distractionsareimportant

walking through the area around the house has provided moments of relief as the trees do their thing. Revisiting the books on the shelves has led to this collection of images - just waiting for memes to be created. Anyway check out quite possibly the most global experience you will have today - http://radio.garden/search - a site housing on-line radio stations - great interface and the most extraordinary sounds - the whole world comes to you. Jodie Mack has created a body of  interesting films using textiles and her latest, The Grant Bizarre  https://mubi.com/cast/jodie-mack is an extraordinary 60 minutes that will give you fresh insight into textile production. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a stunningly beautiful film - so much of it is about what is unseen and unsaid https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/ here we are notes for living on planet earth https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11692010/ a tear was shed in the house as we watched a child try and make sense of the big questions around and within us, and finally you need to invest some serious time and mental energy with Westworld - There is a moment in series 3 Episode 4 that totally blew my mind!!!

alternativedimensions

away from the alternative world where I am working out what to watch at Glasgow International, creating a full schedule that includes all the parties and what would of been an extraordinary 4 days.......I have been busy reading - the issue of the model, how we use it/them and how we communicate ideas through both the eye and the hand. A key text is Models the third dimension of science edited by Soraya de Chadarevian and Nick Hopwood and supported by Geometry and the Liberal Arts by Dan Pedoe which has some great illustrations. The work in the studio continues with the reading informing an exploration of geometry and its relationship to the model through string, knots and wire.

meanwhile some watching Collette is stunning with gloriously outrageous acting from Dominic West while Keira Knightley makes sense of her world. Ozark  continued to disturb with its demonstration of how one person can destroy lives in such a seemingly casual way, it's all about survival. The main lesson continues to be to not get involved with drugs!! Unorthodox https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9815454/ is truly harrowing yet there is a strength that keeps you watching. Deep into season 3 of Westworld - episode 3 is a true mind blower with its commentary on existence through its commentary on the constructed world - or is it.....

alternativescale

so in the alternative universe somewhere I am returning from Spain after a few days in Seville it's been the first trip I've had cancelled as part of the current situation - meanwhile the work continues - changing the scale changes alters how the work operates in the hand. The video is a starting point both in documenting the work and developing  new work in itself.

films include - Bloodshot if you like your films superheroish with a twist, Little Joe if you like your films complex and layered. and there is Instagram - where to start.......... why I might get a dog - https://www.instagram.com/p/B6TJ1Q_nbXv/ textiles are important - https://www.instagram.com/p/B-VRUt3joBG/ teamwork is vital - https://www.instagram.com/p/B804rMahiBl/ working out how to behave - https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UnL9hhAL2/

observing the various systems companies have put in place to support social distance whilst shopping is intriguing -  there is a project there (this one is the coop in Halesworth).

foldingmodels

Time is always precious and getting time in the studio to actually make work is always a challenge due to the other stuff - workshops, projects, writing applications taking centre stage. But the last week has meant a new strand of folding, taking on board some earlier breaking of rules and thinking about transition. I now need to document how the pieces articulate and work in the hand.

meanwhile some films - The Gentlemen another outing from Guy Ritchie, more geezer action and for me Colin Farrell stands out as a coach doing the right thing (superb tracksuits). Dark Waters was a churning indictment of Capitalism's hold on the systems we trust. At the time I didn't get round to it but The Trip has it all, sun, food and acerbic wit from two middle aged men in a car. re-watched The Oceans 11, 12, 13 fun fun tricky fun, Brad and Clooney on cooky form.

foldedelastic

A couple of days of developing some existing structures. They are being rethought with the addition of elastic (I knew that the materials bought in New York 5 years ago would come in useful!!!) combining these materials of different qualities - the rubber and elastic explores the tension within the tessellated shapes, makes the pieces fix themselves into 3D shapes. Controlling the action of the pieces 'popping' into place within the hand is very satisfying, one can feel the act of tension and release, fold and revelation. meanwhile Spencer Confidential is one long fight scene which is dull and tedious, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is one long fight scene but witty and intelligent.   

busylookingandthinking

a visit to https://theartstation.uk/ Art Stations new space - the disused Post Office in Saxmundham was fascinating, for me the whole experience had an element of time travel, I remember spending most of my early youth playing in abandoned spaces - empty houses, deserted factories and derelict farms. There is always great potential in these spaces, the test is that the space does not impose itself on the work but the two complement each other, bringing out qualities that would not be seen without the other. That artists gain access to undiscovered or closed spaces is a wonderful facet of the role of artists and it is always a great experience for all involved - artists and audiences alike.

this year's birthday celebrations included a trip to London - I was again drawn to Steve McQueen's Tricky Girls at the Tate - it is so mesmerising and each time I see it (now up to 6-7) new themes emerge. Dora Maar has some gems in-between the vast solid body of images, I particularly enjoyed the street scenes and the deconstruction of her Surrealist images which lays out all the images that make up the composite image.  a couple of exhibitions - Play Well at the welcome and Cambio: Formafantasma at the Sackler space at the Serpentine contain some beautiful objects displayed beautifully - a walk in Nunhead Graveyard ended the day before getting on the joy that is rail replacement.

adayoutandsomework

a shout out to the most excellent show - Bit Rot by Bob Bicknell-Knight  (yes a relative). Its weaving of narratives in the digital and handmade, the real and imagined, on and off line are worth the trip to the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.

https://www.broadway-letchworth.com/studio-gallery/whats-on/bit-rot-bob-bicknell-knight . Working at Kings in synthetic anatomy with the wonderful Celia Pym - it was a great workshop around the idea of narratives held within textiles. A day out in London with MA Book Art students to look at real examples of display, to talk about hanging work. It was interesting to check out a few things - the meaning of the screw, the role of text on the wall, what is available to take away, how we are treated by the staff. There was also some exciting work along the way Pi artworks had some beautiful clothes that incorporated text https://www.piartworks.com/exhibitions/location/2/ James Turrel at Pace was very James Turrel https://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/james-turrell-9/ Fischli and Weiss was fun at Sprueth Magers  http://spruethmagers.com/exhibitions/511

Sadie Cole had work from the gloriously disturbing Jordan Wolfson if you get the opportunity see his piece Real Violence it is challenging in so many ways  https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/sickest-artwork-of-all-time-allows-viewers-to-watch-man-beaten-to-death/news-story/9492c9f143535d7aa69694f9c95ff736 - here he uses 3D holographic fans to good effect https://www.sadiecoles.com/exhibitions/774/installation_shots/ The Science Gallery had an intriguing show about Gender https://london.sciencegallery.com/genders An interesting  space I have not been to before, the Celia Brunson Project, had a group show of Latin American artists which had a reading space that might be something to work with https://www.ceciliabrunsonprojects.com/exhibitions/58/overview/ and finally Cerith Wyn Evans No realm of thought… No field of vision at White Cube was an instagram opportunity with all the nice lighting and reflective surfaces.  https://whitecube.com/exhibitions/exhibition/cerith_wyn_evans_bermondsey_2020 Stopping off along the way at the Materials Lab is always good for the soul. https://www.material-lab.co.uk/ Martin Creed performing at Toynbee Hall was superb - a blend of freeform, absurdist oddball, stand-up comedy - Tommy Cooper meets John Cooper Clark talking about not making decisions. If you get the chance go see his thoughts and observations on stuff you didn't know needed thinking about. The Steve McQueen show at Tate Modern is magnificent - for me there are a couple of gaps but there is a good spread of his work. The presentation of his work has been really considered - each space has a different set up - for the long films you have actual start points at the beginning and everywhere there is information about the start times and when films are ending - excellent.