abookshapedhole

I'm in a book - http://www.ftc-online.org.uk/publications/conference/ the work I was involved in around archives and the fold has been published. It is in Futurescan 3: intersecting identities, the latest publication from the association of fashion and textiles.

an excellent session with the MA Fine Art cohort last night discussing and negotiating the creation of a collaborative, interactive (in a meaningful sense) web presence. when working online the idea of a physical room feels rather Victorian. I have seen the future of education and it is Open College of the Arts - OCA shaped. 

blackfoldexhibitingevil

I’ve been invited by Sarah Bodman from the Centre for Fine Print Research, UWE Bristol, on behalf of the International Association, Moscow Book Arts to be part of an exhibition in Russia. It’s from the 13^th March – 18^th May 2014 at the State Historical, Architectural, Art and Landscape Museum-Reserve, Moscow.  It’s an interesting group –

Angie Butler, X =, 2012

Anwyl Cooper-Willis, The Elsewhere Necktie Archive, 2011

Barrie Tullett, A Poem To Philip Glass, 2011

Charlotte Hall, Insectapolis, 2013

Christopher Robinson, La Chamade, 2009

Craig Atkinson, Preston Bus Station: Lost and Found, Craig Atkinson, 2013

Elizabeth Willow and David Armes, Hanging Valley, 2013

Guy Begbie, Black Cross Channel, 1998

Hazel Grainger, Digital Doesn’t Make Me Happy, 2013

Helen Douglas / Thomas Evans, Pivot, 2003

Jackie Batey, Future Fantasteek!, 12, 14 and 15, 2012-2013

Jeremy Dixon, Some Like Awesome American Soldiers, 2011

John Bently Liver & Lights No 40 My Ancestors, 2008

John McDowall, Atramentum, 2012

Julie Johnstone, ten skies, 2007

Les Bicknell, blackfold, 2013

Nancy Campbell, Doverodde, 2012

Otto, Dance, 2013

Pauline Lamont-Fisher, teastains, 2013

Philippa Wood and Tamar MacLellan, Mr Craggs’ left-over type, 2013

Sarah Bodman, GM Future, 1999

seekers of lice, quot, 2008

Simon Goode, Various Small Cookies, 2011

Simon le Ruez, Elsewhere, 2013

Sophie Loss, Swinging Susan, 2010

Stephen Fowler, White Heat, 2010

Susan Johanknecht, moments of forces, 1997

Theresa Easton, Thrifty Tips, 2013

Tom Sowden, Fortynine Coach Seats Travelling Along The M4, 2003

I’ve also got a small show at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UWE Bristol from Mon 7th April - Sat 31st May 2014. It will be nice to show the folded 'smocking is evil' sculptural paper pieces to a wider world

Meanwhile my proposal for Cley14 has been accepted so I need to focus on that to firm up some logistics – the statement – proposal for Cley14

the book - a space of debate – a place for the storage and dissemination of information – an exchange – a position – a settlement.

The work takes the form of structures that are created from joining (binding) two or more book structures together. The arrangement of book forms joined together enables reflection on the notion of conversation. It is a comment on the books that are in all of us, a response to the idea that when a person dies it is as if a library is burnt. It is a reflection on our negotiation with ageing and death.

I would like to make an intervention into the graveyard. I would attach at least 2 and possibly more books to every grave. At the moment I am considering working with rope/heavy twine to ‘fix’ the work, although I also like the idea of holding the books down with a large stone collected from the beach, referencing the Jewish tradition of placing stones on graves as a sign of remembrance and a symbol of the permanence of memory.

The books would be very simple handmade and blank. They would act as a symbol of narrative, of story, of conversation. The audience filling in the blanks. The piece would actually be the connection of the books with the stone of the grave, highlighting the text cut into the stone.

The work would change over the time of the exhibition, deteriorating with the weather, but they would be secured so as not to litter the space.

I would also like to display a limited editioned bookwork within the church; it would support the thinking and engage with the ideas behind the intervention outside. 

reallyreallyreallyexcited

Well - 2 years ago I sat in a restaurant in Venice heatedly discussing the role and representation of folding and smocking within the clothes represented in the paintings in the Academia. It culminated in the question was smocking inherently evil? as the individuals in the paintings wearing smocking appeared to have poor character qualities. The activity itself has political overtones – workers clothes and busy hands, alongside the idea of the hidden and the process of creating folds. This conversation has developed over the 2 years starting off with a small body of works for a touring exhibition in Ireland influenced by some of the structures. This was almost subconscious but later a show titled bookmare at Camberwell College of Art and the repeat show at Norwich University College consciously started the process of exploring smocking through the objects I make. A TESS funding application at nuca led to a body of work for the windows at the Imago gallery.  A lot of meetings and conversations led me to some really excellent people to work with within some interesting collections and archives in the Eastern Region. This led to a successful bid to the Arts Council to spend a year working on the idea with a number of partners – here is the initial paper table layout with the notes written on it and finally I am starting on what I hope will be a fantastic opportunity......

smockinginthewindows

images from the smocking is evil? body of work have been outputted as large format prints and sited in the windows of the Imago Gallery at 4 Clifford St, Mayfair, London till the 20^th Sept.

contextopeningapplication

spending time at the moment on an application to grants to the arts to undertake work with 3 museums and collections in the region – meetings with all parties have been really exciting and productive and if i/we get the money it will make for a really positive 12 months.

the work on the lost books project is almost finished and i continue to read around the subject and am captivated by how contemporary Gerard Manley Hopkins poetry feels, there is a knowledge of and an inherent interest in the idea of context and the importance of connectedness.

the images are of a performance of landscapist from the opening at the Camberwell space of bookmare. 

meaninglesswarfolding

well after the appalling corporate meaningless non thing that was the ticketed torch party in the park it was a joy to walk down to Ipswich town hall and enter the world of http://www.switchfringe.co.uk/ the fire night was an alternative – and it was - ypsmael http://ypsmael.com/ and tonesucker http://www.onoma.co.uk/tonesucker.html    were highlights. tonesucker felt like all-out music as war – most excellent.

the event in the park really was bad – i am struggling to remember something so insidious. it was devoid of anything meaningful - this was apart from the interventions of real people presenting real experiences – Aldeburgh music and Dance east – this session stood out as having something to say about or at least connect to Olympic ideals - how is it possible to get something so wrong?

anyway today is all about digital folding - I have managed to secure TESS funding from nuca to support smocking is evil research and I’m working on the images for the windows for the imago gallery show in September.

stillnessandsilence.

a busy time of meetings, emails and writing around the project that I am building to enable work to be made working in archives and collections – developing partners to work with. so far all parties are supportive, interested and have contributed to the ideas behind the proposal.
Camberwell has seen two weeks of group presentations focusing on the students project proposals – some really exciting work was presented – both actual work and the promise of it.
meanwhile a walk at the weekend saw stillness and silence.

finalworkreflections

just back from the repeat private view – the show has a very professional feel to it with some really interesting work. It was good to catch up with past students who i see vey infrequently and to talk with other members of staff at nuca who I only see at staff meetings. my work looks okay – couldn’t resist getting the work from behind the glass and explaining how it operates to people who looked interested – i also enjoyed the reflections of St George’s building in the glass.

repetativethinking

a day of rethinking the work around folding and the repeat in the light of going home to visit the spaces where the houses and streets i grew up in and around used to be. the idea of repeat and repetition embedded in the soul is something i am considering at the moment.

teacherssneakypeak

busy amassing images of smocking for my research at nuca
i’m creating a large bookwork to be part of the tool kit used at first site gallery in Colchester in their outreach work. the proposal would celebrate visually all aspects of firstsite. the contents of the proposed books would include initial drawings and plans, aspects of the buildings construction phrase and abstracted images celebrating the final building.
as well as looking at the physical structure I want to make work that explores the buildings function and purpose. this would consist of a number of books that contain basic ideas connected to looking, thinking and art practice. it would include ideas around visual communication, colour theory and visual perception. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/teachers-sneaky-peak-8541550 about to give a presentation called teachers sneaky peak at firstsite to teachers as part of their outreach program – also looking forward to seeing the new building
meanwhile tonight I'm looking forward to seeing big bag of boom by new art club - http://www.newartclub.org/ its the culmination of a show I saw at the dance house when it was in development - looking forward to the lycra and inappropriate country dancing to Heaven 17. go and see them if you think you don’t like dance.

smockingisevil

started the research allocated to my contract at nuca. i am focusing this period of time on smocking but looking at the fold and exploring the relationship between binding books and folding cloth. i think that the work will centre on the creation of a body of work with a view to exhibiting and publication. the research will be in three parts - research and development – creation of teaching tools – visit. the main part of the first section of the research will be to explore the relationship between book structures and traditional textile processes. i am going to look specifically at the fold through pleating, darting and smocking and western book binding structures. the title for this work is - is smocking is evil? based on looking at the role of the characters wearing smocked clothing on a visit to the academia in venice and of course the whole idea of the hidden within both fields - the book and the folded cloth.