Dolphin home.

Dolphin home was a great opportunity for experimenting with some natural resources, big wide open spaces, and freedom with our work. I went with an open mind, complete experimental attitude and wanted to just see what was there and what I could do with my work.

The Team. This was when we had just met
 and didn't even know each others name.

So when we got there, for me, it was quite an overwhelming, big space. The expectations of my peers and tutors and the material, I haven't got mounds to use, just raw, wet, slimy, hard materials.  I'm used to using plastic, metal and wood and things you can change the appearance pretty easily but this stuff was hard work with. Usually it can take me an age to think up an idea, from collecting that individual item to pairing it with another or making a design concept.
I sat for a while, listening to the river, looking at the sunlight dancing through the trees, tiptoeing across the river, snaking through the rocks, it made me reflect I'm Andy Goldsworthy's work.
I designed a piece that would hang over the river like some out-of body experience, like a lifted reflection, made from the wicker sticks and the wire the wicker sticks would be the current of the river and the wire would be the sunlight peeping through the current.
But after seriously analysing it, the current was too fast, the river was too deep and the tree was too tall the hang it from.
I next  sat beside the river thinking again, looking at the wicker and thinking that I could create that beside the river on the banking, weaving the wicker through the trees and into the river, but once done, it just looked like a big mess and they kept plucking up and wouldn't stay bent over.
Felt a little low and this point..
Thinking of Goldsworthy again and then taking inspiration from his dry stone walling sculptures. I was little thinking I could just do it after being with my dad a few times and trying to remember how to do it.

I showed my dad my shocking attempt of 'Dry stone walling' ...and after chuckling said 'its more stone stacking but good effort'. I borrowed the farmers chizzle because you have to shape the stone into a kind of brick shape but keeping natural elements also to make things a little easier, but its a lot harder than I thought, but then...

After a days work and it were getting cold, we all lit our wood burners and the smoke from the burners sank into this linear hovering over the grass and when everyone saw we all ran straight into it like it had brainwashed us all to do it and people creativity started flowing, people started sketching, filming and brought a strange sensation to the whole experience, a strange but comforting one. Like we had all connected on the same level.....weird.

Its weird...i actually had to listen to Karima, like shes the soundtrack of the whole experience, listening brought back all of these moments and experiences we all shared. Amazing singer and kind of a little inspiring. 

Favourite song she performed. 

Creepy matt...

So we are sat in this barn...on hay-bales, beer and this live singer singing so well, setting tingles down everyone's spine...it was so great, such a weird surreal feeling and lucky feeling, a feeling i will never get the chance to have this experience again. I absolutely loved it. And goats in the background made it even more weird.

After the live performance we had a viewing of the wicker man film in the barn...it was FREEZING. And maybe the weirdest film I have ever watched...Thought it was a porno at first and then at the end....HUH?? But being in the barn in the middle of nowhere watching this weird film.....surreal.

Honestly, highly recommended any FAD joiners in further years to not worry about what happens when your there, how muddy its going to be or the camping element. I've never bonded so quickly with complete strangers as i have on this trip, its totally worth the no makeup and straighteners ladies. Such an amazing time, so many laughs and so many memories I will take with me into my future.