backfrombarnsley

back from an absolutely excellent 4 days in Barnsley working with the Open College of the Arts. It was the final year MA Fine Art Degree Show at the Civic,  

http://www.barnsleycivic.co.uk/ a culmination of all their work and a physical manifestation of the online experience. The title of the whole event was called we are connected (WEARECONNECTED) which was so apt. One of the things I love about helping to hang the final show and then assessing the unit is meeting these people physically for the first time. It's quite a wild feeling in that one feels that we know each other, often we have been in each other's bedrooms or at least living spaces but at the same time how tall are they, how do they exist in 3D? The private view was one of the nicest I have ever been to in all my years of teaching, with supportive speeches, great comments, conversations and presents and some great work by the artists; Rob Brisco, Tanya Ahmed, Monika Brueckner, Alison South, Ines Gonzalez Cordero, Maire Keogh, Mwamba Mulangala, Emma Delpech, Mathew Aldred and Susan Miller....how good is that. The MA Fine Art course leader is Caroline Wright http://www.carolinewright.com/ and whole thing is run so professionally. I managed to get out and about on my folding bike for a couple of hours as it was such good weather.....not bad.

joininginandhavingfun

I have joined in with Mathew Aldred! http://www.mathewaldred.com/ - he is working on a project called grey matters http://www.greymatters.xyz/ it's a way of collecting images but really it's about creating connections and joining people, the whole project presents a model of decent behaviour and respect as a response to current global situations. The week has been mainly about creating work for unfolding thinking https://unfoldingthinking.blogspot.co.uk/ which is going well.

I have almost managed to get to the end of Narcos http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2707408/ - a brutal portrayal of honour, betrayal and love. Often misplacing emotional responses in a glorious way Wagner Moura is extraordinary as Pablo Escobar - it's really nice that he never shouts at his kids!

A party in Halesworth on Saturday meant that I got to see the development of Laurence Edwards studio http://www.laurenceedwardssculpture.com/ - it looks great - very grown up and professional.