It’s been a minute since I visited Sutton, and if I’m honest, didn’t really have a reason to since spending most of my time delivering work in more central parts of London. But, it was good to stay South and re-connect with an area which used to be quite a spot for going out & clubbing it up back in the day, wayyyy back!…
I’ve lost count of how many schools I’ve ran workshops at over the years including SEN schools, but can safely say, being invited to share my work & run something with the students at Oak Lodge School, an SEN school for 10-19yr olds who are D/deaf and/or who have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), was a humbling and rewarding experience.…
Graf has always been my go to when connecting & calming the vibes in various youth settings over the years. I remember rolling in to youth club as a youth worker (no smart phones, more BlackBerry’s then), just real physical engagement settings – table tennis, pool table, tuck shop, pat ball & me perched on a table graffin’ up names of all the yoots & them colouring in – some of the best times with the simplest of tools > pens & paper.…
One thing Ai will never mess with is the feeling of seeing an original artwork in the flesh, live & direct, beyond a phone screen. I made the trip to Louisiana, the museum of modern art in Denmark to see the latest exhibition of Basquiat’s ‘Head’ drawings / paintings on paper, most of which he’d kept for himself & had never been shown to the public.…