fungiandfolk

a weekend of folk and fungi - friday night saw me at snape watching a country and jazz folk cabaret - know as the results of a Gwyneth Herbert residency at Snape – an exploration of the sea but really a gig which was good http://www.gwynethherbert.com/ and then a lot of stuff in the second half with the Rubber Wellies folk band and Heidi James (without the promised film element of the performance) and if anybody else comes to Aldburgh for a residency and records themselves walking on shingle I might implode with frustration – it’s not interesting and we have heard it all before. the fungi foraging course at Minsmere was most excellent and could become my new obsession - free beautiful food.

foldingprintingandpainting

the new term at NUCA has started - i have the timetable for camberwell and the weekend saw me at snape watching the latest faster than sound - most excellent the evening was an exploration of the brain and sound with composers Mira Calix, Anna Meredith, design research studio Loop.ph and neuroscientist Professor Vincent Walsh- the installation by Loop ph was stunning - meanwhile I have spent a couple of days working on the diptych photographs of woods - this has resulted in some experiments with digital printing and water along with folding. the work is becoming a mixture of work that needs to be in the hand and on the wall.

alloverbartheshouting

well the final Textile Culture show at NUCA is up and running - check out the link to the online catalogue

http://www.nuca.ac.uk/ma-degree-show/show-gallery/view/57

my forward to their handout -

MA Textile Culture 2010

I couldnt understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their cloth

Coat of many colours – Dolly Parton

I have great pleasure in celebrating the achievements of the students work in what is the last MA Textile Culture Graduate Exhibition. You will see a wide ranging approach to the idea of textile activity but at the core of the work is a meticulous examination of the individual’s relationship to making and thinking.

The individual student is at the centre of their learning, identifying their interests, defining their research and developing strategies to critically examine their ideas. All this is undertaken with the support of the experienced staff working on the course; enabling the students to develop their own vision of what textile culture is, for them.
When we are unsure of something we often attempt to define it in the negative; by what it is not. The MA Textile Culture course at Norwich University College Arts holds a position both politically and conceptually of positive inclusivity. It recognises the interconnected world it exists within whilst positioning a critical examination of the function, meaning and experience of textiles at its centre.
The students were encouraged to seek out links, forge connections between ideas and to thread, yes thread, ideas together to form a matrix which gave the course the feeling of constant renewal. The ubiquitous nature of textiles can make it demanding – identifying research routes can be a challenge. I am very proud that each student has succeeded and is producing exciting, unique work.
Norwich University College of the Arts remains committed to the study of textiles, within the context of the needs of the cultural and creative industries, through the development of a new MA in Textile Design which is launched in September 2010.

Les Bicknell - Acting Course Leader MA Textile Culture.

moreassessingatNUCA

one of the real pleasures of being employed in higher education is working with other creative professionals. i have spent the past week assessing the MAs for Drawing, Writing the Visual and Textile Culture at NUCA. alongside the responsibility it is a privilege to spent time with the students work, this experience is enhanced by doing it with people such as Ashley Stokes http://ashleystokes.wordpress.com/ and Andrea Holland http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/index.php/borrowed for MAWTV, Caroline Wright http://www.carolinewright.com/ and Colin Nicholas http://www.axisweb.org/seCVPG.aspx?ARTISTID=12259 for MAD and Victoria Mitchell http://www.nuca.ac.uk/research/victoria-mitchell-profile and Sue Maton http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=36099&sos=0 for MATC

beginningoftheend

an interesting week so far – it really feels like the beginning of the end for MATC at NUCA with all the admin associated with winding down. meanwhile last night went to see Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks - we have seen it all before – endless space - hostile moon - military hardware - silver suits etc – but i was struck by the awesome stupidity of the whole idea – especially the endless footage of various astronauts taking it in turns to have their photographs taken in front of the stars and stripes - the revelation gave me a moment to consider the preposterous American imperialist experience that was moon exploration – couldn’t help thinking of other ways in which this footage has been presented - Koyaanisqatsi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi would be a starting point and recent ideas around space travel would include Moon - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/ and thinking about space and cowboys - American Astronaut – this is a link to a clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzVi_acjD-s enjoy

howtogetanastar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00td743
if anybody wants to know about current teaching and education practice they should listen to this program.

meanwhile hanging shows at NUCA

backtowork

after a break back to work organising the final show of MATC at NUCA - should be a good one if all the students proposals are followed through