ohyesididohnoididntandsomefilms

watched the Wolsey pantomime - oh no I didn't, well actually I did but live streamed from Ipswich into my house meant that it really wasn't the same - the covid context of its production was really considered but there is nothing like shouting out boooooo when the villains arrive surrounded by people who have all made the effort to be in the same place  - hopefully next year. films this week include the terrible - Best man and Best mans holiday, Sky fire - utter nonsense CGI overload, Color out of Space - made no sense. the ok - The vast of night - slow but with good character acting. Nightmare before Christmas and Wonder woman 1984 and the good - Soul https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948372/ really quite beautiful, Host - really well done and scary reflection on how we engage with each other, The sound of metal https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5363618/ - heartrendingly beautiful journey into trusting oneself,  Bacurau - wonderful psychedelic madness and finally the ever-present Die Hard. Chalie Brooker's Screen wipe 2020 was disappointing, effectively a list of terribleness without the usual acerbic comment, only Hugh Grant's character could save it. John Cooper Clark's I wanna be me is an raucous upbeat read that I consumed with a wry recognition. 

twowalksandtherest

walks at the end of the day are the way I'm making sense of where I am at the moment - Walberswick looking both ways at the river. its that time of the year so teaching at NUA is all about admin, timetables and creating content for either/and/or online and face to face teaching depending on..................factors. ok - screens - so Tenet in its second viewing is neither better or worse just different - I would recommend it though so maybe the experience is worth it. The Song of Names moves along, although there are so many gaps/flaws in the characters developments. Prom is a case of leave whatever brain you have left somewhere, get on board and hang on for the ride. Superintelligence looks lightly at the surveillance state (very lightly). admitting that I actually did laugh at Freaky just feels wrong. Small Axe continues to be solid. the distressfully unpleasant characters in Industry and the actual process they are engaged in is impenetrable, both these factors don't help to make it watchable but it is car-crash-can't-look-away-TV.  

somestuffffutsemos

looking forward to receiving my anniversary tea towel from Focal point - https://www.fpg.org.uk/printed-matter/30th-anniversary-tea-towel/ - if I had any older relatives left alive it would be on my list of presents! But maybe my children will be getting something in their stockings! The first online session, structures 1. Experimental non adhesive binding structures, for Leicester Print works went well, I think. They are now working on their set task developing a 'family tree' of book forms, exploring their inherent qualities. LPW are thinking of creating a short course so if you are interested in making books, but not as you know them.....(apologies to Turn the Page) check out their site. The assessments went smoothly at NUA. Looking at work online is both sad in that the work has touch and feel at its core and also so much smoother and direct as students target their submissions to the Learning Outcomes and assessment criteria.  meanwhile  Hillbilly Elegy - no, The Undoing - yes but the ending - bad people are just bad, Tenet - yes, my head is still wonderfully spinning. The series Small Axe is totally glorious, the sensual and focused camera work at the dance in episode 2 was beautiful, I could of walked into a gallery and watched the 11 minute sequence of Silly Games on a loop all day. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08vxt33 thank you.

doyoustartfromquestionsorfromanswers?

Do you start from questions or from answers? a day spent at a foundry exploring the potential of the activities peripheral yet integral to the actual casting of work. Working with the negative spaces within the sand casting of ingots was interesting - working inside out with negative space - a great day of rethinking. 

onto films - The Act of Killing https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 if you want to watch it - you can on YouTube - your life will be altered - truly one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen and there is no actual violence, bad language or sexual oppression. But the casual way in which these things are talked about and then reenacted will change you and your thoughts on human nature - haunting.

bindingpuffinternal

Printing again - this time it's all about lines rather than spaces - continued work with the tessellated images - printing with puff binder is very fulfilling, it's printed on a range of surfaces and the effect is mesmerizing, especially in the heat press as the binder 'grows' - the work is all about the haptic - how the work feels in the hand is key,  it's all about the touch and weight. Temperature has become a thing, especially as the material retains heat in the hand. can't help but think about body, brain and images of internal organs.  

meanwhile onto looking at screens - isthisit has a new exhibition in its online exhibition space - https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/data-fatigue there are some beautifully odd and wonderfully thoughtful pieces within the show - I recommend the work by Jonathan Monaghan - the imagery is quite stunning https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/data-fatigue-4  what a carve up - an interpretation of Jonathan Coe's wonderful book - an interesting exercise from the New Wolsey in Ipswich. About Endlessness - the new film by Roy Andersson is deeply disturbing in so many ways - the tableau's are the usual tonal beige and the content is hyper banal. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6817944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1 Summer of 85 - just so French.

printingourworld

Working on some prints - using puff binder on polyester to focus on touch. It was interesting to see how cleaning the table presented some interesting images - layers accentuating ideas of contact. An extraordinary short video - Poem by Zoe Leonard - Performed by Mykki Blanco - I want a dyke for a president - a call to see all lives represented by those who represent us - https://vimeo.com/185375525?fbclid=IwAR2L8hHj8xpvi8-LnqIq86_T0hTr9KVB3S1DR_JJyLIJR7X5PRPp4LTAcvM Working on Raced through Roadkill in one sitting - excellent script but limited development of characterisation. Queen's Gambit was very stylish and made the chess board appear on our table. About Endlessness - the new film by Roy Andersson is disturbing in so many ways - the tableau's are the usual tonal beige but the content is hyper banal. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6817944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

signssigning

signs, signs, signs - one of my favorites - so many messages here - where to start. The exhibition HERE, which was to take place at the artstation in Saxmundham has been temporarily postponed due to the latest lockdown - I almost got to hang the work this time! https://theartstation.uk/ In other news - the online longform course for Leicester Print Works appears to be booking well. I'm in the process of building a system to be able to show a table from a birds eye view. http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/ meanwhile onto a screen away from TEAMS and Zoom. The trial of the Chicago 7 - more than a courtroom drama, Harriet - more than a tale of one persons struggle, The Forty-Year-Old Version - more than a joke, some serious words alongside great beats https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10642834/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3