Earthskin Scholarship,
Muriwai, November 2012
Artists: Martin Bailey, Visual Artist and Martine Bailey, Historical Author
Collaborative Work: From Martine’s historical novel ‘An Appetite for Violets’
(Hodder &Stoughton, 2014) we recreated Tradecards from the 18th century.
It was important to keep the style of the originals.
Businesses advertised their merchandise, restaurants, hotels, etc, with
elaborately produced cards, often handing them out to selected guests. Martine’s
book ‘The Cook’s Jewel’ involved a confectionary and hotel business so we
produced appropriate tradecards in keeping with the fashion and style of the times.
Tradecards we created during the residency. We were fortunate to
have the opportunity to visit Waddesdon Manor in the UK
which has a large collection of eighteenth century tradecards.
WARBOX - Martin Bailey
The Earthskin residency also gave me the opportunity to develop a project that is dear to his heart. As I had recently exhibited a series of images at The Cube Gallery in Manchester, UK (seewww.ideas-elastic.co.uk) about memory – the memories of an elderly man recalling the murder of his father at the outbreak of World War 2 and my memories and experiences of a patient I workedwith in a mental institution in 1982 were reimagined.
I had intended, as part of this memory project, to explore my father’s experiences of WW2, through his warbox but the subject proved a little too raw for me due to my Father’s recent death. With time and a little distance the Earthskin residency has enabled me to, now, produce a series of images that I believe are a testament to his experiences.
My Father’s warbox contains diaries, letters, postcards and photographs just prior to and throughout his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The box was stored in my parents’ wardrobe (never opened or discussed by my Father), though as a small boy my Mother allowed me to explore its contents. Containing lists of deaths, postcards from home, photographs of army comrades and diaries of day-to-day events in Changi POW camp – contents that absorbed me as a small boy.
The Earthskin residency also gave me the opportunity to develop a project that is dear to his heart. As I had recently exhibited a series of images at The Cube Gallery in Manchester, UK (seewww.ideas-elastic.co.uk) about memory – the memories of an elderly man recalling the murder of his father at the outbreak of World War 2 and my memories and experiences of a patient I workedwith in a mental institution in 1982 were reimagined.
I had intended, as part of this memory project, to explore my father’s experiences of WW2, through his warbox but the subject proved a little too raw for me due to my Father’s recent death. With time and a little distance the Earthskin residency has enabled me to, now, produce a series of images that I believe are a testament to his experiences.
My Father’s warbox contains diaries, letters, postcards and photographs just prior to and throughout his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The box was stored in my parents’ wardrobe (never opened or discussed by my Father), though as a small boy my Mother allowed me to explore its contents. Containing lists of deaths, postcards from home, photographs of army comrades and diaries of day-to-day events in Changi POW camp – contents that absorbed me as a small boy.
© Photographs and artwork are the property of Martin John Bailey. They may be used only with reference to the author/artist