We arrived in Trélex on a sunny day in the beginning of September. The first two weeks were warm enough to go swimming in Lake Geneva but towards the end of our stay the leaves were beginning to turn and there were reports of snow expected in the mountains around us.
We found that the living and working arrangements on the residency worked really well for a couple. The studio could be divided in various ways using movable walls. This was particularly useful as there was usually more than one artist working in the space at one time. We had two bedrooms to share between us so we chose to live in one room and use the other as a study. There is a great collection of art books in each room.
Nina became very involved in our processes and interests which prompted many interesting discussions. She was very supportive and keen for us to realise our projects. She often helped us to find solutions to practical problems and generously provided us with much of our materials. For instance, she taught us book-binding skills and provided us with a printer and printing inks for our flick book project.
This residency allowed us the time and space to concentrate and reflect on our work. It gave us the opportunity to devote time to working on projects and ideas without the pressure of a deadline. This has since proven to be very beneficial as we continue today to develop many of the ideas that were created on the residency.
A small addendum from Nina Rodin: Sharing the studio with Kezia and Kristoffer was a true privilege. For those 5 weeks, their presence imbued the place with an incredible sense of calm productivity, considered discussion and a celebration of craftsmanship. Kezia and Kristoffer were incredibly generous to everyone they met here and many in the village continue to talk about their work. Together we learnt a lot about flip books and Kristoffer made charcoal in the garden, a skill I am sure he would be happy to communicate to future residents as well. I would like to share their websites with you here:
