Figuring stuff out

Flip Book Machine

Been thinking about it all weekend - the people who actually made kits for this stopped years ago so I have to start from scratch!


I remember these stick connect toys that were on the go years ago but I couldn't remember the name of it, turns out it's K'Nex


Then I remember seeing a ferris wheel installation of these K'Nex at LAX airport (or Philadelphia) in the summer. So I know you can get a little motor to help it spin round, I just don't know if that would lend itself to helping paper flip round.... I need to ask around to see if anyone Engineer or Mechanical minded has any better ideas or if that would work...?

For arts sake Christmas open exhibtion

Entry pieces 

One on the left is 'leaves' a mixed media piece and the right 'untitled' an acrylic painting. (One of a few paintings I actually like of mine! ) 

I do try and give titles to my work but I just couldn't think of a title! 

I do think these pieces are stronger than my entires to the pier arts centre- had slightly more time to get things sorted for this open exhibition though. But just have to see how things develop. 

Christmas open exhibtion at pier arts centre

Opening night at the pier arts centre 

Most entries they've ever had to the exhibtion and it looked very rich and diverse. 

Me with my 2 pieces, and my name is spelt right this year! And the two pieces are also side by side for the first time 

WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN THIS BEFORE!!!!

I have been totally engrossed in this mans work - Joseph Cornell.

I just love it!

Little boxes with peedie trinkets on display - boxes, organised, peedie things... just right up my street!

“By collecting and carefully juxtaposing found objects in small, glass-front boxes, Cornell created visual poems in which surface, form, texture, and light play together. Using things we can see, Cornell made boxes about things we cannot see: ideas, memories, fantasies, and dreams." (http://www.josephcornellbox.com/boxes.htm)

http://www.pem.org/sites/cornell/# <Follow the link to a fun website about his work. 

I stumbled across Cornell when I was looking into artists who used glass boxes, which I also found out are called Vitrines... learnt a lot these past 2 hours being glued to the computer!

Other artists included:

Jeff Koons (learnt about his work in Theory and Practice, all based on consumerism)

Damien Hirst 

Joseph Beuys

Rebecca Warren

Terence Koh

Micah Lexier 

   

Theory and Practice research

Lots of research and studying for my Theory and Practice module going on at the moment. Few artists who I have enjoyed learning about I will share to you.


A piece created by Ann Hamilton, it's a fight between senses to absorb what is happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fJ4umqXGjM


I would love to be lying underneath the big central cloth, be very mesmerising and hypnotic.


This is her own statement of the piece
http://www.annhamiltonstudio.com/images/projects/armory/Ann_statement_final.pdf


Also the extremely well thought out architecture of the Jewish Museum by Libeskind. It's so powerful with uses of voids.


The video is about 25 minutes long but such a worthwhile thing to watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUTkt0z_NTU

Lopness monster

At the beginning of term we got to hear the voice over of

Tom muir reading the story of the Lopness Monster. You were engulfed into the folk take and now with the video it's complete. http://vimeo.com/m/112154339

FlipBooKit

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/flipbookit-a-new-diy-mechanical-flipbook-kit/


Cool! May be another development on from the Zoetrope idea

Spinning at home

Just picked up my spinning wheel for the next month 

Looks lovely! Complete contrast to all modern things in my sitting room, nice to continue something traditional in this day and age. 

Refresh

Needed a bit of a freshening up on this page!
The background is from stills from a film sketch I did. Been captivated by the movement the Snorrie-Bone makes, which can only be really seen when it's slowed right down.

Constructive critisism

At the review the point came up,  which I was quite conscious of going into this review; that I hadn't enough 'other artist inspiration'


So beginning to remedy that now...


Came across this interesting collaborative installation:


"This moving image installation brings together choreography, textiles, moving image and sound. The work is a collaboration between artists from the Highlands and the Scottish Borders with tapestry artist Joan Baxter, moving image artist John McGeoch, choreographer Claire Pençak, dancer Shamita Ray and composer James Wyness. The work is inspired by the Orkney land/seascape, the architecture of the loom and The Weaver a short story by Orcadian writer George Mackay Brown" (http://www.aagm.co.uk/Exhibitions/Archive/2014/Between-the-Web-and-the-Loom.aspx)


The best video I came across was this: http://vimeo.com/57869818 

Spinning

Turns out spinning wheels can be temperamental! Was a lot of tweaking yesterday before got spinning. Bought proper North Ronaldsay wool to link back to being Orcadian completely 

Papermaking progress

Drying in its last stage, took it out of the press yesterday. It has turned out lighter and whiter than I thought it would be when working with the pulp, which I am pleased about. 

One of the points that came up to take the papermaking 3D and perhaps going backwards a Peedie bit to try and use the string balls to mould around. Then try and encorprate text in some way. 

I did try and stitch, with the sewing machine but it's too rough on the delicate paper. Heat press would be softer colours but with screen printing workshop refresher coming up next week that may work better? Trial and error! 

Review day

Got to use the projector - film sketch was impressive on that scale. Need to figure out the technology to get the sound to be more impact full. 

My statement on the work so far did some up my work well. 

Final layout, small scale yes but good to see the work all in one place 

Reviews.... eek!

So it's a review tomorrow of the progress so far... had a initial set-up of work and well, there's not a lot of physical work! It's not that I haven't done any work it's been a lot of research and scribblings in sketchbooks which is essential in building a foundation on which to build on. Best way I can put it!

Have fired together a statement of the work thus far:
In my work I like to incorporate an almost playful feel to the work as well as capturing and exploring movement.  The main focus of my work is my Orcadian identity and heritage and the natural progression this year has been to focus on Orcadian childhood.

The snorrie-bone which features quite predominately in these development pieces incorporates all of these ideals of movement and a childhood toy. This particular snorrie-bone has a history behind it yes, but also a personal family connection with it being one of the last ones my late Grandfather made.  The research into the history of the snorrie-bone has been fascinating although nothing is completely concrete in accuracy with it being such a trivial item, with knowledge dying out with each generation. The general assumption was it was named due to the sound it would make when used, but this is not necessarily the case. It is perhaps named due to Swedish origins with ‘Snore’ to mean string or even from a Norse background with ‘Snara’ the verb to twist.

This research has lead me to speak to family and friends, emails to archivists and academics, library visits for reading materials and Museum visits: Corrigall, Kirbuster, Kirkwall and Stromness. I discovered ‘new’ games that I had never heard of, such as the oldest know game using stones and shells to create farm animals but also remind me of toys I had simply forgotten about.

With looking into Orcadian childhood it also brings forward the folk tales which have been great fun to read up on and is developing into the natural pairing of papermaking and bookbinding.

Also with researching into Orcadian history a recurring feature kept revealing itself, a spinning wheel. In the interest of developing a wider skill set and really connecting to a small part of Orcadian history, I am currently learning the art of spinning with the help of classes run by For Arts Sake. Which has been enjoyable and quite therapeutic and rhythmical handling soft, natural yarns.

Should be more of these done!

This is so cool- http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/11/van-gogh-bike-path/

I think it's a fantastic idea! Would be great at this time of year in orkney as with dwindling daylight hours this would still be safe for a walk at night. Now, just to sort out the cold, damp weather...

Save the date!

Wednesday 18th February 2015 until Saturday 21st February 2015. That is when me and Jenny as third year students will have an exhibtion at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney. 

This is the space in which we will get to occupy over that time. Nice space and hoping will all look good nearer the time! 

Wilder being exhibition

Had first glimpse of these works - looks to be quite exciting and well worth a look! 

Initial set up of work 

Papermaking progress

Just looks so lovely... Urgh! 

It still was quite 'chunky' pieces as the blender was cracked and the hand held blender was beginning to burn out with the amount of pulp. 

All squeezed and drying as we speak hopefully something to show for it at the end! 

Not to worry if not, as I have lots and lots of pulp left- completely over-estimated what I would need! 

25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Google has a doodle on today which with a click links to this video- http://youtu.be/mhfrAd_Pa8M

Bookbinding - concertina book

Works really well in displaying still from video sketch 

Pulp

1 1/2 hours of ripping up scrap paper from work to dunk in a bucket of water 

My exciting Friday night in! 

Workshop

Should be quite interesting - yet another new skill

Zoetrope

Just love that word! Well it's was an Early form of moving image and I made my own with stills from my Snorrie-Bone film. 

It's a prototype and needs some perfecting. 

Spinning class

But this is not the modern spinning class, I'm talking old school! 

Once got the hang of the treadle (foot pedals) and keeping the wheel spinning got to start spinning the yarn. It's a lot of concentration and feet and hands but at the end of the 2 hours I did have a reel which was bumpy and thin in parts but didn't break! 

This is the result. I need to go to another class again to get another reel to then ply together, which can be used for knitting etc. Felt very pleased with myself doing a very traditional method and having something to show for it at the end of it.