Knutton Road Residency   view May 2nd

Entry #15 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

After an initial three months of research (taking to people, blue chair walking, hanging out) I am proceeding towards more tangible forms of making work.  On 19th May I am inviting residents of Parson Cross and anyone interested in visiting Knutton Road Studios to come to an open and free event: PX Story, Spring: Location.

This event is the first in a series of four. Spring one is all about Parson Cross LOCATION, during Summer we will look for PX HERO, in the Autumn we will search for PX PLOT and we will finish during Winter concentrating on PX DIALOGUE. All events are leading to the creation of the PX Story, a book about Parson Cross which will be compiled with direct input from residents and visitors to Parson Cross.  

The Open Day event is an opportunity to contribute to the PX Story and also offers guided tours of the building, workshops, an exhibition of my artistic tools, a chance to meet other artists and enjoy a free cup of tea.

I have invited four artists from Parson Cross and further afield to join her - Paula Kirby, Paul Allender, Abi Goodman and Sarah Smizz who are going to present their work.

Artists Abi Goodman and Sarah Smizz's site specific Re:Advertise project is all about re-ordering the words of advertisers to say what YOU really want.

Paul Allender will show and talk about his film.

Paula Kirby will be showing film clips. Currently she has a film in Bath Fringe Festival. Check it out! 

This is a free event and everyone is welcome at SOAR Works/Knutton Road Studios, 14 Knutton Road, Parson Cross, Sheffield S5 9NU  click here for a google map  

Knutton Road Residency   view April 30th

Entry #14 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

I would like to apologies the gentleman who lives by the island in Parson Cross for inaccuretly describing his actions during the meeting on my blog. Dear sir, please accept my sincere apologies. 

Knutton Road Residency   view April 24th

Entry #13 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

I keep leaving notes in the shop windows at Roses Hardware, next to other offers to sell/buy/rent. Some people texted me back to investigate  what sort of stories I am interested in and how wide their smile needs to be to qualify. Sadly, as soon as they learnt that my research is art related their interest was gone. I am wondering if I should have Miranda July approach and pay people to sit and chat with me? 

Knutton Road Residency   view April 18th

Entry #12 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

Some young people in PX like the navy blue too! 

Knutton Road Residency   view April 2nd

Entry #11 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

JOIN CHAIR ORCHESTRA! 

Qualities required: FONDNESS OF WALKING, ABILITY TO CARRY A CHAIR, INTEREST IN MUSIC AND SPACE, SENSE OF HUMOUR, TEAM PLAYER.

FIRST PERFORMANCE IN PARSON CROSS IN MID MAY! 

JOIN NOW: 077 31509854 / ANIABAS{AT}GMAIL{DOT}COM

Knutton Road Residency   view April 1st

Entry #10 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

Yes, yes, the chair also works with 'council' blue....

Knutton Road Residency   view March 28th

Entry #9 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

It was a fine sunny day and I was walking around PX again, carrying a chair. The chair fits into the locality perfectly. It is exactly same shade of blue as many fences, cars and clothing that people in Parson Cross choose to wear. A couple of examples above!

Knutton Road Residency   view March 27th

Entry #8 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

The meeting at the island took place! The group of 4 women and one girl turned up to discuss the island's issues with me. The concerned gentleman watched us from afar. The island was transformed into a gathering place and within minutes we attracted attention of the police, some neighbours (passing by in cars twice!) and a handful of local chirpy youth who came to check what is going on and how it is going to affect them. We discussed some of the options for the island (converting it into a car park being one of them) and will continue the debate via post and during another island gathering. Big thank you to Island Women for their time and energy and ideas!

Meantime the blue chair and me are going to explore a new green patch and revisit the crescent!

Knutton Road Residency   view February 23rd

Entry #7 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

I found the island. It looks like a miniature oasis. It hosts a telephone post, a street lamp and is covered in thick grass but not a single tree or a bench in sight. I took there the blue chair during my February visit and spent a bit of time sitting around, reading and organizing my notes after the morning meetings.

A gentleman who lives by the island approached me to check "What is all of this about?" He found it weird that it was all about sitting, reading and enjoying the green spot. I was directed towards the park that had "millions spent on it" and surely must be a better spot to enjoy greenery and fresh air.

It came to me then. I will invite all the people living by the island to join me for 5 o'clock tea on the green and have a chat about this area. Explore possibilities and opportunities that the island has. There are 14 houses around the green. I posted hand written cards through the doors the very next day with my intentions (let's meet and chat) and contact details on it.

Almost immediately the same gentleman emerged from his house and came running my way to let me know that he is happy with the island as it is and he doesn't want dogs / kids / football / trouble / benches / trees / loitering / flowers / worry / people on his island. He doesn't want me either: a good-doer/council spy/non-local, intervening with his place. I reassured him that I have no plans of converting his island into amusement park. I have no plans what so ever apart from gathering people for a cup of tea and conversation. Maybe not everyone shares his feelings?

He reassured me that he would join the meeting to make his voice heard and tell everyone that the island is in perfect state as it is - empty, quiet and uninviting.

Shortly after that I had a phone call from another concerned islander. The lady who has been living by the island for a long while took me through the troubled times that the island had been through. The tree that used to grow on it was bit by bit killed by local youth. Branch by branch was taken down and the tree was eventually wrecked. Since it was gone the youth moved on and the empty bottles, swearing, thrown stones left with them. I asked what could happen to the green to make it better. The lady proposed to get rid of it all together and convert it into a concrete car park for the residents.

I am going ahead with an outdoor tea meeting in March. Tea and biscuits will be served. Worries will be explored. Plans will be made or/and abandoned. Event by invitation only!

Knutton Road Residency   view February 23rd

Entry #6 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

I am guessing people who read this blog rarely live in Parson Cross. So I went with the print out of one of my entries to the post office on Margetson Crescent in Parson Cross and asked the ladies who work there to display it for me in their window. They agreed! So since February the blog lives its life on PX Post Office. I shall make sure the window is frequently updated.

Knutton Road Residency   view February 21st

Entry #5 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

I want to meet more people living in Parson Cross. My specification is: interesting folk, with sense of humour and something to say. They might be away when I knock on their door so I put an advert in the local shop window hoping that they may spot it on their way to buy a light bulb.

Knutton Road Residency   view February 13th

Entry #4 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

When I think I am a teapot. I brew for a while. There is a lot of staring through the window (at the shrubs / at the sky/ at my neighbours) and walking up and down the room involved. I scribble on post its. I spent a little bit too long chatting to the postman. I pick up magazine from my ‘to read' pile and enjoy adverts. I listen to music. I go for a walk to the post office. I file my nails.

None of this is superfluous. All of it is part of my practise so please bear /brew with me.

Knutton Road Residency   view February 8th

Entry #3 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

In order to understand the role of Knutton Road Studios in Parson Cross I have invited a group of people to join me for one afternoon and do some group thinking around issues that bother me (and hopefully them too).

{What is studio for?}

{Who are the Knutton Road Studios designed for?}

{How the studios interact with their locality?}

{What kind of activities should and shouldn't be taking place in the studios?}

{What is the current relationship between people who attended the session and the artists who have studios in the Soar Works building?}

{What kind of relationship they would like to have with the creative folk present in the building?}

Artists, current tenants, managers of the building, representative from YAS and local residents came together to unpin these questions.

Studio was defined broadly, as a thinking - working - meeting - imagining - talking - development space that gives artists reason to be in Parson Cross. A few people commented on the fact that the studios relationship with the area is weak and might remain weak as local residents and locally based artists might not be able to afford spaces in the building.

There was a general willingness to open the building to wider public and not see it as enclosed business centre open only to tenants and their clients. So watch this space as I am definitely exploring this route!

If you are interested in reading all answers please contact me on aniabas{at}gmail{dot}com and I will send you a PDF.

Many thanks to Charlie, Gary, Ian W, Ian D, Karen, Livvy, Paul, Paula, Peter, Rachael, Ruthie, Sarah and Steve who all joined me. 

Knutton Road Residency   view February 6th

Entry #2 Ania Bas Parson Cross Residency

It started. I made my first journey up to Parson Cross. I took a bus. I arrived with a map, proper walking shoes, a smile the size of a genetically modified banana and a vague idea - to walk through the area and simply find places that make me stop and meet people who live there. Knutton Road Studios would serve as my temporary base, shelter and reference point. Off I went and within minutes I was standing on Fulmere Crescent. Piece of green, curved. Perfect! It was a quiet piece of land though so after a few minutes of loitering I was aware I must have looked well dodgy. I really was ready for a chat but people were either out or busy indoors. So I started knocking on people's doors. Many thanks to Arnie & Constance, Brian, Carol, Matthew, Peter and Stephen who all found time to open them and to talk.

I am interested in green spaces, little pockets of land in between houses because they have a potential to act as a gathering point, shared territory, place to meet and do stuff or talk about stuff, a piece of green to stand on to have a better view. I am fond of little green spaces dotted around becuase they often are my outdoor studio spaces, my thinking plots, making areas. In my head Knutton Road Studios and Fulmere Crescent are closely linked - both locations have capacity to act as a focal point. 

Whilst chatting to people at Fulmere Crescent I asked them to donate a word that describes the green and learnt that it is occasionally used as a football pitch during warmer months.

Contributed words/phrases: 

{quiet}

{it's just there}

{peaceful}

{always the same}

{green}

{pleasant} 

I used them all to write a short story. (Think flash fiction and DIY approach to display) The very next day I went to the crescent armed with a blue chair to act as my ladder and I attached the story to a utility pole. All hand-written on a card. I hoped for these words to stay on the pole for one afternoon. They lasted only a few hours until the first rain. I am sure Cath and Roy managed to read it all as they did it whilst I was still trying to detach the tape from my fingers and they questioned me about my intentions and my accent. However (surprise, surprise) a few people spotted me strolling through the estate with a blue chair in my arms. This might be my signature action and silent announcement of my presence. I might skip story-writing all together and just carry on promenading with furniture.

Now I am brewing. Anything and everything is possible.