I was apprehensive about the response from the neighbourhood to Elspeth’s residency – concerned that they’d find the idea just too outlandish, too odd but actually the reactionary (fear based) antagonism that I anticipated never materialised – the postman smiled and joked, passers-by called out to her – Keep It Up! And good for you!, children called by to chat and to give her sweets from their lunchboxes. Whilst waiting for Fish & Chips one evening Jasmine asked her “Would you call what you’re doing - Having an experience?’” – did that question come from a family conversation about the lady living in the Taxi up the road?

Maybe this is my wishful thinking …. but I’m sure that Hazel’s Christmas display (No.37) is far more flamboyant this year – it’s the usual stuff – spray snow stencilled windows flashing lights in every window, but the red ribbon wound around the porch columns making them looking like barber shop signs is a nice touch - have I upped the ante? has Taxi Gallery inspired her to have a go too? – it’s probably just a coincidence or a natural consequence of the burst of home renovation ongoing since the summer that I’ve witnessed from across the road …

Slowly, slowly cracks are appearing in the neighbourhood’s implacable wall of respectful disinterest though – Thomas and his father (I think) No.22 came to the Xmas Party, they said there was something tempting about that particular invite ….. and I was worried that I’d made it too unconventional – a reversed out pic of the model taxi wrapped in cellophane - T’s Dad asked if I was interested in supporting/generating the creativity of Stanesfield Rd … I talked about the Radio Station and Summer exhibition ideas … suddenly they seemed not so ridiculously ambitious. Thomas has dropped round a cassette tape of his songs – he describes himself as a singer/songwriter, his dad has written a history of cricket ….
Another sign – Jackie and her sister also came to the Xmas party along with the whole of Julia’s family …. 3 households in one evening from the street. Jackie first made contact during Elspeth’s residency for the Curtains! show – she said that she’d been meaning to come for ages – she home-educates her son and had been thinking that the gallery shows could be a useful topic starting point. She also said she’d been too nervous – she wasn’t specific about what she was nervous of – me?, not understanding? not liking it? Elspeth’s call for material for her curtains hooked her in – her husband works as a curtain maker – she brought a huge bag of offcuts and called by several times whilst Elspeth was here.

Artist’s Newsletter published a call for proposals in the November issue and a feature slot in December’s issue (copy editing error there somewhere) – so I’ve started receiving unsolicited proposals which I’ve found uncomfortable and disconcerting although some of them are obviously thought through responses to the Taxi Gallery provocation. This has helped me realise that my method of curating is one based on happenstance and conversation – for instance Elspeth’s neighbour came to the Xmas Party recently, she’s an architect, and we began talking about Taxi drivers’ ability to orient and navigate through the city, she’s interested in developing a show based on these ideas and we plan to talk further soon – this “feels” a much more appropriate curatorial approach for Taxi Gallery – less tick box, more intuitive, less “professional/institutional” arguably but hey its my Taxi gallery and I’ll do it this way if I want to.

Ruth Claxton's installation - 'I thought I was the audience and then I looked at you' has just closed - through her placement of the altered figurine ornaments inside the Taxi viewers were literally drawn into the garden in order to view the work up close through the windows. Practically everytime I looked out of my front room window there was someone standing and peering in at the installation that had turned the Taxi into a bizarre and irreverent ornament cabinet.

At the end of March, Taxi Gallery hosted a gathering of people active/working in the Barnwell/Abbey community to hear about Taxi Gallery and to discuss the idea of holding a Summer Exhibition celebrating the creativity (in the broadest sense) of the neighbourhood at the Abbey Meadows School in July 2004. The idea was met with wholehearted enthusiasm .... someone said to me that he was trying to think of the problems with the idea and couldn't think of any!

I'm now beginning to map out the trajectory of Taxi Gallery towards its closing sometime early/mid next year - I'm feeling hopeful that the impetus that I'd hoped would be generated by its presence is now beginning to tangibly gather energy. Taxi Gallery can't (and shouldn't) go on forever but I'd like to think that it can close with other frameworks, contexts and possibilities actively in place.

The school sculpture project with David Kefford was a great success .... not only for the children and teachers involved but also with local audience. It was really striking how this piece (rather than the previous two school projects) drew visitors into the garden. The life size passengers and driver had something of the scarecrow or Guy Fawkes dummy about them - recognisable popular culture forms, not necessarily immediately consigned to an Art or Literature context, as were the poetry and miniature portrait projects.

James Ford's installation Backseat Tuna Town has just commenced - I'm curious to see whether its child-like associations and references will have a similar response from local visitors and how they will deal with the innuendo with which it is laden ......

Thora Blondal wrote an interesting and controversial (for me and Ruth) review of her installation 'I thought I was the audience and then I looked at you' - it's now available as a downloadale pdf from the details page on her work. I was disappointed that she'd not noticed the lengths that I go to to involve and inform the local and passing by audience - she'd not noticed the Taxi Gallery Noticeboard and info on the current exhibition at all which was rather curious to me.