Making

This is what

I have been making lately

apart from a mess.

                           

                            

1. Bunting

2. An animation about taking a bath

3. Mobile

Mother who gave me life.

So strange to be on the other side of the world for your birthday.... But all my love to you for today and for every day. Love, Iona. Xoxo.

Sketches of Henry Moore's "Mother and Child" studies at the Tate Britain. 

Darbyshire

Last weekend I went to Darbyshire with my lovely friend Tara. We went for an ambitious walk but we didn't get very far because we were far too busy sitting on a bridge talking about Anne of Green Gables. Here are some pictures of our walk.

Yulegrave Church - Darbyshire

Yulegrave church with Burne Jones stained glass windows.

London with Katie and Maria.

Last week Katie and Maria came over to London. It was so lovely to eat watermelon, drink tea, go to markets and make silly jokes together! Thank you lasses for such a lovely week.

Our own drawing of our adventures...

RIVA exhibition

The RIVA exhibition was a great success. I was so proud of the children at the school and quickly became one of these batty at teaches who cry when they have to go! The confidence level of the children had gone up tremendously even in three small weeks. I so enjoyed working alongside both the artists and the children. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Xavi's geometric cover design

Tara's tray

Annisah's tray

Abdulahi's tray

Callum's book design (it made me laugh!)

Sophie's installation "Have you told the bees?" Each panel painted by and each draw filled by a child. This is based on the Slovenian bee keepers who would have a different colony in each tray and paint the front with intricate and whimsical designs.... such as a man fishing for girls with his trousers and a snail chasing tailors up a tree. I loved watching this structure grow and to see the children fill the draws with secrets and precious objects.

Tina's "Bee Museum"

Amy and the class made this "Wild Bee Nest" together.

Isaac's draw (my favourite, the picture is of a bee riding a little cart which is being pulled by a rooster)

Me and Sophie in her structure

Precious memories made in wax inside hanging window structure.

Flower illustration from the point of view of bees.

Poppy petal "fan" used in performance.

Precious object set in wax

My own illustrations!

Queen Elizabeth as a bee hive. Based on the William Shakespeare's description of the bee hive in Henry IV (?) and his beloved monarch.

"Telling the Bees" is a tradition telling the bees your secrets, I combined that with the idea of a honeycomb as a safe place to collect memories, stories and experiences. Unintentionally I based the children in the picture on those in the class!

Based on a Thai story where the bees hid in the elephants mouths to escape from a forrest fire. The elephants huffed and puffed until there mouths turned into trunks. In desperation the elephants breathed in the stinging smoke and finally the bees left. This is why bees nest in hollow trees, because it reminds them of the elephants trunks and why to this day they are afraid of smoke!

This myth came from the San people of Botswana and South Africa. The story goes that Bee was a kind creature. One day Mantis was trapped on the wrong side of a great river and could not get back to her family. Bee flew with Mantis across the rushing water but soon became exhausted with Mantis' great weight. Below she spied a beautiful flower rushing along in the water. With the last of her strength be dropped Mantis down onto the flower for safety and fell beside her, dead with exhaustion. The next morning when the sun rose over the desert, the flower had opened. On it was the first human being, Bee's sacrifice.

From an Egyptian creation myth where the sun got Ra cries tears onto the desert, as they fall onto the sand they turn into bees.