adayofdeepthinking

A day of deep thinking - spending time in the dissecting room today was fascinating - the body is full of stuff - who knew! Layers upon layers upon interconnected layers. Holding a person’s head in my hands was strangely comforting whilst taking out parts of the brain and examining them oddly not odd! Seeing bodies laid out brought a whole range of new ideas to the zebra plate project. After being in the DR the conversation was full on and focused on how to encompass the new ideas that were brought up around affordance and its relationship to self-selection and determination. The idea of spaces in between and what determines the functionality both inside the individual structures and around in the external spaces. The role of proteins in determining how the material in the body evolves from a similar place, the concept of fate (an actual science concept)! Analogies like the idea of a flat sheet of paper and that same paper folded into a 3D form were incredibly helpful in developing my understanding. How to create and move the ideas and a project forward, not replicating structures but providing a form of commentary that enables new and deeper understanding of the development of the cells in a body. The experimental models were sketchy and involved a range of new methods - filling latex gloves with water, sewing the modular forms together with elastic, containing the structures within 'frames', changing the material - remaking the forms in foam. What does 'stuck' or 'sticking' mean in the context of the microscopic? What do forces and stuck have in common? What is their relationship? Are magnets an answer?  

recognisinganddeveloping

Work on the zebra fish roof plate project continues. This time the focus was on restriction and rotation. Holding and manipulating the structures within a framing device changes how the forces connect and dissipate within it, allowing the ability to focus on specific aspects of the structure. The work for Double Elephant this week went well - the session was all about audience(s), recognising and developing your relationship to them. Working with the Miro board between the sessions provides a space to share the work created and then develop dialogues around the student’s practice. Not quite the same as sticking the work on a wall but a digital version of that with its own inherent strengths. Synthetic Anatomy at Kings was interesting as always. The team is so generous with their time and knowledge, the discussions over lunch after the workshops are always full of new ways of thinking. The session looked at and used textile narratives to explore comparative ideas around and within the body. Developing textile stories that illuminate our understanding of the anatomy we inhabit. This will inform their thinking when presenting their table displays that will contain the narrative of their projects and the 3D prints that are at the center of their investigation. Work on the zebra fish roof plate project continues. This time the focus was on restriction and rotation. Holding and manipulating the structures within a framing device changes how the forces connect and dissipate within it, allowing the ability to focus on specific aspects of the structure. Popped into White Cube, Masons Yard. The show by Isamu Noguchi is very beautiful. The ceiling piece in the main space has a stunning rhythmic line, using industrial materials and processes in clever ways. I last saw his work at the foundation in New York in his name, a contemplative, stunning space in the middle an area that was part industrial estate with Costco as neighbors. A small slice of calm occupying a corner of a busy city. https://www.noguchi.org/ Onto screens - working my way through Chloe, a dark, tragic tale that keeps you constantly on edge, you may never trust digital strangers again! The Photograph was a very still film, lots of breathless, endless looking at each other over a jazz soundtrack. Nightmare Alley was sublime, the lighting was superb, every time Kate Blanchett was on screen she was lit like a star of stage and screen from the 50's. The references were thick and fast, repeated viewing is essential. The story is truly harrowing yet there is a message of redemption in there. 

joyfuldayatkings

Another joyful day at Kings working with Celia and the synthetic anatomy crew. Seeing the work in the lab brings more connections in my mind to the creative activity and thought  processes in a studio. We talked about flow during which I had my own revelatory moment aligning the ideas between two distinct workshops and making connections between a book: its sequence of pages and the limitations and constraints of a bag. Both contain the idea of revelation when engaged with. It will be interesting to think on this when preparing new workshops. A morning of drawing exercises working with Celia Pym using anatomy models sought to introduce the synthetic anatomy students to thinking through looking. Slowing down, speeding up and rethinking what it is to communicate were some of the creative routes explored in the session. There were some excellent drawings created in the session, as well as the development of their teamwork, problem solving skills, and general openness to possibilities. Links between the historical models and 3D printing were created through the activity of making observational drawings. There were some awesome drawings created during the process. After a thought provoking discussion over lunch it was good to have a meeting to see the final layout of the Garden of Emotions in the gallery space - looking forward to running workshops there. It was the first session of working with Double Elephant this week – a nice open workshop, introducing many many ways of starting the creative process. It will be great to see the ways in which the brief has been interpreted. Meanwhile onto screens - the end of season 3 part 1 of Ozarks was brutal, Mass with its twists and turns, although theatrical was truly devastating. Lamb was beautiful in its stillness and Ongaku Our Sound an interesting comment on media and music My latest obsession is Salvatore Ganacci - start with Step Grandma and work your way through his work from there - truly some of the oddest film I have ever seen, alongside some sweet Swedish house music

buildingunderstanding

I'm currently in the process of building a collaboration within King's College London in the Anatomy, Developmental and human biology exploring the potential of creating a project around modelling the roof plate of Zebra fish. We are looking at how physical models and thinking through making can add to our understanding of the systems and structures that are within the roof plate. The structural sculptures I make are valued as models to aid understanding and enable discussion, which is often fascinating and leads my practice down roads I could not envisage. Starting with photographing and film making and scanning which leads to 3D printing and then physical models which are then documented through film and so the iterative process continues with reflection as a driver.

oldschoolartschoolthinking

A wonderful day working at Kings – reflective old-school art school thinking and values transposed into a science context led to some fantastic conversations and revelations for all parties. After the workshops we went onto talk about the possibilities of collaboration – I’m working on some structures that explore the forces within themselves and focus on the act of control. These fit with and in some way mimic the functionality found within the roof plate model and explore the stretching morphology of the structure. There is some interesting work ahead. The first session with Double Elephant was so positive and open and welcoming, sharing more lateral thinking and creative problem-solving ways of thinking. Onto screens – deep into season 3 of Ozarks – dark as ever, watching the impending doom of anyone who encounters the Byrde’s. The Nest had potential and yet was slow, maybe that was the point. My latest favourite YouTube music channel - My Analog Journal is a place that explores rare grooves from around the world on vinyl. It’s also an insight into DJs private spaces - https://www.youtube.com/c/MyAnalogJournal/videos a particular favourite is a House & Detroit Techno vinyl mix by the cute couple Sol Ortega & E110101 both the music and their set up. 

andweareback

Back at Kings working on the synthetic anatomy module and it is so glorious - we got off to a great start, the session tied in the lateral thinking problem solving approach to creativity that I value with a deep engagement of the professional skills around student centered learning that is good teaching. After lunch it was a quick session creating the learning outcomes with students that they will be assessed on. Building on the morning session the conversation was focused and delivered another set of intelligent conversations. I managed to catch a show about Hair at The Horniman, some great examples of hair objects - then a couple of shows in the West End - Wang Gongxin at White Cube Mason yard had lots of clever trickery so that most of the time was spent trying to work out how it was created, although the concrete steps are always an inspiration. A group show at Sadie Cole's was...... full of stuff. The shop displays in Bond Street offered more with Alexander McQueen delivering a huge net with hundreds of gloriously embroidered and iridescent bugs, Burberry has encased the whole shop whilst it's being renovated in material that gives the impression that the shop is a giant case and then Valentino has handbags to die for. Meanwhile Anne – a Hillsborough story was traumatic. Another in a long line of instances where working class people are crushed by the systems created by people other than them. The final season of Money Heist was a roller coaster ride and Munich – The Edge of War was..... long

doublethelearning

Looking forward to working with people who have signed up for a series of workshops I’m running online for Double Elephant Print Studio based in Exeter. The course is title Influence and Connection - An online course to support artists’ reflection and practice. The requisite number of people have signed up for it to be viable but if anybody is interested there is the possibility of joining in – check out their website https://www.doubleelephant.org.uk/courses  Its 4 sessions that will explore the lateral thinking, problem solving I have been developing over the past 10 years that started with my Post graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching where I focused my research on reflective thinking, introducing it to the Textile design Course at NUA. I’m working on a commission for the new space created in the Science Gallery at London Bridge – the space is being re-imagined as a well-being space for students and I’ve been devising activities, creating graphics, instructions, and workshops. It’s interesting to use some of the folding techniques I’ve been exploring alongside the work I developed for care homes and libraries. Before Christmas I had a quick visit to Laurence Edwards foundry in Halesworth to develop the ongoing series of film/projection work. These are just some screen grabs but show the idea. Onto screens – The Lost Daughter – endless sadness, Humans – The grief of family, The Matrix Resurrections – realities reinvented, Don’t Look Up – too real, The Last Train to Christmas – disturbingly clever.