I was invited by the Volcano Theatre Company to photo-document a fascinating project involving Coastal Housing (Swansea) tenants who were teamed-up with artists to interpret What Makes a Home? for the participants. The venue was a vast corner plot, glazed-fronted store on the corner of College Street and High Street in Swansea (figs#1 & 2). The brief for the artists was to interpret their respective participant’s idea of What Makes a Home for them, into the physical area allotted to them within the ground floor shop space.
The shoot commenced on 6th May 2019 with an introduction to Eifion (fig#3) the set designer and builder with Aled (fig#4) and an overview to the site (fig#5) and the Art Installation (fig#6) plan.
A ‘colony’ of artists were assigned their individual participant (Coastal Housing tenant) to collaborate and interpret What Makes a Home? for that person. The objective was to create in a ‘playful and participatory way, what people would do if they could furnish their own ideal space’.
The Creative Producer for the whole WMaH project was Roz Moreton (fig#7). In collaboration with the Volcano Theatre Company, Creative Director; she produced a creative brief in partnership with the Coastal Housing, Development Officer.
Roz managed the project relationships with participants and artists, ensuring that the interpretation of the brief remained flexible and open to reflect the dynamic nature of the endeavour.
As an observer, rather than a participant, I was able to witness the energy and friendships (figs#8,9 & 10) that were created during this amazing enterprise. To record the professional creativity of the artists’ (figs#11,12,13 & 14) as they interpreted the participants’ (figs#15,16 & 17) briefs was stirring. The final outcomes to the briefs was outstanding (figs#18 & 19).
At the conclusion of the 10-day build period the whole exhibition was re-imagined by artist Phil Cheater to create a homogenous exhibition that was open to family and friends and members of the public. The objective was to open up a conversation and debate about how we think about our own home-space (figs#20,21,22,23 & 24).
It was such a privilege to be involved in this project.
raysphotos 