Author Archives: claire collison

About claire collison

Writer, photographer, creative facilitator, and breast cancer survivor, I am currently Artist in Residence at the Women's Art Library (WAL) My first novel was a finalist in the Dundee Book Prize, and my short stories and poetry have appeared in print and online. In 2015 I was awarded second place in the inaugural Resurgence Prize, the world's first eco poetry competition, judged by Sir Andrew Motion, Alice Oswald, and Jo Shapcott. This blog began as a space for words generated on my walking/writing workshops at the Mary Ward centre in Bloomsbury - Writing the City (WTC). WTC has since grown to include many other venues, including the Museum of Broken Relationships, the Barbican, the River Rom, Southwark Woods, Aylesbury Estate, and most recently, as part of Walking Women festival, An Intimate Tour of Breasts. I have worked with Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, as the recipient of the first Max Reinhardt Literacy Award, designing teaching resources; and for The Photographers' Gallery, helping school children develop visual literacy as part of 'Seeing More Things'. If you would like me to design a workshop or walk for you, please be in touch!

Keeping it relevant. Quotes from my performance may change: planning for PGR Drawing Research Network Conference 2018

Posted on September 8, 2018 by claire collison

“And, while I’m asking questions- why am I exposing my single-breasted self to you now, above a pop up shop next door to Poundland? What’s life modelling got to do with it?” This was a line in my script included … Continue reading →

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The Male Gaze in Life Drawing

Posted on August 23, 2018 by claire collison

Thought provoking piece by Esther Bunting via The Male Gaze in Life Drawing

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It was all about the jugs

Posted on August 8, 2018 by claire collison

link to write up of Metal residency

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Recalibrating Luck, and Hobson’s Choice: Hello Southend!

Posted on July 26, 2018 by claire collison

Perfect weather to be by the seaside, and ideal conditions for getting naked… …so doubly lucky me to be in residence at the beautiful Chalkwell Hall – home of Metal, Southend, brainchild of Jude Kelly, OBE – where I have … Continue reading →

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Pecha Kucha

Posted on April 26, 2018 by claire collison

On reconstructed women: a very short talk. On International Women’s Day I went to Southend to give a half pech-kucha – that’s three minutes of chat. What a warm reception. Definitely worth the trip, I’d say… Metal Southend pecha kucha

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Intimate Tour of Breasts, Birmingham (redux)

Posted on April 25, 2018 by claire collison

On Saturday 7th April, a group of women who had never previously met gathered outside St Agatha’s church in Sparkhill to participate in a three hour adventure, exploring how the commodification and mythologising of breasts within our society – from … Continue reading →

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Paying my dues

Posted on April 25, 2018 by claire collison

ROSY MARTIN 1992 ‘I never studied photography,’ I tell Rosy; ‘I just made it up as I went along.’  ‘What ingenue crap,’ Rosy says. She is lying on a kitchen floor in Exeter, blowing cigarette smoke out of a cat … Continue reading →

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Birmingham Intimate Tour of Breasts

Posted on April 7, 2018 by claire collison

Today at 1pm  I shall be reprising the Birmingham Intimate Tour of Breasts walk,  (I understand it’s known by staff at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery as The “Infamous Tour….” ) with a few changes and additions – not … Continue reading →

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Truth Is Beauty

Posted on April 4, 2018 by claire collison

On March 3rd 2018 I gave the second performance of my single-breasted monologue, Truth is Beauty, at the Women’s Art Library at Goldsmith’s College. Here are drawings made by artists and non-artists alike – women who came to hear my … Continue reading →

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So I’m Ms January: Why I shall be life-modelling at the Feminist Library, and how come single breasted women are invisible, even to each other.

Posted on November 26, 2017 by claire collison

via Stories of Women ~ with Claire

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