ongoinglookingforward

Looking forward to next week, at Norwich, delivering a new project to year 2 and working with my friend Liz from the National. Another week taking people to the show at Snape and with each iteration of this activity I learn more about the work I have been making over the past year. Some people want me to explicit about the reasoning behind the work, explaining as if an activist, which I am not. Applied to be part of a conference (see below) we shall see what comes of it. Sizewell C is a building without geographic specify. Its structure is like that of others across the globe, its conception and construction at no point addresses the essential Suffolk space it will reside in. The shapes designed and the industrial nature of the materials used bare no connection to the landscape, a space which was seen by its designers as a blank canvas, it was envisaged as this and it has become a non-space, a concept conceived all be it within the concept of architecture by Marc Augé. Control and ownership of this land is now tightly controlled. Fenced and patrolled the public can no longer enter, humans that do are subjected to a vast barrage of rules and systems. My first work as artist in residence was to look at maps, created by SZC and to cut out these controlled spaces, leaving negative shapes. I have made scale models derived from official plans that in the hand become toys or gifts. This was initially a way of engaging with the vast complexity and sheer scale of the project that is SZC. But I have come to understand the power of the model as an idea itself and its function within the design world as a tool of visualisation but also its awe. popped in to see Conceptual Art and Christine Kozlov at Raven Row - truly challenging wonderful work. Onto screens – the last episode of Industry left everything on the table or maybe under it.

moremoremore

A busy week – working with year 1 bioengineers at Kings introducing lateral thinking and problem solving via creative workshops. The end of the week saw Pecha kucchas from all teams on the synthetic anatomy module. As ever some wonderful projects are on the table, lots of hybrid animals, legends, humans transformed by climate catastrophe and sci fi starting points. In the middle of the whole thing there is assessment time at Norwich – hours of pouring over work and writing comments and handing out numbers. It was also interesting to meet people to escort them around the show at Snape. It is as ever informative showing people work, the conversations always lead to me finding out about what I have made and help me to make sense of what I’ve made. Managed to see a few exhibitions – Klara Hosnedlova at White cube, Monster Chetwynd and Petrit Halilaj at the Tate. Onto screens – Small Prophets is truly wonderful, Waiting for the out – stunningly oppressive with the right ending!

updatingthefence

Working on designs to cover fence at SZC, just need agreement for the go-ahead. Managed to get to my website this morning – looking good with the new additions – the work in Crest and Lowestoft, alongside the updated CV. Onto screens – Nurenberg – what is evil? Mr Burton a stunning performance from Harry Lawtey demonstrating that language is important. The latest season of Industry is a challenging watch, venal people talking in a language that is truly impenetrable. Incredible But True – Wacky/Sc-fi with an electronic penis thrown in! Lord of the Flies – brutal direction and stunning camerawork, glad I knew the ending/story or would have been traumatised.

snapeandkingscontinue

Work at Kings continues - the students value the inclusive way the module sets out to engage with teaching and learning. An understanding of the underlying processes around learning is invaluable to understand how we grow. The latest engagement in what was another thoughtful and foundational session was excellent. It helped connect the group and started to get us thinking about what everyone wants from their involvement on the module. We used six thinking hats as a way of exploring engagement, I was interested in the different languages students chose to present their ideas, visual, textual and diagrammatical - all the sessions deliver tools that can be used to move studies on, I always ask students to consider how they can use them, to think about their role, what they want to explore and what hat they found comfortable wearing. Recent observations include - If your group talks to each other, they get better results. Writing and sketching ideas means that you can revisit your thoughts when reflecting to move the project forward.

Meanwhile some notes for the people working with POWER, the show at Snape.

1, 2 - 3D printed rings that form part of proposed archaeology to be found in the year 3000. The rings were created in 3D software after PowerStation shaped pieces of metal were found in the dig in the year 3000.

The bronze PowerStation shaped pieces of metal are part of this idea – ritual objects

5 – photos of archaeologist’s bags – each bag of tools is unique to each individual archaeologist.

13 – this is a text that is said at the start of all public meetings by the chair.

14 – what happens when the public don’t wait at the traffic lights at Darsham roundabout. Taking short cuts through rural lanes.

All wire pieces in the brown room – ideas about communication referencing lines, conduits, pylons and construction

Leather pieces – the spaces of land controlled by SZC cut out of a cow hide.

17 – alludes to garment that could be worn

27 – both the negative and positive pieces

28 – a gift

Black 3D prints reference earth moving happening on site – systems and holes

Bookwork – allows multiple readings of the prints through juxtaposition

Folded prints – are about communication, connection and – systems. the starting point was the idea that there is so much data generated to enable the workforce to be constructed. The titles are from the abbreviations in 49.

41 – a piece of wood left after the trees were cut down along Willow Marsh Lane.

43 – conversations with art history and the cultural connections that are made whilst wearing PPE

49 abbreviations in SZC documents 

powerandkings

its here - today is the private view of the work ctreated over the past year - POWER - meanwhile another great day at Kings yesterday - day 2 of Synthetic Anatomy - building collaborative teams from the foundation up. As ever I was astounded by the students focused engagement with the content of the session. There were some excellent positions articulated and creative collaborative methodology enacted. It bodes well for the rest of the module and the potential final outcomes.

tellingstories

Final day of putting the work in the spaces at Snape, 2 rooms of work that cover vast areas of the year and 2 installations that focus on specific areas of the residency. Pleased with the hang. Onto screens – The Penguin Stories – a sweet story about dictatorship and kidnapping thwarted by a bird. Onto Industry – more hideous people behaving hideously.

treepower

A really good day of teaching and learning at Kings – the first day of synthetic anatomy was high octane focused teaching. The team’s learning over the years has been honed and rather than every year throwing everything that has been learnt up in the air, as a team we are focused, we learn and grow, this enables us to deliver a positive experience to the students. Went to see Gecko’s the wedding at Sadlers Wells East – a stunningly tight show with some really fabulous ‘theatre moments’ highlights include – a man with ‘floating objects’ that he attempts to grasp, the men in the box, and the appearing monument as table were great stage craft moments, and the lighting as ever with Gecko was moodily appropriate. Meanwhile Fadoul was on the turntable at a friend’s house, the album Al Zman Saib is fabulous. Onto screens Empire with David Olusoga is another exercise in lifting the lid over the lies I was told as a child as to the greatness and fairness of Great Britian.