Collect your Cereal Packets: March is for Model Making!
By Erica Smith
The great joy in 1970s households was the cereal packet. Vouchers and gifts could be found inside them, and when you had finished munching their edible contents, there was nothing better to do than cut them up to make models. That’s why artist Mark Daniels has seized on the opportunity to get involved with the ATownExploresABook22 Art Trail inspired by Rumer Godden’s 1972 novel, The Diddakoi.
Every Monday in March, Mark will lead drop-in sessions from 11am-2pm at Hattons Yard. The sessions are for anyone who wants to regain that childhood feeling of joy and total absorption you get from making miniatures. The models will be part of the Festival Art Trail and will be displayed in windows, in trees and on fences all over St Leonards between 1-18 April. You are encouraged to make a model of anything that takes your fancy, but if you are in need of inspiration, there will be some pre-prepared pieces so you can easily make a boat or a horse or waggon.
Everyone is welcome to drop in on the day, but we’d love to know if you are coming so we can plan ahead. Materials will be provided, but please bring your own cereal packets and scissors if you can! Hattons Yard is a lovely, friendly space and is well ventilated. We would love to see you there!
If you aren’t able to make the sessions but want to get involved, you are welcome to make models at home and display them during the festival. Last year’s Owl Trail was a huge success with over 150 home-made owls on display across St Leonards. We’d love this year’s festival trail to be bigger and better – so get model making and encourage your neighbours to start cutting up their cereal packets too!
Mark’s passion for models has inspired a personal collection of churches made from matchsticks by dedicated crafters from previous generations. He loves that model making is highlighted in Rumer Godden’s Whitbread Prize winning novel. The book contains a whole village of characters, and it is Admiral Twiss, with his passion for model making, that lies at the heart of this festival craft project.
The Admiral, a war veteran, is a retiring personality, content to make models of boats and buildings. He shuns the responsibilities associated with his perceived role as squire of a Sussex village and attracts criticism for hosting a gyspy family in his orchard and respecting their traditions. He doesn’t ‘fit the mould’, so quietly forges a life true to himself.
Three St Leonards-on-Sea community groups are at the centre of this community project. Led by Ann Bloomfield, Hastings and Bexhill Mencap’s Active Arts artists will be working with artist Juliette Dodd. The Seaview makers will be working with Storytime’s Lily Guttierez and artists from Arts on Prescription with Tara Reddy and her team of creatives.
• To attend the Model Makers Mondays workshops, please contact Erica Smith at [email protected]
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