intergenerationaltraumaexpressedthroughpaper

I've been playing with the scan created at kings after a synthetic anatomy session - very odd to see a 3D rendering of my head looking back at me. When these become our ID 'card' it will be challenged at first. The 3rd session of synthetic anatomy was all about communication, starting off by exploring symbols and graphic devices within patterns, then illustrating text with shapes and sculptural paper construction, creating creatures which led to families, touching on genetics and finally landscape building, the engagement with the process was all encompassing, developing work that was truly meaningful. Still getting over the group who created a body of work which focused on intergenerational trauma. They created one of the most striking images to come out of a workshop I have given, along with some thoughtful reflection throughout the whole group. Meanwhile onto screens Plane - it was what you expect from an action thriller staring Gerard Butler. Deep into season 2 of Hacks - truly hilarious in a painful way. 

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.

stricktlywrong

totally traumatised by watching 1917 - it truly is an extraordinary film - in part due to the glorious cinematography you are with them the whole way watching and feeling each and every tragic decision they have to make - a must see film. 2 Popes was a little dry but solid acting from Hopkins and Price elevated it. I've been invited to speak at Materials Research Exchange 2020 - the line-up and content for the two days is fairly awesome, luckily my job is to talk about how a maker makes sense of working within a 'science' context - something that I do know about. http://www.materialsresearchexchange.co.uk/speakers/  a day at Camberwell discussing how the final final show can in some way connect to the history of the course, the students are planning something with the Camberwell Book Art collection, working with Rosie Sherwood of Turn The Page. Making connections between their own individual practice and items from both The Camberwell and Chelsea Collection with a view to demonstrating the breadth of opportunity and possibility afforded by the format and concept of the book. the ending of the Book Art course has brought a degree of reflection enabling me to think about what we have been doing on the course alongside the value of the book as a creative tool.  the text for the last catalogue is swirling around my mind - The almost invisible reflective element of teaching enables reinvention, a constant rethinking, the experience of which inevitably feeds back into teaching. The process of creating presentations for seminars is a gathering of current transitory information and weaving it with established historical knowledge to form arguments, new 'truths'. When delivering presentations one cannot anticipate the students input and the subsequent discussion due to their wide ranging subject and cultural reference points. In that moment new hypothesis are born and new thinking established. This is what we did. This is the legacy of the course and the people who came, because it was their time to explore the book. This is the legacy that we created which they took with them...... meanwhile - popped into The British Library to see the new display of Artists Books within the treasures exhibition - really good to see books with Camberwell connections in the case.

knowingtheknown

It was excellent to be invited back to NanoDtc in the Maxwell building in Cambridge to run a workshop and give a talk for the PhD students around problem solving. It's always impressive to witness their lateral thinking problem solving skills and desire to solve problems with glee. The workshop was all about creating the connections between the known and unknown.

Back in Coventry the series of images based around the space the house I grew up in has been added to. There is a project here but I'm unsure which direction to take it in..........Whilst in Cambridge its always interesting to pop into the anthropology museum to see their open storage displays. meanwhile in the middle of the harrowing Top Boy  and basically a more violent, mob version of Widows, The Kitchen - was ok. recent podcasts include The memory Palace http://thememorypalace.us/ - you have to love Nate's voice - Here's the thing with Alec Baldwin is a little blokey but in general a good conversation to listen into.

teachingteachingteachingteachingandthinkingaboutholidays

teaching has been good this week so far and its only Tuesday - solid tutorials at Camberwell, supporting the thinking behind the research and a full-on mind warp drawing sound and reading images session at NUA. Tomorrow is Book-Art-Family-Tree-Symposium-1 so we get to hear book story starting points. Working on the presentations for the teaching I'm involved in - Dr Tadashi Tokieda has become my go-to person when thinking about making topology accessible and meanwhile still thinking about Keith Albarn's tessellation  http://patternandbelief.com/

Noel Gallagher on hot ones - it was interesting to see after all the Americans that Englishness was so evident.... dourness and irony to the fore, we really are a different race. Listening to The Rapture an episode of Melvyn Bragg - In Our Time explains a little more why America is like America https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008p2k. In the Shadow of the Moon https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8110640/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 was a quirky time travel lesson about living in the now.

My experience of Sound City Ipswich had a bad start with Greater Anglia cancelling another train (this is now obviously some form of policy so going to the station has become a sad lottery) But an hour late I managed to see Peaness - soft indi guitar band, Plastic Mermaids - knob twiddling radiohead, Girls of the Internet - excellent samples and dance in the great venue that is the Smokehouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qPU_pWK13o&list=PL0gmWNnsmaDchNuxIU4dcg_TOScpdI5Wg&index=1, Emma-Jane Thackray - a really interesting sound - tight Sun-Ra-afro-beat-reggae-2-tone-house- inspired mournful rock jazz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jle9v6JZzAE, Novelist - ok'ish' grime-lite. meanwhile all this terrible weather and the start of Autumn has got me 1- thinking about the Summer and 2 - planning for next year!!

hotbooks

A really good session with year 1 students at NUA - bookmaking leading to innovative sketchbooks. The tension and general sense of unpleasantness continues with season 1 of Succession I'm struggling to find a character I feel any sympathy with, although the lost son's collapse into drug addiction seems like a positive! Toy Story - does what it does but waits to posit the challenging questions towards the end - or at least after Forky turns up....we have to talk about the class act that was Shia LaBeouf on Hot Ones - it's a winner -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbseuQR2G8

onandonandon

Transference, the show at Halesworth Gallery has a couple of days left to check out - based on inviting artist's to work with dry transfer lettering.  Enjoying some great parking at Luton airport lately - The City and The City by China Mieville was checked by Ralph Rugoff, Curator of the 58th Venice Biennale in his forward to the exhibition May You Live in Interesting Times. It features two separate cities that occupy the same space simultaneously with areas that can be seen from both with the idea of training yourself in the act of unseeing and unknowing. A book full of ideas but a little lacking in characters. meanwhile deep into Urban myths - a great series exploring moments in popular culture that may or may not of happened - a must see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6413094/  

Backstage at Live Aid, Public Enemy (feach Kev Wells), Bob Dylan; Knockin on Dave's Door and Hitler the Artist are winners.

meatand2meat

technology is great - but there are gaps, especially around information. getting to the South of France on Euro star (a great experience made even better by comparing it to any train ride in the UK, almost like a different mode of transport) anyway - if getting connection from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon most info takes you to the metro - don't do this - get the RER D train - From Paris-Gare du Nord, in the direction Melun or Malesherbes. From Paris-Gare de Lyon, in the direction Orry la Ville. Anyway after France - a trip to Scotland - the space above England. Living like a person in a post apocalypse world was good training for the future - no electricity, running water but lots of Gin and foraging.  A trip to the supermarkets unearthed alternatives. back with the now - Peterloo was dogmatic but solid with the last act taking up the speed. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4614612/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1

lookingtothefuturefromhere

Over the past month I have been contemplating the parable of the man, the child, and the donkey.

A man and his son were going with their donkey to market. As they were walking a man passed them and said, “You fools, why are you not riding your donkey?” So the man put the boy on the donkey, and they went on their way.

But soon they passed a man who said, “Lazy child, he rides while his father walks.”

So the man ordered his boy to get off, and got on himself.

But they hadn’t gone far when they passed a man, who said, “Shame on that idle man to let his child walk.” so they both got on the donkey and rode on.

But then a man passing by said, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey?” The man and boy got off and thought about what to do.

They had a great idea, they cut down a pole, tied the donkey’s feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them.

I'm looking forward to a break so it's good that the Summer has started - the Private View at Camberwell for the MA's was a full on experience - it was very hot and full of lovely people. I spent a lot of the time explaining to shocked individuals that this was the last but one show as the course is closing, all this whilst surrounded by some very exciting work that was embedded in the pursuit of exploring the book. oh well.

meanwhile - deep in series 3 Stranger Things at the moment - it really has turned into full on horror. Black Mirror was a more subtle and interesting experience, especially Ashley O - it was doing all the usual trapped rock start tropes and then became something else.....great writing. Years and Years was a little too close for comfort. Shoplifters has many lessons about what makes a family - beautiful and moving. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8075192/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1

burningpipesandotherstuff

Another weekend of chain-sawing and burning (outdoor housework) but I also managed to check out a couple of work in progress at Snape Maltings in Suffolk - on Saturday Indus was a piece in development by an interesting group including singers, a composer, writer, dance and movement. In my mind it threw up lots  of thinking around the idea of interpretation and a voice in terms of audio description. The second work I saw on Sunday was a kind of mash up - as if the Cantina band from Star Wars was from a folk background. A brass folk band mixed with musical theatre. I love going to see stuff at Snape, especially in the Hoffman building when the exposed pipe work is a dream. Meanwhile James Cousins Company at Dance House in Ipswich was awesome. It was all about balance and completeness, examining  wholeness. Structure v content, the connections we make how we and learning from it. Green book is a moving tale but mainly its stature is held up by the stunning performances from the lead actors https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692/

smokingtotheend

While cycling back to Liverpool St Station I came across this fine example of smoking architecture (an architectural intervention developed expressly for the purposes for smoking). I will add it to my collection. OCA this week has been the start of Testing Boundaries - the assignment that is creating new work for new spaces - all within an incredibly short timeframe. It's a real challenge but one that everyone rises to and goes on to succeed. As we embark on this year's iteration I think we have a strong possibility of doing something especially challenging after the first session threw up many issues around culturally specific locations. A day of group crits at NUA means 4 sessions of 8-9 students for an hour and a half each back to back - it's a full day, but there are some very strong bodies of thought emerging. Camberwell continues to be a long celebratory wake as the course is taught out and I run two more sessions for the very last time - writing reading and presenting problems. I think the relaxed atmosphere is bringing out some of the most extraordinary conversations, again the group consists of individuals from many corners of the world with multiple culturally specific knowledge - it really is a privilege.    

So far halfway through Good Girls - it's a Netflix winner that started out as an interesting portrayal of strong women doing it for themselves has now added jeopardy and turned into a worry - will they be okay? Watching They shall not grow old was an incredibly odd experience - getting beyond the 'unnatural naturalness' - the 'it's a little like a war movie' feeling was a challenge - the everyday footage of German and British soldiers 'hanging around' in the same place somehow symbolised the seeming pointlessness of it all. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/?ref_=rvi_tt

spillsofar

Just received a pdf and now I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Telling Tales - the catalogue for Debjani Bhardwaj's glorious show for Tashkeel in UAE. I was a mentor as part of their critical practice program and wrote a text exploring creativity and where it comes from. Looking forward to seeing the text in a language that I can't read. I've spent the weekend so far at Spill Festival in Ipswich https://spillfestival.com/all-events/ - a good feeling at the docks in Ipswich at sunset and there is more to come. Highlights were the gloriously distressing shared Saliva @sharedsaliva at Spill central and the stunning film Figure by Lanre Malaolu - here's a link  to some of the ideas behind it - but try to get and see it https://vimeo.com/283220534

conditionsmayapplytoaburningbuilding

so you have The Rock and a giant building - if you want to see some extended dangle moments check out skyscraper but apart from that stay clear....I got to the private view of the latest show at Annka Kulty gallery it finishes on the 18th - it's your last chance to see Terms and conditions may apply - http://www.annkakultys.com/exhibitions/terms-and-conditions-may-apply/ the exhibition concerns the current state of surveillance and is curated by the director of is this it https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/ there's also a great book that accompanies the exhibition - I love the work of Shamus Clisset New Empire, 2017 a Computer simulation #proudparentmoment

buildinginvisiblespaces

the textile design degree show at Norwich is up and looks good - we created a pulley system that enabled us to work with the full height of the room. this has meant that some of the students full ambitions have been realised by taking up the opportunity to create work 5m in height. there is some stunning work within a system of walls and tables that have been designed and created in an attempt to be invisible, thus celebrating the work itself. come see - Tues 25 - Sunday 1. Next week is the continuation of the mountain - private view at NUA, building the space and hanging work for NUA at New Designers (stand  T43) and hanging work at Camberwell for the MA Book Art final show. The Berlin Biennale beckons - can't wait and have started the planning http://www.berlinbiennale.de/  . I'm speaking/running a workshop at Making Materials Matter Conference for teachers - looking at the role of art practice within a science context. I'm building the presentation today.https://www.oxfordandcambridgeoutreach.co.uk/events/making-materials-matter-2018-tea  meanwhile Rampage is great when the rock and the gorilla are on screen, I could watch an hour of that but the rest is truly banal.  

assessmentassessmentassessment

assessment, assessment, assessment - yes it's still that time of year - but meanwhile I have managed to be enthralled by Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli. It is quite beautiful with a great set of drawings which detail our relationship to where we are - wonderful. late to the party but I am deep into Westworld season 1 - it really is brilliant and asks some excellent questions about existence. Who are we, are we real, what is it to exist???? Game night https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2704998/?ref_=rvi_tt was almost good - some interesting moments almost is harsh but.....

stuffcomminatyou

5 days away 3 books - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett deconstructs the idea of family, the details of everyday change bringing fresh hierarchy's and alliances is painfully picked over. A single defining moment revealing what was already there. The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead is relentless cruelty, the truly and mostly matter of fact unfathomable depths of cruelty - a challenging and difficult but essential read if you want to begin to understand America. and onto the question I have often asked myself - when do you leave? with All For Nothing by Walter Kempowski the slow process of attrition is laid out. How do you judge that it's time to go? Why do you stay? Is it that it's impossible to conceive the levels of human wickedness that is about to engulf you? All 3 books are wonderful. Black Panther - what to say - I loved it - some of the best costumes ever deployed in conjunction with astute comments in the exploration of voices we don't often hear - it's also very funny .

The Cork Museum in Palafrugell was a highlight - Packed with cork facts you never knew alongside glorious images of smoking beret wearing workers, its next to the rather poorly curated, but with some interesting work The Museu Can Mario.

A day in London - great to pop into Chelsea and feel the atmosphere building as final shows are being constructed. Some interesting and some excellent shows to see - The Highlight is Ed Atkins at Cabinet - head stingingly mesmerising http://www.cabinet.uk.com/index.php?ed-atkins-olde-food . Jerwood Space has a great video by Maeve Brenna about bats! All Too Human at the Tate Britain has work by the gloriously fastidious Euan Uglow. There is some work by 3 students from the MA Book Arts Course at Camberwell in xhibit 2018. White Cube at Masons Yard has a Brazilian decorative comment on Capitalism by Beatriz Milhazez http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/beatriz_milhazes_bermondsey_2018/ Covering the Main Gallery at Tate Britian with tiles is the best element of the piece by Anthea Hamilton http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/squash

writingaboutselfandsomeimages

looking through Bilbao images whilst building my bio for OCA - trying to sound calm yet serious, established with experience but open to and excited by new ideas, evangelical about art and its value but not too straight faced.....#minefieldofdecisions

I am an artist. My practice has an extensive history of making, one strand of which explores the concept of bookness. The hybrid nature of the book form has led me to undertake an extensive range of commissions and exhibitions. The work can also be found in numerous public and private international collections.

A desire to collaborate underpins my work, evidenced in an extensive history of socially engaged residencies in a wide range of contexts. Teaching formally within Art College's informs one's own practice and continues to connect me with current creative thinking. I am interested in making work that communicates with people whilst leaving space for the viewer, enabling them to stop and reflect.

The work I am involved in with communities, pupils and students has its roots in attempting to make the world a better place through creativity. A belief in art as a tool for change, as a way of engaging with this world, of seeing its beauty and opportunities and supporting the individual to develop their own understanding. OCA is the future - I love the excellent systems that are in place to support students which in turn enable me to be a good at my job.

I document my practice here http://lesbicknell.blogspot.co.uk/ and to check out some outcomes go here http://lesbicknell.wixsite.com/work

I hope it does the job - meanwhile the images explore' ill considered street design decisions' and 'site specific textile activity' the drying racks with umbrellas are my favourite, taking into account the climate. 

meanwhile I Tonya http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/?ref_=nv_sr_1 is relentlessly oppressive, but the acting is brilliant, especially the relationship between mother and daughter.

abookafilmablogandsomecoveredstuff

'A painting in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world' - Edmond de Goncourt, art critic. The Orange Balloon Dog by Don Thompson uncovers the systems of money that support the art world and how the art world supports money making - a must read but be weary it's got nothing to do with actual art making. In 1899 economist Verlem defined luxury as 'a form of waste designed to confer status on an essentially useless class of people'. Russell Brand's podcast Under the skin 045 - What's the biggest threat to Freedom? islam or Consumerism?  Had an excellent conversation with Sam Harris taking in thoughts around learning which I extended to education. 'Real learning is hard because it's usually painful, you have to recognise that you are wrong in some way, you have to let that part of you that is wrong die' - acquiring a new way of thinking is never easy so, although never a truer word but maybe it could be more about building and developing rather being than such a binary experience. In the film The Shape of Water the sense of loneliness in all the characters lives is truly heart breaking. This extends to the sign language used by Sally Hawkins - it's just so mournful - truly excellent direction and great acting from the whole cast within spaces that are believable and add to the tone of the whole piece. It's been mid-point review time at Camberwell on the Book Art Course. It's where the students whose work is being discussed and critiqued by the group cannot respond and they have to listen and watch the group deconstruct their work without defending it. It can be a hard core challenge if the student holds onto their original intention. They have to become flexible, finding a way to engage with the groups thoughts and incorporate it into their own understanding of their work. It is one of the great learning sessions within the course. More images from Bilbao - to add to my collections of 'buildings covered in stuff' and 'doors blocked up'.

3Dpossibilitiessupportthinking

working on developing the 3D printing knowledge - its interesting to focus on the structures that support the 'real' work it has a similar quality to knitting. as ever the work created when making the actual work within the software is drawing me in. I am also interested in all the support material within the actual 3D printing.

The Post - it's a joy to see Streep and Hanks riffing off each other whilst an extraordinary cast of exceptional actors act exceptionally all around them. Obvious to say that it is somehow prescient but maybe politics is just always rotten

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6294822/characters/nm0000158?ref_=tt_cl_t2