Through the city — City section of the parade

Parades are a way to create temporary spaces that bring people together and spaces to life. Participants and audience experience are at the heart of Burning the Clocks, so a route that take us all through the creative quarter of the city, (where many of our independent creative organisations and businesses are located) forges a relationship between our city and the communities within it.

Considering the theme title and the nature of the shop that I’ve been given, a pocket watch came to mind. It’s an image that reminds me of tailoring, city life, urbanity and urban living. For some reason, (probably from the Tin man in the wizard of Oz!) this particular type of ticking timepiece has always reminded me of a heart, and when I think of Burning the Clocks, I think of the love and heart that is shared by the communities that come together to celebrate it.  To be together outdoors on the shortest day and the longest night. To say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. To celebrate the passage of time in all its good and its bad, that’s the heart of it.

A pocket watch is a straight forward image. It’s also a very machine-made image, this adds complication when using an organic material, such as willow, to make a representation of it.

A simple shape that the detail and stylization of the watch-face will add interest to. The watch face detail will be made of black paper cuts on white tissue paper creating silhouette images when the lantern is lit.

I’m making a “skeleton” pocket watch where instead of the inner workings (the heart, if you will) of the clock, we’ll have a mix of cogs and Brighton cityscape, to include some Burning the Clocks imagery – silhouettes of the city, participants and some lanterns.