firstfirstsite

the first public workshop at firstsite – working on the structure and text for the berryfield mosaic interpretive material and artwork. some exciting work with the children and a meeting with the potential printer have moved the project on – got to collate all the work so far and create dummy artwork – meanwhile speculation around the skeleton in the hole grows.

unearthedphotographs

an afternoon in the library at Colchester museum unearthed some exciting photographs which will support the work for the mosaic interpretive material I am working on with firstsite.

the new gallery is most excellent – i was lucky to get to walk around the building which is breathtaking – it really feels like art and creativity have been valued and i was impressed with the detail in the finish as well as the overall vision, looking forward to running the first public workshop in the space next week

earthalleluiah

well – latitude – yes – many excellent moments - words, images, sound and a lot of dancing but – highlights– rubberbanditz, hypnotic brass ensemble, late night gimp fight, reverend billy and the church of stop shopping choir, shunt and of course linton kwesi johnson and so now to work.

extremetimelinefolding

started work yesterday on a really interesting project for firstsite in Colchester – Berryfield mosaic: relocation and renovation. a roman mosaic that was displayed in Colchester museum has been relocated into the floor of the new gallery – just feet from where it was originally dug up. my role is to pull together all the strands of the work so far and create a piece of interpretive print. spent yesterday working with artist Bethany Mitchell http://www.bethany-mitchell.co.uk and a group of pupils from St Helena school in Colchester who have been researching and developing work in response to the mosaic. aside from mind mapping and paper folding there were many strands of discussion around the known and unknown and that for many years the piece was not valued. ideas so far include an extreme time line – to include the material it was made from so that would include 35m of just rock! a piece of print that is an exact reproduction of the mosaic so that you can take it away and have one at home - much like on exactitude in science - the borges short story http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/08/bblonder/phys120/docs/borges.pdf. a design that has the material from lottery cards printed over the design so that you can have the opportunity to excavate the print. creating the missing bit of the mosaic and developing a whole philosophy and alternative reading of the mosaic much like the museum of Jurassic technology http://www.mjt.org so we shall see what happens.

teacherssneakypeak

busy amassing images of smocking for my research at nuca
i’m creating a large bookwork to be part of the tool kit used at first site gallery in Colchester in their outreach work. the proposal would celebrate visually all aspects of firstsite. the contents of the proposed books would include initial drawings and plans, aspects of the buildings construction phrase and abstracted images celebrating the final building.
as well as looking at the physical structure I want to make work that explores the buildings function and purpose. this would consist of a number of books that contain basic ideas connected to looking, thinking and art practice. it would include ideas around visual communication, colour theory and visual perception. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/teachers-sneaky-peak-8541550 about to give a presentation called teachers sneaky peak at firstsite to teachers as part of their outreach program – also looking forward to seeing the new building
meanwhile tonight I'm looking forward to seeing big bag of boom by new art club - http://www.newartclub.org/ its the culmination of a show I saw at the dance house when it was in development - looking forward to the lycra and inappropriate country dancing to Heaven 17. go and see them if you think you don’t like dance.

winningandsmocking

a student on the textile course i teach on at nuca has won the historic wallpaper society competition i have been responsible for - Lauren Mellor http://laurenmellor.tumblr.com/ whose wallpapers are inspired by the intricate Japanese technique of quilting, called, Sashiko. the 3-Dimensional qualities are emphasized through layering the cut paper so the patterns can be folded out to reveal a spectrum of colours, lifting the designs off the wall. this means that she has secured a 4 week paid work placement, at Zoffany worth over £1,400. so success.
meanwhile smocking is taking over my life!

smockingisevil

started the research allocated to my contract at nuca. i am focusing this period of time on smocking but looking at the fold and exploring the relationship between binding books and folding cloth. i think that the work will centre on the creation of a body of work with a view to exhibiting and publication. the research will be in three parts - research and development – creation of teaching tools – visit. the main part of the first section of the research will be to explore the relationship between book structures and traditional textile processes. i am going to look specifically at the fold through pleating, darting and smocking and western book binding structures. the title for this work is - is smocking is evil? based on looking at the role of the characters wearing smocked clothing on a visit to the academia in venice and of course the whole idea of the hidden within both fields - the book and the folded cloth.