1. Why Watercolour?
Watercolour is my favorite but most challenging material that accords me the opportunity of going with the flow and focusing on the process rather than the outcome. In my independent practice, watercolour has helped me let go of fear and immerse into art-making process without judgement. It's also a kind of material which could support people to freely express themselves.
Fortunately, I came to know that my participant had experience and interest in watercolour painting. Therefore, I decided to choose watercolour as a starting point to bring into the workshops where could hold a space for me to inclusively communicate with my participant.
It's really important to make decision on the materials that will be used in the workshops because as Alice Fox (2014) stated in the "Inclusive Arts Practice and Research", "For a material to support someone to express something it needs to be fluid, it needs to be changeable and moveable so you can play with it and apply it." [1] And for me, the movable properties of watercolour can play this role really well.
2. Why Dó paper?
Moving from my home country (Vietnam) to England, I brought some pieces of Dó paper with my initial purpose of using them to create something creative as traditional gifts for my foreigner friends.
Then I asked myself why I didn't try out to bring them into the session with my participants where I could exchange cultural value and create space for opening dialogues with them.
Finally, out of the three kinds of paper: recycled paper, watercolour paper, and Dó paper, it turned out that I was most impressed by Dó paper due to its special texture and fiber.
It came as surprise that the soft textured edges were revealed when I did try out tearing the paper, I also could hear its very interesting sounds. Additionally, Dó paper is well-known for its durability that is proved by my experiment in which I dipped it into water and colour paint then left it overnight. It wasn't torn down at all. All the properties of this kind of paper completely amazed me.
Most importantly, looking back to the paper's stories behind itself, it recalls me of its origin. My hometown (Bac Ninh) is famous for Dong Ho traditional paintings made of Dó paper. That's why since I was small, I have had the chance of hearing lots of stories about this paper and its use in folk art. Unfortunately, due to the advanced development of the technology, handmade Dó paper is being on the verge of extinction that needs to be preserved. Thanks to Zó project, a social enterprise in Vietnam that is making effort in preserving and bringing back the value of Dó paper into many meaningful and helpful products for sales both domestically and internationally, I could order this paper even though I'm now in the UK. It takes a long journey to bring Dó here, but with all of my cultural pride, I do hope to spread out the story of this paper to my foreigner friends and artists. It reflects my inclusive arts practice journey as well because in inclusive arts, there is no limitation or barrier beyond the border. By this material, my participants and I could take part in a collaborative art-making process while sharing our knowledge and culture.
More about Dó paper:
http://zopaper.com/category/ode-to-paper/
https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/art-entertainment/159872/stories-behind-vietnam-s-traditional-do-paper.html
3. Why Letter stamps?
In a workshop, I tried to share the story about calligraphy on Dó paper to my participant and invited him to write any name or text that he wanted. The random letters splattered on his painting made me curious about how texts can convey people's thought and idea instead of verbal language. I decided to write down some words or short dialogues that emerged while I was making art on the paper. I easily made spelling mistakes possibly because English is my second language. I was scared of making mistakes, obviously.
In a volunteer program at Fabrica Gallery, I joined a live and learn workshop where we used letter stamps to write words, I realised that though I could make mistake, I liked the retrospective letters and noticed whether I was mindful at that moment. I observed my flow of thought, what if I made mistake - I could fix this - No worries, it still demonstrated my process - no right, no wrong, the journey is more important than the destination. And that's how I overcame my fear of getting things wrong.
Get back to my creative response, I decided to challenge myself by using letter stamps, apparently I made mistakes easily but simultaneously, it required me to be more mindful, observe the materials more carefully and in more detailed as well as focus on my process. I meticulously saw the watercolour running through the text. It became blur. You might not see the spelling mistakes on the paper, I think.
It reflects my research project when I went through hundreds of uncertain moments and fear. But when I accept my learning curve and try to go with the flow of my participant, myself, allow us to be led by the materials, I could see different positive angles and learn new things.
I noticed the sound of wooden stamps, the ink and the way all letters randomly create rhythm. Everything turns out more amazing than I ever thought initially.
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