More memories from Cobalt...

8,Laura Seebohm, Dedham
The garden of Princel House, Dedham (Essex/Sutton border) a trap door in the garden leading down to an air raid shelter.

9,Michelle, Arnold
My Gran and Grandad used to make a den out of sheets for us on the washing line.

10,Matt Stokes told me about a room in his house in East Sussex...apparently you had to crawl into the room through a tunnel and then went round and round until you reached the den in the middle...

11,John the chemist,
Inbetween 2 parallel lines in a forest plantations. Bits of stick, colder than this (-2), sat in it all night.

12,John, St. Austell
Dig holes in the ground, sit in them, with a plastic snake.

13,Jacob, Newcastle
Sheets as roof, cushions as beds, chairs for holding the roof up, sometimes bamboo sticks for holding the roof up.

14,Ben, Newcastle
wood-walls
felt-roof
sticks-inside
hide..sometimes alone sometimes with friends
old parachute in the garden

15,Simon
Dear "Miss" I live in a den. I am a full time hoarder. I live with Herman he is green and a puppet.

16,Louie
wood, bricks...outside in the back garden, a couple of friends are allowed in it, sit in it, chat, sometimes eat, sometimes take it down.

Memories recorded at Cobalt Studios, 30th November 2008

1,Jill Bloodsworth, Penistone
A blanket trapped in the piano and then draped over the settee and then my Mum would
barracade us in with chairs and we'd play in it all day.

2,Tara Scholes, Guilford
Making a den, from 2 armchairs, a duvet and a mattress!
In my living room in Guilford.

3,Joe Frankland, Cambridge
My brothers and I made dens out of clothes drying racks in Cambridge. Then we'd play cowboys and indians.

4,Juliette Baisseau, St Yrieix-la-Perche, France
Musty, smelling old really heavy blankets and quilts. Cutting sunlight, but not the heat!

5,David Hardman, Ringwood
At David's Grandfather's house, there was a wood behind his house, "we used to dig caves out of the soil/sand underneath the trees-it's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves actually!"

6,Sarah Coller, Bath
I love dens, spent a lot of my gorgeous childhood in them. One was made out of a tractor cab and we put it in a tree. Very territorial-a refuge from my brothers, gangs formed, outside all day, all weather.

7,Marjolaine, East Dulwich, South London
I remember putting all the chairs together then putting sheets across them-pulling the sheets and chairs to make a tent shape and taking cushions and candles inside! I roasted marshmallows on the candles (alone and with friends) sounds dangerous!!

Cobalt Studios, Newcastle 30/11/08

Manifesto

Experiment in a Manifesto

It has been suggested / discussed that a manifesto might be a next step in the project.

I think we should make one with diagrams too continuing that idea of the pack but rather than providing the materials simply instructions / suggestions of kinds of equipment needed or even a way to go about using a space might be more appropriate?

Perhaps one that folds out and can be used to make a den, so its design needs some kind of equipment within it that can be dissassembled in order to be reassembled as or as part of a den.

Mini or Large?

I'm going to make some sketches.

Las Vegas Den

Nursery den

Nursery Den

This was made by the adults at the local nursery, Leanne and Ash with a beautiful fabric roof.
Thanks

International Den Making Day

Today we made a den outside in a windy freezing location in 13 minutes.
Our first without pegs for some time. String and holes in cardboard and plastic.
Thanks to Phil privilege for filming it and putting up with the extreme conditions.
The light was fantastic though today and while not a cosy den, more of a 'brutalist' piece, the light through the fire excape steps was really nice.

http://m--a--p.net/about.htm

City adventure

looking out for hiding spaces in the city for the International Den Making Day

Gunnera

I went to Chatsworth House gardens last week and Gunnera plants make very good dens.

Todays building

Today we made new dens with our friend Cath as a Pipits performance and filmed it.
It was really calm as we just did it without talking. First we made a hamlet of three small dwellings, all really different, out of small things from home. Toys and things from around the house.
Then we made a big one together and it's interesting how each person has a different desire for the den, more enclosed, open, symbolic, functional. I wonder if this is because of feelings in the moment or inner desires for dwellings?
I'd really like to make a den out of just white paper freestanding. Maybe it would take a day

Last week we went to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park camping and stayed in a forest, it was heaven despite the rain rain rain mud mud, we made a den in the forest out of lots of leafy branches it was round and had a supporting post(tree) in the middle, we put large leaves on the floor and also took a picnic rug and chairs we sat inside and ate snacks and drank tea. There were a few spiders in the den and a few flying insects...it rained whilst we sat there but we stayed dry...

My son likes to make dens that he can crawl through so with a front and back door-tunnels that you can pause in if you want...we recently had a leylandhi...not sure if that is correct spelling...anyway it was chopped down and it was the girl next door's den when she was younger i wonder what she thinks...

I preferred to stand in a dark 70's Jacobean wardrobe for half an hour, peeking periodically through a gap in the door, than wash up. It took ages for my sister and brother to discover it as a hiding place.

Old-fashioned rectangular wicker laundry baskets are good for small people too.

Hiding in the wardrobe...



dens could be just on your own quiet space

Camping

Hi, I was remembering today whilst getting ready for a camping trip...I once camped in my friend Jodi's garden in a homemade tent...
It was made from one of those swinging settee..aaagh how do you spell setee?..anyway it was good..but i was scared at night...