ARTISTS TALKING

# 111 [24 September 2007]

Craig-y-nos Castle

Have had a couple of messages left on my answering machine from Craig-y-nos Castle wanting to discuss a possible future projects, web-site links etc. but I have been in Wales so only now picked them up.

Discussed it with Dr Reeves. We think one way forward would be if the Castle would be prepared to allocate an outbuilding for a permanent museum to The Children of Craig-y-nos.

Will put this idea to them. Certainly the Castle is not short of space and it would increase tourism in the area.

# 112 [24 September 2007]

Radio 4

Had a researcher from Radio 4 on. She is going to put forward a proposal for an hour long programme for the Saturday evening Archives slot. Have to confess have never listened to it but am assured it is a highly prestigious slot.

# 113 [26 September 2007]

The "Children of Craig-y-nos" project started less than a year ago as a blog, an attempt to piece together 40 years of missing Welsh history. I am amazed at how it has all snowballed with the final focus being (a) print-on-demand book (b) multi-media website and (c) permanent exhibition and museum.
The current photographic exhibition has already gone into The Wellcome Trust Library archives.

# 114 [1 October 2007]

How the world has speeded up!
Decide this Monday morning I would have to "bite the bullet" and approach the Welsh Heritage Lottery Fund for money. So I "googled" the site looking for a phone number to ring up. Instead I click on "pre-application" form" and in less than a minute I have a hard copy in my hand.
A couple of years ago this would have taken days.

# 115 [7 October 2007]

21st Century Project

Historian Dr Carole Reeves of The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine pointed out to me that this project - The Children of Craig-y-nos- is very much a "21st century project". Even five years ago it would have been unlikely to work because it's only in the last couple of years that access to Broadband has become widely available.

I had just received a phone call from California from an ex-child patient , Marlene Hopkins,who had "googled" Craig-y-nos" and to her astonishment had come up with my blog with two photos of her on it!

"That's my bed on blocks that you can see in the background!"said Marlene.

# 116 [9 October 2007]

Next exhibition
Phew!...I am only now recovering from the September exhibition of "Children of Craig-y-nos" and I have agreed to another in November. It is in Brecon. Dr Reeves of The Wellcome Trust Centre for the Hisotry of Medicine urged me to take up the offer "too good an opportunity to miss".So. It is all fixed to open on November 23rd with setting up on November 20th.Moreover I don't have to worry about Welsh translations of captions - Poyws County Council have their own Welsh translation service. Just got to make certain I get all the captions to them in time.
Also, Dr Reeves will be bringing proper archive boxes with her from London so the exhibition will in future be boxed and catalogued ready to become a touring exhibition. At present it rests in the bottom of someone's wardrobe in Ystradgynlais!

# 117 [21 October 2007]

Have filled in the pre-application form for the Welsh Heritage Lottery Fund. While I got some help from them before to do some of the interviews I now need more money for a print on demand book and a multimedia web site.
One of the last lectures we had at Glasgow School of Art warned that we would spend something like 50-70 per cent of our time on admin/fund-raising etc. I never really believed them. I do now.
Meanwhile I am busy getting more photographs ready for the exhibition in Brecon next month. All the captions have to be done weeks in advance because they have to be translated into Welsh.

# 118 [31 October 2007]

Busy getting work ready for the next exhibition.
Decided to have a trawl through Google to see what sites show up relating to my project "Children of Craig-y-nos".
Am astonished to find it turning up in a myriad of unexpected places including Forums -an Australian based one, doctor's web-sites, and Wikepeida.
I was already convinced of the power of the internet to change the way we view the world and this merely confirms it.

# 119 [8 November 2007]

Expect to hear tomorrow whether my pre-application to the Welsh Heritage Lottery Fund has been successful and I can go ahead with a full application.

Meanwhile preparations for the Brecon exhibition are well underway and all the Welsh translations of captions have been sent to Dr Reeves in London where she will  prepare them for the next exhibition.

She will be bringing archive boxes with her to Brecon so that the exhibition can be properly packaged and ready to tour.

Heard today that Swansea museum are interested and have arranged to meet the curator when in Wales.

Have started to make video clips for the web of the "Children of Craig-y-nos" project. The aim is to create communities around each video.

# 120 [17 November 2007]

Well, those who have successfully negotiated Lottery funding know what a maze it is.

Earlier I got some funding from the Lottery Fund through the Sleeping Giant Foundation. That has now dried up.

So a new application has to go in and its a case of finding a suitable "umbrella  organisation" to push it through since individuals cannot apply.

We are back to The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine.