#WeAreRydeArts - Fern Toynton & Lara Chapman
You Get The Gist YGTG is a design research studio, established by Fern Toynton and Lara Chapman in 2020. The duo’s practice is based on a love of materials, making, stories about objects and community involvement.
“It was exciting to be responsible for nurturing and fostering the community atmosphere of this project which we had to learn to do via Zoom because of the pandemic and how to navigate collaborative approaches at this time. ”
What was the RA project you were involved in? YGTG was one of the three pairs involved in the COVID Commissions with Ryde Arts. Our project IN CASE OF FIRE, invited 32 creatives working across many different disciplines to make works in response to two fire extinguishers from the Isle of Wight Historical Society. The project resulted in a website-based exhibition (http://www.in-case-of-fire-exhibition.com/) and shop-window display on the Isle of Wight.
How did you grow as an artist as a result of this project? This was the first big project we undertook as YGTG. It was an exciting moment to test out methods of working together but, more importantly, it was fascinating to learn from the many creatives that we worked across so many different disciplines. It was exciting to be responsible for nurturing and fostering the community atmosphere of this project which we had to learn to do via Zoom because of the pandemic and how to navigate collaborative approaches at this time.
How was the community involved in your project? The main community aspect of this project was the 32 creatives who took part in the brief. We chose a mixture of emerging and established creatives who work in disciplines such as design, music, writing, fine arts, floristry, etc. We involved people we didn’t know, as well as working with friends and colleagues. Participants were introduced to each other via weekly Zoom calls which were an informal way of sharing ideas about the project and giving feedback on each other's work. This culminated in a Zoom launch where people shared their final pieces, it was a pleasure to see everyone so excited by each other’s work and the project outcome. We also had the opportunity to work with cultural/historic institutions on the Isle of Wight, visiting both the Isle of Wight Heritage Service and the Historic Ryde Society’s collections to find an object for the brief. We aimed to activate objects in these collections and share them with the community of Ryde in a new context. Finally, the window display in the former Packs Department store was the first artistic installation there, marking the new function of the building as a community arts centre. We chatted to the local public who passed by and were intrigued by our project and the building.
In what ways do you think Ryde Arts community participation projects are good for the cultural wellbeing of the community? Through our project we hoped to give an insight into the range of design jobs available. By having the opportunity to display the project in a shop window, in front of a bus stop, we feel that the projects were much more accessible and allowed people to engage with it who may not usually visit galleries. We really appreciate the fact that Ryde Arts was established with the aim of giving emerging artists a platform and funding. As a young studio, it has allowed us to grow our portfolio, make new connections and have confidence in our process.
What lasting memory do you have of this project Meeting and working with so many great people and sharing the excitement on the opening Zoom event. We are so proud of the end result, given that we managed to make an exhibition during the pandemic and decided to do a very ambitious project for the COVID Commission!
Contact Instagram @you.get.the.gist www.yougetthegist.com
