whatisyourmeaning?

some of the great questions pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary school in Louth asked of the Meridian Line sculptures last week - Do you ever get bored? Are you tired of standing? Do you feel pain? Do you enjoy standing? Why am I holding this? Are you cold? Do you have a soul? Why can girls figure it out, but the men can’t? Why do you have pieces missing? Do you like being wacked? Why do you have lines all over you? How many people have you seen? Why did you decide to be here? What is your meaning? If you were real, what would you do? What do you think about? What is it like to know the Meridian Line? How many more years will you last? What is it like being iron and rock rather than skin? Why do you have a stump on your head?  How old are you? Are you insured? What is it like being a statue? Are you okay? Do you need help? Do you have a brain? Does anybody celebrate your birthday? How much longer do I have to stay here? What’s happening to this world? How did you get your scar? What is it like to see the outside? How are you not cold? How do you keep yourself entertained? What would you say if you could talk? What is the favorite thing you’ve seen? Why is everyone else moving but not me? What do you see that we haven’t? – Do you ever think of being a real person? Why don’t people stay with me forever? How do you survive not talking? What do you do all day? Why are we all lonely? Why was I put here? What is the Meridian Line? 

thefutureishere

Some drawing/thinking - attempting to work out how to create a structure that explores some of the functionality in the zebrafish brain plate as part of an ongoing investigation at Kings that is generating strands of investigation in my own practice. Onto screens - In the shadow of the moon - time travel consequences of living and letting go. Take me – lessons learnt the hard way, iboy – sci-fi light with added menace, Parallel Mothers – a deeply meaningful layered work from Pedro Almodóvar, Choose or Die – a by-the-book controlled horror infused, Furioza – the futility of violence, Dune – fantastic spaceships and beautiful sets but….All the old knives – sad twisty spy tale. The final episode of Severance went beyond the idea of a cliff-hanger - can't wait for season 2.

The Every by Dave Eggers should be required reading about where we are going before we get there! The satire is so close that at times it feels like a documentary. Sections that describe a trip out of campus and the future of marking in universities are disturbingly close to life experienced, and the plethora of insightful observations is alarming - Capital-P Play was last year’s management theory, following multitasking, single tasking, grit, learning-from-failure, napping, cardio working, saying no, saying yes, the wisdom of the crowd, trusting one’s gut, Viking management theory, Commissioner Gordon workflow theory, X-teams, B-teams, embracing simplicity, pursuing complexity, seeking similarity, creativity through radical individualism, creativity through groupthink, creativity through the rejection of groupthink, organizational mindfulness, organizational blindness, microwork, macro sloth, fear-based camaraderie, love-based terror, working while standing, working while ambulatory, learning while sleeping, and, most recently, limes.

Subjectivity is just objectivity waiting for data. “You hear about the art students?” he asked. She had. A growing number of undergraduate and graduate art students were lobbying for the Hermosa app to be given equal or greater power than the subjective assessments and grades traditionally given by their professors. Fairness and Objectivity in Beauty, these students insisted in a fast-moving meme, quickly nicknamed FOB. Humans are error-prone knots of biases, they insisted, and should not be involved in determining what was beautiful or good. 

hanginghangingmoreandmorestuff

So after the private view at NUA, which I think went well. I thought the space was excellent but I had little feedback and you never know if you are pleasing everybody/anybody - students/parents/family/staff/academics/industry and past/present/future/prospective/proto students, it has been a week in London - Tuesday hanging work at the Business Design Centre for the BA Textile Design students at New Designers and then Friday was being in the space at the show talking with 'independent designers' rather than students, although the transition is awkward for both sides, watching individuals taking responsibility is always interesting to observe. The work and stand look ok and as ever New Designers is gloriously overwhelming and every second or first year student who is serious about being a designer should go to experience the awe and fear that is seeing the work of people who have worked harder, make more work and will try and are setting out to try and take your job. I'm always a little stunned when a persons first time at New Designers is when they exhibit.

Wednesday and Thursday was all about curating and supporting the students work for the MA Book Art Exhibition at Camberwell.  

http://events.arts.ac.uk/event/2018/7/12/Camberwell-MA-Visual-Arts-Summer-Show-2018/ The show is very specific and focused with each student developing a truly individual body of work that they own from initial research to the final pieces. Whilst supporting the hanging of the Book Art I noticed some interesting printmaking worth seeing. The shows will look great - the private view for the MA is on the 12th put it in your diaries, its always a roadblock so maybe come the following day to see the work, although that is the day of the Anti Trump march so you might be busy. 

Saw the textiles and sculpture degree shows at The Royal College - textiles had lots of interesting material exploration well displayed and sculpture was full of stuff. 

Went to the Barbican to see the truly fabulous Taylor Mac: a 24 decade History of Popular Music. It was chaotically beautiful, engaging, great fun with full-on gently serious politics - I loved Taylor's take on fear and disgust and the general desire of the audience to get on with each other, to support and share. A marvellous great night out - cant wait for the 24 hour version. https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/taylor-mac-24-decade-history-popular-music-barbican_46983.html

Read this at a friends house in a book about Pompeii - seems apt.

Now the crickets pierce the thickets with their repetitive cry, now even the speckled lizard takes shelter in the coolness. If you are wise, lie back and make a libation with summer-weight glassware, or, if you wish, we'll bring out the new goblets of crystal. Come, you are weary, rest in the grape and bind your heavy head with a chaplet of roses. Cull kisses from a tender maid. Forget about those who raise old-fashioned eyebrows! Why keep fragrant garlands for ungrateful ashes? Do you want your bones to lie under a garland-carved stone? Set out the wine and the dice. To hell with him who cares for the morrow. Death plucks your ear and says 'Live now, for I am on my way!'