storythroughtattoos

the book created for the Jubilant! Project – full film of all pages. tattoos have become an interesting conduit through my family – these are my dad’s tattoos – meanwhile onto screens – the Gray Man – gloriously excessive nonsense. The Old Man – slightly wooden espionage intrigue

megachippyfindfound

2 months late but made it to the Binley Mega Chippy on the way to my Auntie Marge's  funeral where I came across a great ‘found text’! - think Bob Cobbing……I recently spent the day at FLEXchange at Kings - so nice to be around like-minded people, although from different backgrounds and starting points. Creative thinking fueled all the conversations. I was there to facilitate an arts/science/well being workshop. We had to devise, develop, and present a proposal for an actual issue. My group focused on community building and the issue of stifling bureaucratic systems in academic life and the way in which fear governs our decisions, both as students and lecturers. How can you create a sense of ownership or have agency to build a community in such a structural bureaucratic stranglehold? We came up with the idea of using coloured paper and coloured pens to demonstrate the idea of a curriculum that fits nobody as the participants have not been considered in the delivery. You may have delivered content (pens) but did it land (paper)? A truly half full kind of day. Meanwhile onto screens – the glorious Good Luck to you Leo Grande was moving and open.  Books - just finished reading and found myself agreeing with much of Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century by John Higgs. It is full of great revelations and one of the many coincidences/revelations I had was reading about Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Laringhaven for the first time in the book whilst simultaneously seeing her work in Venice. The book is full of interesting facts and connections - recommended if you are unsure about the world we are living in, there are no answers but lots to think about - did you know the police force had a pagan society? Or that before the Americans celebrated and courted Werner von Braun and rushed him from Nazi Germany to build their space program, he was responsible for the death of 20 thousand slaves through forced labor whist building his underground factory that developed the V2 rockets. 

magicalspaces

So Venice Biennale was, as ever most excellent. I can never get over the fact that Venice is there just as I left it.... Where to start - it all begins when you get on the water taxi from the airport, arriving in this exciting way to the magical space of Venice is my favourite journey ever. Entering the canals from the choppy waters through the fortified external wall of the city and emerging in the Grand Canal is truly wondrous. Between then and getting back to the airport the time was spent with 3 days of art with time for eating and drinking after hard core experiencing. So much to say but highlights of the National pavilions for me were Marco Fusinato in the Australian just gloriously brutal. Yunchul Kim in the Korean space was awe inspiring art informed by science. The main exhibition had some beautiful paintings by Chiara Enzo and The Sex Robot video of Sidel Meineche Hansen had images of which will stay in my head for a long time. The monumental industrial narrative that was created for the Italian space was reminiscent of childhood wanderings through abandoned factories. Day two at the Arsenale is always a marathon, like joining 4 or 5 Tate's together. The historical work’s highlights were the medical models of Aletta Jacobs and Anna Coleman Ladd. The curated section had some gems that I am still thinking about – to name a few the graphic images of Beklis Ayon,  Egle Budvytyte’s video exploring our relationship to the environment, the startling paintings of Felipe Baeza and Pinaree Sanpitak, the smell of Delicy Morelos’s soil installation, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe’s striking prints, the disturbing video by Zheng Bo with men and the forest, the giant symbols by Solange Pessoa, Joanna Piotrowska’s seemingly domestic yes other photographs, Carolyn Lazard’s reimagining of objects, Luyang’s animated future, dogs on the loose in the video of Janis Rafa, the haunting video by Diego Marcon, and there is always Barbara Kruger. There was so much textile activity on display, a way for the artists to talk of globalization, capitalism, workers’ rights, and sexual politics among other issues. The Philippines had some excellent ikat weaving alongside sound pieces, resembling the noise of the looms the work was made on. Day three is about collateral events, which gives you the opportunity to walk through the city between extraordinary venues which is always wonderful. I can’t wait till the next time.

booksforjubilant!

The books for the jubilant! project arrived - l have to say that they look great, the pages flow and the students work is something special, so proud of them. The book has captured the project wonderfully – the students loved them too. After a busy morning, first at the food museum  to look at the garden exhibition there, then onto Red Stables where the frames are now in the space waiting for the celebration and sharing at the weekend. Onto screens - STILL – A Gecko Film is truly beautiful – my eyes filled as the woman dances with her hands after playing with a blanket and the balloon sequence is gloriously mad – most excellent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJTL5Lcag1U&t=763s&ab_channel=Gecko

 

almostframed

The work with Jubilant! is going well – we had another good session at Stowuplands High School before we hang the work at Red Gables next week. It was full of great moments and conversations. I’ve worked at Stowupland High School over the past month mainly outside with Colin Ley from Red Gables. We have been working together with pupils to envisage the possibilities of a area adjacent to the school. The space is 65m x 57m with a barrow shape created with spoil from the building of tennis courts approximately 2m in height that runs East West to the North of the space. It has a range of vegetation covering the space - grasses, sedges, and plants. We set out to investigate and question the space to help us understand and map it. Focusing on the senses we experienced what the space felt, sounded, and smelt like as well as looking closely. The investigation included practical concerns including testing soil ph. levels, developing alternative measurements of the space itself and counting how many blades of grass are growing in the space. The idea was that by mapping what is there we could determine what could be. Some of the process is included in a small booklet which acts as a manual for future development of the space. We made a set of frames, inspired by the work of the Boyle Family, who have been making their Earth Pieces since 1976. The system they created to establish their working practice uses a framing device to enable them to determine what and how to view the world. The frame acts as a form of contract with the viewer. It offers a moment of reflection, to stop and breath, something we all need at this moment in time. The viewer is gifted the time to contemplate the world we live in; the frame organizes our thinking and supports our viewing. We know the world exists beyond the frame, but in a moment of stillness we can gather our thoughts, refreshed to go back into the world we came from. I’m interested in developing work that leaves space for the viewer, to enable them to stop and reflect. Framing the changing landscape means that every individual interaction with the work is unique, the space itself becomes the work.  The New Designers exhibition trade show was hung on Monday, the NUA Textile Design course stand looked good, I get to go on Saturday, spend time on the stand and take the work down. Meanwhile onto screens, His House – demonstrates the shocking lack of care in the immigration system. Love & Gelato – fluffy feel good. Spiderhead – twisted and spiteful. The Man from Toronto – has its moments. Deep into the unnerving Midwich Cuckoos series – disturbingly freaky.