makingmakingandwatching

making day on the Arts Fine Art MA for the Open College was a thoughtful experience - a moment of revelation during my making session - I think acknowledging one's learning is a possible route to actually moving forward - mine was totally random but all about recognising the possibilities within a seemingly throw away opportunity - when cutting down a structure I was left with a very thin version of the piece  - keeping the functional possibilities but adding rotational behavior to the connection- maybe I need to consider connected tubes.! stated the Testing Your Boundaries project with the OCA - its all about reconceptualising ones practice - see presentation here - https://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/2019-initial-presentation-testing-boundaries meanwhile - I spend most of my time whilst watching Ad Astra in the mind of another person on a deep voyage - thinking about Martin Sheen's journey in Apocalypse Now - but this distraction or layering of meaning did not take me too far away from the often perilously life threatening set piece scenes in space and then there is The end of the fucking world - the soundtrack is truly awesome. https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/11/8710740/the-end-of-the-fucking-world-season-2-soundtrack-songs

itsbeenalongweek

well - its been a full week in Barnsley - hanging the third year show and assessing all three years of the MA for the Open College of the Arts. It's always a full on experience but highly enjoyable with tight deadlines. Meeting people whose lives you have been linked with for 3 years for the first time in the flesh is a wondrously odd experience - it is one of the joys of the job, connecting with the familiar. 4 mini collections of images - hanging, close ups, the work and the private view. looking forward to East Anglia after the dress code and the delicacies on offer in the market - what and whose pets have they chopped up?

teachingroundupandfolding

Planning towards the final show for OCA is well underway - the exhibition will be an eclectic affair which is what you would expect from an exhibition of international students from all over the world.  checkout the work at https://www.instagram.com/duodecimalart/  Year 3 at NUA is culminating in a few weeks - as ever it's that time in the education cycle where we have a graded engagement with the final process. The range is from people who have planned and are working through their lists through to those looking for a time machine to try and solve their issues. Camberwell starts again in a couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see what the students have been working on over the Easter 10 weeks of non teaching.  Meanwhile the work for the exhibition in Wyoming has been sent off. I am particularly excited by the editioning process and final outcome of one of the handheld pieces that started life with nanotech in Cambridge.

lookingforwardandorganising

today is a busy day of organising - work for a show in Wyoming, fabric for new shirts to be made and materials for tomorrows making day at OCA - a kind of observed together yet apart day of art studio practice - wonderfully engaging. I have been buying 'interesting' fabric and getting shirts made - some examples. Beginning to get excited about a few events coming up - in the short term tonight its Russell Maliphant's Silent Lines at the Dance House in Ipswich. Later - its Latitude which has become a little main stream so it's only its location - literally 8 miles from my house which makes it almost rude not to go...wandering into Underworld outside late at night has got to be okay. On the longest day there is First light in Lowestoft a FREE 24hr non-stop, beach festival https://firstlightlowestoft.com Its the year of Venice Biennale which is always awesome - the title May you live in interesting times feels like a threat! the excitement is bursting, especially as Jimmie Durham has been awarded the Golden Lion - his smashing objects video is hilariously disturbingly sad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SOj9vumZOY I can almost taste the Aperol Spritz and feel the warmth of the sun after a long day of 'art looking'. In terms of screens the Beautiful yet chaotic Marwen is worth a watch https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289724/ The new series remake of Hannah seems unnecessary. Glass was a little disjointed to keep up and in the end I ceased to care but Samuel Jackson wears a great suit!

Got to go to the new Escape Room in Saxmundham, Suffolk - surrounded by wondrous airstream land yachts that you can stay in https://www.suffolkescaperoom.co.uk/  based on a WW2 theme - my first time in one - it was interesting/intriguing with clues everywhere - we got out but maybe a little bit of luck helped.

theendandthebeginning

life at University continues its unforgiving march of time. We are in the time of universal fear where students realise that this life will end and the reality of life outside education will start. How will they manage? Will seminars about self employment, how to pay tax, training around interview techniques and the building of portfolios ever be enough? But I feel at least we are trying.

OCA teaching goes from strength to strength, the latest project - Testing Your Boundaries is a wonderful space of experimentation. It takes on the form of a kind of contractual permission where students who have waited to do something find release and create incredible work in such a short space of time. It is a pivotal moment, they use it as a springboard, the ripples of which can be felt throughout the rest of their time at OCA. It is genuinely exciting to be in the presentations.

The OA turned out to be a twisted mind meltdown which wasn't helped by the conflation in my own brain between time travel and multi dimensional existence......now we are all in the OA.

Destroyer https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7137380/?ref_=nv_sr_1 was difficult as the main character, played by an unrecognisable Nicole Kidman is was relentlessly unhappy - the clever twist in the time line is quite revelatory.

The Synthetic anatomy table displays at Kings were wonderful. The culmination of the project is always tricky - the challenge is to show both the process of working together - the journey of the project and also to demonstrate the actual concepts of the project the group is working with. It was great to work with the inspirational Shelly James and Celia Pym assessing and running a feedback session for the students, focusing on the clarity of presentation and communication. It's interesting to think that it all started with the Crafts Council Parallel Practices initiative. As ever the lab we were working in had a disturbing/interesting object - I so don't want to have to use the shower or be in the room when it is used.

went out to see a couple of shows - Spruth Magers - http://spruethmagers.com/exhibitions/492 has a stunning show by Reinhard Mucha - the work is a series of found/constructed beautifully constructed narrative vitrines.It also has a great floor.  Hauser and Wirth has a couple of exhibitions that are a little yes-i-get-it-but-there-is-nothing- really-to-hold-me-here. GAO has a fun VR set up but the smell of balloons and the pink light made me a little heady!

borofoldsandtime

my work is going to be in a couple of exhibitions so making and thinking and packing work - Constellation: Inspiration and the Artist Book in Laramie County Library their annual invitational book arts exhibition in Cheyenne, USA. Work will be part of a touring exhibition coming out of the great team in Leeds who bring us PAGES Meanwhile - A week full of teaching - Mid Point Reviews, preparations for embedded book seminars, group crits, individual tutorials and a presentation around fantasy portfolio's. A day at Middlesex University working on the Craft Design Course was fun - teaching (engaging with students) without the usual bureaucracy I engage with. Undertaking the preparation for the day and working with the numerous paper structures gave time for reflection on the work I have been doing myself in this field over the past 4 years. I also managed to pull together some interesting ideas that I have been introduced to as part of the work at Kings with anatomy scientists around splitting and joining mobius loops and chirality. It was my birthday this week and presents included a really beautiful piece of Boro fabric from a farmers coat that has just the feeling of age within it - quite mesmerising with each stitch and piece of cloth having its own story embedded within it.  Went to see Witness for the Prosecution at County Hall in London https://www.witnesscountyhall.com/ a fun jaunt into theatre - essentially a courtroom drama but in a splendid room - the old GLC Council Chamber. In terms of screens - I gave up on workin mums - just too painful in so many ways, This Time with Alan Partridge is savagely observant,  Instant Family was  more than a screwball 'person out of place' genre but it had moments of thoughtful commentary around issues of adoption. Isn't it Romantic https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452244/  is a splendid cliché of genres with some laugh out loud moments. I was meeting people at the Barbican (excellent Negroni's at the Martini Bar) so popped into the Curve Gallery but  I needed more time to see the fascinating work of Daria Martin so I shall be back. Just looking around for newish sounds and came across Cillian Murphy's Music Mixtape - not really new but gloriously eclectic - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00039mn and This American life podcast threw up Ozzy Osborne's version of working class hero - which might just be better than the original - sacrilege. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTF6n-JxQ9g 

assessmentsarego

This week at NUA it's all about assessments - two days of presentations and then 3 days of looking through work - lots of work. So far there has been some really exciting potential on display in the presentations. Talking about your work and how it's made is a key skill and something that the course and year 3 specifically have lots of practice and support with, storytelling will get you through most things. OCA was all about exploring the structure that we work within - the screen - the internet. The three hours were all about working with rules and thinking about instructions, learning and teaching. meanwhile films - swimming with men - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6532374/ - quirky and sweet. night school - just so bad - I lasted 10 minutes and that was generous.

smokingtotheend

While cycling back to Liverpool St Station I came across this fine example of smoking architecture (an architectural intervention developed expressly for the purposes for smoking). I will add it to my collection. OCA this week has been the start of Testing Boundaries - the assignment that is creating new work for new spaces - all within an incredibly short timeframe. It's a real challenge but one that everyone rises to and goes on to succeed. As we embark on this year's iteration I think we have a strong possibility of doing something especially challenging after the first session threw up many issues around culturally specific locations. A day of group crits at NUA means 4 sessions of 8-9 students for an hour and a half each back to back - it's a full day, but there are some very strong bodies of thought emerging. Camberwell continues to be a long celebratory wake as the course is taught out and I run two more sessions for the very last time - writing reading and presenting problems. I think the relaxed atmosphere is bringing out some of the most extraordinary conversations, again the group consists of individuals from many corners of the world with multiple culturally specific knowledge - it really is a privilege.    

So far halfway through Good Girls - it's a Netflix winner that started out as an interesting portrayal of strong women doing it for themselves has now added jeopardy and turned into a worry - will they be okay? Watching They shall not grow old was an incredibly odd experience - getting beyond the 'unnatural naturalness' - the 'it's a little like a war movie' feeling was a challenge - the everyday footage of German and British soldiers 'hanging around' in the same place somehow symbolised the seeming pointlessness of it all. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/?ref_=rvi_tt

menactuallyrainohyestheydo

OCA was fascinating this week - I supported/hosted Karl Foster looking at the idea of creative academic writing with year 3 students - The reading for the session was the critical writing of Benson and Conners and the poetry of Francis Ponge. There were many lessons in Benson and Conners, especially the idea of the self, the I within and the wrestling bout that is writing. I was drawn to Ponge - a little like a surreal version of Perec - it's all in the detail. http://www.cbeditions.com/userfiles/file/ponge-unfinished-ode-to-mud.pdf

men actually rain - oh yes they do - its Pantomime time again and the Wolsey theatre has Cinderella - it is truly a wonderful night out - some acid wincing terrible jokes, 'bad taste' characters and a splendid set with dazzling lighting - you have to be there to get it - I was surrounded by families having a great time  https://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/shows/cinderella/ During a workshop at Camberwell I found myself explaining the concept of Pantomime to  a room of International students which was a feat of linguistic juggling - I think I may of learnt something myself - and when the idea of camp was thrown up we digressed into another cul-de-sac. Meanwhile Pete Holmes on Hot ones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXp-oWBF5x0 gave us wisdom on experiences that change us - it's not about knowing something it's about becoming something - it's not about learning something it's about forgetting everything.  

critcritcalcriticism

excited to be invited to give the keynote at Turn the Page Book Art Conference in Norwich in May 2019. I'm thinking about talking about taxonomy and definitions of book and how this has informed my practice and the work I have made over the past 30ish years. This will/might also touch on the educational work, residencies within the world of science and the wider place of book thinking as a tool in making sense of the world.

The morning at NUA was Pecha Kucha's -  some excellent communication skills were evidenced and the improved confidence was there to be seen and commented on. Next up a wonderful crit. The first of the year and some of the work was really exciting - lots of innovative outcomes around material manipulation and design solutions, all supported by great research and contextual understanding. The lateral thinking and problem solving workshops seem to be paying off.

Year 3 OCA were set the task of presenting the work of other students. Having lived with another person's work for a week the participants job was to present that work. This saw a wide range of approaches and readings leading to delivering many revelations and entry points to thinking about the work of others

At Camberwell on the Book Art Course it was also the first crit of the new students - set the task of going to a place in London and responding to it structurally after exposure to the previous weeks workshop around the fold and experimental bookmaking. The diverse approaches led to a number of truly glorious conversations which has had my head spinning all the way home.

Meanwhile quite possibly my all-time favourite response by a student after being introduced to the concept of the gantt chart - the action/questioning is a challenge to the very root of what we do and why we do it - its why I teach.

teachingdanceandchilling

A busy teaching week - watching some great Pecka Kucha's at NUA with the year 3 group, day one back at Camberwell after the break and OCA continues to grow and becomes more relevant with its professional structure and comprehensive use of technology. A day of tutorials with students from all over the world was mind blowingly transformative. I love Zoom https://zoom.us/ (the system we use as a place to meet). Deep into Maniac https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580146/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 and its either wonderful or just random. I love the visual tone of the work - it looks great and the actors are believable in the kooky, cartoon, unreality world they inhabit. Tuesday night I went to The Place to Seeta Patel https://www.seetapatel.co.uk/ in an interesting performance. American Animals https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6212478/?ref_=rvi_tt is a very clever story where the retelling of truths and finding meaning are at its core,

booksbooksbooksandsometeachingwithsteel

after 7 days swimming, breathing and reading in Carry-le- Rouet just outside Marseille it's a brutal return. I managed to read some books which  I would recommend. In descending order - The Only Story by Julian Barnes is a tale of love, loss and regret beautifully written with passages that will stay with you, haunting your soul for what is and what could of been. In A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler the stillness and heart retching experience of one man's life as he exists in time, embedded in a place will move you. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North is a glorious rambling story where Ground Hog Day meets Momento with wonderful subterfuge thrown in. Kamila Shamrie's Home Fire is a searing indictment of how we choose to live with a truly wonderful pointless ending, (in a good way). Lullaby by Leila Slimani is a stunningly head slamming awful story well written, the reality of the first pages come to a terrible conclusion on the last page. The Helium Kids by D. J. Taylor is a rollicking ride of a pastiche documenting the rise and downfall of a mythical band running parallel to recent history, weaving truth and known events; clever and witty. The Adulterants by Joe Dunthorne charts a insular self important group of people where the central character was annoying. Returning to a day at NUA addressing the timetable, building spaces and creating the admin systems which will support the teaching and the initial session with OCA. I am now Year 1 Tutor and we had a wonderfully supportive session with the new cohort - really looking forward to the year ahead. I wrote a blog post about my practice for the OCA site - here is a link https://weareoca.com/education/oca-ma-fine-art-introducing-tutor-les-bicknell/ This week we are delivering the work created for Goldlay Square. The work has been 'developing' a wonderful patina in my garden over 3 months and gets to go tonight and delivered tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing it in the space over the following week.

lifeworklifeanda#proundparentmoment

well a busy couple of weeks and we are still in it - assessments on the Textile Design at nua was smooth with some wonderful work -  the show at nua is almost up - we have built an extraordinary series of structures, creating an environment  to show off the work to its best - I've been north working on the assessment for OCA on the MA Fine Art Course and staying in the Premier Inn in Barnsley, there was some really excellent thinking underpinning great work. The next two years graduation shows could potentially be wondrous. The Degree Show Private View at Chelsea was gloriously old school - a packed space of randomly dressed individuals all enjoying being there - some excellent textiles and of course fine art - highlight was a #proundparent moment - Bob Bicknell-Knight. meanwhile A very English Scandal https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p065sk93 was tragically funny but I spent most of the time marvelling over Hugh Grants stunning performance. I got to see Solo - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/ wonderfully geeky - with something for everyone - great back story infilling alongside swashbuckling set pieces. Christopher Brett Bailey https://christopherbrettbailey.com/  was the standout session at Pulse 18 last weekend - I cannot recommend him enough - I think this was my 5th outing and he just gets better. Meanwhile Snape Festival had a new opera - a kind of brutalist Jacques Tati set in a Kafkaesque modern space with a nod to the Truman show aesthetics. The Appalachian Spring session by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Huw Watkins on the piano and conducted by Oliver Knussen was viseral. Playing Coplands Music for a Great City, The world premiere of The Book of Ingenious Devices by Philip Cashian, Feldman Structures and Coplands joyous Appalachian Spring one was swept away. On the way to see the Pavillion next to the Serpentine Gallery ..............I bumped into Christon next to the Christo in the Serpentine which was and which is fantastic and worth seeing offline.

teachingasgaming

my headphones have arrived and I can't wait for my next session with OCA so I can show them off, I mean use them and be more effective in my online teaching. I've been chosen to be profiled in the new publicity - really proud. Also working on a catalogue text for Debjani Bhardwaj's upcoming show at Tashkeel as part of The Critical Practice Program. I am thinking about moments of creative activity. So far the title is observing a gap and filling it with connections - Where does creativity come from and where does one go to encounter it? http://tashkeel.org/projects/critical-practice-programme-2017-18

At the moment evenings have been spent failing to engage in a worthwhile series all have been abandoned - we have the unpleasant Westworld, the truly dull Lost in Space, the 2nd series of Money Heist which is unravelling veeeeeeerrry slowly, the 2nd series of Scorpion which is fully engaged with the jumping the shark concept. films include the gloriously uncomfortable spinning man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5616294/ the joyous Paddington 2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4468740/?ref_=nv_sr_1 and the stunningly brutal Hostiles http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5478478/?ref_=nv_sr_1  meanwhile Lena Wurzs an ex student from Camberwell Book Art MA has been in residence at London Centre for Book Arts - check out her blog

http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/camberwell/2018/03/07/ma-book-arts-graduate-lena-wurzs-residency-at-london-centre-for-book-arts/ and two more Alumni's Fox Irving https://foxirving.com/ & Katarina Kelsey https://www.katarinakelsey.co.uk/ have their commission for 4:3 / 16:9 http://www.kingsgateworkshops.org.uk/43-billboard already looking forward to it.

astitchintime

a busy week of planning and some making day as part of making day at OCA - stitching line pattern and chaos - the front and of course the back (as ever) some films - a rethinking the hardboiled detective with Proud Mary - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6421110/?ref_=nv_sr_1 and then there is the truly extraordinary you were never really here - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5742374/ it is a must see. Meanwhile looking forward to Glasgow International - the planning is well underway http://glasgowinternational.org/

studiothoughtsandcollectingforanaudit

Getting reading for a making day as part of OCA - it's a first for me and am excited to be a part of it. I'm in the process of creating a form of audit of things I am interested in exploring in readiness. Sort of evaluating or just trying to look at the last few projects and pick up threads that I didn't fully explore that still interest me....see what's on the table in the studio.

spent yesterday reading a number of texts - this one springs into my head today.... Evidence was brought that “what is called ‘news’ is always an anti-social and disturbing act; that ‘news’ consists, as to ninety percent, of the records of human misfortunes, unhappiness and wrongdoing, as to ten percent of personal advertisement” - Uncommon Law, Alan Herbert 1935

This relates directly to the current thinking of Hans Rosling - I'm really enjoying the book of the week https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qftk/episodes/player from the beautiful Hans Rosling - him of glorious data. Meanwhile some stuff -  Ramps on the Moon at the Wolsey had another stunning production - this time Our Countries Good https://www.rampsonthemoon.co.uk/show/our-countrys-good/ go see them - it will be good for you...funny, powerful, thoughtful theatre, what more could you ask for. saw a number of films including Speilberg explaining gaming but not quite as good as the book Ready Player One http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/ the haunting Thelma http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6304046/?ref_=nv_sr_1 the almost annihilation

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920/?ref_=nv_sr_1 and relentlessly oppressive The Florida Project http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/

writingaboutselfandsomeimages

looking through Bilbao images whilst building my bio for OCA - trying to sound calm yet serious, established with experience but open to and excited by new ideas, evangelical about art and its value but not too straight faced.....#minefieldofdecisions

I am an artist. My practice has an extensive history of making, one strand of which explores the concept of bookness. The hybrid nature of the book form has led me to undertake an extensive range of commissions and exhibitions. The work can also be found in numerous public and private international collections.

A desire to collaborate underpins my work, evidenced in an extensive history of socially engaged residencies in a wide range of contexts. Teaching formally within Art College's informs one's own practice and continues to connect me with current creative thinking. I am interested in making work that communicates with people whilst leaving space for the viewer, enabling them to stop and reflect.

The work I am involved in with communities, pupils and students has its roots in attempting to make the world a better place through creativity. A belief in art as a tool for change, as a way of engaging with this world, of seeing its beauty and opportunities and supporting the individual to develop their own understanding. OCA is the future - I love the excellent systems that are in place to support students which in turn enable me to be a good at my job.

I document my practice here http://lesbicknell.blogspot.co.uk/ and to check out some outcomes go here http://lesbicknell.wixsite.com/work

I hope it does the job - meanwhile the images explore' ill considered street design decisions' and 'site specific textile activity' the drying racks with umbrellas are my favourite, taking into account the climate. 

meanwhile I Tonya http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/?ref_=nv_sr_1 is relentlessly oppressive, but the acting is brilliant, especially the relationship between mother and daughter.

fullonvirtualheartsurgery

Work wise it's been a full on week, the process of planning permission is underway at Chelmsford so should hopefully, maybe start making work soonish.  Assessment time at NUA  is an immersive exercise and takes all sorts of energy but it's exciting to spend quality time with the work submitted. Tutorials with OCA students has been wonderfully creative. They are taking on the huge task of challenging their working patterns to create new work within a new context, testing boundaries. For my part I have been made aware of a huge range of new work and ideas alongside providing advice and support. Synthetic anatomy has seen me attempting to take on board learning 3D medical imaging software. It's a steep curve but awesome - working on the heart virtually is fairly mind blowing - can't wait to try and 3D print my efforts. The end of the f***ing world is a great road movie coming of age season - watched it all, 8 episodes in one go - yea that compelling http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6257970/ Gilbert and George at White Cube - what to say - I loved the sign warning of bad language outside, although fucking became so oblivious that it ceased to actually have the impact it can have in isolation. Its Condo in London time http://www.condocomplex.org/london/ so decided to check out a few spaces in the east end - loved the nipping from space to space festival vibe

backfrombarnsley

back from an absolutely excellent 4 days in Barnsley working with the Open College of the Arts. It was the final year MA Fine Art Degree Show at the Civic,  

http://www.barnsleycivic.co.uk/ a culmination of all their work and a physical manifestation of the online experience. The title of the whole event was called we are connected (WEARECONNECTED) which was so apt. One of the things I love about helping to hang the final show and then assessing the unit is meeting these people physically for the first time. It's quite a wild feeling in that one feels that we know each other, often we have been in each other's bedrooms or at least living spaces but at the same time how tall are they, how do they exist in 3D? The private view was one of the nicest I have ever been to in all my years of teaching, with supportive speeches, great comments, conversations and presents and some great work by the artists; Rob Brisco, Tanya Ahmed, Monika Brueckner, Alison South, Ines Gonzalez Cordero, Maire Keogh, Mwamba Mulangala, Emma Delpech, Mathew Aldred and Susan Miller....how good is that. The MA Fine Art course leader is Caroline Wright http://www.carolinewright.com/ and whole thing is run so professionally. I managed to get out and about on my folding bike for a couple of hours as it was such good weather.....not bad.

mirrorrorrim

just back from a 6 hour walk around Orford, and Chillsford stopping at The Butley Orford Oysterage for lunch - a totally wonderful  no messing great food kind of place that I haven't been back to for years back when it was a regular eating place at the weekend  http://www.pinneysoforford.co.uk/the-restaurant/  the day was so still and the water up to the creak at Butley like a mirror - extraordinary. Ended up walking in the dark past the space where Sudbourne Hall, once owned by Kenneth Clark, used to be! all that's left is the pair of urns denoting where the entrance steps were. http://www.lostheritage.org.uk/houses/lh_suffolk_sudbournehall_info_gallery.html

I want to take a little credit for being a small part of what is a great website created by the final year cohort of the MA Fine Art Course on the OCA - it's a wonderful example of collaborative activity and celebrates the interconnectiveness of the course. A true celebration of creativity http://www.weareconnected.online/ one could spend hours on the site exploring the many possibilities.

meanwhile - The girl with all the gifts http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/ another 'zombie' film - what's with all the zombie films recently? I spent most of it recognising locations - Bentwaters, the airbase down the road served as the base and it does have an intriguing if nihilistic(ish) ending. There's a wonderful insightful interview on Sid and Jim's podcast https://soundcloud.com/artistsandfriends/dont-ruin-the-magic-ft-bob-bicknell-knight with the creator and curator of is this it http://www.isthisitisthisit.com/ although at the moment there is a guest curator called Jake Moor in control of the site.