Total immersion

This the view from my potential 'studio' space. I plan to immerse my self in the 'place' appointing myself as un-official artist in residence. Artistic outcomes to be determined but as Francis Alys says "it’s only on location that you understand what might be relevant".

I ♥ Hadleigh!

some great (and not so great!) websites for Hadleigh, Essex regeneration

http://www.heartinhadleigh.org.uk/

http://www.hadleigh-essex.co.uk/

http://www.heartinhadleigh.org.uk/questionnaire/

http://www.essexlegacy.org/news/hadleigh-fire-station-restored-for-london-2012/

http://www.essex.gov.uk/News/Pages/Hadleigh-Fire-Station-renovation-on-course-for-early-completion.aspx

http://www.essexinfo.net/heartofhadleigh/

I cannot say what this central island (essentially nowadays a huge traffic island supporting a one-way system) in Hadleigh reminds me of!

putting the pieces in place

Put together a group profile for our proposed artist-led studio. Sounded out a couple of the guys and they seem quite keen on the idea though costs might be an issue. Focused a bit more on the type of space - my friend has an 'office' space up on the first floor but no ground floor space for exhibiting, workshops, selling etc. Also office space not really what I had in mind. So if the fire station doesn't pan out (open day 15th March, thats 500 days before the 2012 Olympic event) I'm thinking shop/retail type space. There a few ranging from 400 to 800 sq ft though I have no idea what that equates to in real terms. Best go see I guess. Couldn't expect each person to pay more than £50/60 pm I guess so I need to do the maths. Still believe it's a really exciting opportunity to have a presence in the town next summer. Still have the council woman to contact on Monday, she might know of somewhere. Also could ring up the agents see if there any short term deals to be done and maybe take a look.
Feel like this is all fitting in nicely with my dissertation proposal which loosely is about public art, urban identities and such like. Also my artist profile has written itself in the process, I have a tangible professional practice all underpinning my studio practice. Though still a long ways to go in terms of pulling it all together it feels like it all fits.
Tutorials Monday and Tuesday so will put it all on the table so to speak and see what the reaction is I guess.

how tweet

I am now tweeting! Well not tweeting yet just watching and listening - getting the feel of it. I actually have no idea but it seemed like a good idea when I thought of it.

very interesting

what a productive day! Well ok I haven't actually 'produced' anything.
Chatting with a fellow students this week I discovered we had a mutual craving for our own 'space'. Ok we have our studio space at the college which is basically two panels of wall-space in a frankly under-resourced site which was formerly a primary school. The site which houses our studio space is away from the newer campus building and is nearing the end of its 'shelf-life' so we are told. There are moves to relocate the Fine Art degree programme to another site around 50 mins drive away. Anyway I digress. We feel that working from home is not always ideal as we both have families including teenage daughters and we crave a 'place' we can go to work - like you would a proper job!!
I had a brainwave to look in an area quite close to home for a place we could set up a studio of our own. This nearby small town is undergoing a period of regeneration as it is littered with empty premises. A recently decommissioned fire station is being refurbished to house an arts centre with plans for artist studios. The town is also hosting a 2012 Olympic event and will be heaving with people next summer. The local town council and the county council have an appetite for the arts as a way of aiding regeneration too. It could be a really exciting time to get involved.
Rang the guy up, registered our interest. Have another contact who is looking into any premises he may know.
Signed up for a trial subscription of an mag. Loads of useful inf on there about setting up studio groups and artist-led spaces.
Have a really good feeling about this.

Presentation update and other stuff

http://www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/

been trying to remember the name of this publisher of art media dvds and I came across today in looking for images for my Professional practice/studio practice presentation that I have to give the week after next! Recording it here so I can find it when I might need it in the future.

The presentation? Well, I am working on it. Watch this space.

 some more found text! Again not sure what to do with it but I love it!

Oh and a railway poster image I found - fits with my 'place-specific' train of thought. Pardon the pun!

Ok what now?

I don't subscribe to any art mags but a friend via another connection recently gave me two back copies of a-n magazine. My philistine husband remarks 'surely it is a magazine not an magazine' ha v funny! Reading through the articles last night and this morning has been v interesting. Though I always find things 'interesting' and at the back of my mind is the 'work' that is not happening whilst I am finding things 'interesting'. Well the reason for this blog post has arisen out of reading the mag. I noticed on the last page a section pointing to student blogs on the a-n website
http://www.a-n.co.uk/degrees_unedited
where final year students can have a free online subscription for their final year leading up to their degree show. A stepping stone to life beyond dissertations and working in the art world. All very well I am thinking for 20-somethings carving out a career. That is not me. So 'what now?' for me I'm asking.
Some reviews of shows that are now finished, ads for jobs that are doubtless now filled and calls for submissions that are now closed. Just as well because if I had read them at the time I would have been distracted and made to feel even more inadequate and un-creative than I do right now. Interesting.

Lots of references to avante-garde, lots of people doing sound work (that's work with sound not necessarily sound work!)

talking of dates, here's one - 12.12.12

12th December, 2012 - the end of my 'phone contract date! The end of the world? Just a random thought.
The Nostradamus effect, a Blackberry Torch, the Olympic Flame, the year I graduate and Prince William turns 30. dern, dern, derrrrn.
December 21st 2012 the end of the age of Pisces (!) and the dawning of the age of Aquarius.... breaking into song as we blog...

Got the book, reading the book!

Got just one of the books on the list from the library. Actually reading it! Haven't read a fiction novel for years. Spookily enough it's about art - how weird is that. May not do the whole put a message in the book thing, then again maybe I will its just that the book WAS on the shelf, so am wondering just how often it's going to be borrowed. I only have 'til August after all! Feel sure there is some mileage in the actual narrative maybe. Will also investigate the 'dates' borrowed see if that throws anything up. Will be recommending to EH for sure as she will think it a good read I know.

Yet to start my 365project - usual story - don't want to get it wrong.

limited places

a phrase used by CSM publicising their short courses. Struck me as a) a great title for an artwork or exhibition and b) fits neatly with my dissertaion proposal which, incidentally, is started following receipt of my Amazon book order today. Wicked.

library visit

could only get one of the books on the list. Just remembered the comments sheets I had from the last exhibition. Maybe they should be part of the 'work'

thanks Stan

anti-photography focal point gallery

http://www.focalpoint.org.uk/exhibitions/current/22/

Excellent photography exhibition at Focal Point Gallery, Southend Central Library. Watch website updates for publication in 'mid 2011'. Particularly liked the way I was engaged by the images in a unique way. Repetition used very effectively, some of the photos were just (literally) pinned to the wall as were some of the titles. Woman's clothing, the camera itself in variant exposures was clever, reversed, reserved play on words, liked that. The 'black and white' photos of zebra, piano, panda Guinness etc, sequential shots of the photographer being obliterated in each frame, the patch of grass squared off. Overall the exhibition was masterful. Would like to have identified photographer with work Ed Ruscha John Stezaker especially and can't remember whose name was attributed to the vitrine display of handwritten cards. Perhaps I need to go again! Certainly need to visit associated exhibitions at Beecroft and Never, Never Land (Nudes). Check out Focal Point website for blurb on this including ref to Artforum article the Anti Photographers, deskilling etc.

the white cube and beyond - tate magazine article

Just thinking about site-specific work for the library show in August. Flicking through Tate magazine came across this article. Interesting because it addresses (interview with curator/writer/artist) the idea of the museum or public gallery and how it has become a public space and the psychological behaviour associated with such places. This fits perfectly with my dissertation ideas and neatly combines discussion of space/place and the concepts of galleries and their associations with art etc.. Definitely be adding this to my proposal bibliography. Will think more on it later.

creative journal sketchbook ideas plus a whinge!

saw this on Amazon today too. My daughters' friend has one. Something I should buy for my ideas-strapped Uni colleagues. Checked out the author's blog too though nothing particularly ground breaking ideas-wise but definitely some food for thought. Comforting to know that all 'artists' seem to go through the same agonies from time to time. Received my TRACE book from Amazon today too.

Just need to produce some art now, a CV, a digital portfolio, my artist's statement, complete a 500-word Art's Council funding application for a 'live' project, a powerpoint presentation and the dissertation proposal. Making me feel tired thinking about it. Sleep first.

Interesting image I have chanced upon today. Now this fits withthe kind of thing I have been thinking about.

Google Art Project: the launch | Tate Blog

Google Art Project: the launch | Tate Blog