Playing in the Potholes of Your Mind
By Helen Murphy and Nick Pelling
The sheer number of potholes in the road fabric of this town is, let’s face it, bloody annoying. In this town you can basically go off-roading while you are on the road. But clearly, East Sussex County Council don’t actually care. You can blow your blood vessels trying to contact them about it. But one woman has a unique way of highlighting it. She sees each and every bit of collapsing road as a theatrical landscape full of possibilities for her friends in the 1970s doll community.
The mysterious artist known simply as ‘Sinky’ has carved out a very niche position for herself: a road-based satirist. Sounds weird, but, in our view, it’s pretty funny. She has been doing her thing for two years – on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms – but now her latest production is a real, tangible 2023 calendar. This is, arguably, the most must-have Christmas present available on the South Coast (although she gets requests for the calendars from all around the world).
TOYING WITH BARRY AND KEN
The calendar features twelve rather moving scenes, set in precisely identified local potholes, featuring such much-loved doll characters as the very British Sindy and some bloke called Barry. (Don’t know if Barry was, as it were, Sindy’s Ken, but it’s certainly hot gossip in doll-land. The appearance of Ken in several of Sindy’s scenes suggests to this newspaper that he was probably cheating on the American Barbie.) It is pretty hard to describe the calendar in all its plastic glory in words, but there are some great highlights. One of our favourites is probably the Scottish January scene in which two virile action men, in splendid tartan gear, impress the McSindy-lassies by ‘piping in the new pothole’ on Lower Park Road.
There is, however, a serious side to all this silliness. Sinky believes that there is something wrong about the way that, as we transition to adulthood, we are somehow culturally brainwashed into giving up our playmates. We are in effect told that playing is wrong. This may even be psychologically damaging – it seems as if we have to learn to be unimaginative just to cope with the modern world. It is a debatable thesis, but certainly an interesting one.
HAND MADE HEADS
But just how do you make the journey towards road-based doll dramas? Not surprisingly, it turns out that the individual behind all of this is a skilled model maker and artist. In fact. she trained at the Sir Henry Doulton School of Sculpture. This was a very old-school training, in that it actually taught key artistic skills. Particularly, three-dimensional modelling and ceramic work. In fact, she now offers a bespoke miniature sculpted portrait service. If you would like a miniature version of yourself or partner, go to Gorgon Head Sculpts on Facebook. She is emphatic that these heads are very definitely not produced on a 3D printer: they are individually sculpted and hand-painted, unique heads. If you are in any doubt, she adds that these are also “not for throwing out of the attic window attached to a parachute.”
Sinky also gives her time and skills to the Boathouse Theatre in Hastings. There is no prop request that she will not attempt. But this is no surprise: she is an extremely multi-talented artist. Somehow, she manages to be simultaneously funny, profound, silly and brilliant. Quite an achievement. Just shows what you can do if you give yourself, as Sinky says, permission to play.
• The calendars are available at the pop-up shop at 90 Norman Road or via SinkySnap on Facebook.
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