Switch movie

To the hungover wildlife, the decisive under-10s, the people who wanted to change the everyday, the people who thought about the bigger issues. To everyone who answered my question: "what would you switch?", while standing in a wood holding a large piece of vinyl and foam – thank you.

Urban Wildlife – September 12-13th 2009

This is the second time out for my switch project. The first time was in 2007 and a test run really. I'll put the first film up in the near future. Some people asked me this weekend if it was about environmental issues. Or the banking crisis. Well no, it certainly didn't start off that way. If that's what some people saw in it that's fine.

It's actually become about the things we all want to switch. First it was me switching my life and specifically my job. I then discovered that creating my first switch and filming people holding it was a bit of a cathartic experience for me in itself – it helped me focus on where I didn't want to be any more. And there were little things or even huge things that everyone wanted to switch once they started to think about it. Documenting that was by turns funny, unexpected and occasionally strangely moving.

So I finally got to do it all again after the project lying dormant for two years and it got it's first proper showing courtesy of rekindle this weekend in Queen's Wood, Highgate. So thanks to Tony, Judith for agreeing to have me along in the first place and all the other artists I met over the two days who were super-nice and welcoming to me and others new to the Queen's Wood event. Special thanks to Helen Turner for saving my fingers and sewing my new switches. Also to the people who came along and gave me their opinion about it all, whatever they thought about it. Without an audience it's nothing.

And last but not least the 20 people who stood there holding my original switch, talking to camera about what they'd switch. Switch movie 2009 here soon.

Here's to public art and making it happen.

http://www.rekindlepublicarts.org/