printingparametersisallaboutcontrol

I am deep into the 3D printer. Still working with the 3D printing software; Google sketchUp, 3D Builder, PrusaSlicer – to work out what can be achieved, whilst also trying to figure out how to be in vague control of the activity. The parameters of printing possibilities seem endless, at one end an object can be formed solid like a block of non-material, it is all about the physical structure. At the other the delicate strands of PLA align with textile activity, weaving and basketry. I enjoy the feeling that the object seems to of been conceived in another universe, somehow they just arrive but the latter gives the work a deconstructed tone, not just in its physical making but also in that when viewing the mind can and does try to work out how the object was made. Onto screens - Rare Beasts – glorious storytelling https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8419594/ Cruella – glorious retelling yet overly long. Wrath of Man - Stath gloriously doing Stath.

alltimestrangeandindulgentIdonotunderstandwork

I went out to see/listen to something! - Daniel Pioro and Katherine Tinker at Snape – really very beautiful, Daniel’s playing was so considered yet muscular, he brought something new to Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending, the stillness was exquisite. A trip to see Mathew Barney at the Hayward Gallery. I am such a fan with the Cremaster Cycle possibly topping my list - all-time-strange-and-indulgent-I-do-not-understand-work. The show has some extraordinary pieces, especially the frames! – meanwhile New Contemporaries at South London Gallery has less to recommend. Onto screens - The dog who wouldn’t be quiet – superbly odd. Riders of Justice – superbly funny. Managed to get through Time – gruelling - it should make everyone reconsider their criminal intentions, its simultaneously relentlessly grinding and terrifying …. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/06/time-review-sean-bean-and-stephen-graham-astound-in-enraging-prison-drama

trainingtonotsee

Why is the history curriculum like it is? – Well who knew that our history lessons at school taught us to be white supremacists, reading Slave Empire: How slavery built modern Britain it becomes transparently clear. Was it on purpose? Who does it suit for us not to think? https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/padraic-x-scanlan/slave-empire/9781472142320/ Finally got round to buying a 3D printer, now reacquainting/relearning/learning 3 software packages and testing out the hardware, it’s my new magic after Photoshop. Started with a mini bird box as part of the Lowestoft Project. My favorite new radio station nts.live – some excellent wide ranging sounds. Assessment is ongoing.  

foundandaltered

I’ve been busy in the studio the past couple of weeks playing with a found birdbox and working on a new set of images looking at the large articulated structures in rape fields. It is the beginning of assessment time in Academia – looking forward to seeing the students work all brought together for their final submission. Onto screens - The Fuck it list – fun and unnecessary but definitely fun. Now deep into Mare of Easttown, series 3 of Master of None and The Underground Railway. All good dramas but I would recommend reading the excellent book by Colson Whitehead first. My new favorite radio station - https://www.nts.live/ has an extraordinary range of eclectic music.

whenworldscollide

Don’t you just love Photoshop! – in between teaching at nua I have had a week of photo editing in the studio, working with photographs I took last week of the articulated structures. Exploring how the sculptures could become a visual intervention alongside the physical one, thinking of them as tools for resistance or/and engagement. The images look towards documenting a private moment of meditation/mediation, an accidental ritual where techno meets nature. Meanwhile if you like your films full of revenge for wrong doings, a dash of mid-life crisis with a touch of The Transporter, John Wick and finally a glorious segment celebrating Home Alone then the film Nobody is for you. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7888964/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0  Thinking of moving into the world of fashion? – check out Halston on Netflix for your road map, don’t know who he is – listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDwutKpVyas

newworkroadtrip

New work - after time in the studio. Works that initially explored the space that the structured bookworks I make for the hand. Having found that I have fixed them in time by their solid state I have been looking at re-exploring the element of time through the layers on their surfaces I add and take away. A surprise trip to Wiltshire to check out the set up Messums have in that part of the world, exciting to be on a road trip in a new place to see their great spaces. https://messumswiltshire.com/ Meanwhile walks around my own house are full of the joys of Spring.

cleaningandorganising

After repainting and cleaning the studio, it was time to use it to set up a photo studio to document the recent work. They are all about initially creating a space, thinking about volume, whilst also looking a surface. Painting, repainting the shapes with a variety of materials from paint and varnish to gorilla glue and plaster and then sanding to reveal the layers. Textile students had a photo shoot last week, documenting work for this year’s on-line degree show. I took along a folded structure to have a bit of fun…….Some screens – I blame society – no. we are who we are – no. Ammonite – yes https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7983894/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 Black Bear – the wonderfully clever meta narratives will make you think https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9601220/. After watching Babylon Berlin a series centred on the post WW1 Berlin scene it’s interesting to think about the many parallels with today. The rise of nationalism, corrupt politics, runaway capitalism, add in Covid, and the post Brexit vote/landscape - are we heading into the cycle that is roaring 20s and everything that follows? Searching for a series – so far it’s a no to Salvation and Big Sky.