contact us

Drop us a line!

Use the form on the right or email dowdhousestudios@gmail.com


Prairie Grove, AR, 72753
USA

JDowd_SucculentPots.jpg

Journal

News from Dowd House Studios: places to find our pottery, exhibitions, classes & workshops, new forms and exciting projects.

Filtering by Tag: shaky translations

FoundSpace 2020: A Very Shaky Translation

Jenny Dowd

I have been excited to share this project, but my excitement was delayed by a series of unfortunate events.

Earlier this summer, Matt Daly and I were invited by the JH Land Trust and JH Public Art to create a FoundSpace experience along the Wildflower Trail in Jackson. We have collaborated on projects for FoundSpace in the past (read about them here: 2019 & 2018 & 2017) and were excited to engage this popular hiking trail in town. FoundSpace is a yearly program that commissions artists to interpret conservation spaces, and I have enjoyed adding a different view to these places.

Matt and I decided to create a story about the inhabitants of this area, the story would be illustrated with words on one side and images on the other, each from the perspective of the being - animal, plant, or other. The physical inspiration came from the aspens along the trail, how their leaves shake and flutter in the wind. We also felt that we were interpreting what these creatures would be saying, so the translation might be a bit shaky.

I collected old signs to repurpose and Matt wrote poems about 12 different creatures or objects that can be found in this area. I then told the story through images, trying to keep it simple.

I hate to pick a favorite, but I think that the Shaky Translation of the aspens might be my favorite. It makes me laugh every time. I tried to reflect the conversation between aspens in my drawing through dots around the roots. They are a fascinating organism and I imagine a little gossipy, as reflected in Matt’s poem: You won’t believe what I heard. You won’t believe what I heard. You won’t believe what I heard…

Some of the Shaky Translations are in English, some in Spanish, and some a mix of the two. We hoped that the image could tell some of the story, and that maybe it was just fine to only get part of the Shaky Translation if you only speak one of those languages (like me.)

Cicada

All                    that                  time

under               the                   ground

and                  now                 this.

This!                 What’s             not

 to buzz          & buzz             about!

Cloud

The way to go             is by and large           __________

 pretty easy                  __________                just find

 your rhythm                 __________                your habits

 of change                    and drift along             __________

 It’ll get tough                don’t worry                 don’t worry

 __________                when you hit               or the air

 you’re riding                hits something             hard, like

 __________                __________                a mountain

First Frost

Let’s wait.                   We wait.

For so long                  we let

the soft leaves           speak softly

to the soft                    leaves,

the soft petals             to the soft

wings. But now          let’s come in

and make                     all the voices

crackle and                 also crackle.

Osprey

There it is                    There                           It                     

 Is                                 Hover                          And

 Now                            Now                            Nownownow

 Feet                             First                             Through

 Water                          And                             Into

Longhorn Beetle

Whoa!              How

 do I                  stop?

 I guess             I’m headed

 straight            for that

 that, so            that’s what

 I’ll hit                 and hope

 I can                cling

 to that              thing

 I can’t               help but

 whoa               hit.

And that’s it. Just over a week ago we found that 9 out of 12 Shaky Translations were removed from the trail. I don’t even have images of all of them. The day we found them missing was the day I was planned to photograph the work. I completely realize that I should have photographed them as soon as they were installed. But, really?? This temporary art was supposed to be in place until October 30.

The theft really hurt. I like to think that I’m prepared for anything to happen to my art and that I have no control once it leaves my studio. But I wasn’t prepared.

Check out the article in the JH News & Guide about the project, here, it is a wonderful story about our inspiration and process.

And we would like to invite you to make your own Shaky Translation. The image in the video is of Arrowleaf Balsamroot (which I call Field Daisies) the poem and image was inspired by the crab spider which likes to sun itself on the flower. (Painting by me, words by Matt Daly, and music by Frank Daly.)

Hey there                    little spider                   with your

outstretched                little arms.                    I can’t do much

 to hold you                  like you look                 like you want

 to be held.                   I can however             hold the sun

 so firmly                      to the leaf                    you climb

 to warm                       yourself                       that the face

 of the sun                    becomes many            faces, becomes

 my many faces           like arms                      to warm you



Did you see and happen to photograph any of the others? I would seriously appreciate any photos for my records, please email them to hello@dowdhousestudios.com



Here are the rest of Matt’s poems, without images of the Shaky Translations:

Moose

Mama? Yes.              Mama? Yes.

Mama? Come here.      Mama? Yes.

Mama? I’m here.         I see you.        I’m here

Mama? I’m going.         Mama? Follow.

Mama? Lie down.        Lie down?       Here.

Here?              Here.               Mama? Here.



Cutthroat Trout

Eddy to riffle                             and upstream                to the cutbank

shimmer to shadow          shadow to shimmer           sip the surface

emerging emergers             the strange taste              of air

all the sharp                       things that fall                 from up there



Mountain Lion

Soon enough               the snow                     will fall

and all                          but prey                       will go

away. Soon                enough, I’ll                   trade this

quiet slinking                (which is                     only a moving

form of hiding)             for another                  slinking

the kind                        that tastes                   like deer.



Kingfisher

Here I come             over clear              water up                to a perch.

There I go              down the stream       again. I                   zigzag down-

stream to perch.       There I stare            into a quiet               place in clear

water. Here I           cackle and flap         but this time            back upstream.



Flat Creek

run along         along way

 

                        to run               along

 

                                                a tumbled

 

down run        of tumbled      

 

along stones                          

 

                        alone and        because

 

                                                you run

 

along               not at all           alone