Archives for December 2011

Blog: Week Four. Site: Patan, Kathmandu.

December 20, 2011 By Andy

Hunting for Fairy Tales of the Yeti

Blog: Week Four.

Date: December 20^th 2011.

Site: Patan, Kathmandu.

What I’ve done: Having travelled for four days in trains and buses on very bumpy roads I arrived in Kathmandu. I am staying at Sanu’s house in Patan and the house keeper Sanita is very helpful in our hunt. She has stories that she will tell us and I will put them on the website for you to read and listen to. She is also asking lots of her friends to help us. I have invited her to join the Guild of Fairy Tale Hunters along with Eric (do you remember him from my time in Kokata).

I met the teachers and the children at The Life Vision Academy, which is the school for Youth and Children First. This school is our team base in Kathmandu and gave them a big WELCOME ABOARD as they join us in our hunt. The schools in England can see the Academy in the articles and galleries. It will be very interesting and fun to see their art work too. I must go and buy some art materials to use.

All of the teachers are going to help me and the children are going to teach me Nepalese. We also have help in translating any local fairy-tales we find. The children of Life Vision Academy are from several different parts of Nepal, so I will be able to visit lots of places over the next six weeks here. You will be able to find the places on the map on the website.

I have spent a day only carrying my sketch book for a change and trying not to speak English, which was very difficult.

What you’ve done: I hope that you are enjoying following the website during your holidays and that you are able to ask your families to tell you old fairy tale stories, so you can bring them back to school in the new year. I hope that you are finding the website easy to use?

What I want you to do for me: I would like both schools in England to send me messages, articles, videos and pictures so I can show them to the children in Nepal over the next six weeks as we work together. I will also put all of them on the website.

OH YES…….Don’t forget to send me my next mission (that includes our new hunters from Life Vision Academy).

Where next: To begin creating art work and finding fairy tale stories with the children of Life Vision Academy. I will also show the children in Nepal the work of the children in Engaland.

I hope that you enjoy your holidays. Bye for now.

Filed Under: Control Centre, Mission Updates

December 18, 2011 By Andy

The long journey from Nagaland to Nepal.

Third week of December.

Twisting, buckling, bumpy and tyre bursting knuckles rides. Jungle tangled missionary outposts fizz in sultry heavy clouds as giant bamboo chop sticks squewer cliffs drenched by towering water falls. This is the land of the Miaweno and the Oa. These are their mountain homes where they kindle spirits and demon stories.

Here I met some new friends in a local school and they will send us their fairy tales of the jungles.

I descended from the peaks back into Assam. The house grew legs across the flood plains as the woven walls returned to bricks. The mists changed into dusty roads under the paths of great big hard working elephants chained to their heavy wooden loads. Peoples face change too as their religions change with them, from tribal shamanism, Baptist Christens to Hindi. Listen to the sound tracks!

So many miles during the night are crossed as I move to the eastern boarder of Nepal. I’m confronted by transport strikes, passport controls, changing money and languages. After four bus journeys and two trains, two Bollywood films and cliff hanging mountain passes through the clouds over four days you find me here in Patan, in Kathmandu.

https://www.yetifairytales.com/?p=457

Filed Under: Featured

Site: Nagaland.

December 17, 2011 By Andy

Blog: Week Three.

Site: Nagaland.

What I’ve done: here in Kohima I visited a school where sister Atula told me of her tribal home near Mokochung and said that I must try to visit her brother in the spring time when he will have collected fairy tale stories for me to take home to you. Many people here call me the alien, as if I was from outer space! They are very friendly to me and we are having a lot of laughs. I have tried to send you emails from internet cafes which are powered by batteries and home-made computers, but they are too slow to upload videos. Imagine making your own computer from scratch. The internet café was looked after by a child of 10 years old. Many children all over India and Asia cannot go to school and I have seen many many children working. Sometimes they are doing very difficult jobs.

I have met two people who are going to translate and email us local fairy-tales (one is about a wizard and a giant cracked boulder). They will talk to the elders and I was told to return here in the spring to visit their long houses.

I have received messages from the teachers in Kathmandu and the children there are very excited to meet you on the website.

I am always drawing in my sketch book and I use it to communicate when I cannot understand the local languages (there are over 20 in Nagaland alone).

What you’ve done: I hope that you are enjoying following the website in your classrooms and that you like what you are seeing. Your teachers are planning exciting things for you to do soon and maybe you have your own ideas of what you would like to see on the website, if you do tell your teachers. I hope that your fairy tale stories are looking good and I am looking forward to seeing them on the bookshelf on the website.

What I want you to do for me: I would like you to send me fairy Tale newspaper articles, so that I can put the on the website next to the ones I am uploading about my journey of discovery.

Don’t forget! Send me my next mission.

Where next: The long journey towards the roof of the world and the home of the Yeti!

I’m looking forward to hearing from again you soon. Bye for now.

Filed Under: Mission Updates

Site: Kolkata to Guwahati, India to Assam.

December 12, 2011 By Andy

Site: Kolkata to Guwahati, India to Assam.

What I’ve done: Discovered the best English translation book shop of all Kolkata. In the shop I met the book keeper and he gave me three special fairy-tale books, one that has story of a ten year old girl who saw the yeti. In the shop I also met Eric, who is also on an artistic hunt. His art is music and he is searching for an Indian musician and singer, armed with only a CD track, his accordion and his camera. He is very interested in our project and he is making a film of his journey at maybe-bangladesh.com.

I have two clues. The first is that the book shop keeper said to travel via Nagaland on my way to Nepal and the second happened when I met the great niece of Rabindrath Tagore who said to visit a very special Indian school in Shantiniketan created by a fairy tale writer, on my return from Nepal. Perhaps this will be another school we can link up with on the website? I’ve put both these on my creative map, you could do the same.

I continue to draw in my sketch book, take lots and lots of pictures and films, so keep watching as I send them across the world to you. Sometimes it is very hard to send emails or uploads from here as there can be no electricity or internet for many hours or even days at a time.

What you’ve done: your teachers have shown you the website in your classroom and I hope that you have watched it at home too with your families. Perhaps you could send me more stories from your families. I know that your teachers are now using skype so we will be able to talk to each other live in your classrooms soon.

What I want you to do for me: I would like you to remember the maps you created for me. It would be great if you could make a big one in your classroom and put fun pictures on it. Then you could send it to me and it can go on the website.

As ever don’t forget to send me my next mission.

Where next: into Nagaland!

I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon. Bye for now.

Filed Under: Mission Updates

Kohima. Second week of December

December 11, 2011 By Andy

Thick bamboo and pineapple forested mountains veiled in deep blankets of mist drawn up close from Bhutan keep Nagaland from the chills of their winter.

A fairy-tale hunter sleeps across the rumbling ox grazed rice fields and shares the food of a family from Arundel Pradesh, as the Jan Shatabi Express night train from Kolkata traverses West Bengal, glides over the Brahmaputra and slips into Assam.

His bag is now heavier with stories from Kolkata; “Haro the Croc, The Magic Wrap and Why Pigs are so Dirty”.

Hello fellow artists from the land of the Naka at Toucan festival time. I’ve travelled yet further into the forest of the future and write to you from at city built on top of a mountain ringed by jungle inhabited by snakes and bears. Here Mithun skulls look out from under Kikek gables and old stories are told of the times of head hunting.

Here the rainfall is even more than in Manchester and the wells deeper than in Sunderland. I’ve grappled with Bengali to get “panni bottles”, with ordering “khorika” in Assamese and now am trying my lips at Nagalese, which may bring me a wriggling plate of “borol”.

Oh…. It did!

Filed Under: Featured

Blog: Week One. December 5th 2011.

December 5, 2011 By Andy

Hunting for Fairy Tales of the Yeti
Blog: Week One.
Date: December 5th 2011.

Site: Kolkata, India.

What I’ve done: I landed safely and the family of a man I met in the sky on the way here drove me in their car all the way to where I was staying (the area is called Swiss Park). Then I slept for a whole day! I ventured into the colourful and noisy streets many times, sometimes getting totally lost and having to use the underground train to get home. I started by following your mission to learn the language. It is Bengali; though so far all I can remember is “dude” which means milk.

I’ve met some children from Tibet at an art exhibition and they say that I will definitely find fairy-tales of the yeti in the mountains where they are from (see if you can find their country).

I’ve taken lots and lots of pictures and films, so keep watching the website to see them as I send them across the world to you.

Oh yes I have to eat with my hands here (only my right one of course). Goodness the food is very hot and spicy.

What you’ve done: your teachers have sent me a lot of pictures from the work that we did together and it is great to see them in the galleries on the website. I hope you can see them in your classroom. You had lots of fun using your imagination to think about what you would like me to do and you started your own stories by drawing pictures and making sculptures (can you remember what they were?). Thank-you very much for doing your homework and joining the Guild of Fairy-tale Hunters I’m sure that you are proudly wearing your special badges. See if you can spot them in the pictures.

What I want you to do for me: I would like you to remember what the tools were which you designed for me. Maybe you could send me some funny and imaginative pictures from your schools so I can show them to the children here. Can you send me a message with the best ones and don’t forget to send me my next mission.

Where next: I’m heading to the book bazar to hunt for fairy-tale books then to catch the river ferry to the train station. From there I will catch the over-night train to Guwahati in Assam (try and find it on the map on the website, remember you can follow where I am on the map as well).

I look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now.

Filed Under: Featured, Mission Updates

Log: Kokata, India. First week of December 2011

December 5, 2011 By Andy

Hello to you all and thank-you for helping me as I set off on this adventure. Travelling nearly six hours into the future is a little tricky, as I’m sure you can guess, so it has taken a little while to adjust to the surroundings. You will see in the Control Centre on the website that I have my first “Mission”, which is to understand the language people speak here. I hope that you will listen to some of the sound tracks I’ve sent as clues, to let you know what my ears are hearing. IT’S VERY NOISEY!

It’s hot, it’s dusty oh and did I mention the noises? (BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!). I’ve included some pictures of the many ways that people get about here, from trams (there’re not like the ones in Manchester) to rick-shaws. I’ve noticed that the buses have no windows and look like they are made from wood, they remind me of some of your imaginary drawings we did together. As for the smells, well my nose is continually full of exotic spices, incense and clouds of dust (aaaaaaaaaa chuewww!).

Lots and lots of people live here, some in home-made tents on the pavement, including children and babies. I’ve seen many children working, cooking and cleaning in the markets, even building the pavements by hand. Actually most of life seems to take place on the pavements, they are so full of people making, and recycling and fixing things that most people end up walking in the road.

Luckily I’ve found a good place to messages to you from, it might not be so easy over the next few days as I’m heading north soon into Assam. Assam is near Bhutan, which is famous for Yeti’s. I must remember to try to get some fairy tale books from the book market here I’ll let you know how I get on).

Kolkata is awash with art and I am already doing lots and lots of drawings in my sketch book. In fact there is singing, dancing, radios, load speakers and beeping horns coming out of every window. The city is a treasure trove of imaginative creation that is constantly changing day and night.

Did you see the picture of the post box I put up? Imagine what it would be like communicating without the internet?

Can you imagine what the train to Assam will be like?

Filed Under: Featured, Monsters Footprints

Workshop Three

December 5, 2011 By Andy

Hunting for Fairy Tales of the Yeti.

Workshop Three
Before the Hunt: We are Fairy-tale Hunters.
Hylton Red House and Old Hall Drive Primary Schools (one hour).

Chapter	Artistic vision	Content	Other
Where have we been and where are we going?	Reflection and consolidation	Discussion	Questions
Website	Gaining skills	Display of on-site articles including results of homework	Computer Tour of site
The Guild	Creative writing	Homework Writing your own Fairy-tale	Award of Epilates Home work from previous workshop
Your Fairy-tale Book	Illustration and calligraphy	The Jacket and The last word	2D
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Retention for 6 months
Your website	Design	Questioning practical use of website	Recording the story
Your Fairy-tale Hunter	3D	Large sculpture Size Skills	3D without 2D drawing
Book shelf	Gaining skills	Introduction to use of bookshelf widget	Computer Website
Missions	Confidence building	Tasks and direction for artist when on location	Stretching artists challenges
Articles	Journalism	Homework to create articles for website based on experiences from workshops	Recording the project
Bye-bye for now	Imagination	Discussion	Questions
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Retention from all previous workshops

Materials: coloured marker pens, A3 paper and blank story books. Silver and gold paper, fake fur, extra random sculptural materials. Sellatape and staplers.
Extra information to convey: Yeti Book Pack forwarded by Seven Stories.
Requests:

Active use of website to communicate with artist in the field.
Regular weekly uploads and down loads to website team with mission statements to artist.
Encourage students to present articles and homework stories to website in a format that is unloadable. Either photographed or written as a document with embedded images.
To convey article format for teachers to send effective messages to artist in the field:

“What we have done, what you have achieved and what we want you to do next”

Teachers to award Epilates based on Home work.

Recording: Teachers to take photos and upload to web-site team
Evaluation: Feedback from children, open discussion hosted by teachers.

Filed Under: Workshops

Workshop Two

December 5, 2011 By Andy

Hunting for Fairy Tales of the Yeti.

Workshop Two
Before the Hunt: Suspending disbelief.
Hylton Red House and Old Hall Drive Primary Schools (one hour).

Chapter	Artistic vision	Content	Other
2D and 3D	Introduction to Sculpture	Up down and all around	Discussion
Who are you?	2D	You and your abilities, ambitions and what has been passed to you by others	What are you hunting for? Questions
Website	Gaining skills	Display of on-site galleries	Computer Tour of site
What’s in the Sack?	2D and Imagination	Opening of the bags	Sealed bags of materials have been in schools for 3 weeks
Monsters	2D and Imagination	Drawing senses	Cultural portrayal of demons
The Guild	Creative writing	Looking at results of homework from previous workshop containing family stories	Awards of Epilates and entrance into Guild membership
Special tools	Design	What inventive tools would you need to catch fairy-tales?
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Retention for 6 months
Special tools	3D	Process led construction from 2D designs into 3D	Structure
Articles	Journalism	Homework to create articles for website based on experiences from workshops	Recording the project
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Retention from 60 minutes

Materials: coloured marker pens, A3 paper and blank story books. Silver and gold paper, fake fur, extra random sculptural materials. Sellatape and staplers.
Extra information to convey:

Active use of website to communicate with artist in the field.
Trial regular weekly uploads and downloads with discussions around conveying how to decide on which mission statements to ask artist to complete.

Requests: Book packs
Recording: Students and teachers to take videos and photos and upload to web-site team for the duration of time when artist completing field work.
Evaluation: Class discussion and artist to de-brief team leaders.

Filed Under: Workshops

Workshop One

December 5, 2011 By Andy

Hunting for Fairy Tales of the Yeti.

Workshop One
Before the Hunt: The Age of Innocence.
Hylton Red House and Old Hall Drive Primary Schools (one hour).

Chapter	Artistic vision	Content	Other
Who am I	2D	Fairy Tales Cultural context The creature Other Yeti’s Rare	What are we hunting for? Questions
Thing	Randomisation and spontaneity	Word play Clearing	Very fast 10 seconds
Hear And here	Awareness and linguistics	Word play Centring	Fast 20 seconds
Fairy-tale character	2D Visual memory	Memories of existing fairy-tale characters	Cultural history
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Brief timed count down. Retention for 6 months
The project Website. The bare bones	Gaining skills	Tour of site and encourage creative use of computer access outside school	Testing results of teacher and schools Computer technology team training
See by the sea	Linguistics	Imagination	40 seconds
Smell	Imagination		Time travel 10 minutes, 10 years to 1000 years
Set up homework	Research, documentation and journalism	To record student’s own family fairy tales.	Encourage creative use of computer access outside school
Map	Design graphics communication	Planning	Compass Gift exchange Pathways
Eyes wide shut	Internal image recall	Drawing with eyes closed	Retention from 60 minutes

Materials: coloured marker pens, A3 paper and blank story books.
Extra information to convey: Yeti Books presented by Seven Stories at teachers CPD event.
Requests: Book packs to be read through duration of project
Recording: Teachers to take photos and upload to web-site team
Evaluation: class discussion and artist to de-brief team leaders.

Filed Under: Workshops