365 Jars

Very old jar updates

kirsty — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:31:04 +0000

Surprise – two posts in a month!

I didn’t get round to posting these jar reports at the time but I’m slowly getting caught up with myself. I know that I have more jar reports that need blogging but unfortunately, I need to wade through several hundred emails to find them. And then I have to wade through the blog to check that I haven’t already blogged them. It’s non-trivial.

Btw, the very observant amongst you may notice that the blog has had a spring clean and a new look. This was mostly necessity since my old theme was getting buggy and while I was trying to change it yesterday, I managed to spectacularly crash the entire website. There were tears when I realised that I hadn’t backed up since January (back up your data, people!) but thankfully through the miracle of Twitter and Google I fixed it.

Jar No 301

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 301, Oct 2011

I’ve seen or collected a jar: Collected a jar

Number on lid of jar: 301

Your name (optional): Theo’s little brother Max

Date jar found (optional): 30th October

If you collected a jar, what motivated you to pick it up? (optional):
we are jar hunters.

Where is the jar now? (optional): at home

This is one of my all-time favourite jar forms. Max’s clear statement of identity, “we are jar hunters” just blew my mind. I did a project that changed how people saw themselves and that feels incredible. I hope that is something I can hold onto on days when my art feels like a nebulous and fragile thing.

Jar No 304

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 304, Oct 2011

I’ve seen or collected a jar: Collected a jar

Number on lid of jar: 304

Your name (optional): Theo’s little brother Max

Date jar found (optional): today

If you collected a jar, what motivated you to pick it up? (optional):
Extreme cleverness in spotting it.

Where is the jar now? (optional): At home.

Well done for your extreme cleverness, Max!

Jar No 330

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 330, Nov 2011

Note: Theo and family sometimes reported their finds via email rather than the usual form. This is from mum, Siân & I’ve edited it slightly to remove personal details.

We (the Theo’s!) found the lovely 330 on New Year’s Day. I hope it is the first found jar of 2012.

So, we were on the way home. Driving up Clifton Park. I shout, Toby, that looks like a weed I’ve seen before – pull over!

Milly & I jumped out, there was a car driving along so I tried to look nonchalant but Milly went ahead and grabbed it.

We were all chuffed that we found an old-ish jar in the new-ish year.

Well done to our jar-hunting family for these finds.

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Jar No 365

kirsty — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:53:26 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 365, July 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 365 in situ, July 2012

Contents: Fabric, thread
Released into wild: 10/7/12 at 11.50
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: Found by Theo

Comments:

Well, the last jar of the project. Which I finished the night before we moved up to Hebden Bridge and dashed out and placed on the morning of our move. What, doesn’t everyone finish an overdue art project on the same day as they move house?

The jar project had gotten so tied up in my head with the break-up and house move that I couldn’t bring myself to create the last jar until the very end of our time in Bristol. Which was somewhat unfortunate since the project was supposed to have finished in 2011 and I didn’t make and walk the last jar until July 2012 and now it’s May 2013 and I’ve still not finished blogging the project. ‘About time’ indeed! Oh the embarrassment. Ah well, better late than never.

This final and very special jar was kindly sponsored by Karen Kirkpatrick. Thank you so much Karen, and I am sorry you’ve had to wait such a ridiculously long time to see your sponsored jar.

The last jar went to a good home… guess who!

I’ve seen or collected a jar: Collected a jar

Number on lid of jar (Please include this, it’s the important bit!):
365

Your name (optional): Theo

Date jar found (optional): 31/07/12

If you collected a jar, what motivated you to pick it up? (optional):
Hello Kirsty I have found jar no 365 now we need to rescue the bunny.

Where is the jar now? (optional): On the kitchen table.

So now I just have to trawl through the unblogged jar forms and sort out my hideous mess of sadly neglected jar databases. I honestly can’t quite believe how much moving house and changing computers has thrown me.

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Jar No 364

kirsty — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:58:11 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 364, July 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 364 in situ, July 2012

Contents: Photograph
Released into wild: 9/7/12 at 19.55
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: Found by Toby

Comments:

This bunny jar is an ode to all the other things I found on walls and fences during my year of jar walking. Possibly the oddest thing I found was an unopened loaf of bread.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 364 close up, July 2012

I found and photographed this lost bunny on an earlier jar walk – I hope it was reunited with its small child.

Number on lid of jar (Please include this, it’s the important bit!):
364

Your name (optional): Toby

Date jar found (optional): 24/08/12

If you collected a jar, what motivated you to pick it up? (optional):
On the way to Sainsburys. Just looked & saw the spot. This one had
been really difficult, but just by chance…

Where is the jar now? (optional): In the opticians

Not sure what the jar was doing at the opticians but I hope it had fun.

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Jar No 363

kirsty — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:38:58 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 363, July 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 363 in situ, July 2012

Contents: Wire, glycerine, glitter
Released into wild: 8/7/12 at 15.27
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: Unknown. If you’ve found this jar, please record it here.

Comments:

So this weird thing happened with the jars.

The project got all caught up in my head with our house move and I was completely and utterly unable to finish the last three jars until just before we moved from Bristol to Hebden Bridge. In fact, I placed Jar No 365 on the morning of our house move! Because that’s what every house move needs, the frantic completion of an overdue art project.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 363, July 2012

We went through a very odd time in the spring of 2012 when our house sale fell through. We immediately got another buyer but had to wait until the summer for completion. Although in theory this enforced wait gave me plenty of time to finish the jars, in reality, I went into a strange frozen art state that only the move last July was able to break through. Usually I’m pretty good at giving myself pep talks and making myself do things but I was so burnt-out, stressed and busy with packing and legal stuff that I just couldn’t do it this time.

But hey, I got there in the end. And now, another six months on I’m finally finishing writing up the project. My perfectionist side is proper annoyed with my tardiness but what can I say, it is what it is and sometimes our life and health trumps art.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 363, July 2012

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Jar No 362

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:24:19 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 362, Feb 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 362 in situ, Feb 2012

Contents: Plastic, glass wax
Released into wild: 16/2/12 at 14.35
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

Don’t worry, the jar isn’t broken: I coated the inside of the jar with glass wax and it cracked as it cooled. The plastic domes were stuck inside before I added the hot wax.

I’d had the glass wax for donkey’s years. One of the most fun parts of the project for me was playing with materials that I’d hadn’t used before.

This was one of the most dangerous jars I made. The fumes from the glass wax were horribly nasty and stank out the house for hours.

Plus it melted at such a high temperature that when I dropped a tiny splash, it melted a hole in the kitchen countertop! Glass wax is scary stuff but oh-so-worth-it for this amazing look.

My husband said, ‘I don’t think the average punter will think this is anything other than a broken jar’. He’s probably right but fortunately, it wasn’t found by an average punter but by one of our dedicated family of jar hunters.

Number on lid of jar: 362

Your name (optional): Theo’s mum Sian

Date jar found (optional): 19/02/12

If you collected a jar, what motivated you to pick it up? (optional):
On the way home from school, spotted the railing and the post!

Where is the jar now? (optional): Really like the combination of sharp
cracks and smooth wax!. Hoping the last 3 will still emerge!

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Jar No 361

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:12:11 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 261, Feb 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 261 in situ, Feb 2012

Contents: Glue
Released into wild: 11/2/12 at 17.51
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

Someone on Twitter was complaining about glue guns and glitter in the craft world. I said that I reckoned I could make an awesome jar with glitter and a glue gun. In the event, adding glitter to this jar proved to be too distracting, so I made this second, purer one entirely from glue.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 261 close up, Feb 2012

I couldn’t work out how to capture spider webs in the jars (I did try!) but this was the next best thing.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 261 close up, Feb 2012

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Jar No 360

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:10:23 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 360 front, Feb 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 360 in situ, Feb 2012

Contents: Photograph, text, thread
Released into wild: 8/2/12 at 19.21
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

That’s me – in bed, feeling utterly crappy and needing to do what it said on the jar.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 360 back, Feb 2012

Making and walking those January and February jars was incredibly hard. Every single one was a huge achievement. I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. I was sliding into a depression. Our house sale was in the process of falling apart and everything was very dark and immensely difficult. All I wanted to do was to curl up into bed and sleep.

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Jar No 359

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:02:59 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 359, Jan 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 359 in situ, Jan 2012

Contents: Ink drawing
Released into wild: 23/1/12 at 23.52
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

Looking at it now, months later, I can see that this jar would have been much better if I’d made pinholes all around the drawing. Ah well, it’s too late now! Such is the nature of this project – jars got made, they went out and then I had to let go of all my perfectionism about them.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 359 close up, Jan 2012

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Jar No 358

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:00:14 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 358, Jan 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 358 in situ, Jan 2012

Contents: Ink drawing
Released into wild: 23/1/12 at 00.00
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

I feel a bit sad for these last few jars. They were sorely neglected when I fell ill at the start of the year. I haven’t been back to check up on any of them. In fact, I’m not sure that I even wrote down where some of them are, so they are real mystery jars.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 358 close up, Jan 2012

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Jar No 357

kirsty — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:58:12 +0000

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 357, Jan 2012

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 357 in situ, Jan 2012

Contents: Photograph, glitter
Released into wild: 21/1/12 at 17.01
General Location: Clifton, Bristol
Status: In situ

Comments:

A wintery kind of jar. Very appropriate since this was released way back in January.

Kirsty Hall: Jar No 357 close up, Jan 2012

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