ennui
en·nui [ˈɒnwiː (French) ɑ̃nɥi]
n.
1. Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom.
[French, from Old French enui, from ennuyer, to annoy, bore; see annoy.]
Word History: Were they alive today, users of Classical Latin might be surprised to find that centuries later a phrase of theirs still survives, although as a single word. The phrase mihi in odi est (literally translated as "to me in a condition of dislike or hatred is"), meaning "I hate or dislike," gave rise to the Vulgar Latin verb *inodire, "to make odious," the source of the Old French verb ennuyer or anoier, "to annoy, bore." This was borrowed into English by around 1275 as anoien, our annoy. From the Old French verb a noun meaning "worry, boredom" was derived, which became ennui in modern French. This noun, with the sense "boredom," was borrowed into English in the 18th century, perhaps filling a need in polite, cultivated society.
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Sunday, 22 April 2012
word of the day:part thirty-eight | soliloquy
soliloquy
so·lil·o·quy [səˈlɪləkwɪ]
n.
1.
a. A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener.
b. A specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse.
2. The act or custom of talking to oneself or talking when alone.
[Late Latin sliloquium : Latin slus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + Latin loqu, to speak; see tolkw- in Indo-European roots.]
solil·oquies | pl.
so·lil·o·quy [səˈlɪləkwɪ]
n.
1.
a. A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener.
b. A specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse.
2. The act or custom of talking to oneself or talking when alone.
[Late Latin sliloquium : Latin slus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + Latin loqu, to speak; see tolkw- in Indo-European roots.]
solil·oquies | pl.
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Unknown Buildings | Charline von Heyl
As I was walking around the Charline von Heyl exhibition up on the 4th floor of Tate Liverpool I saw these arrangements of buildings from across the Mersey. They look like power station or something of that ilk and they are begging for lino attention. They'd look great with the deatail of the river and the stamp effect of the horizon of buildings.
The present exhihibition of von Heyl is alright I suppose. They are very huge and graphic based, very sketchbook like in there composition..just like just sketchbook pages really.. Some had vivid colours, painted with oils, charcoal and acrylic, some where drawings and there was even one of her sketchbooks to ponder over.
The exhibition was okay in that a new perspective in large scale painting was present and I quite enjoyed myself on the wet Thursday afternoon. The next two floors had a compendenium of art.
The rooms where like a book of modern art that was opened and that came to life.. Carl Andre, Warhol and Duchamp where all present. What was sweet though was the drawings that Warhol did when he was a commercial artist at the fore-front of his career..very simple but effective.
Charline von Heyl
The present exhihibition of von Heyl is alright I suppose. They are very huge and graphic based, very sketchbook like in there composition..just like just sketchbook pages really.. Some had vivid colours, painted with oils, charcoal and acrylic, some where drawings and there was even one of her sketchbooks to ponder over.
The exhibition was okay in that a new perspective in large scale painting was present and I quite enjoyed myself on the wet Thursday afternoon. The next two floors had a compendenium of art.
The rooms where like a book of modern art that was opened and that came to life.. Carl Andre, Warhol and Duchamp where all present. What was sweet though was the drawings that Warhol did when he was a commercial artist at the fore-front of his career..very simple but effective.
Charline von Heyl
Friday, 20 April 2012
Day of Maquette Making
The Degree Show is coming soon and we are all getting on with the stress and pressure in our individual ways. Me, I decided to go to Liverpool and see some art in the Tate and then go vintage shopping with my brother..I have taken some photos and they will be here soon.
I had requested a tutorial with one of my old tutors, Jon Biddulph, and he gave me three quarters of an hour of his time to me which I was grateful for. He seems to know what my work is about and was quite brutal and honest with the way I forcing myself and after a informative discussion on the merits of contrived composition versus accidental composition, I reached the point of understanding.
I know now that I was going in the wrong direction with the sculpture/assemblage/construct and after the discourse with Jon, I am moving into the next phase of the final piece. I think that it'll be a free standing piece at about eight foot high (I hope) and at least five foot in length.. the width will be about two foot.
I had a day of trial and error and maquette making today and made four models that I will be working towards. I have to restart my drawing of the compositions again to correspond with the new running theme and my photographs need to encapsulate more of the street/road this time because I was devoting too much attention to the singular compositions.
These pieces are in reversed order of completion..
I had requested a tutorial with one of my old tutors, Jon Biddulph, and he gave me three quarters of an hour of his time to me which I was grateful for. He seems to know what my work is about and was quite brutal and honest with the way I forcing myself and after a informative discussion on the merits of contrived composition versus accidental composition, I reached the point of understanding.
I know now that I was going in the wrong direction with the sculpture/assemblage/construct and after the discourse with Jon, I am moving into the next phase of the final piece. I think that it'll be a free standing piece at about eight foot high (I hope) and at least five foot in length.. the width will be about two foot.
I had a day of trial and error and maquette making today and made four models that I will be working towards. I have to restart my drawing of the compositions again to correspond with the new running theme and my photographs need to encapsulate more of the street/road this time because I was devoting too much attention to the singular compositions.
These pieces are in reversed order of completion..
Thursday, 19 April 2012
word of the day:part thirty-seven | atrophy
atrophy
at·ro·phy [ˈætrəfɪ]
n.
1. Pathology A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use: muscular atrophy of a person affected with paralysis.
2. A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution: intellectual atrophy.
v.tr.
To cause to wither or deteriorate; affect with atrophy.
v.intr.
To waste away; wither or deteriorate.
[Late Latin atrophia, from Greek atrophi, from atrophos, ill-nourished : a-, without; see a-1 + troph, food.]
atrophic | adj.
atrophies | pl.
atrophied, atrophying, atrophies | v.
at·ro·phy [ˈætrəfɪ]
n.
1. Pathology A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use: muscular atrophy of a person affected with paralysis.
2. A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution: intellectual atrophy.
v.tr.
To cause to wither or deteriorate; affect with atrophy.
v.intr.
To waste away; wither or deteriorate.
[Late Latin atrophia, from Greek atrophi, from atrophos, ill-nourished : a-, without; see a-1 + troph, food.]
atrophic | adj.
atrophies | pl.
atrophied, atrophying, atrophies | v.
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
word of the day:part thirty-six | entrophy
entrophy
en·tro·py [ˈɛntrəpɪ]
1. Symbol S For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.
2. A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
3. A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.
4. The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.
5. Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.
[German Entropie : Greek en-, in; see en-2 + Greek trop, transformation; see trep- in Indo-European roots.]
entropic | adj.
entropically | adv.
entropies | n. pl
en·tro·py [ˈɛntrəpɪ]
1. Symbol S For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.
2. A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
3. A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.
4. The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.
5. Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.
[German Entropie : Greek en-, in; see en-2 + Greek trop, transformation; see trep- in Indo-European roots.]
entropic | adj.
entropically | adv.
entropies | n. pl
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
word of the day:part thirty-five : deferential
deferential
deferential [ˌdɛfəˈrɛnʃəl]
adj
marked by or showing deference or respect; respectful
deferentially | adv
deferential [ˌdɛfəˈrɛnʃəl]
adj
marked by or showing deference or respect; respectful
deferentially | adv
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Holmfirth Arts Festival
I have applied for a place within the Holmfirth Arts Festival/AVAV Projects : Call for Temporary Empty Shops Projects which will run through the early part of June. As I have a Degree Show to comprehend with, this may prove a slight segue.
This particular exhibition is close to my small cotton upbringing as it marks the two hundredth anniversary of the Luddite uprising and here in Oswaldwaldtwistle (where James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny) had our own particular Power Loom Riots of 1826.
The Luddites felt that the enroaching technologies of the power loom etc were rightfully taking their jobs and they began to destroy the new technologies. Flashes of the Luddite movement still exist today.
My exhibit will be a selection of hand-knitted wall-pieces that will be my approx height and my age in stitches across. I am using unprocessed (to an extent) cotton twine and they will together. I am hoping to machine one hanging and hand-knit the other. The machine knitted one will the be open to the audience to detangle and destroy and this to be left with the untouched hand knotted version. The concept behind this is two-fold really. I am interested in object-power and the way abjects trap us with emotional sentiment and this process will make me a little uncomfortable, I am trying to prove that I can step away from emotional attachment and let something be destroyed.
I have destroyed work before with the Manchester Art Burners but a piece of knit is virtually a diary. I have knitted at the Tate, Saatchi, at the doctors, on public transport etc and with eack knit, there is a memory..so detangling a piece that took a week or longer to produce is like dispersing pent up memory.
Also I am fascinated with how the audience at an exhibition treat the exhibits like they are religious artefacts and if they would allow themselves the power to actually destroy work..
The second part of the concept is the more brutal side of the riots and uprising as the audience will destroy the machine knitted wall-piece and hopefully leave the more memory induced partner alone.
This is a detail from one of my two samplers that I have decided to stitch together. They are six foot high and hang together within my studio.
================================
I wasn't successful in my proposal but this hasn't deterred me from the project. I am still knitting wall pieces using green and brown jute, thick white string and parcel string.
This particular exhibition is close to my small cotton upbringing as it marks the two hundredth anniversary of the Luddite uprising and here in Oswaldwaldtwistle (where James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny) had our own particular Power Loom Riots of 1826.
The Luddites felt that the enroaching technologies of the power loom etc were rightfully taking their jobs and they began to destroy the new technologies. Flashes of the Luddite movement still exist today.
My exhibit will be a selection of hand-knitted wall-pieces that will be my approx height and my age in stitches across. I am using unprocessed (to an extent) cotton twine and they will together. I am hoping to machine one hanging and hand-knit the other. The machine knitted one will the be open to the audience to detangle and destroy and this to be left with the untouched hand knotted version. The concept behind this is two-fold really. I am interested in object-power and the way abjects trap us with emotional sentiment and this process will make me a little uncomfortable, I am trying to prove that I can step away from emotional attachment and let something be destroyed.
I have destroyed work before with the Manchester Art Burners but a piece of knit is virtually a diary. I have knitted at the Tate, Saatchi, at the doctors, on public transport etc and with eack knit, there is a memory..so detangling a piece that took a week or longer to produce is like dispersing pent up memory.
Also I am fascinated with how the audience at an exhibition treat the exhibits like they are religious artefacts and if they would allow themselves the power to actually destroy work..
The second part of the concept is the more brutal side of the riots and uprising as the audience will destroy the machine knitted wall-piece and hopefully leave the more memory induced partner alone.
This is a detail from one of my two samplers that I have decided to stitch together. They are six foot high and hang together within my studio.
================================
I wasn't successful in my proposal but this hasn't deterred me from the project. I am still knitting wall pieces using green and brown jute, thick white string and parcel string.
response to [Mirror Wall-Jeppe Hein] | Saatchi Gallery
The kinetic sculpture in the new German based exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery is very interesting in that it actually converses with the audience. When the mirror moves away from it's static position and vibrates the viewer..the public corresponds with at first tentative and slightly embarrassing gestures to general intrigue.
I sat myself at the far end of the room and start to draw various viewers profiles and the above image is one of most successful one of the series. The work was by Jeppe Hein and should be encountered as soon as possible.
I sat myself at the far end of the room and start to draw various viewers profiles and the above image is one of most successful one of the series. The work was by Jeppe Hein and should be encountered as soon as possible.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
crowded scenes | new project
This is the genesis of my new project. It will be a painting based on crowded scenes on the streets of Manchester and these examples are from different locations around London. The scens are the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, Floor 2 of Tate Modern and the queue at no 19 Victoria Coach Station.
These drawing are still in their infancy and I will need to crack on with more of them. I have a specific composition in mind that will, in time, change but the concept is there. I am interested in negative spaces in relation to human bodies. The spaces that we subconciously project are interesting and with my investigation thus far, I have noted closeness within families, how we treat strangers in particular people we find common ground with and how people are made to huddle up in queues.
I'm thinking of getting back to more of a handdrwan style and not to rely to heavily upon the camera..I seem to get more of an emotional response with my sketchbook.
These drawing are still in their infancy and I will need to crack on with more of them. I have a specific composition in mind that will, in time, change but the concept is there. I am interested in negative spaces in relation to human bodies. The spaces that we subconciously project are interesting and with my investigation thus far, I have noted closeness within families, how we treat strangers in particular people we find common ground with and how people are made to huddle up in queues.
I'm thinking of getting back to more of a handdrwan style and not to rely to heavily upon the camera..I seem to get more of an emotional response with my sketchbook.
Friday, 6 April 2012
word of the day:part thirty-three | usurp
usurp
u·surp [juːˈzɜːp]
v.tr.
1. To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force or without legal authority.
2. To take over or occupy without right: usurp a neighbor's land.
3. To take the place of (another) without legal authority; supplant.
v.intr.
To seize another's place, authority, or possession wrongfully.
[Middle English usurpen, from Old French usurper, from Latin srpre, to take into use, usurp; see reup- in Indo-European roots.]
usurper | n.
usurpingly | adv.
usurped, usurping, usurps | v.
usurpative , usurpatory | adj.
u·surp [juːˈzɜːp]
v.tr.
1. To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force or without legal authority.
2. To take over or occupy without right: usurp a neighbor's land.
3. To take the place of (another) without legal authority; supplant.
v.intr.
To seize another's place, authority, or possession wrongfully.
[Middle English usurpen, from Old French usurper, from Latin srpre, to take into use, usurp; see reup- in Indo-European roots.]
usurper | n.
usurpingly | adv.
usurped, usurping, usurps | v.
usurpative , usurpatory | adj.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Pavement Scars..
Potential plaster cast sites for the new project on the scarifaction of the highways.
word of the day:part thirty-two | versimilitude
versimilitude
ver·i·si·mil·i·tude [ˌvɛrɪsɪˈmɪlɪˌtjuːd]
n.
1. The quality of appearing to be true or real.
2. Something that has the appearance of being true or real.
[Latin vrsimilitd, from vrsimilis, verisimilar; see verisimilar.]
verisimilitudinous | adj.
ver·i·si·mil·i·tude [ˌvɛrɪsɪˈmɪlɪˌtjuːd]
n.
1. The quality of appearing to be true or real.
2. Something that has the appearance of being true or real.
[Latin vrsimilitd, from vrsimilis, verisimilar; see verisimilar.]
verisimilitudinous | adj.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Damien Hirst - Tate Modern
Got my tickets booked and accommodation sorted for the trip to London to see the Damien Hirst retrospective at the Modern. Simply can't wait and I DO need a break.
Been to the exhibition and to a few more after..more to come soon...
Piccadilly Place Pop-Up Print & Publishing Fair 2012
As suggested by the title, we have the London 2012 Photography Grdauate fundraiser trooping into Manchester this Saturday. This is a fundraiser for the Manchester School of Art BA (Hons) students to host their degree show in London. They need to raise about £4,000 for the priviledge and this is just one of the actions that they have taken to raise funds.
I and a few other Interactive Arts students have booked two tables and I'll be selling my Road-Side Markings books and selected prints and others will be selling screenprints, tee-shirts and things. It should be an interesting affair.
word of the day:part thirty-one | tumultuous
tumultuous
tu·mul·tu·ous (t-mlch-s, ty-)
adj.
1. uproarious, riotous, or turbulent.
2. greatly agitated, confused, or disturbed.
3. making a loud or unruly disturbance.
tumultuously | adv.
tumultuousness | n.
tu·mul·tu·ous (t-mlch-s, ty-)
adj.
1. uproarious, riotous, or turbulent.
2. greatly agitated, confused, or disturbed.
3. making a loud or unruly disturbance.
tumultuously | adv.
tumultuousness | n.
24th Floor, City Tower, MCR | Blankspace-Inside
The 29th of March was a busy night what with having to attend several fuctions on one night, the Manchester Modernist Society had a magazine launch up on the 24th Floor of City Tower in the heart of Manchester, Blankspace had there inaugural show of the year and Islington Mill had a Dr Martin's promo party.
As you can see from the photographs above, we had a grand vista of the Manchester scenes, both north, south, east and west. We had the entire floor to gawp out of and had free booze as well. The magazine is a good read and I am collecting each one, each issue is pulling out the Britalist vibe and should be a collector's item. I thouroughly enjoyed the experience of seeing the city from a great height and hopefully the next location for magazine launch number five will be even grander.
Blankspace was ok, I suppose. Some of the exhibits was kind of thought-provoking and I got to bump into people that I haven't seen for a bit. The beer wasn't flowing that freely even though they had Arts Council funding. Did speak to an artist who constructed some architectural playground outside the gallery about how wonky her piece was. We had a good chin-wag.
I went home and missed the whole Mill thing..
Monday, 2 April 2012
scorzayzee
On Friday night I watched a movie by Shane Meadows starring Paddy Considine and a rapper from Nottingham called Scorzayzee. The film was Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee and filmed in a mocumentary music interview kind of way, a bit like Bad News and Spinal Tap. The film centred on Scorzayzee as he travelled with hapless roadie, Le Donk.
The film was quite funny and as in all Meadows movies, quite guttural and punchy. After watching the film, I decided to do a search on this guy Scor-Zay-Zee aka Scorz, Scorzilla etc (real name Dean Palincznuk) and saw that there was a plethora of his songs from the 2007-2009 period and downloaded as much as I could. I can't seem to buy his full albums but the handfull that I have got are just enough at the moment.
His style is exemplary and his vocal delivery is funkin' great. I am now a huge fan of his music and certain songs such a Picasso, Drunken Antics and That's Entertainment hasn't been of the iPod. What I like about him is the seemless delivery and swagger that the songs have..he is very much recommended.
The film was quite funny and as in all Meadows movies, quite guttural and punchy. After watching the film, I decided to do a search on this guy Scor-Zay-Zee aka Scorz, Scorzilla etc (real name Dean Palincznuk) and saw that there was a plethora of his songs from the 2007-2009 period and downloaded as much as I could. I can't seem to buy his full albums but the handfull that I have got are just enough at the moment.
His style is exemplary and his vocal delivery is funkin' great. I am now a huge fan of his music and certain songs such a Picasso, Drunken Antics and That's Entertainment hasn't been of the iPod. What I like about him is the seemless delivery and swagger that the songs have..he is very much recommended.
word of the day:part thirty | ersatz
ersatz
er·satz [ˈɛəzæts ˈɜː-]
adj
Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial
[German, replacement, from ersetzen, to replace, from Old High German irsezzan : ir-, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots + sezzan, to set; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
ersatz | n
er·satz [ˈɛəzæts ˈɜː-]
adj
Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial
[German, replacement, from ersetzen, to replace, from Old High German irsezzan : ir-, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots + sezzan, to set; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
ersatz | n
Sunday, 1 April 2012
word of the day:part twenty-nine | serendipity
serendipity
ser·en·dip·i·ty [ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ]
n.
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.
[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries, from Persian Sarandp, Sri Lanka, from Arabic sarandb.]
serendipitous | adj.
serendipitously | adv.
serendipities | pl.
Word History: We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of...."
ser·en·dip·i·ty [ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ]
n.
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.
[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries, from Persian Sarandp, Sri Lanka, from Arabic sarandb.]
serendipitous | adj.
serendipitously | adv.
serendipities | pl.
Word History: We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of...."
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