Taking Another Route

Here’s one for you: British Council, Arts Council England and Jerwood Arts walk into a room… No that’s not the way to begin this blog… something like ****hell, I can’t believe it, Am I dreaming? – No, I’m not because that pinch hurts, wow, wow, wow…

Actually, I think my response was ‘No bloody way’ with a massive grin during a very classy zoom with the main producer of this mind-boggling opportunity. It is always rewarding getting a yes after days of grafting an application and then cutting words, only to add more sentences and then finally, actually understand the question and to start over again...But to be told by a fellow human being that your words resonated with them and then 10-panel members, well I think it puts everything off to a good start!

[Image Description: The word ‘Congratulations’ fills the screen multicoloured as if it is being fired out of a party hat. Streamers and colourful shapes surround the word on a white background].

Congratulations to my fellow successful artists/artist led organisations – what a journey we are going to be embarking on. The fellowship is an 18-month on and off mentoring program around artists’ development and creative conversations - focussing on the potential, the joy, the pitfalls and the radical statement ‘internationalising practice’…We have briefly met on a zoom and the diversity of practice sounded immense. The first meety activity on this program is a residential in Stroud of all places… In ‘You Me and My Voice’ (my first and probably proudest because it was my first independent piece of work as a freelance artist) we had a line about going on a residential as a creator. Let me dig it out… Oh yeah, it was part of the future timeline scene of this ‘one-hander’ minimalist hour performance with Jen,  Sophie and Steve exploring voice, listening and why do some voices get heard above others… The line went ‘Hugh holidays in Morocco and rides on a camel. It is not a wholly pleasant experience’. No, not that line, the one I was thinking of ‘Hugh moves into an artists’ collective where no one showers and everyone uses ‘I’ statements about their feelings’.

It feels humbling, awe-inspiring and almighty step forward (maybe even destiny (oh dear, I don’t know where that came from)) that I am going to go on an artists’ retreat and be truly in the creative zone – although I’m sure there will be ample showering!

To be truly supported by Another Route to go on a four-day creative residency is awesome and something quite difficult to imagine not too long ago. I am indeed quite nervous about the whole experience and will be fully embracing the imposter syndrome vibe. I hope I can meaningfully add to the conversation and experience there and cannot wait to hear from this outstanding cohort of creators. I know I’m gonna learn loads and the idea of making my practice international will transcend for a pie in the sky, not really a conversation ‘worth having’, to a planted seed beginning to sprout meaningful possibilities.

 Without bringing to this moment a sour, overcomplicated and self-doubting place, away from the celebration that it should be = What if I was picked as a tick box exercise – the wheelchair user can zoom in a couple of times and sit in the corner just to show that we are diverse. Yes, that is there and maybe it comes from a ‘useful’ self-preservation place – the number of applications they received, my application (with awesome help from Nat and Jen as always – this is what this blog should be about) couldn’t have been picked on merit alone… No, the warm receptions I have had with everyone associated with Another Route so far has felt supportive, welcoming and enthusiastic.  Definitely the ‘tiny fish in a huge ocean’ feel will be present throughout, and there will be a knot, which will whisper:  ’well yeah what about the other 391 applications’, but this is a huge undertaking from these supportive organisations from the start. Supporting diversity for diversity’s sake doesn’t work because of many reasons – diverse voices have to overcome numerous barriers and attitudes to even be heard in the first place. Let alone, we have important things to say in interesting and creative ways… and to choose to take my artistic practice on the journey with all my unique ways of navigating the world, must be for a desire to support a creative and intriguing mind over and above all the barriers that is in the way. I can battle with internal voices (and will probably continue to) right through this 18-month of epic creativity and conversation but the panel, alongside the organisation of Another Route, chose our application… Can I call it our application? More tension between the application using the pronoun I (in Hugh Malyon) but actually there’s so many other voices in those words that the I is just a way of getting the narrative across???

All I can do in these next 18 months is to humbly represent Torbay/the Southwest as a rich but under-represented network of creative voices that are so smothered in culture and creativity it is sometimes difficult to appreciate what they do. I can speak from the heart and mind, listen and truly listen to the best of my abilities and play along with a grin. Whatever international ambitions Another Route has for the 12 successful applicants seems distant to me presently, yet if I think for one moment this journey will celebrate the disabled narrative, I will jump on it with both hands and hang on for the next 18 months of rollercoaster riding…