turnthepagechoice

An intriguing day in Norwich. A day on the selection panel for Turn The Page. A day looking a wide range of approaches to the book. Always interesting to look at images of books rather than the actual objects. The book - a 3D object that exists in space, that often explores time, sequence and order, can be manipulated in the hand and whose materials have often been chosen carefully for their textural qualities. It was nice to meet the other selectors Tanya from the bookartbookshop, Nicola Dale from Rogue Studios, Manchester and finally Jules and Marina the organisers. Turn The Page has the idea of being more than a book fair - the cross between fair and exhibition is a good one and favours visual work that uses/explores the idea of the book. But its also about the idea of supporting local and young (in terms of their CV) artists, providing opportunities, of generating a buzz in the city and working within a very public space. So on the whole the two days in May - Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th May 2013 will be an eclectic mixture challenging the nature of the book - looking forward to it already.

grindingmalevolenttone

In the middle of an interesting week – 2 days at home making work in my 'new studio' and 2 days at NUA (Norwich University of the Arts) new name – unsure if this is 3^rd or 4^th version in my lifetime - Norfolk Institute of Art and Design (NIAD), Norwich School of Art and Design, Norwich University College of the Arts and now Norwich University of the Arts. Its history dates back to 1845 when it was called Norwich School of Design - interesting. 

Monday was supporting the 3^rd years collaborative project – some of the groups have envisaged wonderful ideas for the future and worked really well as a group - all groups are learning important lessons for the future in terms of collaboration, considering how one feels about having to own an idea that is created in collaboration with a group is a great learning curve. The Textile course team at NUA generally and the collaborative project specifically are all about presenting opportunities for learning. The nature of learning takes many forms and often what you actually set out to learn isn't what you actually learn, the important thing is to reflect on ones actions.

Tomorrow is Research into Practices Unit feedback tutorials for the MA Textile students and in the afternoon the presentations for the collaborative project for the 3^rd years which should be an excellent learning opportunity.  

Friday is working with turn the page http://turnthepage.org.uk/ I’m on the selection panel http://turnthepage.org.uk/page10.htm with Tanya Peixoto and Nicola Dale - it should be interesting to see a wide range of bookworks.

Meanwhile have to promote black moth - http://blackmothband.co.uk/ - have been playing tracks from their killing jar LP - the articulate dead and blackbird falling on a loop since hearing them as part of the chain on 6 music’s Radcliff and Maconie.

freethinkingmustbeenabled

Another full on day in London at Camberwell - the Project Proposal Crits for the MA have thrown up a number of beautiful and interesting phrases / starting points - looking at my notes and yet again Art College is a wonderful, glorious place where conversations like this take place...... Thinking about how 'page turning' can be used to explore ideas of time and revelation. create a vocabulary where you can use materials to talk for you. How do we forget ourselves? is an interesting question - continue to work with this. How do graphic scores represent sound and connect with ideas around calligraphy? What is the role of translation in your work? The idea that your work is haunted by the book is important - is reference enough or do you have to make books? How important is touch in your work? What came first time or narrative? Does light represent knowledge and learning within and from the book? Daily life celebrated...a moment of gloriousness. Science and Ureka! - how does that work? Rational scientific methodology and intuition? memories are what we have inside that we want to show to others. The idea of cycle relates in some way to the existence of numbers and patterns in nature. Are you setting out to be a deity, a God like creature, either for yourself or for an audience to develop for themselves? The idea of abstract comics needs to be explored.
After this it was off to the Tate to see A Bigger Splash - painting after performance - great to check out the intensity of Stuart Brisley and revisit the Pollack film which everybody loves. The William Klein and Daido Moriyama was a real full-on display, lashings of excessive massive printing and monstrous oppressive display structures! The photo books were stunning but the highlight was watching a selection of films by William Klein. Every piece was 'before its time' be it Who are you Polly Maggoo? A satire on the fashion industry that The Devil Wears Prada could of learnt from or Mr Freedom which appeared to pre-date everything!!!! Documentaries on Little Richard and Muhammad Ali were stunning, raw and exciting - all a must see.

art galleries are truly the most fantastic places and must be secured from the mob!
And then the train - and as ever a most useless service -  cancellation and then a-slow-stop-start-grinding-missed-connections-no-information-resigned-to-being-badly-treated-experience - for a change - started at London Liverpool St 6:30 - Darsham at 10:15

studentmemories

First day back in London after the break and all is very good - proposal presentation review at Camberwell on the Book Art Course for this year’s full and part-time students. The was some really wonderful ideas at their very early stage and it gives us all the chance to propose, project, and support - it is in its intention a very supportive experience where the students must go away with their heads totally swimming with ideas, almost subsumed by the possibilities. Concepts and starting points such as Analysis of phenomena, Creating work that explores the idea of forgetting oneself, the receipt as a found but authored text and the idea of work haunted by the book.
Then off to Shepard's in Victoria to buy paper, for the unpicking and rebinding - sticking to the rule of only buying papers that are 'invisible' for the project was hard. As a student I spent most of my grant in this shop when it was known as Falkiner's Fine Papers in Long Acre and then Southampton Row - often going without food as a result! And now I have money to buy whatever I wanted ...... but i did stick to my rules.
Finally I managed to get to the Whitechapel to see a show of The Aspen magazine - wonderful - inventive - challenging - again my student self emerged - I spent a lot of time with these in the Special collection in the LCP library - they are now at Chelsea if you wanted to actually touch and turn pages so watching the films in the Gallery are a must. Downstairs is Giuseppe Penone 'tree piece' nice but obvious - I much preferred the copy of the river bolder in the corner. While I am there i must recommend the small show upstairs - Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: Viral Research. The exhibition takes its name from a piece of work by Charles Ray and the rest of the work in the show is all black and white.