wallofthinkingwithsometattoos

Continuing to work on the 3D prints – currently they are ‘spawning’ over a wall in my house – transferring their hanging from a table/plinth context to a wall obviously changes them dramatically. I used to give a presentation around this which culminated in Vogels Net. Which was a paper based on Susan Vogel’s work Vogels Net: Traps as Artworks and Artworks as Traps. https://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/contex-203695210 The references to the earlier work were basket and vessel now growth, nest/home and fruition come to mind. Many of them are derived from a similar starting point, thus they feel like an exercise in taxonomy. Each one referencing another, looking at them as a whole, connections are made, both within the work but also they give clues as to what to do next. Meanwhile more tattoos have been added. These are a continuation of the ongoing inter generational collaboration, mark-making project I am having with @jims__skins I love the freedom of the thread-like lines alongside the perfect placement – thinking about systems for more that might relate to the 2 ‘elastic band’ ovals I have on my shoulders – created my dropping elastic bands and drawing around their position where they land and then tattooing the shapes. Duchamp has a piece called 3 Standard Stoppages which involving string which when dropped determined the configuration of the work. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78990 Onto screens – BBC’s Champion was a hard watch, so much anger.  Sisu was a hard watch, but also so funny. Blackface was a hard watch, but so informative. Painkiller was a hard watch but tells an important story. Not as good as Dopesick. Barbie was not a hard watch it was glorious.

spinningandunraveling

An old photo in our old back garden. It would have been my mum’s birthday on Thursday so lots of thoughts have been spinning around and unraveling in my mind. I want to flag up a truly beautiful podcast which features my friend Liz – it’s a nice insight into the mystical world of textiles and its relationship to theater - http://www.suemayo.co.uk/breaks-and-joins-podcasts/ and there is a show coming up at artstation  https://theartstation.uk/exhibition/book-of-hours/ There will be some beautiful work on the walls worth coming out for.

surroundedbythepast

Set out to see the Turner Prize at the Herbert Art Gallery – interesting challenge to hang process, collaborative community engaged work in a gallery and even though I wanted Black Obsidian Sound System to win Array Collective created an interesting space and set out an eerie feel. I spend several hours surrounded by the past looking at old photos, me and my best friend Gary Lewis, two weddings - my Aunt Floss and Aunt Beat, a car that my grandparents were driving when hit by a coal lorry, a now and then photo via street view and a gif of the space my house used to occupy. Meanwhile assessments are over, and Christmas is almost here.

knowingtheknown

It was excellent to be invited back to NanoDtc in the Maxwell building in Cambridge to run a workshop and give a talk for the PhD students around problem solving. It's always impressive to witness their lateral thinking problem solving skills and desire to solve problems with glee. The workshop was all about creating the connections between the known and unknown.

Back in Coventry the series of images based around the space the house I grew up in has been added to. There is a project here but I'm unsure which direction to take it in..........Whilst in Cambridge its always interesting to pop into the anthropology museum to see their open storage displays. meanwhile in the middle of the harrowing Top Boy  and basically a more violent, mob version of Widows, The Kitchen - was ok. recent podcasts include The memory Palace http://thememorypalace.us/ - you have to love Nate's voice - Here's the thing with Alec Baldwin is a little blokey but in general a good conversation to listen into.