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A Day with Mark (2023)

A box of cards and accompanying film. The cards reproducing 29 pencil drawings with transcript on reverse - each card is 62mm X 100mm. Made during MANIFEST, a Policy Lab initiative, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to pilot bringing UK-based artists into policy processes.


A Day with Mark is one of two works made by Goodwin during a 3-month residency, part of 'MANIFEST: Art & Policy' pilot programme (the other work was Sphere(s) of Influence (2023)) - The residency investigated what role artists can play in policymaking. Working with Policy Lab he was embedded within the civil service programme 'Changing Futures' who were exploring ways to reimagine and redesign policy for national government to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage.
 
For A Day with Mark, whilst in conversation when visiting Mark in his temporary home, Dryden made drawings of him on small handheld pieces of paper. Mark spoke about his experiences during his childhood, the care system, his use of drugs, his many years spent in prison and how he is navigating the support system as he strives to sustain this new chapter in his life. Mark describes the importance of his housing support worker, his companionship with his new dog, the trauma and extreme circumstances experienced throughout his life and his hopes and aspirations going forward.
 
Consisting of a box of cards that are to-scale reproductions of the drawings with a transcript of Mark's words on the reverse, Dryden is interested in their potential in the hands of the viewer, whether members of the public, policy makers or government ministers. Their intimate scale opens up a tactile way of engaging and gaining insights into Mark's lived experience. Also accessible via a QR code on one of the cards is video documentation from the encounter between Mark and Dryden, inviting the viewer to become further involved.
 
- Video documentation (9 mins) (SEE LINK)
 
Installation documentation 'A Day with Mark' (2023)
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