walkingthewalk

The books created for St Michael's C of E School in Louth have arrived – they look good, I am sure the pupils will love them, especially seeing their own names in print. ‘found’ a fantastic site to animate images – a link to one from the work created in Louth – https://sketch.metademolab.com/share/7cc2680d5bd042f7b6695b693472c9c9/wave_hello_3  but you can put any image in the portal – strange movements occur. Started the research for a commission from Norfolk and Norwich Festival - a map of a walk – questions answered - In these unsettled times we would all like some answers. On the walk, using a treasure map you will find some answers to some questions. X marks the spot. Walking the walk I have found so many starting points and general oddness, along with a rich history explained by numerous plaques – looking forward to collating and editing. Onto screens – two series – just finished season 2 of The Only Murders in the Building – the sharp and witty script has great characters written with some excellent lines. Just started Rabbit Hope – this must win awards for handbrake turn twists – my mind was blown….

latestbookandsmorefilms

The latest book, pattern magic, is going to be in a show in the Upright Gallery in Edinburgh. It was developed from imagery and ideas I encountered whilst working within a scientific context, as an artist in residence at Nano Doctoral center in Cambridge. The shapes were derived through the study of Penrose tessellation whilst exploring crystallography. I Laser cut the shapes of the spaces and used them as a masking device to create the spray-painted pages. The structure enables multiple juxtapositions, creating a playful experience as the pages are turned. Onto screens - Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure – a truly disturbing experience with a truly vibrant soundtrack. After this and The Square I can’t wait to watch Triangle of Sadness. After finishing The Patient – a truly frightening set up with a truly bizarre script. Steve Carell is wondrously disturbing, and I was lost at the nihilism of the outcome. And then there was The System – good man, prison drama, corruption etc, On The Line – a radio show call in – with a twist or two maybe!

thefutureishere

Some drawing/thinking - attempting to work out how to create a structure that explores some of the functionality in the zebrafish brain plate as part of an ongoing investigation at Kings that is generating strands of investigation in my own practice. Onto screens - In the shadow of the moon - time travel consequences of living and letting go. Take me – lessons learnt the hard way, iboy – sci-fi light with added menace, Parallel Mothers – a deeply meaningful layered work from Pedro Almodóvar, Choose or Die – a by-the-book controlled horror infused, Furioza – the futility of violence, Dune – fantastic spaceships and beautiful sets but….All the old knives – sad twisty spy tale. The final episode of Severance went beyond the idea of a cliff-hanger - can't wait for season 2.

The Every by Dave Eggers should be required reading about where we are going before we get there! The satire is so close that at times it feels like a documentary. Sections that describe a trip out of campus and the future of marking in universities are disturbingly close to life experienced, and the plethora of insightful observations is alarming - Capital-P Play was last year’s management theory, following multitasking, single tasking, grit, learning-from-failure, napping, cardio working, saying no, saying yes, the wisdom of the crowd, trusting one’s gut, Viking management theory, Commissioner Gordon workflow theory, X-teams, B-teams, embracing simplicity, pursuing complexity, seeking similarity, creativity through radical individualism, creativity through groupthink, creativity through the rejection of groupthink, organizational mindfulness, organizational blindness, microwork, macro sloth, fear-based camaraderie, love-based terror, working while standing, working while ambulatory, learning while sleeping, and, most recently, limes.

Subjectivity is just objectivity waiting for data. “You hear about the art students?” he asked. She had. A growing number of undergraduate and graduate art students were lobbying for the Hermosa app to be given equal or greater power than the subjective assessments and grades traditionally given by their professors. Fairness and Objectivity in Beauty, these students insisted in a fast-moving meme, quickly nicknamed FOB. Humans are error-prone knots of biases, they insisted, and should not be involved in determining what was beautiful or good. 

foldingskies

Found the full size prototype for the work in Chelmsford – decided to play…meanwhile screens - oh dear screens – Yes Day, Coming 2 America, Bad Cupid - no no no. 

fragmentedchange

fragments of thinking - anticipating a return to teaching - this week at NUA was induction week, social distancing, masks, visors, and cleaning is a challenging - the register is a wild ride of oddness.  continuing to fold as a way of making sense of the world - some of my Summer reading titles - the choices house a mixture of intentions and have demonstrated to me the real power of books to extend understanding and take us to places other than those we think we know. Ta-Nehisi Coats - Between the World and Me. A deeply moving and intense letter from a father to his son that is 'the conversation'. There are many lessons to be learnt here but mainly the catalogue of racism and violence opens eyes wide. Tracy Chevalier - Remarkable Creatures. A sad but intriguing tale of how women were undervalued in the history of fossil hunting. Hilary Mantel - The Mirror and the Light. If powerful people want to do as they wish, even kill, they will and nobody will stop them. Has anything changed? Murakami - After Dark. Describes a sc-fi fragmented separateness of one layered night. Derek owusu - That reminds me. A tale of a fragmented memory of a fractured life that will get you rethinking everything you thought you knew. Samantha Schweblin - Little Eyes. A disturbing extension of the Tamagotchi toy  with a twist that connects our desires within our dark souls. Brendon Taylor - Real Life. The casual racism within a bio science context creates a deep painful feeling of isolation and injustice. Anne Tyler - Redhead by the side of the road. A beautifully crafted moment and its aftermath. Robert Webb - How not to be a Boy. A catalogue of mistaken moments laid bare and offered up as a lesson to all.

alternativedimensions

away from the alternative world where I am working out what to watch at Glasgow International, creating a full schedule that includes all the parties and what would of been an extraordinary 4 days.......I have been busy reading - the issue of the model, how we use it/them and how we communicate ideas through both the eye and the hand. A key text is Models the third dimension of science edited by Soraya de Chadarevian and Nick Hopwood and supported by Geometry and the Liberal Arts by Dan Pedoe which has some great illustrations. The work in the studio continues with the reading informing an exploration of geometry and its relationship to the model through string, knots and wire.

meanwhile some watching Collette is stunning with gloriously outrageous acting from Dominic West while Keira Knightley makes sense of her world. Ozark  continued to disturb with its demonstration of how one person can destroy lives in such a seemingly casual way, it's all about survival. The main lesson continues to be to not get involved with drugs!! Unorthodox https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9815454/ is truly harrowing yet there is a strength that keeps you watching. Deep into season 3 of Westworld - episode 3 is a true mind blower with its commentary on existence through its commentary on the constructed world - or is it.....

addictedtofold

working on building new structures, thinking about movement and scaling up to take into account the body.

If you want to see what Southwold is like today check out East of Ipswich based on Michael Palin's memories of dreary holidays in English coastal towns in the 1950s! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090990/ Eddie Murphy almost carries it off in Dolemite Is My Name but the rolling scattergun delivery of his character is so monotone that it fills the film. But the clothes are most excellent. if you want a warm glowing feeling check out the lovely storytelling in Let it Snow - spoiler - everything works out okay!

radicalreflectivethinking

I've been thinking about next years teaching and the importance of reflective thinking in the learning process - I think that it's essential and without it there is no development or actual learning - so I have decided to photograph some pages of my notebooks to illustrate the process.

Deadpool 2 continues with its tongue in cheek slightly mawkish tone but is only really laugh out loud with Dice and her luck.  Swiss Army Man https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034354/?ref_=nv_sr_1 is truly odd but/and you will be talking about it for days after. I've started to fold and use thread with a view to developing a bookwork of some kind. And finally Radicals outsiders changing the world by Jamie Bartlett is stunning a real must read...."The one constant of history is that everything changes. We should not assume that liberal democracies are the natural order of things.........if they fail, it won't be because of the existence of radical ideas, but rather their absence".

truthtruthtruthsandsometruthsaboutlies

weeks into my Annual Leave and working on timetables for next year - in-between I continue to read books that explain that we have little hope in terms of technology. Marcus Gilroy-Ware details the psychology behind social media in his book Filling the Void. It's a must read if you want to know why we really use social media, who gets to win and what it's doing to us while we do it - plot spoiler - it's all about rich and powerful people using capitalism to continue to be richer and more powerful - who knew! but his argument goes beyond the usual conspiracy theorist - the page gives you a flavour of the tone. Well - some films.... combine every scenario about immediate danger even including I am Spartacus and you have The Commuter,  Dark Crimes - who cares and Tully - cares too much and that ending......anyway working on creating covers for books made in a reflective mood after working at NanoDTC exploring sequence and handling of objects.  

stuffcomminatyou

5 days away 3 books - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett deconstructs the idea of family, the details of everyday change bringing fresh hierarchy's and alliances is painfully picked over. A single defining moment revealing what was already there. The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead is relentless cruelty, the truly and mostly matter of fact unfathomable depths of cruelty - a challenging and difficult but essential read if you want to begin to understand America. and onto the question I have often asked myself - when do you leave? with All For Nothing by Walter Kempowski the slow process of attrition is laid out. How do you judge that it's time to go? Why do you stay? Is it that it's impossible to conceive the levels of human wickedness that is about to engulf you? All 3 books are wonderful. Black Panther - what to say - I loved it - some of the best costumes ever deployed in conjunction with astute comments in the exploration of voices we don't often hear - it's also very funny .

The Cork Museum in Palafrugell was a highlight - Packed with cork facts you never knew alongside glorious images of smoking beret wearing workers, its next to the rather poorly curated, but with some interesting work The Museu Can Mario.

A day in London - great to pop into Chelsea and feel the atmosphere building as final shows are being constructed. Some interesting and some excellent shows to see - The Highlight is Ed Atkins at Cabinet - head stingingly mesmerising http://www.cabinet.uk.com/index.php?ed-atkins-olde-food . Jerwood Space has a great video by Maeve Brenna about bats! All Too Human at the Tate Britain has work by the gloriously fastidious Euan Uglow. There is some work by 3 students from the MA Book Arts Course at Camberwell in xhibit 2018. White Cube at Masons Yard has a Brazilian decorative comment on Capitalism by Beatriz Milhazez http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/beatriz_milhazes_bermondsey_2018/ Covering the Main Gallery at Tate Britian with tiles is the best element of the piece by Anthea Hamilton http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/squash

abookafilmablogandsomecoveredstuff

'A painting in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world' - Edmond de Goncourt, art critic. The Orange Balloon Dog by Don Thompson uncovers the systems of money that support the art world and how the art world supports money making - a must read but be weary it's got nothing to do with actual art making. In 1899 economist Verlem defined luxury as 'a form of waste designed to confer status on an essentially useless class of people'. Russell Brand's podcast Under the skin 045 - What's the biggest threat to Freedom? islam or Consumerism?  Had an excellent conversation with Sam Harris taking in thoughts around learning which I extended to education. 'Real learning is hard because it's usually painful, you have to recognise that you are wrong in some way, you have to let that part of you that is wrong die' - acquiring a new way of thinking is never easy so, although never a truer word but maybe it could be more about building and developing rather being than such a binary experience. In the film The Shape of Water the sense of loneliness in all the characters lives is truly heart breaking. This extends to the sign language used by Sally Hawkins - it's just so mournful - truly excellent direction and great acting from the whole cast within spaces that are believable and add to the tone of the whole piece. It's been mid-point review time at Camberwell on the Book Art Course. It's where the students whose work is being discussed and critiqued by the group cannot respond and they have to listen and watch the group deconstruct their work without defending it. It can be a hard core challenge if the student holds onto their original intention. They have to become flexible, finding a way to engage with the groups thoughts and incorporate it into their own understanding of their work. It is one of the great learning sessions within the course. More images from Bilbao - to add to my collections of 'buildings covered in stuff' and 'doors blocked up'.

spaceofabasketbook

After an interesting week at NUA where rooms of nervous individuals wielding black folders were to be found talking about possible futures - (yes interviews are underway) the work at Kings on synthetic anatomy continues.....meanwhile ..... today was another great day at Kings - consisting of numerous elements which including getting to grips with new software and the physical process of 3D printing. Pushing a material till it fails is always interesting and making a piece that explored the space of a book was the first of today's questioning of systems and a way of investigating materials. The next print will be of a brain that will explore the interconnectedness within it and create support structures that look like basketwork - maybe 3D printing is a textile activity and our department at Norwich should have one. Shelley James and Andrew Carnie ran a very professional workshop that looked at measuring, mapping and communicating. Making  great connections with my own and Celia's previous workshops. I loved the rules and general set up. It enabled the students to find their inner storytelling skills. Feedback and sharing at the end of the session seems very normal activity within a art education situation and an experience that is familiar but its excellent to watch students unfamiliar with this truly engage with the process and be genuinely interested in each others work.

Woody Harrelson does a great job in LBJ but maybe you have to be American to actually care http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4778988/?ref_=nv_sr_1 Phantom Thread is just so beautiful it melts your eyes and the acerbic tone of the actors is just chillingly brilliant when in dialogue with each other. "The tea may be gone but the interruption is still here" is one of my favourite http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5776858/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 and then there is Justice League - a bit like a CGI infused A team.

afullweekend

so a full weekend!

private view of pre-cutslicedoranges at Light Eye Mind, London  a show curated by Sid and Jim http://www.sidandjim.com/ - which was full of serious, enthusiastic and highly professional young people's work, it was also fun and thought provoking https://www.facebook.com/events/508392049499893/?active_tab=about then onto Leeds to see Bish Bash Bosh https://yorkshiredance.com/whats-on/event/bish-bash-bosh/ an evening of scratch dance at Yorkshire Dance - which was totally ace - some really interesting work that explored new possibilities offered if you think about dance and......... hybrid and interdisciplinary are the keys to new ideas. Marguerite Galizia – Fold  - https://margueritegalizia.com/2017/08/15/fold-working-title-2017-present/  and Lewys Holt http://houseofverse.co.uk/project/lewys-holt defiantly stretching this with some solid collaboration between Aidan/Clerk37 https://soundcloud.com/clerk37 and Maria Popova with Interlocution thrown into the mix - Leeds Light Night saw Leeds lit up - sometimes challenging and sometimes dull and worthy, sometimes fun - a DJ in a portaloo is a winner. The Tetley https://thetetley.org/visit-the-tetley/ had a really respectful and thoughtful show about the history of the Leeds West Indian Carnival - some excellent objects telling the story, Leeds Royal Armouries was very odd - a disturbingly, gloriously strange way - https://royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds basically the whole building is a celebration of the ingenuity of the human spirit to create wonderfully designed objects whose main purpose is killing. This politically challenging aspect is barely mentioned - but there is a free boat ride from the train station/city centre which is great fun and you get to see a 'post industrial landscape' from the past! Henry Moore has a stunning show combining an investigation of process and use of everyday materials. jiro takamatsu - the temperature of sculpture was very good with lots to talk about with students - especially the role of the sketchbook/journal - https://www.henry-moore.org/visit/henry-moore-institute Then onto Ipswich to Dance East to see the fabulous Joss Arnold - it really is a must see, catch it on tour if you can, the evening has 3 pieces: all containing the signature strenuous power of the choreographers interest but V has some great specific moves with total control of lighting and the final dance, RUSH was so explosive with a tremendous soundtrack. https://www.danceeast.co.uk/performances/joss-arnott-triple-bill/ Finally it was flipside http://www.flipsideuk.org/ at Snape to listen to Ali Smith, Alvaro Enrigue and Maureen Freely which was just wonderful - talking about the space between translation, interpretation and exploring what is original. So thoughtful again if you get the chance go listen to these people - Smith was so 'telling it like it is' but backed up with intelligent thought, Freely was a wall of rigorous wall and Enrigue was so funny that I went out of the hall and bought his book!

I just need a weekend now to get reflect on all this!

steelbooksaregogogo

A wonderfully creative day in Chelmsford yesterday - starting out with a site visit to test out the full-size model of the proposed sculpture. Envisioning is an interesting activity and a designer has to have lots - the site has its buildings 'foot printed' with most of the 2nd floors built so you can get begin to get a real feel for the site -  the spaces within, between and around the buildings. I was pleased that the scale of the proposed pieces appear to 'work'. But by getting onto the site the idea of the pieces unfolding up and around the buildings became an obvious development.

Part two was a meeting to discuss the initial ideas and to iron out any issues that came to light within the build, design, installation and placing of the work. It's a kind of pre-mortem - I love the idea of working within 'negative space' of possibilities - not in the negative sense but in a positive anticipating problem way - working with the possible by carving away what is not 'right'. The meeting went well and it looks as if I will get to make 'giant' steel books structures and 'scatter' them over the site - sooooooo excited......

booksbooksbooksinthemandreadingthem

the new edition of the book arts newsletter is out http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/pdf/newspdfs/113.pdf

- check out a listing of my work on page 13, also the artist book yearbook http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/publications/artists-book-yearbook.html which is as ever packed with excellent texts and useful and informed information about current practice - there is  a 6 page article about the work I've been involved in with NanoDTC - https://unfoldingthinking.blogspot.co.uk/

meanwhile

8 days sitting next to a pool enabled time for some reading - Ali Smith - There but for the - a fractured layered thoughtful guide through time, Ian McEwan - Nutshell - laugh out loud solid crafted text, Naomi Alderman - Power - beware, a potential dystopia fable that puts up a mirror to the society we live in, Matt Haig - The Humans - a story to enable us to rethink the world around us, David Grossman - a horse walks into a bar - you are in the presence of a tragic story that needs to be told with some excellent jokes, finally two books a little close to home..... Philip Roth - The plot against America - a what if book ....what if Nazis took over America? Lionel Shriver - The Mandibles - a what if book......what if America had a financial crash and old money and old power floated to the top?

drawingtomakesenseoftheworld

more drawings in an attempt to rethink or plan the nets - added the image of book structures so the idea of maybe not making sense in terms of being built in the mind could be a part of the work. As ever the tangram is a way of thinking out this puzzle part of the project.