The Dry Salvages Part III
Mrs A has another story for me and, thanks to the miraculous self-indulgence that is blogging, you...
As this piece is about d i s t a n c e (see what I did there?) part of the process has been exploring the distance between both who we (Mrs A and I) were back in the day,
and who we are now...
but also the literal distance between us, populated (through postal exchange) with objects that link us in place and time: a mobile phone, a fan steamer, a taffeta dress...each with a story of their own.
I wanted to widen this postal exchange too, to include (some of the) four elements that each of the Quartets respresent. For water (and specifically the sea), and to turn Mrs A. into an ever more bewildered co-collaborator in conceptual art, I requested some Cardigan Bay seawater to be collected from fair Aberystwyth beach.
Once we had established the practicalities (not Mrs A's strong point: 'but won't a bottle smash in the post?' me:'not a plastic one' Mrs A: 'where will I get a plastic bottle?' me: 'buy some mineral water and drink it?' So you see the texting really is a miracle) she was away...
But in true Mrs A style, this story is already legend, as recounted by mobile phone and later by Post-It note
me: so did you really go down to the beach?
Mrs A: well, yes and I even had my wellies with me, but I thought, honestly, I'm 72 I can't go all the way down to the sea. (You don't realise how decrepit I really am now) [yes Mrs A really does use brackets in speech] so I saw this outdoorsy hippy-ish woman in walking boots getting out of a van and I went over and explained that you were making this piece about us and the distance between us and that you wanted me to send you some sea water and she was very direct and looked very capable said 'yeah, I can relate to that' and then she took the tupperware box (I thought it would be easier than a bottle) [ooh a stroke of genius - Mrs A going into overdrive with her technical thinking] and ran down over the sand and kicked off her shoes and strode into the sea and then came back over the beach with it. I said 'oh dear, i hope you have a towel. Do you have a towel?' but she said it was OK'
So, thank you, Margaret of the Sea Water, wherever and whoever you may be. Thank you for so readily getting your feet wet in the Aberystwyth sea.
------------
Lady, whose shrine stands on the promontory,
Pray for all those who are in ships, those
Whose business has to do with fish, and
Those concerned with every lawful traffic
And those who conduct them.
The Dry Salvages Part IV
I wanted to widen this postal exchange too, to include (some of the) four elements that each of the Quartets respresent. For water (and specifically the sea), and to turn Mrs A. into an ever more bewildered co-collaborator in conceptual art, I requested some Cardigan Bay seawater to be collected from fair Aberystwyth beach.
Once we had established the practicalities (not Mrs A's strong point: 'but won't a bottle smash in the post?' me:'not a plastic one' Mrs A: 'where will I get a plastic bottle?' me: 'buy some mineral water and drink it?' So you see the texting really is a miracle) she was away...
But in true Mrs A style, this story is already legend, as recounted by mobile phone and later by Post-It note
me: so did you really go down to the beach?
Mrs A: well, yes and I even had my wellies with me, but I thought, honestly, I'm 72 I can't go all the way down to the sea. (You don't realise how decrepit I really am now) [yes Mrs A really does use brackets in speech] so I saw this outdoorsy hippy-ish woman in walking boots getting out of a van and I went over and explained that you were making this piece about us and the distance between us and that you wanted me to send you some sea water and she was very direct and looked very capable said 'yeah, I can relate to that' and then she took the tupperware box (I thought it would be easier than a bottle) [ooh a stroke of genius - Mrs A going into overdrive with her technical thinking] and ran down over the sand and kicked off her shoes and strode into the sea and then came back over the beach with it. I said 'oh dear, i hope you have a towel. Do you have a towel?' but she said it was OK'
So, thank you, Margaret of the Sea Water, wherever and whoever you may be. Thank you for so readily getting your feet wet in the Aberystwyth sea.
------------
Lady, whose shrine stands on the promontory,
Pray for all those who are in ships, those
Whose business has to do with fish, and
Those concerned with every lawful traffic
And those who conduct them.
The Dry Salvages Part IV
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