Conversations
I was especially pleased to see so many local members of the community taking part and, as well as the actual exchanges made, I learnt a lot from the fascinating conversations I had. I ended the day with my head full of new information; John Locke's socks, for example, and geocaching simply had to be Googled on my return. I also learnt how to spell the word ocarina and realised for the first time how difficult an instrument it is to play; this one was in the shape of a small terracotta pig and was left because 'he needs a musical home.'
A London Underground shot glass was the first thing to be taken. It was exchanged for an American dollar by a woman who had emigrated from England some 36 years previously and was over from California visiting her daughter in Kent. Staying on the international theme, a Ugandan purse was left by a woman who had travelled there on a school trip as a teenage girl in the '70s - 'a dangerous place in dangerous times' was how she described it. As a schoolgirl myself back then, I remember Idi Amin's regime and find it incredible that such a risky trip was allowed.
Childhood visits
One man brought a tie pin which had belonged to his late Grandfather. 'I don't like ties,' he wrote, 'so I've come back (after many childhood visits) to return it to Kent and to take away a new momento from the same area.'
He had talked with his Mother about how she felt about him giving up the tie pin and, given her blessing, was now keen to ascertain that whatever he swapped it for should come from the local area.
In the end he took a small shell, which I could guarantee him was from the beach at Herne Bay, in memory of his Grandad who had 'lived in Herne Bay and loved Whitstable.' 'This is for my Mum,' he said as he held up the shell – an appropriate ending to a warm and sentimental story.
Local artists
I was pleased too, this time round, to see other artists making exchanges – a piece of Sadie Hennessy's work had been left by her at the Herne Bay exchange and I was happy to see the trend continuing as some local Whitstable artists left a part of their work in the 10 X 10 cabinet.
An ornamental shoe came from John Butterworth, representative of his 'Art 'n' Soles' event, Heidi Plant left one of the houses from her 'Moving House' project and a small picture from her Space/Scale series was left by Clare Jackson.
I was delighted to see Rosalind Davis and Enver Gursev, both Deptford based artists, turn up on the day. Rosalind made an exchange and left a selection of gorgeous vintage buttons. Maria Clemen, an artist formerly of Deptford and now of Whitstable, generously continued with the We All Do Good Things sentiment of the Herne Bay exchange and took away another of the less heartfelt items (a biro in this case) in exchange for a pretty ceramic vase.
And good karma went to Mark Fenn who thought he was leaving something in an empty box when in fact a plastic shine-in-the-dark star, camouflaged against the cabinet's colour, was hiding there for him to take.
Continuing this theme of generosity, a Venetian glass heart necklace was left by a Whitstable resident. It was a beautiful piece of jewellry and consequently not destined to stay for long in the cabinet I felt. The woman who left it exchanged it for the fossil and the self portrait which had been left at Herne Bay. She clearly appreciated the fossil as something very special – I'd seen how much it had meant to the man giving up these things and had been privately willing whoever took them to truly recognise and appreciate their worth – happily, she did.
Something quite different
More children were involved this time round, with plenty of day-trippers passing by and some of the locals having had a week or so to study the cabinet in the Museum's education space window. I was reminded how children bring something quite different to the exchange process – a more direct and freed-up way of interacting. Decision making appears to be easier and less complicated – an ' I want that one' kind of approach – and football cards, Pokemon discs, lollipops and pens were amongst the things that got caught up in a flurry of quick exchanges by the children.
A picture of a puppet was drawn and left by a young boy who exchanged it for an actual wooden one. The boy put a spin on his drawing by naming it an 'angel puppet'. It's a beautiful picture – thank you to Lawrence!
Another child paid two visits; a football card had caught his eye when he saw it as he was passing by en route to the beach in the morning. His parents promised him he could come back later and said they would search for something to exchange for the card just in case it still happened to be there at the end of the day. Later, I was disappointed for him when the card was taken. But I needn't have worried – because seconds before he returned, two young girls were completing their swaps. One of them took a brightly coloured pen - and left eight football cards, which the boy delightedly swapped for the two toys he had rescued from down the back of his family's car seat.
After the event
Some people got in touch with me after the exchange day was over. Clare Jackson sent me photos of the china poodle she took away, in situ in her Tankerton beach hut. I also received photos from Colleen of the beautiful onyx egg she brought along to 'cool the hands of someone in this hot weather' and of the ball of string left by John who, as a gardener 'loves string'.
I was touched by these thoughtful gestures, just as I had been when someone sent me photos of my doll in a red dress in her new home soon after 10 X 10 had first been launched. And when I returned to collect the cabinet some days later, I found that a woman had left a note at the Museum. Maggie had made an exchange on the Saturday and left behind a small ceramic sun – here's her story behind it...
'The sun I swapped hung on a board opposite my bed for many years in my old place in London and every time I looked at it, it cheered me up. I wanted to pass it onto someone who would appreciate its simple beauty and take pleasure from looking at it. I feel like I've got the real sun in Whitstable now!'
An apt note on which to end, as there was sunshine in Whitstable pretty much continuously in the days leading up to the exchange; it really did shine all day on the exchange day itself and I came away with a sunny, optimistic and positive feeling. It echoed perhaps the satisfied and liberating feeling a woman got from leaving behind a china mug inscribed with 60th birthday greetings. She was happy to let it go – 'who wants to be reminded of that,' she asked!
Finally a big thanks to the staff at the Whitstable Museum & Gallery for all their help and hard work.
