sayingyesalot

Having said yes, a lot a couple of weeks ago I now have a long list of stuff to do with several large scale, interrelated and complex projects. 1 The work with Aldeburgh Hospital and the school is moving on with organisational meetings and some positive conversations. 2 The final stage of Energy? Hanging the work at SZC visitor centre for a STEAM event is the last and seemingly most challenging stage after generating an instructional pack, sending it out to schools to create over 1000 images, creating films and 50 panels with 25 images! 3 The flag project for the opera is completed, and the next stage is dyeing 200 yards of material with natural dye for the backdrop. Assessment is about to start at Norwich; it will be great to see the students work on the project I set around textile narratives. The show at Unit 4 has some really interesting work that is hung well, the space is a great addition and now the nearest gallery to my house, it would be great if the SZC roadworks didn’t detour my route. The latest sharing at Snape as part of the open sessions was fascinating – the system of graphic scores and unusual instruments made for an eccentric evening. Rob Bentall on nyckelharpa and Zebedee Budworth on hammered dulcimer were fantastic together. Onto screens – Sirat – one thing leads to another, oh dear. How to Make a Killing – witty and procedural. Hail Mary – great fun, and if you take a 10-year-old along with your belief will be suspended.

neoclassancients

A weekend in the bubble that is Stroud. Attended NeoAncients – lots of music and motivating talks that connected politically and galvanised my soul. In terms of sound shout out to Haress, Smote, Dawn Terry, The Last Sacrifice. The great talks - Staying Analogue in the Age of Distraction - Andrew Smith. Megalithic Portal x Megalithic Imperative - Andy Burnham + Neil Mortimer + Patricia Brien, check out the website – megalithic.co.uk Visions of the Occult - Victoria Jenkins. Common People - Stephen Ellcock + Leah Gordon with Maxine Peake. Don’t forget The Museum of Roadside Magic and The People’s Pyramid Mummification Van. Generally a time of making connections between the ideas in the books Common People, England on Fire and Trespass, the over 5000 government acts that make up the Enclosures Act, its relationship to the slave trade, working people, the landed gentry and Sizewell operations. Fave notes – meme magic, merky territory, ghosts in the liminal spaces. Onto screens – Hypnotic – great idea shame about the music, script, acting, camera work and editing.

apackedcoupleofweeks

Started work on digitizing the images created by students who were asked what does energy look like? - the images will be printed up and shown at the new Sizewell C visitor centre as part of a festival celebrating STEAM in East Suffolkschools. I created a pack for schools which included instructions for a workshop to be undertaken by teachers. I'll also be running a series of workshops over the 3 days exploring potential connections between art and science. Packing away the work and materials from this years interation of synthetic anatomy, including archiving the materials. I seem to say this every year but this year was spectacular, a development from the previous year. Either we are getting very good at what we do, word of mouth has got around or/and students are becoming more hybid in their thinking! 2 busy weekends - last week - Caroline - a musical about radio Caroline at the Wolsey in Ipswich then a sharing of the weeks residency at Snape - Tyrone Isaac Stuart with more noise was eclectic - music dance poetry text projection and basketball - this weekend had another sharing with the glorious Alex Groves and The Carice Singers 
what an amazing sound alongside the great retuning of voice with tuning forks - the work exhibited at the cut by Sarah Horton is medative - private view full of conversation brighten the corners, a day festival of free music was energizing - highlights were the full-on Sebukku and the gloriously raucous Rad Pitt hip rock with funk - brilliant.

walkingwalkingwalking

A week in France walking from Cassis to Toulon - stunning views and great weather. The terrain was fairly easy with beautiful calm, isolated beaches and gentle ridge walking. There were some tough climbs into and out of coves and up to ancient lookout points, initially semaphore and now hi-tech military spaces. These where bookended with the 'psychogeography' of walking into and out of towns through suburbs and areas where man has taken control and ownership of the land.

Extraordinary food and drink accompanied the views, with many plat du jours eaten. A part of France where il floatant is king but closely supported by the cafe gourmand. A particular shout out to the excellent food at Et Bon Vent in La Ciotat @etbonvent. Toulon had an exhibition of Claude Viallat's work which inspired some ideas around flags for the opera I have become involved in/with at Sizewell. The naval museum was devoid of pomp, focusing on the military opportunities connected to the sea. 

At the end a quick trip to Aubusson via train to Marseille then TGV to Crest and a 6-hour car journey to see an exhibition by Matthew Tyson. The town has an excellent tapestry museum with a conservation area where you can talk with the conservers and look closely at what they are up to.  It was fascinating to hear about the choices around materials and colour. I went out to see tapestries in situ in a small chateau out of town.

mindblowinganatomy

wow - another table day at Kings as part of synthetic anatomy – I can’t express how wonderful the day is – seeing the students excited about the work they have created and the work itself surpasses the previous years every time. The team I work with and the systems they use are super-efficient, marking the work and deciding prizes within the morning. The crit is always fun, this year a 2 hander both on the mic!! I think for the first time science informed art, the mind-blowing idea behind creating anatomically correct bodies from the artworld. Onto screens – Sirat – one thing leads to another, oh dear. How to Make a Killing – witty and yet procedural. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die – so many pop culture references.

learningthroughthinkingandtalking

I had a fabulous 2 days in Copenhagen at the medical museum speaking at a conference titled new methods for collorative engagement in museums with the team at Kings and the fabulous people from India, Copenhagen  and Scotland. That is apart from passport control (I so want people who voted Brexit to be identified as the stamps in my passport were counted up to determine that my days in Europe were below the allowance). More images to follow -Lots of learning through sharing good practice- can't wait to meet again soon - notes from the 2 days 

- Interested in whats next but we dont know.

- After fun is betrayal 

- If i work harder do i believe that people are going to give in?

- I'm going out on several limbs which I don't have.  

Science and its relationship to culture

Measure and control 

Object based learning and teaching 

How to engage with objects - 

Knowing nothing 

Knowledge making

Questions rather than answers

Questioning leaning to new directions

Enabling ways of engagement 

Àrt is an entry point to science (drawing)

Victims of what we know

The building design defined by what is being explored - 

Sizewell experience 

Honoring the object of enquiry 

Conflating lab and studio

Lab is less flexible - bunsen burner - gas

art space is flexible

Both spaces are other - places of alchemy 

Where does knowledge happen?

What are the similarities............

Valuing enquiry and enquiring minds

Framing the intention

Working with people/communities 

Storytelling is everything 

What is new that you will try..........

Interested in whats next but its best if we dont know.

Honoring the object of enquiry.

Stakeholders - what is at stake?

What next - inspirational disruption 

Saw some good art whilst there - liquid robots at Copenhagen Contemporary had some some interesting work, Hokasi at the design museum, Isa Genzken at Den Frie was strangely appropriatly odd and the collection at SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst is worth it 

Onto screens .... Harold and the purple crayon - so utterly charming. F1 netflix- insane as ever

itsbehindyou

a busy week at Snape – I have given 7 talks this week and 3 the week before. As ever it’s interesting to talk about the work and reflect on it. It’s fascinating to hear myself reflecting on the past year, the work and the experience of being artist in residence. There are a couple of revelations having being there so often – that the ai constructed people are all the same age and that the shadow in the switch room is the shape of Sizewell B. Onto screens – War Machine……aliens! Almost finished How to get to heaven from Belfast…..great script.