feralandhappystudents

A trip North to work at the Feral Art School in Hull to work on their Rewilding course. There was a sense of returning. Returning to old skool art school – no fixed timetable, odd and messy individual spaces to work and importantly to think and happy, engaged students. Through a series of workshops and presentations everybody ended up with many many starting points for new work, experimental bookwork maquettes, a collaborative, modular sculpture and a bookwork with their own images and text…..not bad in a day. Onto screens – Atlas – woman machine ai madness. Nope – horses and beautiful aliens, what’s not to like!

rememberremember

Completed work on remember, a piece for firstlight in Lowestoft this coming weekend. 2 weeks of assessments at Norwich are over, the final show, rebranded GradFest opened last night, now it’s onto the next stage – New Designers. Meanwhile a busy weekend. At Snape, the Aldeburgh Festival - a couple of visits. Violinist Daniel Pioro joined with pianist collaborator Simon Smith to perform Brahms’s Violin Sonatas, solid, physical and professional. Then Me without You, Emily Levy and Mella Faye led a troubling experience - kids from Fame ‘do’ death. Holy Other was a new live multidisciplinary work which was full of deep noise and inspirational visuals. Brighten the Corners in Ipswich was most excellent the highlight was the glorious Lambrini Girls - a force of nature. Also saw Man Woman Chainsaw, NEONE the Wonderer - great laid-back vibe. da Googie (Deb Googe) – mad moving noise. Sluice Expo in Colchester was a mixed bag but worth the visit. There was some interesting work in the Minories and some engaging films in an upstairs space above a good Korean restaurant. Firstsite had an intriguing show by S, a whole host of inspiring micro worlds. Onto screens – The Tattooist of Auschwitz – grey dark oppressive and grey with very small moments of light but could it be anything else. 2 tickets to Greece - was sweet.

veniceisstillthereasever

So Venice was where and how I left it. I'm always surprised and stunned by it. A truly amazing vibrant place, when you are there you continue to ask how can it exist? When you are gone you ask will it be there next time? And then there was the art. After 4 days at the Biennale looking, listening, and smelling art one is left with a lot to think about. One thing is that it becomes increasingly clear why authoritarian regimes and police states try to silence art and culture - (this includes the present UK government). The arts repeatedly speak truth to power, pointing out the governments distain for any opposition to their self-interested greed. Colonialism, representation, hierarchical thinking, craft skills. Every two years my art education is expanded, along with inspiration for the teaching I do. There is so much to mention but some stand out moments include Julien Creuzet’s extraordinary films and textile pieces in the French Pavilion. The oddly compelling opera by Wael Shawky in the Egyptian pavilion. The image of a young dead man created by using their own blood by Theresa Margolles. The haunting organ pipes held in a forest of scaffolding in the Italian Pavilion, the delicate blown glass of Michael Joo in the Korean Pavilion that celebrated their involvement in the Biennale. The beautifully slight interplay of fruit and water power generated sound, in the Japanese Pavilion. The glorious, excess of the German Pavilion. The stoic, thoughtful professionalism displayed in John Akomfrah’s work in the British Pavilion. Giant puppets displayed unconventionally with a drumming soundtrack in the Belgium Pavilion. A truly sensual dance for two people and a conjoined shirt by Kang Seung Lee. Other dance pieces one by Isaac Chong Wai about falling and a work exploring queer histories by Ahmed Umar were mesmerizing. The beautiful dialogue between Tintoretto and dyed cloth in Uruguay Pavilion by Eduardo Cardozo. The use of repetitive mark making, weaving and knit to celebrate cultures otherwise underrepresented was everywhere. Away from the Biennale the extraordinary show by Pierre Huyghe at the Punta della Dogana is full of wait-what-how moments. He has to be one of the most interesting artists making highly relevant work at the moment. The video Untitled (Human Mask) of the monkey/human abandoned in a deserted town has to be seen to be believed and let's not forget a crab 'wearing' Brancusi's head in a fish tank with floating rocks. Then there was the joining in of the mass celebration with football fans on Sunday night after their win - flares, fireworks, drums, giant flags, chanting, megaphones, utter madness. Getting boats in the dark out to Saint Helena just because you can, and of course the boat taxi from the airport channelling James Bond, quite possibly the coolest journey I ever make. The food..........can't wait to return.