Community Art : The Heartfelt Project

Introduction.
In May 2004, 21 feltmakers - of 5 different nationalities came together at Boggle Hole, an old mill converted into a youth hostel in North Yorkshire, UK.
They had gathered to participate in the Heartfelt Felt Project, initiated by Sheila and Inge Evers on behalf of Mari Nagy and Istvan Vidak to commemorate the first International Scientific Felt Symposium in Keckskemet, Hungary which they organised in 1984.

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As in their previous project, the Mille Fleurs Carpet for Mary Burkett, Sheila and Inge wrote letters of invitation

to feltmakers around the world and asked them for a felt and a small financial contribution.
About 120 participants sent two felt hearts. Heart no.1 was kept in a pre-felt stage. Heart no.2 was fully felted and attached to an A-4 sized storyboard with name and address and information about the maker.
The IFA awarded a grant to fund a professional filing system for the boards. Sheila Smith will undertake this. The storyboards will become another record of the state of felt since 1984. The originals will be available for those feltmakers who visit Keckskemet in future. A colour copy-book will be made which will stay in UK and available on loan from the IFA Library.

Boggle Hole, a safe place for explorations of all kinds
Sheila co-ordinated the project, its day-to-day organisation and all agreed that Boggle Hole was the most magical and inspiring working place she could have found for the job. As one of the team members wrote: "... I remember waves rolling in, grey stones, the	springing greens of the woods, birdsong and the strong stone mill. Evidence of man working with nature - now working to give care to guests of all ages..." Our timetable left the afternoons free to explore the countryside, walking along the beach to Robin Hood's Bay and visiting Whitby a historic fishing town.

Getting started

Inge wrote a new "felt choreography": a basic structure for the felting of a two sided white felt-door with a red ladder on one side.
She planned a play with letters on the chosen theme "Felt the World Together" on the other side.

As introduction she explained symbolic themes like letters and ladders and talked about old beliefs and metaphors. For instance, during summer-schools, Istvan Vidak always put up a felt-door first in the middle of the empty puszta, suggesting the place was safe.

In early days, the opening of a tent -door from outside meant to enter the intimacy of the life inside the yurt (microcosm) and once inside with the door closed, under the open roof-wheel, one may undergo the vertical connection with the skies above.

Opening the door out again is entering into the world (macrocosm). In historical times in Central Asia, two colours of wool, red and white wool were mainly used. The process developed step by step exploring these themes and the final design became a surprise to all.

Looking back on a heartfelt process

Community Art Feltmaking is a process of change. The director is considered a change-agent and is at the same time an equal partner of the group. The team members who went through this process felt different afterwards.

One member questioned her feeling different ... "what unique experiences had I just undergone which could have such a radical and profound effect?

Was it the extraordinary beauty and location of Boggle Hole and the powerful influence of water, with the sea at the front, the weir at the back, water in our felting hands and rain often on our backs in this natural English paradise?

Or was it the exclusion of the outside world (no mobiles, no tv) and sense of retreat?

Was it the incredible feeling of privilege we had in working with all these individual hearts and lives of other fellow feltmakers from across the world that they had entrusted us, whom they did not know, to do our very best?

Or perhaps, even, in these uncertain times, the intense political and iconic symbolism of colour - the innocent pureness of the white and the blood of the red?

Without doubt, a strong influence was the joy, discovery and ethos of the evolving 'Group', the community through which we were creating and handling a piece of 21st Century social art history.

We were part of a long and ancient lineage of women working together, sharing our load and making light work of it as a consequence.

Perhaps it was a bit of all of these, but taking part in the Heartfelt Project took me on an inner self and outer professional journey which has left me with a deep sense of warmth, strength of unity and purpose."

Another member of the team said "I remember care and respect given to each participant, yet the absolute and successful determination to complete on time.

For me it was not only the joy of together making a lovely carpet, but the bonding companionship of the group.
We were a very mixed bunch; among us sometimes an instant laughing recognition of a like-mind, other times a gradual journey of acquaintance and appreciation.

I think we all found points of understanding and affection - and were touched, moved and inspired by the experience".

Celebration

From August 12th - 22nd Lakitelek in Hungary was the centre of the Felting World.
After the parents Mari Nagy and Istvan Vidak initiated the First International Conference in Keckskemet, Hungary 1984, now 20 years later their daughters Anna and Rosza helped to organize an International Felt Festival with lectures, yurtmaking, workshops and exhibitions in Budapest.

Here the outcome of the Heartfelt Project was revealed

and presented: a double sided door felt, on one sideshowing a red ladder covered with 125 felted hearts, on the other side the peace seeking message "Felt the World Together".
Hopefully the hollow rungs of the ladder will be treated as "mail boxes", as they are meant to receive messages and prayers of hope, peace and friendship.

May the personal transform into the universal "Felt the World Together"