Art, Dance and Theatre

Everything to do with artistic activity.

Driftwood

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

There is a beach near Sant Pere Pescador which I have been trying to find for a while.
This time armed with a detailed map and accompanied by man and dog to help me stay focussed, I finally found it.  Actually I have been very close once before but in the summer you can’t go hereas it is part of the protection area for breeding birds.
Bleached driftwood is lying everywhere.
It is a beachcombers paradise. Something I only dreamed of in Cornwall

The wood is almost all branches from trees so there are not the kind of planks you sometimes find brought in on Atlantic waves, but still it is very impressive for a bay on the Mediterranean, surrounded as it is by towns and villages and within a gentle stroll from a man-made monstrosity called Empuriabrava.
I brought back some pieces to carve

and had to leave some that were too heavy to move

And there was a dog wondering ‘with all this wood around why don’t you throw a stick for me?’

Caldes de Montbui – Part Two

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

The third performance was within an ancient water pool – another safareig but this time more private. We had to walk along an old passageway with a high stone wall on one side. Then there was a gate in the wall, leading into a small low ceilinged room with a large pool of water.

The audience were invited to chose from different ‘menus’ to provide the dancer with a emotional theme, some music, and  a type of movement. There would be two dances – one by a crazy woman and the other by a woman in a suit.
I wrote down my choices – I wanted the crazy woman to dance fear, with continuous movements accompanied by a waltz.  The pieces of paper were put in a hat and a young girl picked one  – it was mine!  Such a great feeling to be chosen, almost as if it was a gift specially for me

Watching her dance was incredible. It reminded me of a recurrent dream I have of a madwoman, with wild hair and desperate eyes. Some of my dreams take place in an underground water cave and this performance was like a presentation of a part of my inner world.
At the end she threw herself back into the water, her arms now thankfully free and moving, and she emerged smiling and very wet!

Canet de Mar

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. We set off to look at flats by the sea on the Maresme.
It is a recent plan – that instead of looking for a new home to move into, we stay based here in Granollers and also rent a small flat, mainly for me to use as a peaceful retreat and as somewhere to put my ‘stuff’.  Stuff which is still in packing boxes one year after moving it to Spain.

There is a train line that goes along the coast from Barcelona and ends up at Blanes where it turns inland. If we could find somewhere along that line it would mean an easy trip to and from town – big town I mean.  There is a problem with getting across to Granollers – there are no easy connections by public transport so it would mean driving, and more importantly, parking!

And then there is the problem of the coastal towns. They were heavily developed in Franco’s Spain and so appear to my Cornish/Scottish gaze, pretty ugly and sprawly.
But their horrible industrial, modern, high-rise exteriors often hide a central area that is beautiful and more village-like

Canet de Mar is one example of this. Of course there is the busy road and the railway line which cut off the town from the sea but there is also a long sandy beach and on the other side, a town with some interesting Modernist buildings and a peaceful seaside atmosphere

There is a resident radical theatre company called The Comediants.
And posters around town advertised drawing classes and dancing.

My favourite place would be Sant Pol.  It is near the beach that we go to regularly and is like a jewel on the coast, the road has turned inward and so the town is much more peaceful. The water is blue and the streets are narrow. We looked at a few flats – one too expensive, one too big, one too dark.  There was a lovely one for the right price close to the beach, but far away from shops and cafes.
We picked up a free smile to keep in the car

And then went to the beach for a glorious afternoon of sun and sea air. There was hardly anyone else there – a Friday in October – a gift from the gods

Independence and other things to do

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

I want to write about Catalunya and independence but I keep getting distracted.

Perhaps it is because I don’t feel I know enough yet.  I listen and strain to understand the news in Catalan, I hear conversations around the table and try to get a better grip on what people are thinking and saying. I buy newspapers and spend an hour or two slowly translating for myself and hoping I am not missing something important.

There are lots of flags still hanging from windows and so far, everyone I have spoken to is pro independence.  Almost everyone went on the demonstration in Barcelona on September 11th.
People are talking about it.

It feels like an exciting and important time and I will write about it – soon!
I wish my language skills were better – it’s so frustrating to know there is something going on and yet not be able to really really understand the details.

Meanwhile ….life continues in Granollers.
Today I went to the dentist – a visit to the hygienist cost 20 euros.

The sun shone on the Porxada and some people were still wearing shorts

I unpacked some more sculpture tools and created some stone dust

Ah the smell of wax crayons! I always have to bury my head in them and breath in.

Spaces

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Today I started to prepare a space for making sculpture. It’s only taken 3 years!

I decided to get on with it rather than wait for the space to be…..well, more spacious!
This is what I did.
1. Stand in the middle of the space and think ‘yes I want to do something here’
2. Move some bicycle parts from a table so I could have a surface for drawing
3. Look at some old notebooks and drawing pads to see where I left off
4. Hang some old sheets over the shelves so it won’t matter if stone fragments go everywhere
5. Check that the internet works there so I can listen to Radio 4 (english) or Radio 3 (castellano)
Here are some of the images that caught my eye in my old notebook which I keep for inspiration

I don’t know what next – will have to wait and see.
Am quite excited.
Photos are Barbara Hepworth garden, don’t know(again), Fingals Cave, Carn Euny Fogou, another don’t know but I am pretty sure it was in Malta.