saintsrus

I’ve been working on an idea that came from a conversation with the Revd Clive Mobbs the wonderful cleric attached to Sizewell C. We spoke about Patron Saints; he mentioned Saint Barbra the patron saint of explosions, who knew. It connects with an idea linked to the needs of the people who build/dig tunnels, that their work would be blessed.  On reflection I’ve been thinking that it also links with the theme of construction workers as heroes. The idea was to create a team of saints, one for each worker/job, this has proved challenging as there does not seem to be a list – anyway…...a month later and I have created a whole periodic table of saints with what I think are SZC related jobs. 

sunandbrightness

A weekend in S France – Marseille is an astonishing place culturally and weather wise I have never been there when it’s not sunny, whatever the time of year. If you get the chance to go, after wandering around the fantastic Mucem building eat at Au Bout du Quai, everything there is most excellent – the soupe de poisson is a must. Got out to Crest despite the train strike – walking and the market and the design classics show at http://www.centredartdecrest.fr/home/ - one of those where you say – we had one of those and I remember that!!! gestetner printing machine anyone? Recently I’ve been to see some live theater – first the immersive – I was a Guidestar Volunteer at Saint Jude with Swap Motel theatre group where my job was to ‘speak’ to a coma patient (an AI) to wake them – not bad, although it did turn into an experience similar to an escape room. Meanwhile Gecko Theatre’s Kin was brutally beautiful (bruitifull). Gecko are an amazing company that always creates stunning work that makes you think both about the subject they are dealing with and the very concept of theatre itself. https://www.geckotheatre.com/  Onto screens – the latest series of F1 on Netflix was, as ever, madness on the highest level on every conceivable front….and……let’s not talk climate issues! 

patternuniquepattern

Went to see the show at artstation, some interesting work and William Cobbing’s performance was very sweet, especially when working with the small children. A week of working on a new body of work – reflecting and building on earlier crystallography pieces the prints were generated using lazer cut paper and card. They started out as angular tessellations but were then manipulated to create a softer feel with curved edges. Although part of a series each piece is unique. The next stage will be to introduce some structure through folding, although some work as prints in themselves. I have a flag in the show at east coast pavilion at Lowestoft. Onto screens – want to feel like you have been blasted watch Nope, what did I just watch? - truly extraordinary. Top Gun Maverick does what it says on the tin if it had a tin.

alittletrip

The roughly polished poured concrete floor at imprints galerie https://imprints-galerie.com/ reminds me of the images created by Charles Wilson in a cloud chamber of charged and uncharged responding to a magnetic field. Similar images were created from the work around the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. https://imprints-galerie.com/ The current show has examples of the stunningly beautiful/clever work by Doris Erbacher her work really is intriguing, especially the drawings.  http://www.doris-erbacher.de/ There is always something about doors in Crest that fascinates. They belong in the category - 'otherness in the everyday'. A feeling or way of being that is something akin to the childlike fascination experienced when one encounters a phenomenon for the first time. Keeping that feeling going is the key to creative thinking and making. I call it ja de vue. In the town the plane trees shed their bark in such a way as to suggest new camo design possibilities. Something to work on later maybe. So much amazing food to think about - from the market stalls on a Saturday that make up a great ‘market lunch’ to the iles flottantes (quite possibly the top sweet ever)!! in my favourite restaurant in Montelimar, unfortunately it wasn't boudin noir 'season' but cayette is always a winner and there is always extraordinary cheese!  The centre des arts had a great show of objects presented by individuals in the community to celebrate the past - so many wonderful pieces but my favourite was a leaflet showing firework explosive patterns. As ever the otherness of a place gives the opportunity to add loads of new images to the ever-expanding file labelled 'odd/interesting pattern and signage'. The great sadness is that the miniature museum in Montelimar is no more – there was an exhibition of puppets from a world famous puppet troop – great if you like that sort of thing but mainly just creepy.

mushrooooooomingshared

mushroooooooming – its that time of year and i’ve been out and about collecting – meanwhile a busy week of assessments and timetabling at nuca alongside working on the publicity for repeat – a show of the work of people who work on the textile course both visiting tutors and course team. a day at camberwell working on the MA saw the session extending onto 6.15 when it should of finished at 4.00 – but some excellent work needed to be shared and it was the first crit of the year.