ohnoyoudidn'tohyesyoudid

Went to see Sleeping Beauty, the pantomime at the New Wolsey – oh no I didn’t – amazing set but maybe not double entendre enough! Brian Eno presented a rich and thoughtful collection of positions and ideas at a talk the other night at Norwich University of the Arts. It was interesting to hear some diametrically opposing thoughts voiced to the audience of educators in the audience who sat listening to him. Ideas around working with chaos, the driving forces of creativity, how to make art, the role of attention, gardening v architecture, and then for me - the lack of process within ai, gotta reflect on that one. Truly wonderful stuff. Friday night was off to Lowestoft to check out Battery of Ideas in the old Tesco on the highstreet. What a fabulous space. Really nice evening full of great conversations with good work - Digital Film Installations: Water Portals by Henry Driver & Arboreal by Emily Richardson going on around you. https://firstlightfestivalcic.com/batteryofideas Snape had a sharing of Bystander - the work of a week’s dance residency with Richard Pye. https://www.instagram.com/richardpye/?hl=en-gb It was one of the most moving pieces I have seen for a long time. It brought me to tears with delicate, studied movements – stunningly powerful. https://www.brittenpearsarts.org/events/richard-pye Onto screens – really enjoying everything about Wolf Hall – The Light – astonishingly taught acting, tight script and fabulous costumes. Juror #2 – will you do the ‘right’ thing? Conclave – you will do the right thing?

beuysstolemyparentsidea

a busy week included the last catalogue conversation seminar at Camberwell for the MA Book Art Course - https://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/21-01-20-catalogue-conversation it was a little odd seeing 26 years of catalogues on a table - so many memories and stories - running a storytelling workshop at NUA as part of developing so called soft skills with the students - confidence is growing as they recognise their inherent skills deeply embedded within their internal file labelled transferable skills  - I have been invited to give a talk at Materials and Design Exchange 2020 by  MaDE  this has involved trying to find a headshot as I don't possess such a thing - see 70 images of me - odd I never realised that I looked so much like my mum - meanwhile in 1965 Joseph Beuys held a performance attempted to explain pictures to a dead Hare 'coincidentally' a year before the event in a street in Coventry that no longer exists young parents held a small child and filmed him stroking a dead rabbit so he could experience the feeling of fur before it was made into stew - can I claim copyright from the Beuys estate?  finally as part of my general 'get rid of it all' clear out I came across my notes from the first ever book arts conference - feel free to take a peek at the past here https://www.slideshare.net/secret/z5E5tJGV4wlC1A

itsallaboutthefuture

at the moment my work/life is all about the residency within NanoDTC at The Maxwell Centre in Cambridge https://unfoldingthinking.blogspot.co.uk/ but I am speaking at Make:Shift in Manchester on Friday so initially I planned and indeed tried to cram 30 years of experience into 10 minutes. This was of course an insane idea so am now, after much reflection, going to talk about how ideas inform process which in turn becomes a methodology for research. I'm going to lean heavily on the past two projects - The Robotics at Kings and Nano in Cambridge as well as bookness!! meanwhile some images from unfolding thinking   

a great day out in London on Tuesday - the discussions with MA Book Art students from Camberwell around the work in the exhibition at the photographers gallery - radical feminism and then in the permanent treasures Gallery at the British Library were superb - as ever the students brought a range of new understandings to the work and some wonderful concepts/questions/thoughts- the role of fundamentalist typography, tyrannical layout, books that have one purpose - the performance of the book, how display informs understanding - subversive labels - labels as the work  - the list goes on. The exhibition of feminist work is worth a visit and contains a range of work that underpins a lot of the performances that I saw as part of Spill at the weekend - a post moment rethink and the upcoming exhibition around maps at the British Museum is sure to be wonderful and a recommendation. In the evening the talk I gave for the Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society went well, I would like to think, with lots of ideas thrown out and a number given back which will be followed up when I get a moment . As I cycled back to the station (to be subjected to another example of poor service from Abellio) the lights and reflection of the St George building at NUA lifted the spirits. a mention for adultswim - http://www.adultswim.com/music/singles-2016/ a beautiful web portal. Meanwhile another day at the Maxwell Centre brought fresh revelations - http://unfoldingthinking.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/chemicallogicofthemicrobialcommunity.html

thisisathing

this is a thing!!! this is a thing to make a plaque for!!!

it's week one of textile design students at NUA - the whole week will be documented by the first years on instagram at #gotextiles

the poster for the NCCS upcoming talk looks good so if you are in the area....meanwhile  a journey of discovery and understanding Hunt for the Wilderpeople - just a lovely film.

managed to see 2 bad plays in a poor uncomfortable space as part of High Tide Festival on Sunday - just bad.

listentoakalahemakessense

really honoured to be invited to talk at being a man - BAM - the festival at the Southbank over the weekend which addresses the challenges and pressures of masculine identity in the 21st century. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/being-a-man I am deep in the programme which also covers gangs, jihad, fatherhood, sex, pornography, and war. Anyway just to be on the same bill as the ultra cool and wonderful Akala has to be a good thing. I've seen him talk a TED day - he is breathtaking - listen to him. here's a link to my 'talk' for those who can't make it to London.  http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/talk-for-bam

artisthecentreoftheworld

last night I gave an illustrated talk at the Private View of the Level 3 & Level 4 Diploma in Foundation Studies Art, Design & Media at Wensum Lodge in Norwich. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/presentation-to-wensum-lodge when asked by Nicola Naismith www.nicolanaismith.co.uk  I thought that it would be relevant and interesting to think about the role of art, artists and creativity in society - both for the young people embarking on their lives and the parents and carers who support them. The show is excellent with a wide range of quality work – a wonderful slice of old school art college activity – go and see - http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Adult_education/Types_of_courses/Courses_for_learners_16-18/NCC086964

more work on the bookmare for Camberwell has led me to Hans Holbein’s dance of death alphabet http://www.dodedans.com/Eholbeinalf.htm