, brainstorming sessions and us all just adding examples of work into the Padlet, we began to see something come to life. Quite appropriate considering our first thoughts were to experiment Edge Collective collaboration for this edition was just with creating an exquisite corpse image. Then considering of us - me, Arlene and Sarah - with a guest appearance we were meeting on zoom and using technology so heavily now as we’ve all spent longer online, we looked at presenting another student, Emma Piggott, who triggered the al ideas which set us going. The cross-disciplinary el- the work in a style of zoom to bring a familiarity to people nt - in this case a combination of painting and photog- but also to highlight that in the past three months, our cony - was inspiring for us all and certainly added to the nections have been via a virtual world. mism of the process and the work.

Slowly we saw colours and patterns emerge, blues, turquoisinally we were considering an ‘exquisite corpse’ ap- es and pinks dominated our colour palette so we made the dech, favoured by the surrealists, but as we developed the cision to retain these and work with them, blending different , our images started talking to each other and a differ- images together and linking these with the connection lines onfiguration started to emerge. Soon we found, through that were echoed in all of our work.

ocess of editing (via the Padlet) and collation (special ks to Sarah), an entity which conveyed our individual essions of what ‘connection’ means but was formed as gle holistic image. We all agreed that we wanted to acwledge the Zoom grid aesthetic - such a big part of our right now - and added the ‘squiggles’ and frayed edges ow the complexity and infinite possibilities of connec-

The work has stretched our technical skills, allowed me to learn new products in the Adobe suite and to bring together painting and photography in one cohesive form. Having the pleasure of curating the images into a final collage and choosing the orders for which they connect and flow was at first daunting (too much choice!) but very enjoyable. For anyone who has yet to work collaboratively, I recommend it, yes it takes you out of your comfort zone, you may work with different people every time, but as an artist, you will benefit and grow from the support and interaction from your peers.

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Failure My wo rk e xplo r es idea s o f mat er iality a n d la n g uag e, of for m a nd c o nt e nt, o f i nt e nt i o n a lity a n d n ot - k n ow i n g. T he c o mbi n atio n o f my ty pe d t e xt a n d my m at e r ial works (imag es ) are c o n n ec t e d a nd o ne d o e s n ot wo rk w ith o ut the other. As my app r oach i s a viscer al o ne, m at e r i a lity g o es th r o u gh my h a n ds .

Mat er i al ity i n a w ider s e ns e c o mp r is i n g phys ic al mat er ials as wel l as l i n g ui st ic m at er i als . w ith the v iewer - reader a nd go es b eyo nd my c o nt r ol o r i nt e ntio n .

The tit le o f the wo rk i s ‘ Fai lu re’, a n d o n e c ould reflec t o ne what I fai le d t o d o , o r whether I suc c e e de d i n fai li n g.

All i s c o n n ec t e d , a n d it app ears th at the s mall works mi ght eve n o p e n up t o wa rd s a w ider c ultu ral c o nt ext of mea n i n g.

But thi s re s ides w ith the v iewer - reader a n d g o es b eyo n d my c o nt r ol o r i nt e nt i o n .

by Stefan J Schaffeld

Fig. 3- fabric, acrylic paint www.edge-zine.com

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Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 - fabric, acrylic paint

Fig. 4 - 7 - fabric, acrylic paint

Fig. 8 and 9 - fabric, acrylic paint

Reference

- Lange-B Lange-Be Gallery a

- Louisia terview, A

- Serra, R works/152

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Berndt, P. (2015) 'lntroduction / How to Be Complicit with Materials', in: erndt, P. (ed.) Moteriolity, Documents of Contemporory Art, London: Whitechapel and The MIT Press, pp.12 - 23.

ana Channel (2074) Olofur Eliasson lnterview: The Shape of on ldea, video inAt: https://youtu.be/M1XZ17DCJng (Accessed on 10 Jul 2020).

R. (1967-68) Verblist. New York: MoMA. At: https://www.moma.org/collection/ 2793 (Accessed o n 01 J u l 2020).

The Bo

by Sue Parr

ound T

his work was created as part of the Painting 2: Studio Practice course, when we were asked to construct a narrative.

small and my finger -large in comparison. This led to a rawness In the final imagery which is naive in places. My workflow, too, was very long-winded and the process was slow; but It explores relationships- the connection be- there was a really strong sense of collaboratween painting/drawing/video/performance tion and connection with the iPhone- we were and writing as well as human and non-human making the work together. It’s interesting what agents. an ambivalent relationship we do have with technologysometimes we can feel frustrated The poem and animation piece revisit the at other times, supported. The recent corostory of Prometheus who stole fire from the navirus epidemic has certainly made us all Gods to give to humans. It is a myth which aware of how we are so reliant on it to sustain has been visited many times before in art and our connections in 21st century life. literary history, and in this regard Prometheus is an ambivalent figure, sometimes depicted The accompanying poem was written for asas hero and, at other times, a trouble maker. signment 5 - working with text. Using the cutup technique as a starting point on which to The work explores how the tale potentially fits work with and build. As some of these words into 21st century life: considering how we are have had lives before within other articles / bound to fire and technology. The narrative older poems, there is a sense of historicity to looks to challenge the anthropocentric view the materiality of the text, questioning authorthat we are always ship and newness of original ideas, whilst emsuperior, and suggests that perhaps other phasising the generative iterative process of non-human entities have agency and power creativity. that we cannot always control.

The writing was fun to do but also it felt essenAmy Silman’s use of poetry and iPhone tial for this piece to work. The process made stop-motion animation was an important influ- me realise how text and image are inextricaence in the process. bly linked within contemporary culture. We often put our visual experiences into words, or In parts, the digital painting was recorded in vice versa: someone speaking can trigger a real-time via an iPhone app, mapping the hu- strong image in our minds. There is again a man performance. The agency of the non-hu- vacillation between- it is hard to split them into man digital painted marks moving on the two entirely distinct categories. Boundaries screen were important, as they challenge the shift - which is, fundamentally, what the work need for painting to involve the physical sub- is really about. stance “paint” and also continue to question ideas of authorship: as the technological ap- You Can watch The Bound on YouTube by paratus (iPhone & apps) plays a large part in clicking the camara below: its creation.

The animation was made entirely with an iPhone 5S and a number of cheap /free apps.

This was challenging as the screen is very

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Sarah Davis

Draw

wing connections via zoom

By Sarah Davis

D

uring the lockdown I have discovered a zoom community where I have made new creative connections drawing with up to 200 people worldwide exploding ways to use a camera to interpret live images - we interesting experience for life drawing as the computer naturally crops and frames the model in a different way to using photographic images - as the lighting changes- it also felt a very intimate way of drawing a live model. Also in terms of comparing work with other participants interesting as everyone had the same viewpoint.

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By Veronica M Worrall

Backyard ReConnection

S

ocial Isolation curtailed my landscape work so, like many, I turned to my back yard. I found endless photographic possibilities under perfect blue skies.

As a follow -up to my degree Body of Work, I returned my prints to the places where I had made them.

I wait patiently.

After a few weeks I created images from the results of my elemental partnership and, this time, I bravely wrote words to reflect my hope as we now reverse from lockdown.

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Inside | Outside

By Sharon Mulberry-Rookes

This image came out of the research on paintings of interiors. Several themes were noticeable and one of them was the dichotomy of inside and outside which could be interpreted as the mundane of the inside contrasted with the excitement and opportunity of the outside world or equally the safety of the inside with the inherent dangers of the outside.

Here with the door wide open all that separates the two is a quick step over the doorstep, a moment of choice.

As the painting is relatively small, there were challenges in how much detail I should include. I also had to consider the perspective, tonality and colour

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Journey down the stairs

By Samantha Sharp

Three tondos intended to be connected by context and space, documenting a journey made everyday at home. Drawing attention to the mundane but essential part of our homes.

Running I

sit on the stairs in the hallway, reaching down to tie the laces of my running shoes, and Mike comes out of the office.

“You running again,” he says.

“Yeah,” I’m not sure if he expects a response but I reply anyway. He is in the doorway watching me as I focus on securing the double bow. When I stand he has gone, and I pick up the hall mirror from the floor, hang it on its nail and quickly check my face as I fasten my hair into a ponytail, then hide the reflection into the skirting board again, before opening the front door. A couple of months ago I realised that I hated catching a glimpse of my face every time I left the house, so I took the mirror down. Then last Sunday, everyone I ran passed stared and when I got home, and went to the bathroom to shower, I saw a smear of newsprint across my face. So now I check before I leave.

The day is cloudy and warm and soon I am sweating as my feet pound the pavement. I choose my usual route: along the valley out of town, popular with runners, with only a shallow incline. It’s only when you run it that you realise it’s not flat at all. The only other alternatives are the petrol-fumed main road into town or up the steep valley sides. I used to do a little loop that took me up, up, up and away from the river and along the narrow lanes connecting the hilltop farms. The view across to the moors always widened my eyes and lifted my pumping heart, before a sudden drop took me past the school, the church, the cricket pitch and home. It was a good quick run to push myself when time was short but I was training for a half-marathon or a 10k. There is nothing to rush home for now.

The late afternoon sun breaks through the clouds and glares into my eyes, so I focus on the grey tarmac and my feet. Keep moving, heel, toe, right, left. It’s like a mantra of movement: each heel connects with the ground and my foot rolls forward, before disconnecting to be replaced by the other. Connect, disconnect, connect, disconnect; it’s all I can do, over and over, keep going. Me and Mike were connected from the moment we first met, at a party, both feeling like outsiders. I’m not good at parties with lots of people, chit-chatting joke-telling laugh-louder people. I normally end up in the kitchen, and when that is full I sneak out and home. But this was my sister’s engagement party so I made the effort to stay a little longer. I’d slipped out to the garden for a bit of space, saying hi to the few smokers and tokers, and walking to the wooden bench that I knew could be found at the far end. Mike was one of the smokers and tokers. In fact, he wasn’t a smoker at all but like me had been trying to find a moment’s calm, away from the over-exuberant atmosphere. He followed and politely asked to join me. With the party muffled and just the neighbours’ dark windows watching I learned that he was an old school friend of my soon-to-be brother-in-law and knew no one else. It wasn’t long before were laughing together as we discussed the pros and cons of my sister’s music choices (indie rock and Duran Duran) and we soon persuaded each other to make our way back inside. Mike took my hand as we walked up to the house and never let go.

I know we need to re-find that connection. Everyday we take furtive glances at each other, but then dis42

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appear into our own worlds.

The further up the road I run, the rougher the ground becomes; a patchwork of potholes and filled potholes, a greyscale carpet, like my greyscale life, cracked and only just holding together. No colour, just intermittent blinding brightness and then the grainy greyness of a disconnected TV screen. That’s the way I prefer it. My racing pulse and clammy skin make me think of Oliver, that day, before I realised what was happening.

“I don’t feel well, mum,” he said, puffy-eyed, when I got home from work. “My tongue feels heavy.” He was flopped on the sofa so I brought him a glass of water, but he spluttered struggling to swallow it, restless. Worried, I called Mike at work, and he knew what it was straight away.

“It’s an allergic reaction,” he said, “you need to get him to hospital, I’ll meet you there.” There was an air of panic in his voice. He had had a reaction to a hornet sting when he was a kid. He knew how our son would be feeling. Oliver dozed beside me as I drove, with me screaming at every slow driver and red light. The time at the hospital was endless. We were helpless, waiting and watching as they stuck needles in him and he drifted in and out of consciousness. Afterwards I found out that he had told his friend he felt ill after lunch, but he wasn’t the kind of kid to complain. He was like me, put his head down and got on with things, never asked for help.

I take the river footpath back down the valley. It’s a relief to move away from the road to the shade of the trees, with the cool water burbling so close and the emptiness. I duck under the branches of summer overgrowth, and care little for the stinging nettles and brambles that graze my skin. My muscles are aching now; this pain will lead me to exhaustion so I can disappear again when I get home. I think of Mike.

He’ll spend the evening on his computer, writing letters; angry letters, pleading letters. He is trying to set up some kind of charity for awareness of anaphylaxis. I envy him his purpose, but neither of us sleep at night, one or other of us often ends up on Oliver’s bed, or in the spare room when we can bear no longer to be surrounded by his Nerf guns and Marvel posters.

I am coming to the end of the footpath when I hear a rumbling above. I wait for the relief of drenching rain, but the air is still and silent. As I come out of the trees and back onto the road there is another peel of empty thunder. The tension in the air is a relief from the tension at home. I should return to work; but I had been at work when Oliver got home that day. If only he hadn’t been such a sensible, trustworthy 12-year-old, happy to let himself in and get on with his homework. And if only I had put him ahead of my so-called career.

When I arrive home I stretch down to the ground my head hanging, before slipping my key into the front

Running Again Cont... door. Outside the office the neat line of school photos on the wall stare at me. I listen to Mike’s fingers tapping away on the keyboard before going in. He sits, with a can of beer and a half-empty packet of biscuits beside him, swigging and swearing under his breath at the screen. I’m about to turn and head for the shower when he looks up.

“Hi” I say.

“Hi” he replies, his eyes scanning my face. It’s a long time since our eyes have met. “What happened to you?” he says. I frown, not understanding, and he stands up, pulling a tissue from a box on the desk and wetting it with his tongue, before gently wiping my stinging cheek and showing me a streak of blood.

“Brambles,” I say. We stand for a moment, close. I think about suggesting we eat together tonight, a cobbled-together meal of peanut butter sandwiches and yogurt that we survive on.

But he turns back to his screen and I head to the bathroom.

Maybe tomorrow.

Authors Notes: This story came out of an exercise on plot and structure; I was to choose two items, one from my notebook and one from my commonplace book. I chose a passage about the feeling of returning to running after a period where I could not run due to ill health, and a newspaper cutting titled ‘more children admitted to hospital with severe allergic reactions’. My main character’s motivation for running has changed for different reasons. I worked on it in my head whilst running, and the words ‘connect, disconnect’ came from that rhythm, and then led whilst writing to the loss of connection in her own life.

Ultimately the story is about grief and the feeling of disconnection that comes with loss.

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The threads of Human co

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aving grown up on the outskirts of English suburbia with access to local orchards and hop years later, I found myself living in vast, rural Queensland, Australia, where noise pollution My lifestyle became the antithesis of my previous existence within urban sprawl, where a dimin In the 30 years since settling here, my affinity with the environment has developed into a deeper Simultaneously my shame has grown as human impacts on the planet have become more evi than most because I am a livestock farmer.

Our efforts to become more sustainable have intensified over the years and we are striving to u negative effects of gaseous emissions and hooves on dehydrated soil persist. My connection w benefiting from income as a cattle farmer conflicts with my ethical values.

onnection to Nature

by Sue Gedda

fields and given the freedom to explore, I have always felt comfortable when immersed in nature. Just as well as comes not from traffic but from raucous cockatoos and competitive crows. nishing exposure to wild places frays the connective thread between human and nature. r respect for the complexities of ecological life cycles and this has swelled a desire to protect our local biodiversity. ident and devastating. This has been exacerbated by the knowledge that my anthropogenic complicity is greater

ultimately become net carbon neutral and bring about regeneration of habitat. However as we work to grow food, with nature is tangled with contradicting elements which manifest in a personal cognitive dissonance. My behaviour

Romanticist William Blake (1757-1827), poet and artist, glorified nature through emotion and the senses but saw it as separate from humans. British philosopher Timothy Morton (born 1968) disagrees. He believes this perception of… “…nature as a reality independent of human failings and limitations… is fruitless and even destructive. …

Romantic models of Nature obscure precisely what is most essential about our ecological condition: namely the interconnected and constantly evolving ‘mesh’ of particles and energies that encompasses all life and matter on this planet” (Gidal, 2011).

can ultimately rebound back on us.

For Morton, the thread of connection is an omnipresent interwoven tapestry; humans and nature are interdependent. Impacts we create on the environment

Over the decades I have watched our sub-tropical climatic ‘normality’ shift; the cycles of the seasons have grown strident and less predictable. Droughts, cyclones and floods have increased in intensity and frequency; wildfires have wreaked shocking destruction of life and habitat. Climate change has perforated our sense of ‘right’. Our familiar environment has been altered by these escalated weather patterns and this has diminished the comforting security of home. Solastalgia exists.

In 2017 an intensive rain depression dropped an unprecedented deluge at the headwaters of our unassuming (and usually dry) creek, which lies 100 metres from our home. The waterway swelled 4.5 metres higher than previous records to rise into the upper storey of our high set house and wash away two outbuildings, 20km of fencing and any creatures unable to evade it. Both my external and internal landscapes were reshaped that night. Our own contribution to the cause of the flood seemed to magnify in the resulting mud-covered turmoil. Was this self-inflicted?

The flood experience has driven my art practice in the three years since and my cognitive dissonance is the subject of my final body of work with the OCA. Although on a Painting Degree pathway, since discovering great satisfaction in using found objects during Level 2 Mixed Media, I have pursued this medium.

I scavenge discarded man-made objects from our farm and found organic materials that have been affected by an extreme weather event, to create abstract sculpture. The objects are valuable to me primarily for their intrinsic provenance - history of existence and demise, but also through their extrinsic aesthetic properties, their physical malleability and conceptual potential. I explore the tension within my conflicting pride and guilt; and the complex, asymmetrical relationship between humankind and nature, through the lens of the beef industry. I try to uncover a different way of looking at something familiar; aiming to provoke uncertainty in the expected because I feel this resonates with the vulnerability felt by anthropogenic Australia.

My work has an affinity with the place in which it was made and I intend to exhibit it here on our cattle station in the form of an art trail. The rural setting and farm infrastructure will highlight both nature and the interaction of industry, the source of the inspiration.

In the site-specific work pictured, built on a farm shed wall, I have used natural and man-made materials to explore organic beauty, the power of nature and human interference, themes inspired by our

flood experience.

Today, while the effects of COVID19 have been shocking and traumatic for many, the restrictions have feasibly enabled a human/nature reconnection. Perhaps the obscuring veils of time poverty and air pollution have been partially lifted to allow a greater awareness of nature, its value and vulnerability.

Our future path will be woven from the threads of human connection to nature.

Bibliography: Gidal, E. (2011) ‘Timothy Morton. The ecological thought’ In: Studies in Romanticism 50 (2) pp. 373377. At: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23056043

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by Wendy Ward

Using water soluble technique which involves stitching on a film which is water soluble and is rinsed away once the stitching is complete, each part of a design worked must have a connection or it will collapse.

In this work I have connected a fine maze of ribbon with stitching. Fragment of the water soluble can be allowed to remain which allows a sculptural effect to be manipulated. This technique can be worked without any additional materials other than the thread producing an almost ethereal piece of work.

By Kathy Jones

WHY

WHY

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This subm (Understa found ima were going of those im liked the m stract.

mission was my final piece for Assignment 1, anding Painting Media). I had to work from ages to produce twenty small paintings that g to be put together in the end. Although some mages were more identifiable than others I mix of the representational along with the ab-

While looking at my found images, (that had come from various sources), I realized that when placed together they told the story of how we are all connected. But also when looking at each of the images individually, one could still make their own, more subjective connections with them.

This opposing mix of styles highlighted their obvious differences but also made me want to connect them together as a part of a bigger narrative. During the creative process I had to consider the mediums that would best help me describe each of my ideas relating to those images. Following my experiments from previous exercises, I mixed and matched gloss and matt paints or combined gouache with nail varnish in others.

The painting results were wide and varied and the whole process made me realize the visual connections between the mediums themselves but also of their importance in helping to connect and interpret one's ideas.

External links relating to the submission: https://katjones971.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/assignment-1-the-paintings/

o

Disc nnected

C nnection

By Anon.

Into the future with Granddad...

By Paddy Howe

With an interest in digital art and photography, I sketched digitally from a photograph that I took. I was inspired by the juxtaposition of the two subjects and the obviously relaxed connection showing a trusting relationship. The uncertainty of the future caused by the Pandemic inspired the stormy, nebulous background. The pair are leaving solid ground apparently unaware of the drop ahead of them into the unknown. I have been working in black and white for some time now as I find the works of James Ravilious and Don McCullin inspiring, and colour distracting from the tonal values.

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anything will change

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ow we ommunicate, how look at one nother, and how we erceive our veryday urroundings are adically shifting om day to day.

While reality is very much an external ndscape for our odies and senses, he imagination can seen as an nternal landscape our minds and houghts. A limitless ealm, the magination is a pace for us to think eely about the utside world and reate a new reality nside of us.

How we communicate, how we look at one another, and how we perceive our everyday surroundings are radically shifting from day to day.

While reality is very much an external landscape for our bodies and senses, the imagination can be seen as an internal landscape for our minds and thoughts. A limitless realm, the imagination is a space for us to think freely about the outside world and create a new reality inside of us.

How we communicate, how we look at one another, and how we perceive our everyday surroundings are radically shifting from day to day.

While reality is very much an external landscape for our bodies and senses, the imagination can be seen as an internal landscape for our minds and thoughts. A limitless realm, the imagination is a space for us to think freely about the outside world and create a new reality inside of us.

Whatever is your ew reality, the OCA ondon group and ayley Lock invite ou to be part of a orkshop that ntroduces, elevates nd expands on new ays of thinking nd working by fering new nsights into the maginative rocesses sustained artists, by ntroducing wider eading, as well as upport you through ntroducing magination into our own making. ome along (in the rtual sense) and in Hayley in ringing together rms of escape with maginative vigour nd perhaps even nject a little magic a way to reflect our current

Whatever is your new reality, the OCA London group and Hayley Lock invite you to be part of a workshop that introduces, elevates and expands on new ways of thinking and working by offering new insights into the imaginative processes sustained by artists, by introducing wider reading, as well as support you through introducing imagination into your own making.

Come along (in the virtual sense) and join Hayley in bringing together forms of escape with imaginative vigour and perhaps even inject a little magic as a way to reflect on our current

Whatever is your Whatever is your Whatever is new reality, the OCA new reality, the OCA new reality, the London group and London group and London group Hayley Lock invite Hayley Lock invite Hayley Lock in you to be part of a you to be part of a you to be part that workshop workshop that workshop introduces, elevates introduces, elevates introduces, elev with thanks to and expands on new and expands on new and expands on hayley lock, ways of thinking ways of thinking ways of thin dharma thanigaspapathy, and working by and working by and working and the offering london oca regional new group. offering new offering insights into the insights into the insights into imaginative imaginative imaginative processes sustained processes sustained processes susta artists, by by by artists, by by artists, wider introducing introducing wider introducing w reading, as well as reading, as well as reading, as wel support you through support you through support you thro introducing introducing introducing into imagination imagination into imagination your own making. your own making. your own mak Come along (in the Come along (in the Come along (in virtual sense) and virtual sense) and virtual sense) Hayley in join join Hayley in join Hayley together bringing bringing together bringing toge forms of escape with forms of escape with forms of escape imaginative vigour imaginative vigour imaginative vi and perhaps even and perhaps even and perhaps e inject a little magic inject a little magic inject a little m www.edge-zine.com | 63 to reflect as a way to re as a way to reflect as a way our current on our cur on our current on

How we communicate, how we look at one another, and how we perceive our everyday surroundings are radically shifting from day to day.

While reality is very much an external landscape for our bodies and senses, the imagination can be seen as an internal landscape for our minds and thoughts. A limitless realm, the imagination is a space for us to think freely about the outside world and create a new reality inside of us.

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The OCA Lisbon Group Collaborative

Penelope Day Alison Dollery Annette Holtkamp Martine Elliot Ashley Mclaughlin Nicky Eastaugh The OCA Lisbon Group Collaborative is a group of students who make work from their connections formedand experiences on the OCA Lisbon study trip.

The Grid Collaborative used for this image is the stunning architecture of the Casa das Historias in Cascais, Lisbon, home to the work of Paula Rego.

The study trip allowed students from different pathways to reflect on different artistic disciplines and pathways as a multidisciplinary approach.

Martine Elliott divided the image into six sections and we all chose a part of the grid making individual work 42cm x 42 cm. All students are on different pathways (Illustration, Fine Art, Textiles, Painting) so this meant working in different mediums that all coherently worked as a whole.

Archive of a stretch o

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made a three minute film as my final submission piece for the Parallel Project in Studio Practice on the subject of the river which runs close to my house. I began by soaking large canvases in the river for several months. Meanwhile I looked at the ecology of the river, making a series of pieces around flooding, aquatic plants, and river processes. I used some of the canvases which had been altered and semi-destroyed by the river to attach some of the pieces of work to as well as using them to make etchings. It was important to me to make the film in order to present the pieces in situ. The project evolved into a musing on the passing of time, what we remember and what we forget.

Process I had a picture in my head of how the film might look: my images hung from branches over the river, swaying slightly in the wind. I felt that all my pieces, which had been made through such close physical contact with the river, needed to be displayed in that particular location in a moment of coming together.

For the filming, timing was essential. I wanted a particular window of spring when the wild garlic is in bloom and the overhead canopy still letting in enough light before closing over with too much leaf cover. I wanted the low sun, around 7p.m., which would filter horizontally through the leaves and through my hanging pieces, some of which were mounted on thin cloth and canvas. I needed a cloudless sky.

Lock down was fortuitous. A smattering of useful children, now homebound, provided additional help. I needed tall people to stand on wobbling ladders in the middle of the river to hang the pieces. I needed a drone for aerial moving shots as well as a high resolution camera for filming closeupsfrom standing within the river.

It was the icing on the cake to have a huge profusion of mayflies rising off the river on the evening of filming. The conditions were perfect. The first record of this ancient insect - the beautifully named Ephemera - was written on clay tablets in around 2,000 BC in an epic on the brief life of Gilgamesh, the Babylonian mythical hero: "Ever the river has risen and brought us the flood, the mayfly floating on the water. On the face of the sun its countenance gazes, then all of a sudden nothing is there". The passage compares the short life of the adult mayfly with Gilgamesh's and of course our own. Living less than a day, mayflies have long symbolised the brevity of existence.

One of my pieces in particular resonates with the shortness of lived lives. It is a canvas soaked in the river to which I have sewn old family photographs, many of the places and people now forgotten, their context lost. In just one or two generations, those particular lived lives have disappeared.

of river

By Alessandra Alexandroff

Soundtrack I wanted to use a piece of medieval choral music because of its timelessness. When I researched Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis, I read it had originally been conceived - possibly on the occasion of the 40th birthday of Queen Elizabeth I - to be sung in eight choirs arranged in a horseshoe shape, the sound being thrown back and forth across the space between them. The piece features individual voices which sing and then are silent in a calling and answering.

I felt this was perfect for reflecting the links between my pieces of work - disparate but connected - and initially was hoping to arrange my selection in a horseshoe curve over the river. In the end I had to work with the position of the trees on my chosen section of river. I wanted the pieces hung quite closely in order to present them as a cohesive group.

Throughout the piece of music there is constant change with new ideas being presented and then subsumed into polyphonic sound. I added another polyphonic sound created by the noise of water rushing over stones and the constant evening bird song. I used a recording of this, taken during the filming, initially fading into the Tallis piece and then using it again at the end when we are left with only an image of the river.

The river and memory The river represents both the onward rush of life and the passage of time. What I have done within my investigation is to extract from that life, creating a series of images through etchings, imprints, relics, remnants, stains and mud.

Through filming them hanging above the river I am able to show the relationship between the pieces and the body of water that created them, showing the contrast between the airiness of moments in time compared with the weight of water on its ineluctable journey to the sea. The making of the film was the final full stop to my project.

One can stand in the river and feel life rushing past. The river is in constant flux in time and space, entirely permanent and entirely changing. The extractions I have made are the opposite of this. They are the collected remains from living by and in the river, an archive of plants, physical processes, and mud. They are taken from something in a state of flux to something fixed in time, creating a record of a moment that has already passed. From the heaviness of water they have assumed the lightness of air. They are the memories we extract from this life, suspended above it, not moving but for the wind, hooked to branches which sway but contain them. The river they archive has long gone.

Like memory, they are what is left.

“Call for Subm

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recently read an article in Emergence Magazine by the eco-philosopher and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy. She introduces the reader to the bardo which is the Tibetan Buddhist concept of a gap between worlds where transition is possible. At present the continuing coronavirus pandemic has placed all of us in a confusing world where nothing seems the same. This feeling of being on shifting ground can be frightening, but Joanna Macy encourages us to see this bardo as a place of potential transformation.

OCA Students, Tutors and Graduates are now invited to submit contributions for our next Issue where the theme for Issue 10 will spark into further life as ‘Catalyst’ for Issue 11 which will be published towards the end of March 2021 A catalyst is an agent that stimulates or precipitates a reaction, development, or change. It is something that causes an important event to happen. We invite you to engage with this theme and submit contributions, ideas, sketches, works in progress, writings, images, music etc.

Remember that media using sound and moving image can also be submitted (.mp3 & .mp4 preferable) to be embedded in the digital zine and throughout our website and social media platforms. We also ask you for a max 100 word bio and a min 200/max 2000 word reflective account of your creative process.

Use the submission form, of which the link is also available via our website or on Facebook, which allows you to submit up to 10 files with max 100 Mb. Please note, though, that not all images submitted may be used and incomplete submissions will not be accepted. The submission form itself also contains full information on file types and image sizes. We try to include as many as possible of the wonderful submissions we receive but 80 pages are surprisingly limiting so please don’t feel disheartened if your submission hasn’t made it this time. Where possible you will be given priority in the next edition.

The submission deadline is: Midnight, 28 February 2021 We look forward to seeing, watching and/or hearing your submissions.

You can submit your work by using the form here Your edge-zine team.

Contributors

Hayley Lock I am a practicing artist and lecturer based in East Anglia. I graduated in 1989 from Goldsmiths College, University of London having studied Fine Art Textiles and hold an MA from Colchester Institute in Contemporary Art and Professional Practice OCA profile: https://www.oca.ac.uk/our-tutors/hayley-lock/ Website www.hayleylock.org

Bryn Edward Davies

I’m an international design consultant and award-winning Fine Art photographer. I was born in Canada and raised in Liverpool, U Having worked across four continents and more than a dozen countries cultural exchange is a leading factor in both my artistic and commercial work. http://www.indigenousimages.com

The OCA Lisbon Group Collaborative Penelope Day, Alison Dollery, Annette Holtkamp, Martine Elliot, Ashley Mclaughlin and Nicky Eastaugh The OCA Lisbon Group Collaborative is a group of students who make work from their connections formed and experiences on the OCA Lisbon study trip. The Grid Collaborative used for this image is the stunning architecture of the Casa das Historias in Cascais, Lisbon, home to the work of Paula Rego. The study trip allowed students from different pathways to reflect on different artistic disciplines and pathways as a multidisciplinary approach. This grid was made

by Penelope Day (Textiles), Alison Dollery (Fine Art), Annette Holtkamp (Textiles), Martine Elliot(Painting), Ashley Mclaughlin (Illustration) and Nicky Eastaugh (Textiles).

https://www.instagram.com/ashleysart/ https://www.instagram.com/nickyeastaugh/ https://www.instagram.com/m.art.ine/ https://www.instagram.com/pennyearthbound/ https://www.instagram.com/holtkampannette/ https://www.instagram.com/alisondolleryartist/

A multidisciplinary collaborative between: Alison Dollery, Sarah Hibbert, Nuala Mahon & Simon Rees

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a zine by alison dollery, sarah hibbert, nuala mahon & simon rees

UK.

a little magic a little magic a little magic aa little little magic magic a little magic a little magic a little magic a little magic a little magic aa little little magic magic a little magic a little magic a little magic c i m ag tu aa little a little magic little magic magic n m ggiicc e e l maa ic a little magic aa little m little magic magic itt llee m g o l a a iitttt m a little magic m agic aa little little magic magic p l l e l u aa itt m ggiicc a little magic a little magic g a little magic l e a a l n a itt i m m aaggiicc p a little magic l e a little magic e a little magic l e l c c tt a a little magic When in lockdown we faced challenging times. aalliittiittttllee mmmmaaggiiggiicc ke 0 aalittle little magic magic 2 l l ee a 0 aalittle a little magic little magic magic 2 How we communicate, look at one another and aa aa lliittttllttlleemmaaaggiicc cc a little magic m aggii aa little er little magic magic iitt llee m l l a m perceive our everyday surroundings are radaa iitttt m m aaggiicc a little magic aa little magic little magic l l e m e l l aa iitttt m u m ggiicc a little magic aa little ically shifting day today. While the reality is little magic magic aa iicc s aa ll iittttllee m m g g aa iicc a little magic aa little little magic magic aa ll iittttllee m m very much an external landscape for our bodies g g aa iicc a little magic aa little aa ll iittttllee m little magic magic m g g l l e aa and senses, the imagination can be seen as an aa iittttlle m a little magic aa little m aaggiicc little magic magic l l e e aa iittttll m m ggiicc a little magic a little magic external landscape for our minds and thoughts. a little magic l l e e a a l aa iittttl m m aggiicc a little magic aa little little magic magic a iicc aa ll iittttllee m A limitless realm, the imagination is a space for m g g a little magic aa iicc aa little little magic magic aa ll iittttllee m m g g aa iicc us to think freely about the outside world and a little magic aa little magic aa ll iittttllee m little magic m g g l a aa l iittttllee m a little magic aa little magic ma ggiicc little magic create a new reality inside of us’ (Hayley Lock). l l e e a aa iittttll m ma aggiicc a little magic a little magic a little magic l l e e a Working as a multidisciplinary collaborative aa iittttll m m aaggiicc a little magic aa little little magic magic c c aa ll iittttllee m i i m Simon Rees(Illustration) curated the images aagg iicc aa little little magic magic aa ll iittttllee m m g g a a little magic aa ll iittttllee m ma ggiicca little magic and provided text to worked produced on the A aa aiclittle magic aa ll iittttllee m a little magic m g l l little Magic workshop by Sarah Hibbert (Photogclittle magic aa iittttllee ma aagilittle a little magic magic l l e aa ittl maa little giicc magic raphy), Nuala Mahon (Photography) and Alison a little magic aaaglittle magic c c a l ittle m i i m a little magic aagg iiccmagic little little magic a l iittttllee aam m Dollery (Fine Art).  aagg magic cc a little magic aa ll iittttlleeaa little little magic i i m m g g aa magic leelittle aa ll iittttala little m m aamagic ggiicac little magic aa ll iittttllee m m gic l l aa iittttllee ma l l e aa ittl al

Paddy Howe I have always wanted to create art but, like many of my generation, was directed into academic studies at school leading to professional careers that left no time for the sort of creative expression I wanted and needed. Although three children and a busy husband gave the opportunity for creativity, it was not quite the same, though I was able to fit in some painting.

So it was at retirement that I was finally able to think about it. I chose photography as a means of informing the painting I had been doing, but after a while found it too limiting and changed to Creative Arts where I could include printmaking. The digital age changed my approach and I am now exploring digital art. Processes fascinate me, and I look forward to more experimenting.

Alessandra Alexandroff I am interested in archiving and collecting as a way of remembering. My recent project within my OCA Painting degree has been archiving a stretch of river through a combination of processes. I soaked, pressed, imprinted, got muddy, and, above all, waited. The river wouldn’t be hurried. Having just started on Drawing 2 I find myself in a kind of limbo where I shall stay until my next project gets going.

Blog: https://artalessandra.wordpress.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alessandraalexandroff_art. www.edge-zine.com

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Contributors

Sarah Gallear

Working with both digital and analogue techniques, I like to explore the unusual, forgotten and unloved from aeroplanes through to architecture.

Visually I like striking shapes and textures in my work, with the smaller details that I find can be overlooked. I enjoy experimenting with image making and home processing, working on cyanoptypes and instant film. http://www.tracesofexistence.co.uk Blog in Progress: https://sarahgallearsyp.design.blog/

The edge Collective

Helen Rosemier I am a multi-media artist, currently studying photography at Level 3. My work was mostly about human groups, interactions - the urban micro-environments we create and the traces we leave. But that was before the pandemic and I am still finding my feet with the new realities we now face. My practice has always had a strong focus on temporality, so I have been mainly photographing micro-landscapes in the garden and making abstract images during quarantine. https://www.helenrosemier.com/366-project-2020 https://helenrosemier.blog/

Arlene Sharp

The heart of my practice is about painting. I like to explore objects in space through mark making and relationships of colour, shape, form and line. I am interested in the materiality of paint and how exploiting different paint qualities drives a process to an unexpected result. I explore through drawing, sculpture, photography and video usually returning to making paintings as a final outcome. https://www.instagram.com/arlenesharp.art/ https://arlene509550.wordpress.com/

Sue Gedda

Sarah Davis My day job is being a reader development librarian I am inspired creatively by recording my relationship and responses to the changing world

https://sarahdrawing2.wordpress.com

Raised in English suburbia, Sue gained a Bache of Education (Hons) and taught Physical Educati for 6 years before travelling overseas in 1988 a settling in Central Queensland, Australia in 1991.

Already possessing a strong affinity with the nat ral environment, Sue found herself immersed in t expanse of rural Australia, living on the family be property and absorbing the patterns of local ec ogy and the complex relationship between hum and Nature.

elor ion and . tuthe eef colman

Wendy Ward I am a mature student returning to a love of Textiles after a career with the NHS. I enjoy using the medium of thread and cloth to narrate emotions.

At the moment I am specializing in using water soluble techniques which involves removing the base fabric, leaving only the stitching remaining. I find this technique resonates well with the current world as we have lost so much but our thread of life continues and will build again. h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / We n d y - J o y - Te x tiles-384449552148949/

Sharon Mulberry-Rookes This painting is a response to the interiors exercise from POP1. Having spent the last three months going nowhere but the supermarket in this image I have unwittingly expressed my desire to get out and about and to regain the autonomy and agency that is so valuable to me in everyday life. I’m looking forward to walking down the garden path and back into the world again and find out what that cat is looking at. At this time so many of our connections to the outside world have been broken, like everyone I’m just waiting to restore them.

Kathy Jones I have been studying with the OCA for four years now and I am currently on the Understanding Painting Media course, (Painting Pathway). My passion lies in painting portraits and exploring the human form and I have always loved drawing and painting. I am in total love with my current course as it is very experimental and is showing me the limitless boundaries of creating art! I live in Hampshire.

https://katjones971.wordpress.com https://www.instagram.com/kaatjonz

Samantha Sharp I am studying to gain a degree to help me move into a career as an artist. Art is my absolute passion

https://www.instagram.com/Samanthasharpeartist

Contributors

Stefan J Schaffeld

Sue Parr My first degree was in English literature and I had a career in Human Resources for many years. My journey with the OCA began as a result of a change in life circumstances, however. I’ve found the return to a creative practice to be a very healing experience.

The work for my level 2 painting studies has explored: materiality, agency, the edges and connections between; at the fluid spaces beyond painting, human, non-human, viewer, artwork etc.; which allows for greater freedom and creativity. https://www.Instagram.com/sueparr000

My practice responds to social and cultural expectations that result in a destabilized Self. My current body of work raises questions about the superficiality of beauty and the desire to seek meaning in relation to our body and skin. Through physical processes of material transformation, I explore how vulnerability and fragmentation are deliberately censored from our images, and how folds and invisible marks are flattened out.

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stefanschaffeldart Website https://www.stefanschaffeld.com

Veronica M Worrall Vicky Williamson My first ambition as a small child was to be writer.

I loved books so much I wanted to be inside them making them. My life led me in a different direction and now, after many years of dabbling and reading, I am giving my aspiration more of myself, and climbing into stories to find a new me. I am interested in tales of loss and survival.

Project Connection. I have aimed to explore the camera to find ways to evoke an ecological dialogue with myself and viewers. I took photographs of my pond during Social Isolation and left them there for a couple of weeks. As an environmental artist I was demoting human technology and forcing a re-evaluation of human’s supposed power over nature. This project was made to emphasis our threatened environment and the importance of our reconnection with the unseen, yet essential, elemental world in our back yards.

Get Social...

There are many groups and forums to be found involving the OCA (if it involves canoes, you are probably in the wrong place). A great Twitter starting place is the Student discussion forums available on @opencollegearts the student website, you must ...and find us here: be logged in. Here you will find @edgezine plenty of different categories to browse through and a lot of support, whatever your query or news you have to share.

#edgezine #ocaillustration #ocacreativearts #weareoca #ocafriends #ocagraphicdesign #ocatextiles

Instagram Regional: OCA Europe OCA Southwest Open College of Arts Find us here: edge-zine

Facebook OCA: The Open College of the Arts The Open College of the Arts Support Group MISC.: OCA Sketchbook OCA Cafe OCA Store Regional: OCA Textiles - East Midlands OCA in the South West OCA Southwest OCA Thames Valley Group Course: OCA Photography Students OCA Photography level 1 OCA Textiles OCA Fine Art Students Group OCA Drawing skills OCA Illustration OCA Graphic Design Students OCA Printmaking OCA Creative Arts (CAT)

We at edge-zine are not involved in the administration or day to day running of (most of) these groups or pages and bear no responsibility for their content.

This list is for information purposes only.

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Blog: www peblog.ph

Team...

ael Green

Catherine Banks

oud to be part of the team ng edge zine I love all asphotography.

I was born and brought up in Sheffield but gradually wended my way south to end up here in leafy Surrey.

oying Landscape level 2 of gree. Having just returned uth Georgia with 6000 imm getting familiar with Pho-

Having left school early, I returned to learning as a mature student after my children were born, including an Open University Degree.

Before retirement I worked as probation officer then mental health social worker, becoming involved in post-qualification training plus NVQ qualifications for social care managers.

orward to sharing some of ges in future editions of the

to all for the effort put into ther fabulous edition.

w.michaelgreenlevel2landscahoto.blog

I’ve always thought I wasn’t an artist but am slowly realising that it’s possible if I let my intuition guide me and don’t try too hard! www.instagram.com/cbankssurrey/

Amy-Sarah Opitz I had to write....

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......for a Bio, will this do? insta: @byamysarah @myvwbullimatilda twitter: @byamysarah Web: www.byamysarah.com www.edge-zine.com

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Raising Dust