I was delighted to be selected by the Kent Baton to open their Sparks Fuse Festival project, One Day Works.
My short term residence in the Baton – a vintage silver airstream caravan converted to a mobile art centre – was on Wednesday, June 4th 2014, and was located outside Permark Post Office in Walderslade Village. Its activities were suitable for all ages and all abilities, with no previous experience needed, you could just turn up and play around with some words.
The overall title, The Word Play Wagon, reflected the diverse creative writing activities planned, including:
- Turn over a new leaf: Add a poem, wish or favourite saying to a luggage label leaf you create and hang it on a Poetree.
- A Novel Experience: Bring your favourite book and write an original short piece based on its premise (see example ‘Triffidus Corpus’ here).
- Hint: Writing micro fiction from as little as 10 words. (Examples)
- Spoofing Medway: Write the local news as it didn’t happen! (Example)
- Mystery Collective Poems: Add a line to the one before – it’ll be the only one you can see! (See examples here.)
- If and Then: A question and answer session with a difference. (Examples – scroll down to ‘Potlatch’)
Turning over a new leaf seemed to inspire most, and it was great to see lots of children getting involved.
One Day Works hosted a series of one day experiments throughout Medway during the Fuse Festival and its build up. From urban high streets to country villages, the project showcased ten of Medway’s finest creative talents across a range of art forms. Along with the The Word Play Wagon, the works included an epic poem, sculptures made from found objects, archival collections, insect inspired costumes, drawings made from thread, an acoustic live music gig and a magic lantern performance. Click here for the full list of artists and their projects.
The Fuse Festival ran from Friday, June 13th – Sunday, June 15th 2014, find out more at their website here.
It’s arts. It’s yours. It’s free.
Jaye Nolan 