TAKING UP RESIDENCE

Our first day of the 6 week residency and we’ve got sunshine! Exciting to see our 2 empty stalls, ready and waiting for us. This was our test-day, to help folk get used to us being here, and also for us to find out more about the market. The weather seemed the main issue, and as the day progressed the wind picked up, and the rain began. It helped to see what impact the weather will have on our stall, before we build too much. So glad the market has provided the tarp roofing!

Jim and Liz had a good look around the market, and started buying the things we’ll need for our workshop on Saturday. This first one, we’ve called  ‘Stick and Build’. Our Museum would need display cabinets, so making these was a good place to start. Jim came back from the Veg Man, with loads of fruit boxes. He’d also found a couple of useful books on the bookstall.  It was good to start meeting the stallholders, although some were too busy to talk – obviously – as they needed to keep an eye out for their customers.

We started constructing the cabinets by adding shelves, and then covering them in the torn up books. A welcome cup of tea also had its uses, with the cup becoming a pot to mix the pva and water in, and the tea bag providing staining to give an aged effect. It was great working on the stall, despite the rain, although Jim got distracted reading paragraphs out to us.

Jim's letters for our sign. More to make on Saturday.

As the day went on, and the stall holders had a moments break, they came over to see what we were doing. The lady I’d bought some net from, came over to donate some more scrap pieces. I was told some intriguing ghost stories. The Perfume Man came up with some great ideas for exhibits that will stimulate the mind, through smell. He then created ‘The Perfume Flower’, our first exhibit and we’ve barely started!