When you are meant to find something, it will make itself known

Megan Bostic. Her work only came up last night when I was reading
 (can't remember which source exactly as there is quite a few books, eBooks, journals, webpages etc all on the go at the one time just now!!!)
as an example within the text and I thought, 'Hmm, that looks interesting.' scribbled her name down in the passing to remind myself to investigate later when I got a chance after exhausting as much as I could for writing.


So glad I did, her work is focused on the idea of dying, death and grieving and is so inspiring.


Found a video of her making on YouTube and is thorough in her explanations of her work and the thoughts behind the creations-


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPsgwe7C7P0

Repeat patterns

Was playing around with the handprint image and experimented with repeat patterns -  the latter ones start to run before your eyes but are very intriguing. Takes on a whole new angle.

Which is also what I am trying to achieve when I get round to experimenting with abstract light photography. Time is taken up with mostly dissertation writing but I am also trying to keep things on the back burner for creative work so it does not become a start from scratch situation after hand in.

Dissertation update

Passed the 2,000 mark so say about a 1/4 done. That's a nice feeling! 

Passed by quietly

Forgot to look at my calendar and the 24th passed by quietly without recognition. That date marked the 2 year anniversary of when I set up this blog. 

 This was only a temporary excersise for the Professional Practice module in 2nd year but have always enjoyed using the blog as an external, virtual sketchbook. 

Some book titles stand out more than others!

Derrida is such a hard theorist to get to grips with, just when you think you understand his thinking you turn the page and is speaking the reverse of what he was just stating! 

'Life-line' plane service

Something which is an important issue for living on an island is the transport links. Currently there is a major problem, growing as time goes on, with the flight service provided by loganair. 

This service is crucial for hospital patients going back and forth to Aberdeen, for example, which with lengthy delays have had knock-on effects to their essential appointments. Not only this but business links are weakening because of these delays as well as the personal travelling trips. 

Urge as many folk as possible to sign the petition to bring about change! 

http://www.liammcarthur.org.uk/fairflights

Small victories

Each 1,000 words is a victory! And the first one is always good. Now to repeat this a further 7-8 times....

Eyes on the prize

The travelling gallery is a mobile, contemporary art gallery, custom built in a bus. 

This year it features a total of 10 artists- 2 of them worked collaboratively - who have all been Turner Prize nominees and 2 became winners of the prestigious award. 

Christine Borland and Brody Condon. 

These pieces are 'excerpts' from a larger circular sculpture circles of focus. There is a connection to Orkney within this piece. It is constructed using Orkney clay, goose fat, sand and animal hair. 

The idea behind this piece is that the body could be a site of ambiguity, imagination and expression. They clay is an experimental surface, made to leave indelible marks on the skin called 'hypostasis'. Something which i had only learnt about today! 

Jim Lambie. Metal box (blinded by the light) 

Lambie's Metal Box wall based sculptures are inspired by posters which, when they got wet, the corners would curl up. 

Ian Hamilton Finlay The Boats inseparable ripples 

Again another connection to Orkney as he was brought up here. This is an example of his concrete poetry commonly associated with him. 

Davidshrigley Bone 

This is a bit different to the usual drawings most associated with him. 

 Douglas Gordon Spiral 

A film of an eye, encircled in smoky-black kohl, slowly opening and closing; and the exhaling, sustained voice of singer Rufus Wainwright, accompanied by piano, whose anthem to a beloved cascades in complementary and dissonant harmonics around the space. Darkness and light, tragedy and the the salvation through redemptive live are the ideas and emotions encountered here as the eye hypnotically pulls you into it's welling. In the face of death and rebirth, the eye remains a steady witness. 

Martin Boyce Ventilation grills (punching through the clouds) 

These were made after 9/11 so take on a different more troubled meaning to modern living contrasting to Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe an architect who expressed great optimism to the 'new' skyscraper idea. 

Lucy Skaer 15.04.13 - 21.04.13

These prints are made from original printing plates used to print the front page of the Guardian newspaper. The title refers to the dates that the plates were saved by the newspaper. The plates were partially deleted using chemicals and were printed by the artist on a commercial litho press. Within this week the Boston bombings happened and Margaret Thatchers funeral. Skaers work investigates the way we understand and relate to objects and images. 

The survivor tree

Again more YouTube videos - amazing the amount of information I have found to connect some ideas I have had about for writing within my dissertation, very thankful for this technology!


Another worthwhile video is https://youtu.be/Xcrt1MNSgFw


It is about the 'survivor tree' from ground zero. It became a symbol for resilience and strength over the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Each name represents a life

I've been watching many YouTube videos this evening for dissertation research and I was struck by this one in particular


https://youtu.be/HNcEII_3Xr0


I had always just assumed the names were in alphabetical order on either the site of the north or south tower. This makes it far more personal and makes the whole piece more human, far more real.

Thinking and scribbling

We have a working title! It will undoubtedly be tweaked and re-tweaked but it is the basis of my dissertation. 

Also I have temporarily put some quotes down, which I have Found myself referring back to help steer me. 

Not far off the first 500 words so it can all be progress now!!! 

And with today being the Orkney College graduation ceremony gives that extra incentive to get head down as that's going to be me posing in a gown this time next year! 

Dissertation

The beginning of dissertation...

The start of piles of papers and books for the next 3/4 months 

Sunday outing

Went to Woodwick with my Mum on Sunday. It's not a place I had ever been to before and has a lovely grounds with a beautiful burn running through it. 

When we went into Woodwick house for afternoon tea I made use of the facilities and seen this painting -

Has the feeling of being trapped, caged and is quite a dark and eery painting. Are those ghostly, spirits present?.  

Points of view

This is an exhibition of work in the custom house by Morag Tweedie and Jean Malone. 

It was a 2 birds-one stone situation as it was to really see the secret art sale for the heart screening, had entered pieces into and just wanted to see how it had gone. Lots of sales to raise money and I had sold mine too. 

Ah maps! And using orcadian words stitched onto the top, always a winner in my book. 

Really liked the alternative 'artist signature' on Morag's pieces. A lovely peedie detail that becomes part of the work as a whole. 

I liked the ink drawings but this one in particular. It makes me think of illustrations for some children's story. 

This made me chuckle. Taking some very old petrol pumps, which stand at the entrance to a taxi rank, and adding them to an embroidered piece. Adding to the nostalgia element. 

Direction of time...?

9/11

Today is 14 years since that devastating event happened.

 'Last secrets of 9/11' was a documentary I was watching about forensic scientists indentifying 1,115 victims of 9/11. Was completely unaware of the painstakingly slow but thorough work that went on to identify the smallest of body parts, to give final closure for their families.  Sadly there is still remains left unidentified, due to the forensic scientists exhausting current technology. These were transported to ground zero in 2014. 

http://www.911memorial.org/remains-repository-world-trade-center-site

This understandably caused much debate on whether this was the best thing to do. The families who were in agreement with the move to ground zero, already had remains of their loved ones whereas those who were strongly opposed to the move were from family who had not got any remains. 

Personally I was shocked to learn these remains had returned to ground zero. It was because of that place they had died. That area is physically scarred from those terror attacks, with traces being evident and highlighted in the memorial created where the twin towers once stood. 

These traces follow the present-absent idea and along with the remains of some victims, most definately adds to the haunting of the place. 

In fact the retired director of the NYC forensic department stated during the closing ceremony of ground zero, after all the debris had been cleared, there was a great gust of wind that swirled around everyone on the site and rushed upwards. He said it felt like the spirits of those who had died were being lifted. That idea cuts deep and is very moving.  The idea of spirits and a presence leaving this area so soaked in pain, fear and death. 

Stars and Merry Dancers

Been putting my tripod to use on these clear nights:

Talk about crystals

As part of science festival which is nearly finished in Orkney, there are various talks. And had one this morning at the college about crystals which was interesting for the sake of something new. 

There was attempts at making crystals using a sugar solution... It didn't have any success! 

But it was when the speaker talked about wavelengths and the worlds first human X-ray that I got interested further. 

Wilhelm Röntgen took an X-Ray of his wife's left hand (including her wedding ring) on The 22nd December 1895

She was said to have exclaimed "I have seen my own death" 

Custom house exhibition

Peter brown (Westray artist) in one room...

(This may be a good idea for degree show for display to be selling mounted images...) 

... And Jerry wood in the other room (also a Westray artist) very vibrant and bright colours and quite large scale 

Interesting to see a different display of having the painting just on the easel