Tuesday 22 May 2012

Opportunity for local artists

Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership are looking to commission an artist to produce artwork to brighten up Braintree Freeport Station.

They want your ideas. It could be on a railway theme, shopper theme, or local theme. The station is located at Freeport shopping centre. If you are interested please submit your CV’s and idea’s to Lynda Stone via email by the 6 June.
They have funding of £9,000 for the complete project. They would prefer Braintree artists for the projects, but local Essex artists can still apply.

If you require any further information please telephone Jayne Sumner on 01245 435772.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

May's prose and Platform One poetry

The May WDTL is about to be folded and placed on the station.  It includes poetry by Stephen Beattie and Mary McQueen, as well as prose by Petra McQueen.  The beautiful illustrations in the leaflet are drawn by Charmaine McKissock.  In addition to our new leaflet, we have a  poem by Alex Toms on Platform One.
Ghost Ship

I see you for the first time
at the hospital today. The sonographer
smears gel on my stomach

and rolls the probe over it.
Your image swims on the screen,
hazy as fog above a mapless ocean.

Moored to me by a silver thread, you seem
insubstantial as a ghost ship – the merest gust
and you’d resolve yourself

into a fish, a sea monster
or nothing at all.
Yet you drift, oblivious

to me and my fears,
your spine thick as a barnacled keel.
A coming and going of whiteness

indicates your heartbeat –
a winking beacon.
If I could, I’d send you

three bright stars to light
your nine-month night, guide you safely
to the harbour of my arms.