ohyesididohnoididntandsomefilms

watched the Wolsey pantomime - oh no I didn't, well actually I did but live streamed from Ipswich into my house meant that it really wasn't the same - the covid context of its production was really considered but there is nothing like shouting out boooooo when the villains arrive surrounded by people who have all made the effort to be in the same place  - hopefully next year. films this week include the terrible - Best man and Best mans holiday, Sky fire - utter nonsense CGI overload, Color out of Space - made no sense. the ok - The vast of night - slow but with good character acting. Nightmare before Christmas and Wonder woman 1984 and the good - Soul https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948372/ really quite beautiful, Host - really well done and scary reflection on how we engage with each other, The sound of metal https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5363618/ - heartrendingly beautiful journey into trusting oneself,  Bacurau - wonderful psychedelic madness and finally the ever-present Die Hard. Chalie Brooker's Screen wipe 2020 was disappointing, effectively a list of terribleness without the usual acerbic comment, only Hugh Grant's character could save it. John Cooper Clark's I wanna be me is an raucous upbeat read that I consumed with a wry recognition. 

twowalksandtherest

walks at the end of the day are the way I'm making sense of where I am at the moment - Walberswick looking both ways at the river. its that time of the year so teaching at NUA is all about admin, timetables and creating content for either/and/or online and face to face teaching depending on..................factors. ok - screens - so Tenet in its second viewing is neither better or worse just different - I would recommend it though so maybe the experience is worth it. The Song of Names moves along, although there are so many gaps/flaws in the characters developments. Prom is a case of leave whatever brain you have left somewhere, get on board and hang on for the ride. Superintelligence looks lightly at the surveillance state (very lightly). admitting that I actually did laugh at Freaky just feels wrong. Small Axe continues to be solid. the distressfully unpleasant characters in Industry and the actual process they are engaged in is impenetrable, both these factors don't help to make it watchable but it is car-crash-can't-look-away-TV.  

somestuffffutsemos

looking forward to receiving my anniversary tea towel from Focal point - https://www.fpg.org.uk/printed-matter/30th-anniversary-tea-towel/ - if I had any older relatives left alive it would be on my list of presents! But maybe my children will be getting something in their stockings! The first online session, structures 1. Experimental non adhesive binding structures, for Leicester Print works went well, I think. They are now working on their set task developing a 'family tree' of book forms, exploring their inherent qualities. LPW are thinking of creating a short course so if you are interested in making books, but not as you know them.....(apologies to Turn the Page) check out their site. The assessments went smoothly at NUA. Looking at work online is both sad in that the work has touch and feel at its core and also so much smoother and direct as students target their submissions to the Learning Outcomes and assessment criteria.  meanwhile  Hillbilly Elegy - no, The Undoing - yes but the ending - bad people are just bad, Tenet - yes, my head is still wonderfully spinning. The series Small Axe is totally glorious, the sensual and focused camera work at the dance in episode 2 was beautiful, I could of walked into a gallery and watched the 11 minute sequence of Silly Games on a loop all day. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08vxt33 thank you.

doyoustartfromquestionsorfromanswers?

Do you start from questions or from answers? a day spent at a foundry exploring the potential of the activities peripheral yet integral to the actual casting of work. Working with the negative spaces within the sand casting of ingots was interesting - working inside out with negative space - a great day of rethinking. 

onto films - The Act of Killing https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 if you want to watch it - you can on YouTube - your life will be altered - truly one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen and there is no actual violence, bad language or sexual oppression. But the casual way in which these things are talked about and then reenacted will change you and your thoughts on human nature - haunting.

bindingpuffinternal

Printing again - this time it's all about lines rather than spaces - continued work with the tessellated images - printing with puff binder is very fulfilling, it's printed on a range of surfaces and the effect is mesmerizing, especially in the heat press as the binder 'grows' - the work is all about the haptic - how the work feels in the hand is key,  it's all about the touch and weight. Temperature has become a thing, especially as the material retains heat in the hand. can't help but think about body, brain and images of internal organs.  

meanwhile onto looking at screens - isthisit has a new exhibition in its online exhibition space - https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/data-fatigue there are some beautifully odd and wonderfully thoughtful pieces within the show - I recommend the work by Jonathan Monaghan - the imagery is quite stunning https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/data-fatigue-4  what a carve up - an interpretation of Jonathan Coe's wonderful book - an interesting exercise from the New Wolsey in Ipswich. About Endlessness - the new film by Roy Andersson is deeply disturbing in so many ways - the tableau's are the usual tonal beige and the content is hyper banal. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6817944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1 Summer of 85 - just so French.

printingourworld

Working on some prints - using puff binder on polyester to focus on touch. It was interesting to see how cleaning the table presented some interesting images - layers accentuating ideas of contact. An extraordinary short video - Poem by Zoe Leonard - Performed by Mykki Blanco - I want a dyke for a president - a call to see all lives represented by those who represent us - https://vimeo.com/185375525?fbclid=IwAR2L8hHj8xpvi8-LnqIq86_T0hTr9KVB3S1DR_JJyLIJR7X5PRPp4LTAcvM Working on Raced through Roadkill in one sitting - excellent script but limited development of characterisation. Queen's Gambit was very stylish and made the chess board appear on our table. About Endlessness - the new film by Roy Andersson is disturbing in so many ways - the tableau's are the usual tonal beige but the content is hyper banal. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6817944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

signssigning

signs, signs, signs - one of my favorites - so many messages here - where to start. The exhibition HERE, which was to take place at the artstation in Saxmundham has been temporarily postponed due to the latest lockdown - I almost got to hang the work this time! https://theartstation.uk/ In other news - the online longform course for Leicester Print Works appears to be booking well. I'm in the process of building a system to be able to show a table from a birds eye view. http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/ meanwhile onto a screen away from TEAMS and Zoom. The trial of the Chicago 7 - more than a courtroom drama, Harriet - more than a tale of one persons struggle, The Forty-Year-Old Version - more than a joke, some serious words alongside great beats https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10642834/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

findingacornerinaroundearth

a walk out to Snape for an evening with English Touring Opera. Poems set to music - Shostakovich and Britten - the poems of John Donne were a revelation. I loved the spelling - onely, thinking about the idea of one coming from and within only which gets you to lonely - wondrous.

John Donne: Holy Sonnets

At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow

At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow

Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise

From death, you numberless infinities

Of souls, and to your scatter'd bodies go;

All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow,

All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,

Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes

Shall behold God and never taste death's woe.

But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space,

For if above all these my sins abound,

'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace

When we are there; here on this lowly ground

Teach me how to repent; for that's as good

As if thou'hadst seal'd my pardon with thy blood.

X

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,

For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.

From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,

Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,

Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.

Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,

And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,

And better than thy stroake; why swell’st thou then?

One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die

hereweare

the poster for the show in Saxmundham - HERE. looking forward to hanging the work - 20 elements will make up the installation including a sculptural piece and video. It's been a week of reading draft research reports at NUA, building presentations for the following week and thinking about developing the studio work further. onto the screen - the darkly odd Game Night - it won't be who you think it is, or will it https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2704998/ sparklingly truthful performances  - Rocks https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9067182/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3 Watched a beautiful video as part of Festival Fringe! Queer Arts & Film Fest coming out of The Place about the work of shoog mcdaniel - http://shoogmcdaniel.com/ thought more people should know their work, if you get the chance the video documentary of their work is truly beautiful - short clip https://vimeo.com/318665185

gettingbacktostuff

well it was only a matter of time before we had to get to see things live! - (before the restrictions kick in again) an afternoon at Snape watching a harpsichord recital seemed like the answer - well it was as odd, exclusive and niche as performance art but maybe not as interesting. Although the playing was quite awesome.The walk along The Sailors Path to it was most excellent. Splayed Festival from The Place in London was a way of connecting - you watch live, paying what you can/want we checked out a few - Caj Collab was an extraordinary collaborative experience between Nando Messias and Rebecca Bellantoni, especially as they only have a day to work together to create the piece. Using two screens creatively looking at the duality of presence,  Mele Broomes endless journey sets a body in space https://www.melebroomes.com/, Cade & Macaskill explore how to exist if presenting yourself is your life https://www.artsadmin.co.uk/profiles/cade-macaskill/ onto the screen - a little disappointing but entertaining (just). Juliet, Naked - so many co-incidences but the story rolls along keeping any questions one has away.The Boys in the Band - the gloriously dialogue was poisonous within a highly theatrical setting https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10199914/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 The Trial of the Chicago 7 was a little too shiny or surface, it was entertaining but/and. The tax Collector - I was expecting more from Shia, there was lots of words/violence but not enough 'off the wall' philosophy. 28 days uuummmh.

artartandmoreart

 

a good weekend in London getting to see art - an activity not undertaken for several months. Bruce Nauman at The Tate was exceptional - it is truly extraordinary to see him rip through endless ideas, almost manifesting them as quick sketches and then moving on to the next one. You can spot the individual pieces  that other artists have taken and then used to build their whole career on. The 'permanent' collections were absorbed as if I hadn't seen art before, highlights were immersing in Agnes Martin, Cildo Meireles's Babel and Dora Maurer's video work as well as the dialogue between works that were set up with the hang. Next up Goldsmiths apart from the building itself the best thing about the visit were the structures put up to deter pigeons from settling. Grace Woodcock at Castor was quite beautiful with some thoughtful ideas about the gut. Gossamer Fog had a thoughtful video and finally a shout out to the immersive disorienting, sick-inducing VR by Samuel Capps at Seager. Even managed to get to the garden center - pansy's really are quite pretty. 

mentalgymnastics

At NUA we are now moving into a blended teaching experience. There are many elements to consider and with time and due diligence they can be addressed.My latest obsession is Arboretum by David Byrne - it's a book of diagrams or mental maps that explore a range of idiosyncratic lines of mental gymnastics - there are so many starting points for great conversations. You might be interested in checking out his website - there is great thinking and commentary there http://davidbyrne.com/ meanwhile work in the studio is all about films and gifs of crushed structures.

walkingincolour

this time of year the colours one encounters out walking are quite marvellous, although it means that Winter is round the corner. meanwhile the work for Saxmundham is almost complete - spinning bookworks https://theartstation.uk/ - some films - St Francis - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9016016/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 you believe in the characters that have been created, talking about stuff that isn't usually discussed in main stream films. Bill and Ted Face the Music - well if you're a fan you will love this.... Good Trouble -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Trouble_(TV_series) is terrific in its depiction of young women's voices.

fragmentedchange

fragments of thinking - anticipating a return to teaching - this week at NUA was induction week, social distancing, masks, visors, and cleaning is a challenging - the register is a wild ride of oddness.  continuing to fold as a way of making sense of the world - some of my Summer reading titles - the choices house a mixture of intentions and have demonstrated to me the real power of books to extend understanding and take us to places other than those we think we know. Ta-Nehisi Coats - Between the World and Me. A deeply moving and intense letter from a father to his son that is 'the conversation'. There are many lessons to be learnt here but mainly the catalogue of racism and violence opens eyes wide. Tracy Chevalier - Remarkable Creatures. A sad but intriguing tale of how women were undervalued in the history of fossil hunting. Hilary Mantel - The Mirror and the Light. If powerful people want to do as they wish, even kill, they will and nobody will stop them. Has anything changed? Murakami - After Dark. Describes a sc-fi fragmented separateness of one layered night. Derek owusu - That reminds me. A tale of a fragmented memory of a fractured life that will get you rethinking everything you thought you knew. Samantha Schweblin - Little Eyes. A disturbing extension of the Tamagotchi toy  with a twist that connects our desires within our dark souls. Brendon Taylor - Real Life. The casual racism within a bio science context creates a deep painful feeling of isolation and injustice. Anne Tyler - Redhead by the side of the road. A beautifully crafted moment and its aftermath. Robert Webb - How not to be a Boy. A catalogue of mistaken moments laid bare and offered up as a lesson to all.

siteformspecific

I have some images of work in a site-specific on-line exhibition at The Cut Arts Centre in Halesworth. http://newcut.org/sitespecific it's an Interesting exhibition and my work sits alongside a range of excellent people with some great work http://newcut.org/sitespecific/les-bicknell

meanwhile back in my studio I've been thinking about the fold, concealment, duality and the creation of narrative. The images are close-ups of the 17 new bookworks created for the upcoming Station show. The works are conceived as 3D objects, although to make the work a number of rules were followed, the main one being that all forms can be folded to 2D.

Although the actual work is abstract there are a number of narratives to be created in the mind of the viewer if the idea of the body and the book are considered, alongside the interrelationships between shape, structure and form in general.

useofabook

uses of a book #20 - using their weight  to help glued card to stick together - the card will form the bases for work to show at the upcoming station show. The actual work that will sit on the spinning platforms is evolving as I use 'found' materials within the studio. Some of the papers have been 'waiting' to be used for over 35 years!

Revisiting past episodes of Star Trek Next Generation has been an eye opener; the speed of the editing, the camera angles and once I got over the very angry tone of how orders are giving I've become obsessed with Wesley Crusher's knitwear - maybe something to introduce into presentations next year at NUA.

meanwhile films have been varied - Just Like Heaven - sweet and light, Ava - we have been here before, Coup 53 - staggeringly disturbing. The BBC's A Suitable Boy addressed obliquely some wider issues, it looked good but was a little like The Crown in tone

foldingmusic

I've spent the week mainly working on a new suite of folded structures for the show at the station in Saxmundham. The pieces are based on a range of ideas but the focus is materiality and that the pieces look good as 3D sculptural structures. During all this folding I've been playing a lot of tracks as a result of listening to and then researching Lisa Tarbuck's playlist. She has a fantastically eclectic interest but her taste is always impeccable, especially Reggae and old school Soul and RnB. - some tracks to start with

Marie Laforêt - Et Si Je T'aime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFeoX4NNdJM

Nuyorican Soul - It's Alright, I Feel It (feat. Jocelyn Brown)

I DO - Pull It

The Box Tops - The Letter

Johnny Restivo - The Shape I'm In

Boozoo Bajou & Tony Joe White - Keep Going

Don Convay - Everything I Do Goin' Be Funky

Peaches & Herb - Shake Your Groove Thing

The Delfonics - Ready Or Not Here I Come

Resonators - Sweet Love Affair

meanwhile some films - American Pickle - the tonal shifts within the film are a challenge - unsure about where the humour is aimed at although I did laugh. Summerland - was very clean but had some interesting ideas and indeed acting within it. Project Power - oh dear, although maybe it wasn't that bad.....was it? The Puzzle - a calm yet surprisingly stirring film, the underlying currents are very powerful.

installinglandscapes

 

the area around the house has the  feeling of a glorious early 70s conceptual art installation - the industrial farming provides some excellent forms on a huge scale using manufacturing materials.. onto some films - Can you Keep a Secret - you know where it's going from the start but it's very sweet getting there. Clemency - an extraordinary experience for the viewer where everyone is damaged from their proximity to the death penalty. The Judge - a 20 min film stretched to 2 hours and 20 minutes with so many cul-de-sacs of storylines that you are willing it to end....edit edit edit

bogskinroof

 

removing all the roofing felt from the studio and I'm struck by the quality of the surfaces - like a bog man from another time. meanwhile some films - The Traitor - we have been here before but the acting is mesmerizing. Rumour Has It -  oh dear - just so wrong in so many ways. Mrs America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._America_(miniseries) as ever it tragically seems lessons from the past continue to inform and illuminate our now.

foldedspacesandatune

my new latest sound - check out the funk you will be unable to not move with this. an interesting session with the Columbian Embassy today - exploring and sharing creative possibilities around their orange economy. They were particularly interested in the work myself and Melissa https://melissapmurray.com/ have been engaged with at NanoDTC. I've been working on some new crushed folded structures - this has led to a number of mini gifs. meanwhile some films - The Sunlit Night - understanding the world and finding yourself through paintings How to build a girl - well written and acted with some nice animated touches but the characters are a little straightforward.

healthandsafetygonemad

'Health and Safety gone mad' - in a field near you - its a track behind my house!!!

At the moment if you happen to be in Crest in the Drome Valley, France feel free to drop into the Imprints Galerie. https://imprints-galerie.com/Home I have a work in an exhibition, the show is of the Gommisti editions, small rubber stamps commissioned by Imprints. https://www.instagram.com/imprints_galerie/ three online student exhibitions I've been part of this year - NUA Textile Design https://nuagradshowcase.com/courses/textile-design/ OCA MA Fine Art https://gallery.oca.ac.uk/ MA Book Arts Camberwell https://www.mavisualarts.com/ma-book-arts/ all worth checking out

onto films The Old Guard - some interesting moments but written as a graphic novel and it does feel a little like it still is, a little. Palm Springs both suffers and gains from its source, Groundhog Day, but it gets away with it, just. 

atimeaplaceamoment

an invitation to an exhibition - MA Book Art at Camberwell - its the final cohort's online exhibition. There are many wonderful works in the show but more importantly the work demonstrates the breadth of the course in terms of book thinking, alongside the focus it offered the student when narrating their own lives.
It is said that the victors get to write the history. The restructuring of the MA offer at the University of the Arts (UAL) included the closure of the Book Art course at Camberwell. Does its demise within the restructure mean success? Does that make them the victors and therefore should they as successful instigators of this action write the history of the course?
The true history of the MA is embedded in the experiences of 100s of students who have enrolled on the course and experienced it. Many continue to make, exhibit and sell books, they run private press's, employ people, teach others to make books as technicians, educators and artists in community settings and within educational institutions as teachers, lectures and professors across the world.
Others have taken their experience of the course, recognised the transferable skills we have explored together and used them to build fulfilling creative lives. They continue to build the legacy of the course, I think they are the winners and there is no need to write the history as they are living its future.
On this the last day of the course I think of them all, of the learning we did together and wish them well.
take care - bye for now

foldedfoldscrushed

working on some new structures - or more like a new approach to the making or unmaking of work. crushing very tiny structures has obvious connotations at this moment in time, both for me personally and more universally. The final assessment of the Book Art Course at Camberwell has taken place, we just have the exam board to go and the course will cease to exist. The final cohort submitted some really exciting work that deserves to be seen beyond myself and Tanya. I hope that they get the chance soon, they and their work warrant it. meanwhile some films Family Romance LLC. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10208194/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 oddly  strange yet very normal slice of everyday Japan. The True History of the Kelly Gang https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4844140/ starts off with brutal oppression and ramps up intensely to a devastatingly unhinged spectacle.

The Shivering Truth https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/303380455 is a wondrous thing - this is a good place to start, it will twist your mind inside out and take your sole to a dark yet glorious place.

newroofoverourheads

It's been a full-on manual labour session rebuilding the roof of my studio - it is now very ready for work to take place. This week at Camberwell the set project was mask - mine was informed by power, control and order - all the issues that fuel my practice.

meanwhile films - Fire Saga - Will Ferrell not at his best but the costumes are a wow and the whole film was obviously made with love and care for Eurovision. The Personal History of David Copperfield had some joyfully clever film-craft moments, using projection and editing to tell the story. The Lake House https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410297/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1 had a nice twist after a long set of twists. Transit https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6675244/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 had a disjointed feel that was totally at one with the narrative

selfbookwork

Focal Point Gallery in Southend have asked for a self portrait to celebrate 30 years of exhibiting - I had a show of digital images created with 3D software titled reading landscapes, work that developed from a commission for Suffolk County Council in 2000. The black and white gif is created from a number of the versions. The digital bookworks gif is made up of images from the exhibition.

meanwhile some films - lost bullet - a long drive to get to a point, plus one - a glorious leave your brain on the side romcom  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9076562/ Irresistible - a clever punchy comment on the dysfunctional system looking at how America goes about doing politics - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9076562/