joyfuldayatkings

Another joyful day at Kings working with Celia and the synthetic anatomy crew. Seeing the work in the lab brings more connections in my mind to the creative activity and thought  processes in a studio. We talked about flow during which I had my own revelatory moment aligning the ideas between two distinct workshops and making connections between a book: its sequence of pages and the limitations and constraints of a bag. Both contain the idea of revelation when engaged with. It will be interesting to think on this when preparing new workshops. A morning of drawing exercises working with Celia Pym using anatomy models sought to introduce the synthetic anatomy students to thinking through looking. Slowing down, speeding up and rethinking what it is to communicate were some of the creative routes explored in the session. There were some excellent drawings created in the session, as well as the development of their teamwork, problem solving skills, and general openness to possibilities. Links between the historical models and 3D printing were created through the activity of making observational drawings. There were some awesome drawings created during the process. After a thought provoking discussion over lunch it was good to have a meeting to see the final layout of the Garden of Emotions in the gallery space - looking forward to running workshops there. It was the first session of working with Double Elephant this week – a nice open workshop, introducing many many ways of starting the creative process. It will be great to see the ways in which the brief has been interpreted. Meanwhile onto screens - the end of season 3 part 1 of Ozarks was brutal, Mass with its twists and turns, although theatrical was truly devastating. Lamb was beautiful in its stillness and Ongaku Our Sound an interesting comment on media and music My latest obsession is Salvatore Ganacci - start with Step Grandma and work your way through his work from there - truly some of the oddest film I have ever seen, alongside some sweet Swedish house music

drawdrawdrawandyouwillsee

Fridays are all about Synthetic Anatomy, although learning and working with new software to be able to create 3D pieces has been my obsession this week in between the gaps of general teaching, running a smocking and pleating workshop for BA students, a folding workshop for MA students, interviewing prospective students for Textile Design BA, briefing the last unit for the current year 3 on the Textile Course at Norwich, tutorials for year 2 OCA Fine Art students, seeing The Comforter by the wonderful (you will laugh you will cry) Stacy Makishi https://www.artsadmin.co.uk/artists/stacy-makishi at the glorious Norwich Arts Centre which was really fantastic and then finally tweaking designs for planning committee for the Goldlay Square commission.

This Friday at Kings the afternoon session was run by Celia Pym.  http://celiapym.com/  Life drawing. If you ever need a drawing workshop I cannot recommend her more highly. The level of serious fun and energy in the room (for 2 hours) was awesome. The medical students went from 'this is a laugh', which it was, to taking the whole thing very seriously as they became focused and realised that drawing is not so easy and needs practice and a way of thinking to develop your skills. The drawing techniques and rules that engaged in by the students were so relevant to thinking about anatomy and 3D printing. 

blinkandyouwillmissme

The Craft Council have just released a great overview film of Make:Shift - it really makes it look informative, dynamic and exciting - as it was - if you blink you will miss me at 1:15 (cause it's all about me!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RUvexSqo3o&index=1&list=PL3dHwye4ClRJ06I43_hMqzTyjQB9oPKa1meanwhile congratulations to the lovely Celia Pym http://celiapym.com/ for her deserved nomination for the Loewe Craft Prize.

Hacksaw Ridge http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2119532/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 saw Mel attempt what Spielberg did in Private Ryan with the American experience in Japan - yes we get it war is hell and pointless (with rats) but. Live by Night http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361317/?ref_=rvi_tt the KKK defeated, bootlegging, gangs, prohibition, great hats, Gleeson, Aflleck what's not to like? but.....why, what  and that ending? Denial http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4645330/ Spall is awesome and Wilkinson riveting - the film does a lot of explaining but then it is a court case. 

thinkingturningrethinking

Turn the page in Norwich is coming up this weekend - http://www.turnthepage.org.uk/index.htm a must see for seeing interesting books and book related objects – they have an exhibition by Brian Dettmer which will be full of obsessive cutting and the mining of alternative narratives within books http://briandettmer.com/  while thinking about Norwich check out the Relux project which is part of the festival http://dedomenici.com/redux richard has been remaking various films – most awesomely bizarre. The Thursday lecture at NUA was by Celia Pym http://celiapym.com/ really wonderful journey – the focus was on connecting, finding out who to work with and how to sustain a practice. titled Is this a thing? I started to think about the students experience of Listening – why come to a lecture that’s not what I do....she made me rethink ...make a link with the Yoko Ono – cut piece – thinking about the real violence of the act, the fact that in archives all clothes are catalogued as a personal item and also it made me think about the role of a tutor – talking and listening professionally. Beautiful.