ART@WORK Artists Residency, Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Arts Council, 2012

Artist in Residence at Cuan Bhride Childcare Centre

Tunde Toth

Extracts from publication document

“I was very much interested in the site/location/environment specific nature of the Art@Work residency and curious about possibilities of working in a familiar, education related context but with a very different 'agenda'. I was drawn to what I recognized as an exciting opportunity for exploring aspects of one of these educational spaces, being now in the position of an observer, being part of their activities, daily routines and times – as opposed to being the arts tutor or arts facilitator.”“The residency explored aspects of TIME: how it is experienced, spent, 'lived', remembered, planned and structured at the Childcare Centre”.

“I very soon realized how important the actual making /creating process is for me. My ideas and thoughts emerge through a making process, my observations and thought processes are initiated, inspired and energised through a very hands-on and tactile making/creating. I spent the first few days of the residency wandering from one room to the next, stepping into various activities, playing and talking, trying to follow a very busy, fast moving schedule of times. (the latter proved to be a challenge, I didn't manage to follow routines until the end of the last week of the residency) My days turned out to be 'jigsaw-ed' all the way through, which is very different from times I normally spend at my studio. I found myself focusing on the vocabulary and measures of time, looking at a clock more and more often. I kept discovering 'time – related' notices, signs, posters, printouts everywhere: “sand and water time” etc...”

Participants – Collaborators – Outcomes:“During the residency I was actively and creatively working with the children (aged from 6 months to 12 years) and the staff while still observing their various times, activities and the transitions from one to the other. We gradually started to make small felt pieces together, introducing 'Felting Time' into the busy daily routine. 'Drawing Times` and plenty of 'Jigsaw Time' followed and soon everyone was involved in felting a collaborative piece that I installed on the wall of the 'Pre-School Room': it became an interactive, movable installation of various felted pieces – reflecting on the regularly occurring 'Jigsaw Time'. Although a completed piece of work or a finished artistic outcome was not a requirement of the Residency, I felt that collectively creating work and installing a permanent piece on a wall space that would be seen by everyone would leave a reminder of the `Residency Time` for all involved”

“What are we doing today...”“Time.. .Plan...Time”

“Drawing Time...Jigsaw Time”

“Felting Time...”