Dear All,
Although, today it was again a gray Devon Day, christened with the unique Devon drizzle, it has truly been summer on and off the last few days, enticing me out onto the grass in shorts and sandals. Even the Dart River has been inviting me to swim in her as I ride by on bike to college. But, the seasons are strange here. They are finicky; accept for the amount and color of the foliage on the trees, they seem to resemble one another. We are past the stage of fresh spring green with little curious leaves coming out to meet the world, timidly at first and then with gusto. The time for delicacy is past. Now is it tall grass, thick weeds, less dappled sun in the woods. The thickness of the foliage is stunning. I am coming to know "green" in a new way.
Today, while scavenging in the woodlands of the Dartington estate for birch wood to carve into some small pieces for a project, I stumbled across a stand of planted cherry trees, so thick and close that the canopy closed over me, allowing almost nothing to grow below. I miss my relationship with blue sky, all sky. When the clouds are right here for a bit of color at sunset, it is cause for celebration; I feel like a sunset snob, accustomed to the intensity of the high desert colors at dusk.
Lots of nice things (and people) have come and gone since my last dispatch. The journey to Helsinki in April was incredible. I am still processing all the material that was generated from that journey.....It took 17 days and was chalk full of the unexpected, the bizarre, the surreal, the beautiful..... Amazing how wandering and following one's nose with some fabulous companions can lead to such wonderful adventures and places. You can read about some of those adventures and places and journal entries at my blog site: http://tortugatracks.blogspot.com/. And although I sent the announcement about the radio show to most of you, you can now see more of the project documentation and listen to the radio show that we made from the journey, "How Far From Home Are we?" at http://journey.uber.com.
I had a wonderful visit with my family who came for my birthday at the end of May through the 2nd week of June. It was such fun to enfold them in the world here that has enfolded me and introduce them to people and places that have been important parts of my experience here. As well as a nice visit here in Totnes they all managed to get a bit traveling in as well - Joan went to Paris and Barcelona and my parents journeyed around the UK and Scotland by train. Showing them some of my favorite places made me realize how accustomed I've become to life here. While there are still things about British culture, accents, the countryside, and the incredibly old architecture that still stun and astonish me, in general the heightened awareness and eye for novelty of a new-comer has begun to ware off. It's an interesting process to witness and experience this familiarization. I have begun to feel the transition from transplant to resident. For me it's taken almost a year, but never the less it happening.
On the academic front, I am in the thick of writing my dissertation and implementing my final project(s). I am still working with Anna Keleher on Dartmoor expanding "the Exchange" project that we started in February. And it is morphing and growing everyday. We are spending lots of time doing experimentation on the moor and taking people up to participate in the exchange. I crave this time outside in the fresh air, away from the computer screen and the confines of four walls. I am also working towards installing a series of drawings that I've been working on through out the year. They are "daily thought drawings" of which I do one everyday. I will be installing them along with a participatory component for the MA Platform in September.
For my dissertation I am delving into story and narrative, which seemed to naturally spring from my on-going investigation into interdependence and relationships formed and voiced between people, places, animals and things. I am interested in how the retelling of stories gives access to meanings, histories, contexts, relationships, and times that would disappear without this retelling and reverberation. I am finding that stories are portals into other worlds, places, each other, the past, the future and ourselves. I have come to realize that this is a theme that runs through all of my diverse areas of interest (art, anthropology, politics, activism, spirituality etc.). I am excited to have figured our a way to bring this interest comfortably into my academic life in an expansive way that does not undermine its creative potential and important role in the rest of my life. I am thoroughly enjoying the research and although I am still struggling with the writing, I know I will hit my stride soon and feel the momentum as the deadlines approach.
On another note, I am becoming keenly aware of how quickly this year of my MA is drawing to a close. I just learned that my official graduation will take place on November 15th in the 14th Century Great Hall at Dartington, dark formal robes and all, bringing into focus that final step. Between my final show in Oct. and the graduation date, Chris and I are hoping to take in the British Isles as much as we can. And then, with the Harry Potterish graduation over and done, head off on the rest of our travels.....destinations yet to be confirmed, but hopefully including New Zealand. And then a return to the U.S., to face reality and our less than promising economy. The economy has certainly changed here since I arrived and people are tightening their belts as well, but it sounds like things are really changing and very challenging in the U.S. How are you bearing up under these changes?
I would love to hear from you and know how life is for you in your corner of the globe. And any response that you feel up to making to my questionnaire will be received with much gratitude!
Much love,
Claire
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