Symbioverse

Date: 1 May 2024
Time: 11am
Obsidian Tags: #practicenote
Place: Lake Terraces, Towns End, Grasmere

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Visual: A 35 second video showing a scene in front of a window. Books and a piano are placed to either side of a desk. Outside the window and directly opposite is Dove Cottage, the Wordsworth’s home from 1799 – 1808.
Audio: Room sounds, bird song.

Studio Notes:

I wake up in Grasmere. I have been given a room on the top floor of the Lake Terrace building, in Town’s End I have set up a piano and my music station, my bags are unpacked. I am here now for a further 9 full days, to ‘be about the place’ in an informal way. I’ve heard this called ‘footsteps research’ 🙂 Seeking the context, the air, the relational understanding.

To my left, The Wordsworth Trust museum, cafe, reading rooms and homes for the curator, guests and other locals. To my right, the learning centre and parking lot. And roads that lift up into the fells behind, with forested paths and various walks.

I have a walk early morning, and spend some time listening. I hear:
The birds, hidden and high up in the trees, the hills, resounding music, songs receding.
The sound of distant traffic. Buses and trucks rattle the old Lake Terrace building. Grey stones and slate surrounding me, leaning slightly.
Voices from all around. Tourists visiting the Trust, walk past me and say good morning. Layers upon layers of sound.

A hive of bees moves in above my window, and I eventually move to keep it closed so that they don’t become trapped with me inside. The air is still cool for spring. Across the road from the Trust, new lambs have arrived.

Notes from the Manuscript workshop in the PM:

The making of a poem, with curation team at the Trust and a group of students visiting from France.

• Add a section on the physicality of poetry: how making quills, ink, the act of writing … all affected how the poetry is made
• Time is visible on the page: through the ink making process, the curing, the traces and disappearances on the page 
• Paper: was used sparingly. And was expensive 
• Letters: originals kept in special folders, smudges, blots. Quality of pen makes for letter quality.
• Actions of dipping, re-dipping, 
• Letters are amazing things … give us information about life, intimate matters, feelings
• Letters give a sense of inner selves 

To look at manuscripts

• Mistakes & original process makes it more authentic 
• William working it out, on the page, in real time
• Crossings out, lines drawn through 
• Changes across editions, how certain words change the meaning and feeling of certain passages 
• Word changes indicate that William became less critical. And in some cases he leaves out entire sections – indicating that he didn’t want there to be any link whatsoever with previous revolutionary ideals. His political ideals changing…

Holding the book:

• “Impressive… with age and history.”
• “Precious”
• “Relic” 
• “A little bit mystic…” 
• “Magical”

A “sketch” of the 1798 edition “old man travelling”

• Old man travelling, drops in later edition. The voice of the old man progressively disappears 
• Is this a pattern in WW?

Prelude notes

• Juxtaposition between long expanses of nature and French Revolution – like a hinge
• Nature as organic thing but also an intuitive feeling. 

On de quincy: 

The pages reflect the context!

• Coffee stains on the pages, indicate that de Quincy worked in coffee houses 
• Instructions, crossing out, mistakes, smudges: indicates the speed at which things are written 

Practice review:

• look at artists who use handwriting in their research

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Critical Reflections