walkingtothelight

2 days in Girona to observe Easter rituals. I've been waiting to do this since I missed it 4 years ago and it was worth the wait. Extraordinary images of the Setmana Santa walking and manoeuvring religious floats depicting scenes from the Easter story. My favourite was the truly meta Jesus in a glass box held up by maybe 8 angels who are then carried by the Confloria del Sant Sepulchre with huge displays of flowers...... all lit up. The procession lasts 2 hours with the individual groups representing different areas of faith. I noticed that Pete Hegseth's tattoo is part of the insignia worn by the same Confloria del Sant Sepulchre. Not disturbing at all. If in Gerona check out the Jewish Museum. A must see in Girona is the extraordinary fortress that is frightening in its scale - all that energy devoted to war.

Continuing the yearly walk along the coast of Spain into France. On the train to Figures to get a bus to Cadaces to start the walk tomorrow on the coast where Dali lived and where we stopped the previous leg this time last year. 4 days later.....on a train to Montpellier to meet friends. It was the fourth-year walking from Loret du Mar to Banyul-s-Mer and this has got to be the most beautiful leg of the walk. Striding through areas filled with luminous flowers in full bloom, their scents filling the air, unusual insects, butterflies and lizards, all under blue skies with sea on your right shoulder. Crossing the border from Spain into France was interesting as the culture changed dramatically. Hola becomes Bonjour. Restaurants in Spain that only opened at 9:00 were into their coffee and dessert at a similar time in France. Crem Catalan gave way to île flottante (possible my all-time favourite dessert) and tapas evolves into a proper 3 course meal. Typography on buildings and in church yards became florid and landmarks go from rock formations to lines of poplar trees as the coast flattens out into salt marshes. Stunning. Got the train to Montpellier to see friends, eat interesting food and see art. The shows at Moco had a sci-art concoction, mainly focusing on the body with some great medical models. The food included pig cheeks, tiel, and candied hibiscus flowers. A final day was spent in Arles to see the Frank Ghery......what an architectural mess - it looks as if 3-4 people 'designed' it in the local bricomarché after a long lunch, so many different approaches and materials. Messy, unused spaces everywhere and the restaurant was given over to an artist........oh dear - the most uncomfortable and bizarrely unnecessarily over-thought chairs and table ever. But there was a Gustav Metzger  exhibition that was fantastically confrontational, but a nonsense of over-tech Philippe Parreno  exhibition was unnecessary and maybe only there because it could be. It was a joy to leave and go to the Lee Ufan foundation, Designed in collaboration with Tadao Ando - it is a thoughtful space with stunningly considered work that transcends the ordinary - a must see.

controldocuments

SZC work continues, the ideas continue to flow alongside the conversations. It’s been an excellent week all round - We have got R&D money for the bench project at Kings with the possibility to extend it in so many ways, this is really exciting as I get to work with a wonderous group of people. I’ve been offered a show at imprints in Crest, France and I’ve been making more work around the theme of data, the show will be called control documents. Sarah B at Bristol has invited me to show work in an exhibition in Japan, the 3D printed work was chosen, and I think it will look good and hopefully go down well. I have been awarded research money to work on the project exploring Catenary. On Thursday I got to see some of the Norwich pattern books with Ruth Battersby-Tooke, the Senior Curator of Costume and Textiles at Norfolk Museums Service at the Bridewell in Norwich. It was, as ever a real pleasure to be in the presence of such extraordinary objects in the fantastically knowledgeable hands of Ruth. The books give a hint at what the past might have looked like in a similar way that the textile ‘swatches’ held by The Foundling Museum in London. Onto screens – almost finished White Lotus, the whole experience is just distasteful! Started Zero Day, unsure where its going to go yet. Life List was difficult to watch through the tears!

rhizoneconnectingus

almost hanging some work in the Leiston office of Sizewell C – the text that accompanies the work. Artist in residence at Sizewell C. I am an artist based in East Suffolk. I am currently working as artist in Residence at Sizewell. This role was developed by First Light Festival and Sizewell C. As an artist in residence, I am an onlooker, a mirror and a maker, like everyone else in East Suffolk, I am watching the development of the biggest construction site in Europe. We are living through, observing and taking part in change. We watch, we adjust, we question, we wonder; and I am making art. Art is a powerful connector—whether you're creating it or taking part in it, it has the ability to bring together communities and workers. These pieces are my response to the roles of the Sizewell C workforce and my reflections on the changes we are experiencing. This is part of a rolling program. Art works will be shown within the Sizewell’s workplaces and within the wider environment over the next twelve months.