Mill:24 26.00-21.45

I went to Mill:24 exhibition on Saturday and it took at least an hour to eventually locate the building. I got off the train at Victoria Station and walked around the Oxford Road Train Station thinking that it was there [ for some inexplicable reason ]. I should have got off the damned train at Salford Central and after remembering the map that was in my mind, I caught a taxi to the venue, it was only a few pound to get there. Being lost did open up some creativity and a new project is set, this one WILL be finished, onest. I took black and white Polaroids of the connections above the tramlines in Manchester's town centre. They look eerie and spidery against the sepia skies.

The exhibition was a little, shall I say, a bit tumbleweedie...maybe I turned up a little early...it did eventually fill up a bit later on. I took Polaroids and Digital photographs and they are on POLANOID and FACEBOOK respectivly.

Marcin turned up and it was good to a face that I knew, I'd rather go to place like this on my lonesome or with a few people guys...gives me the opportunity to escape and explore without any baggage around my ankles. There was a frequency modulator/visual display which was fully interactive and that's where I met up with MCW.

After having a mooch about the [Islington] Mill environs and taking said photographs, I got a little bored and decided to go on my way but after walking around the street, I found a Chip Shop. A bag of chips was procured and I went back into the Mill and around to the open area/cafe place at the back of the venue and munchywunched my tea. I saw a guy giving a speech about the Holy Trinity of children's TV artists. It was pretty interesting and kooky and gave me the opportunity to stick around for a bit.

I bumped into some girl from the second year of my Interactive Arts course and she invited me to be part of her performance which is under the umbrella title of Action Cover Party. Its a group of artist from Tenerife who [cover] famous performance arts from the sixties-eighties. My performance that I was taking part of was called TIME and required me to stand and count 60 seconds whilst not moving, there were eleven of us doing this and I thought it was fun.

I saw other Interactivists doing their thang and one that stood out was the Steve Reich-Pendelum Music. This was two microphones swinging above two guitar amps and creating static and feedback, beautiful. Rebecca Horn's cutting hair with two scissors, Gilbert George, Yoko Ono and Joseph Beuys had their airing. I was part of Orlan's Kiss of The Artist where I had the order of 'speak Italian' played out to me and I made the order of 'ruffle'.

Whilst all this was going on, some chaps in the other part of the floor where playing out their Torquemada pushing a tea-ladies trolley around in a circle for ten minutes, routine. I found THAT really interesting and some people didn't really understand the concept but I got it kind of quickly. The head torturer for the Spanish Inquistion relieving participents with a hot beverage.

Runa and Arnie turned up around late o'clock but I didn't get the chance to really talk with them because my train was turning up and I don't really fancy wandering around Salford late into the night, even though, I should've stayed a while longer. A band was due on at 11pm called Bill Shatnerrr and I fancied watching them but I'd be stuck in Manchester then.

decrepit, burnt-out warehouse for future reference

spread thinly for economy

It's the time of year for exhibitions and end of the year shows and I am going to go to as much as I can. I need the contacts, see who is about and what they are doing.

There's the Mill24 24-hour exhibition that has performance art, installation, music, etc starting up tomorow and I really need to go to this one. It's basically a collection of artists from my Uni, Manchester School of Art, doing there many splintered thang and well, hopefully bump into others from my course.

Then at the weekend,I have a gig to go to on Friday and on Saturday, 8 day & Rogue Exhibition in Piccadilly featuring quite a lot of people and should keep a Saturday entertained...maybe invite Andrea [?].

The third years are having there exhibition on 18 June and I have invited myself to help at their shindig...I do NEED to do this because well, it'll be my turn very soon and I want to have a look at their work. It IS near my birthday and a nite in MCR is planned.

The second years have a one night only show at a unoccupied terraced house in the middle of [I don't know where-but is going to fid it] entitled, No5 Balmoral. There is a handful of them doing this and its is very site specific, something that really interests me and is where my work is taking me.

The thing is, I do really like this idea and if it isn't classed as plagarism, I want to explore further because I do know of certain people on my course who would hugely benefit doing this kind venue/exhibition. My light in particular would look fantastic in a small box-room/bedroom, in the dark with slats of lights and just with a humming-fridge-detuned TV/radio-static noise. The idea sends shivers to my solar-plexus as I think of it. Picture the scene, flaky plaster/paint, dampness, detrius on the flooring and a sense of foreboding...ooh-errr.

Hopefully, I'll be invited to the Blackburn degree show that incorporates the Foundation year, Graphic people and other degreey people. I can meet up with past comrades and have a good blether.

Beatherder is on early in July and with all the time me and Andrea are going to put in, we should be up and running to play one or two sets at the campsite. I've come up with some good music and she is writing and learning new words...re-imagining of old songs are required though.

bad photos of maquette

this is the proposed maquette for a sculpture that is based on the Scale project.

Visit to a Camera Club

Last night I visited Blackburn and District Camera Club to have a looksee at what they have got to offer. There was a meeting of sorts with other clubs around Blackburn and a inter club contest was the main attration. At first a photographer (digital collagist more like) was givng a lecture about his work and entering competitions aroud the world. His work comprised of lots of manipulations, editing and pieces of photographs mingled within each other. I didn't really like his work, I consider it cheating with all the jiggering and pokering that he does. Overseas judges are none the wiser with maniluated scenes but...it tends be tacky.

I went to their exhibition at the BBC Radio Lancashire building in the town centre and well... I do need to have interactions with other peolpe who consider themselves photographers and the like and the sociability factor may be advantageous to me and my work. I have left Uni and will need some focus during the months that I have off.

There was a guy I met who is from the Preston Camera Club and he and the Club are having a lecture by Leigh Preston at a place with a bar in July so I might make it there,

Overall, it was like going to Methodist meeting (they were only about 4-5 younger guys there) but it was alright I suppose. Next week is off so I'll go to the next one. I have three weeks to decide and then it is either pay £35 for the half year or take a hike. I have until 2 June to give a selection of portraits for a little competition the club is having.

elevation diagram of new construct based on [scale]

ne to chtoby masshtab-[not really to scale]
shkaly ne ryeal'no - [scale not really to]
veschanie iz niotkuda - [transmissions from nowhere]
nikuda peredachie ot - [nowhere transmissions from]

THE [ritz]

Final Tutorial

I had my final tutorial on Thursday and am pleased to say that I got a mark of 73 which in fact is a FIRST. Thank good..I put enough work into the work et, cetera. I was told by first year tutor that my work is up to scratch and that I don't really stop with the creative thought and processes. The thing is that I studied art and fashion design in the early nineties and I think that I had too many distractions but, at that time, I was told to pursue a different life-path. I finally used my meagre art qualification and entered a role in colour design and dye-stuff analysis. I've still got the report that the tutor[andrea marren] stipulates my shortcomings...

So with this SCALE project that the-nick set two weeks ago, work that has already been set and started [and] amalgamated, I have a final idea for my final piece for the year. After taking photos, drawing from hip and general artistery, I have designed a constructivist piece that isn't dissimilar to the Manchester Hilton Building. In fact...it is really designed from shadowplay of structures and office blocks from the city centre, urban spaces and habitats. It is going to be in large scale, just like my other work but needs to be made out of cardboard first to show the flaws and dimensions... Hopefully I'll get my finger out and create a Christian Marclay based soundscape of detuned radios, buzzing fridges and disembodied chatter...

a few random photographs gravitating towards garbage, trash and ruins

Trip to the Northern Quarter

As I had a few hours spare I thought I'd get on down to the Northern Quarter to buy some new things... I came back with a book chock full of Polaroids and a new 7 inch record.

I find the Banksy that has been on the local news, they [the council] was going to demolish a wall but found a stencil by the Banksy. It's okay..a little rough or [ruff] but I think it is the only one in Manchester...

I found another Space Invader today that was st around the corner from the Banksy's one. It's of Mario and is very cute.

All Souls College entrance exam - one word essay

After a search on the inter[web] I have only found thirteen All Souls College one word essay questions:

miracles
water
style
integrity
bias
value
novelty
innocence
chaos
mercy
possessions
morality
harmony

I need to find twenty more to put my project into the starting position.

The Cornerhouse:10-5-10

That's strange the day is divisible by 5 ::10 5 10

Been to the Cornerhouse to see the Iraqi exhibitions...quite impressive. can't really add me due to time limits at the moment. I was impressed by two paintings by Salem Idwer Yaqloob Al-loos-Bagdad...my city 2010.

Starting a project based on the one word essay set by the All Souls College...Oxford University. As stated previous, it is an entrance exam set by them which has been cancelled due to difficulties of it. I'll be doing a B+W 36exp photography run and hopefully be in time for an exhibition/competition. I'll be doing the last 36 years previos...starting at 1974...my birth year.

PX600FF and [scale] project Polaroids

manipulated polaroids

These two are manipulated using bleach, hinners and hot water. They are both part of a series entitled, Amnesiac.

Preston Digital Photographs...

isolated freedom

Catch-up

It's been awhile since the last input but hey...I don't even know if this Blog gets read by anyone else, anyway. This is all for my own reference then and probably for some accidental tourist...

I have started The Nick project which is based on SCALE. I like the one worded titles, just like the Oxford entrance exam that they are putting a stop to now. Apparantly only one in six entrants pass the 3 hour essay that the University sets. they write a word such as NOVELTY etc and leave the poor blighters to mull this [question] over. It is A pity that they have put an end to this torturous exam concept because the prestige is now over with...

So the Nick mini-final-project that a handful of us are doing is all about scale and what we can do with such concept. The usual big buildings and out of focusness has been shown and Manchu did some rather good panoramic shoots on his expensive camera...they WERE good though. A couple of the girls found an abandoned raliway station across from the brand new Piccadilly Station in Manchester. As I am excited about dereliction and abandonment, I zoomed of pretty quickly to find said building but to no avail. I did take some nice black and whites that need developing now.

I have finally bought a SX-70 Land Camera [The Button] cheap of eBay. The film came from The Impossible Project on the same day...what synchronicity. I went over to Preston and proceeded to take photographs of the subway that stars at the Bus Depot and leads through the the Guild Hall. I'll have to upload them because they are quite special...I did tae some digitals and they will be here pretty soon. I like the desolation aspect of isolated freedom. As the adage of photography goes...for a good photograph, time and a good eye is needed.

numeral acquistions

New project set and started

We was given a mini project that was set by [Nick] all about scale and depth in Manchester. I weren't there at the meeting so I have only a couple of snippets of information and a blank envelope...

My new project is about the distrubtion of numbers and letters (also inneresting) text that I find on walls, the floor thrown objects and others in between. I will find and post a truer concept when I think it through.

These are the start of the project in the acquisition of numbers [a'la Sesame Street].

Presentation, PX600FF and Polanoid

I had my final assessment/presentation yesterday. Six students sat around a table fit for two with the two main tutors busily scribbling notes upon their writing boards. It was an up and down process and I was fifth in line for the torture.

There was some interesting work and one that stood out for me was L.Burke's projects that she did, left and then started afresh. She basically found a whole bunch of bits and pieces of rope on Cornwall beach (I think it was Cornwall. She molded each length of rope into a piece of plaster and for her final project, left at least 24 pieces of these little models for others to pick up. She has pointd a little CCTV camera at the place where she's left them to record a film. Good Idea and well conceived.

After spending a pretty penny on the PX600FF Silver Shade Polaroids that came direct from the Vienna factory, the The Impossible Dream guys have sent an e-mail apologising for the LLP, Laminating Lifting Process. This is a nice name for a defect. The chemicals ARE leaking and spoiling the photographs. I thought this was just me and my inadequacies in photography but, this is a reason why a lot of the PX600FF's that I have taken are SO weirdly temperamental. There are blank photo's, chemically smelling ones, orange ones, yellow ones and others in between. I have put the better ones up onto POLANOID under the guise of thearcadesuperhero.

Milleresque photography