a little book of magic for chris fletcher & his team jim colquhoun & john fletcher
stickers
contents
travel stuff to do night and day recipes
playtime When we are kids we just play, “If you never did you should. These things are we make it up as we go along and fun and fun is good!” that’s the joy of it. At that age play Dr. Seuss is more or less unstructured and it’s something we do instinctively. As kids we lose ourselves in play and whether we are alone or in a group it is all-consuming. When we enter adulthood something happens to play; it becomes structured into forms such as sport, socialising, courtship rituals, hobbies, shopping and other organised events and in the process something often gets lost – that something is the ability to spontaneously be in the moment, to play unselfconsciously. In Artlink we use play to engage with people whose lives can be routined by day-to-day logistics, where variety and new experiences rely on the imaginations of those around them. To cope or find some form of respite from over, or under stimulation – behaviours
can become internalised and repetitive – the same action becoming a form of comfort or control. We work in collaboration, learning from those who know the person well, using sound, projections, costumes and movement, often all at once to alter immediate environments. Ultimately, we look for ways to engage with people and their supports, that allow for spontaneity and play. Within these environments, play is non-linear, offering freedom from restriction – here there is no beginning, middle or end, it is a timeless zone where anything is possible. Jim Colquhoun, artist.
We would like to thank John who has used his life long knowledge of his son and what makes him tick to open up new possibilities. It’s his description of the detail within his sons interests that have informed and inspired this book.
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.” Anonymous
stuff to do
‘He likes the sound of different words and languages, things that he’s not used to hearing’ says John Take him to Thailand or Venezuela by podcast, go for a walk with headphones, find a Disney song he knows but in another language, read out loud a poem in French, learn a children’s song in German and sing it between staff, borrow a language tape from the library, change the language on his favourite DVDs.
notes
‘Try to broaden his visual input by watching unusual films and DVDs’ says John Jan Švankmajer and The Brothers Quay would be good to start with as they are full of startling and unusual imagery; both are easily available on Youtube. Use search terms such as surrealism, dreams, floating, underwater or caving for example.
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‘He’s an observer’ says John Try hiding yourselves to see how Chris reacts, or perhaps you could all move vvveeeeerrryyy slowly for a few minutes. Lie on the floor. Sit on a table. The idea is to surprise Chris with unusual and startling reactions, make him think, ‘What is going on here?!’
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‘He likes different colours and textures’ says John Why not drape the rooms with coloured fabrics? Put it on the ground so that Chris can feel the coolness of silk or the warmth of fur with his feet. Or you could hang fabric around the room for Chris to pass through.
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‘Chris will walk quite far but only sometimes’ Try to gauge when those times might be. Pick a location like the swing park or the field and note how Chris reacts in the diary. Could you ‘find’ a treat at your destination? Does he like the woods best, or the park? You could have a hand drawn map of Gowkshill on the wall showing where you have been and where to go next?
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‘A sensorium for the feet’ As well as various fabrics strewn on the floor for Chris to enjoy you could use polythene that has been in the freezer, squashy toys underneath, a blanket including things that make a noise.
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‘He likes mimicry’ Does he mimic you? Does he mimic certain accents? Is it about words or tone? Are there certain characters he likes to be? Does Chris enjoy listening to mimicry?
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‘He likes having his space invaded’ says John Chris really enjoys when people get up close. Try going up to him and making funny faces from a few inches away and note the response or lean your head against his shoulder? See how long he will let you hug him for.
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‘He enjoys looking at photo albums’ This can be as simple as looking at his own albums together, or maybe you can bring in your own for Chris to try? Could you create a photo album of a recent trip, or close-ups of everyones faces? What about an album of screenshots from his favourite films? His favourite food? Could Chris himself be placed/superimposed in to different environments such as the jungle, outer space, under the sea etc?
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‘Try constant eye contact whilst swaying and rocking’ If you think intensive interaction is a positive way to share with Chris, how does he like you to share with him? See Phoebe Caldwell’s website for ideas at www.phoebecaldwell.co.uk
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‘Nature Sound’ Use environmental and nature sounds to conjure a different atmosphere in the house. You could be on a mountain top, in the deep forest, lost in the desert. There is some stuff on Chris’s player but often this material can be found on YouTube.
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‘Hoover Play’ Try playing with the hoover! Chris enjoys the sound of the hoover so try hoovering his toes, the curtains, pick things up with it, be silly...
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‘Exercise DVDs’ Chris enjoys watching these, try to find the silliest ones you can and have a go!
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‘Slapstick’ Try bumping into each other and pretending to fall over. Drop things in an exaggerated fashion. Touch Chris then leap away. Drop a tray full of unbreakable things...
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‘Hiding’ Just suddenly duck behind a chair! One of you could hide then everyone could look for you. Both of you could slowly hide behind the sofa making sure Chris sees you doing it.
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Ingredients
make play-doh 480g plain flour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 120g salt 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 350ml boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right) food colouring (optional)
Method
few drops glycerine (optional - adds more shine!) Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl Add food colouring to the boiling water then into the dry ingredients (colour optional) Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough Add the glycerine (optional) Allow it to cool then take it out of the bowl and knead vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. *This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!* (If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right)