somestuffandsomestuff

The 3D printed pieces I have been making are slowly being chosen for exhibitions – the work is in blend, a touring show in Nottingham libraries. https://nottsbookarts.art/ In a couple of weeks I have a piece in For Folks Sake, a group show in The Cut Art Centre in Halesworth. Curated by artists Rebecca Riess and Alexander Costello it’s a Suffolk Centric Exhibition celebrating the work of 35 artists; established to unrepresented, from across the county; Lowestoft to Subdury, and everywhere in between. Went out to Southwold Theatre to see Sex and death in Southwold, a play by Robin Brooks – meta irony all round. Meanwhile a day in Yarmouth to see/hear Yarmonics – really enjoyed the gong bath and Ecka Mordecai’s set that was beautifully slight, as if the sound was almost something, on its way to being…and the wonderful drum/text/word madness of Fritz Welch. Onto screens The Perfect Couple – a series where the only likeable characters are the police. Fly me to the moon – sky high politics. Kinds of Kindness – disjointed oddness. The bike riders – great leathers but a film looking for a story. The Union – man out of place.

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!

booksforjubilant!

The books for the jubilant! project arrived - l have to say that they look great, the pages flow and the students work is something special, so proud of them. The book has captured the project wonderfully – the students loved them too. After a busy morning, first at the food museum  to look at the garden exhibition there, then onto Red Stables where the frames are now in the space waiting for the celebration and sharing at the weekend. Onto screens - STILL – A Gecko Film is truly beautiful – my eyes filled as the woman dances with her hands after playing with a blanket and the balloon sequence is gloriously mad – most excellent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJTL5Lcag1U&t=763s&ab_channel=Gecko

 

showingstuffoff

The display in the window of the bookartbookshop looks fab. It's up for a couple of weeks if you are in Hoxton. I love that the photos are a mixture of the angular structures and the buildings opposite. The pieces are from a range of contexts including NanoDTC in Cambridge, Parallel practices with the crafts council, synthetic anatomy at Kings and general studio work. New 3D printed works are shown alongside pieces created from more more traditional sculptural materials including plaster, wax, paper and cardboard. 

thethingsthatdreamsaremadeof

We'll outlaw your voices, do anything we want
We've nothing to fear from the nation
We'll kick you out your houses if you get too much
If we have to, we'll destroy your generation
We've built up a frontage and we've gained respect
Paul Weller
Standards
1977

You don't know what it is but, there's got to be more
You'd better find a way out, hey kick down that door
It's a rat trap and you've been caught.
Bob Geldof
Rat trap
1978

These works explore control, order, and manipulation.
The social structures and educational systems that supported my journey are gone. The path I took can no longer be taken by people like me.
The clash that takes place on the turntables seeks to provide a space to consider potential and possible connections.

These are the things
These are the things
The things that dreams are made of.

Dimension’s variable

Cardboard, grey board, paper; arches, tissue, Tyvek, cartridge, IKEA carpet underlay, PVA glue, paint; emulsion, spray, gold leaf, fishing line, linen thread, PLA, graphite, felt, steel rod, nylon wing nuts, titanium foil, 11 turntables, 11 record covers, 4 extension leads, 1 monitor, the NHS, welfare state, comprehensive education, the BBC, the library service, full university grant, maintenance support, housing benefit, subsidised travel, the GLC, 

Les Bicknell
2021

My installation in the exhibition - Here - @the_artstation. opening 26th June till 25th the show is going to be a real joy, there is some excellent work in the exhibition

linkingthebooksthroughbookness

I was invited to be part of a book art project where a chain of curators chooses artists books. Each person selects a book in response to the previous person's choice - here is a link. https://www.instagram.com/respondproject/ I followed Imi Maufe, http://www.imimaufe.com/ It was my turn today – I chose The Performing Book by Janine Harrington, first seen in 2010. my text for the project is -  When looking at Imi Maufe’s response I was struck by the concept of rules and the act of subverting a system - so I thought I would continue that theme. It seems pertinent in these times to present a bookwork that you cannot touch, made up of people you can only stand near to. You do not touch this bookwork but activate it by engaging your body, recognising, and considering your own physicality. Proximity and interaction control the order and duration of the pages/dancers, spaces in time. You initially encounter a static line of people, as you move past the dancers/pages each performs a set movement – your role as audience/reader/participant is not passive, initially as a reader/viewer you become a participant/performer, interacting with the book, and developing relationships with the dance. The interrelationships and roles explored in the work are rich and multi-faceted. Janine explains the ideas behind the piece in a video created on the London Millennium Footbridge (bit.ly/the-bridge-janine) but I first saw the work at an MA Book Art Degree Show at Camberwell in 2010 (bit.ly/camberwell-janine) where I was struck by Janine’s inventiveness when it came to exploring the potential of the book. Stretching the idea of bookness. It is important to acknowledge the dancers as each performance is re-devised - Vanessa Abreu, Alexandra Baybutt, Paola di Bella, Katja Nyqvist, Lizzie Sells, Rosalie Walhfrid, Luke Birch, Anaïs Bouts, Mark Carberry, Iris Chan, Katharin Cooper, Hayley Durward, Andrew Graham, Janine Harrington, Alexandrina Hemsley, Katie Keeble, Lena Kimming, Laura Lee, Katja Nyqvist, Alice Mackenzie, Stephanie McMann, Heloise O’Donohue Lucie Sheppard, Alice Sunderland, Susan Sentler, Eleanor Sikorski, Lena Kimming, Alice Mackenzie, Christopher Matthews, Stella Papi & Elisa Vassena. You can find more about Janine’s practice https://www.janineharrington.com/ Screensaver Series and 10 Minutes are also worth checking out. Meanwhile screens – Undine https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11617052/ fantasy, myth, and reality clash. The Life Ahead https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10627584/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 personal stories telling universal tales. Antoinette dans les Cévennes https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11013434/ Intense, bizarre and oddballish. @respondproject/  #BABE2021 #bookart #books #curate #artistsbooks #bookness #BABEartistsbooksRESPOND

newworks

http://les-recent-work.blogspot.com/2021/04/laboratory-choreography.html I have been updating my ‘recent work’ site - the books are called - nano, glove box, golden hands, magic. All the books are in an edition of 5. There are 8 photographic images within a concertina structure. 23cm x 11cm closed, 160cm open. The folded articulated structures are derived from 'laboratory choreography'. While artist in residence at Nano DTC in Cambridge I observed scientists attempting to communicate complex scientific concepts through hand gestures within the laboratory. The structures document the movements and enable the holder to recreate them. They are £12:00 each.

foldedspacesandatune

my new latest sound - check out the funk you will be unable to not move with this. an interesting session with the Columbian Embassy today - exploring and sharing creative possibilities around their orange economy. They were particularly interested in the work myself and Melissa https://melissapmurray.com/ have been engaged with at NanoDTC. I've been working on some new crushed folded structures - this has led to a number of mini gifs. meanwhile some films - The Sunlit Night - understanding the world and finding yourself through paintings How to build a girl - well written and acted with some nice animated touches but the characters are a little straightforward.

foodartandmorefood

There is a great show at Messums in Cork St of one of the current strands of Laurence Edwards body of work. It focuses on an interesting public art project where the heads of former miners are being modelled and cast in bronze for a proposed piece in the centre of Doncaster. I love the original waxes they are full of movement and energy and genuinely seem to be alive. I'm clearing shelves in my studio, getting rid of stuff that no longer makes sense to have in my life, mainly materials and expired technology no longer needed but I found the notes from the first book makers conference organised by Stefan Szczelkum which was a moment of odd time travel for me. click to go to a powerpoint link to see what we were doing in 1993. https://www.slideshare.net/secret/z5E5tJGV4wlC1A

on a short weekend break to Sète in the South of France in between eating some extraordinary food I slotted in a visit to see apres a multi-part exhibition by Eric Baudelaire at CRAC. It was a mixed show that included some interesting work of other artists to build context for a long community project - it was good to see the work of The Gorilla Art Action Group and some early video work including  John Akomafrah's Handsworth songs with dub cinema and Partially Buried by Renee Green which explored ideas around loss and nostalgia. back to the food Sète  like most of France has specific speciality - this area has Tielle - an octopus pie - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tielle  truly wonderful.   

turnthepagetalkingandsomethinking

the nicest comment so far has been that my rambling pluralistic presentation contained nothing controversial but was inclusive and allowed people to realize that its okay - relax - play. this is a link to the presentation given at the Turn The Page Symposium in Norwich @ttpABF - https://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/ttp-2019-les-b-with-links

buildingcuratingassessing

more building, curating and assessing - the MA Book Art show at Camberwell looks fantastic. There is some really considered work that is underpinned by exceptional research and has at its core conceptual thinking around personal notions of book. meanwhile 2 films with 'interesting' premise's at their root that should of been funnier  I Feel Pretty and Blockers do not watch these. back at The Bridge season 4 all is dark and menacing https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m2k24 I am obviously very late to the party but have become interested in Daniil Kharms and am wading through the wonderfully obsessive book - I am a phenomenon quite out of the ordinary by Anthony Anemone and Peter Scotto. it's the notebooks, diaries and letter and is a fantastic insight into the man.

There was a red-haired man who had no eyes or ears.
Neither did he have any hair, so he was called red-haired theoretically.
He couldn't speak, since he didn't have a mouth. Neither did he have a nose.
He didn't even have any arms or legs. He had no stomach and he had no back and he had no spine and he had no innards whatsoever. He had nothing at all!
Therefore there's no knowing whom we are even talking about.
In fact it's better that we don't say any more about him.

foldfoldandfoldagain

another great day at Camberwell - it's that time of year within the College calendar when all is possible. A folding workshop focusing on exploring the structure of book - what more could one ask for - folding paper with thoughtful people all morning! Then a presentation exploring the possibility of book through the lenses of bookness, https://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/001-a-what-is-book-bookness-2016 a concept I first came across whilst in dialogue with the wonderful Ivor Robinson. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10750258/Ivor-Robinson.html

I was helping to write the document that was to become the MA Book Art Course at Camberwell with Alex Lumley and I came across a book art module that Ivor had been running in Oxford Poly which allowed students to explore the possibility of book. He was wonderfully generous and incredibly supportive in helping to develop my thinking around the building of a course and it goes without saying sowing the seeds of my understanding of what was possible with the book. The concept of bookness was just my thing, I enjoyed the slippage of language - the space between things - not quite book but maybe more so - the essence of book..... and I have talked about it and built a career around it since then, 1990 seems a long time ago. I really enjoy coming across its use, that it is now a thing and has becoming its own idea for people to make of it what it is for them. Even though Ivor was a binder of the highest quality I am sure he would love this spreading of the word where the book is only limited by the imagination. 

good'guys'andgoodvibes

The MA private view at Camberwell was a great night - so many Book Art alumni conversations amongst the thoughtful work. The excellent catalogue explores the book and presents the students in an intelligent publication.

Latitude - volunteering to introduce Suffolk primary children to a music festival is such a great call. this years experience was even better than last - in the light of how the world feels it was a joy to introduce the idea of fun! once the job of chaperoning children and supporting teachers was over it was off to engage in the experience that is Latitude - some recommendations from the mass of eclectic cultural activity - Sheffield Documentary Festival https://www.sheffdocfest.com/  had immersive VR - the most extraordinary film was step to the line about transformation in an American maximum security prison, I was so effected I 'steamed up' the goggles. Martin Creed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUz77tOOFOA was just punk at its best - I loved his word play and his dedication of a song to terrorists set just the right tone. Mark Thomas was ferociously on the button - I almost died with laughter at his description of the DUP going to buy bread!!! Mark Kermode talking with Paul Greengrass was a consummate interview, I was moved by Pauls description of Setright’s thoughts on Senna's flow as well as where to stand when making a film. I never fail to be astonished and moved by Linton Kwesi Johnson's strong, respectful stance. Max and Ivan had gentle narrative comedy sketches with a neat twist. In terms of dancing late night disco shed was a winner as always but if you wanted something harder DJ Semtext, was the answer, Kurupt FM is confusing - so knowing that it becomes the thing it is questioning - or is it!  FatboySlim was a hoot - big beat with all encompassing visuals - and finally - Dave a winner - very cool, intelligent danceable beats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N7V2fkpJqk

aren'tyoungpeoplewonderful

The CSM final show part 1 was an interesting one - The BA was very full and had some really considered video work combined with lots of I must guess purposely badly made work - new punk? all about how individuals feel about personally about stuff. The MA Fine Art was good with a seemingly large focus on pornography and war. It is interesting to think of the final year shows as a form of litmus test as to what young people are interested in. The year 2 fine art show at Chelsea was full of vibrant exciting work. It felt broader and slightly more considered than the CSM show even though it was only year 2.

Crawling through Netflick's 13 reasons - I know, I know but it is as most 'box sets' are slightly addictive - it appears to be a show about parents fear of their children and children's fear of themselves therefore each other.    

A day of interesting presentations at Camberwell - symposium 2 is always a fantastic occasion where the growth of individuals during their time on the course is made evident within their presentation. Then onto Chelsea to see and crit an exhibition in the library of work created around the fold. all good