ch - The Independent Space Agency

I have become increasingly dissillusioned by the Governmental Space Agencies and organisations, who are either too proud to reply to me or are unwilling to even contemplate working with me on artistic projects, (even though they profess to supporting the arts). It is to this end that I have made the decision to create my own Artistic Space Agency. Named the 'Independent Space Agency' or ISA, it focuses on new frontiers for Art. Ok, I havent got the Billions of pounds they have behind them, but why should the exploration and artistic uses of Space be their preserve?

I'm in the process of setting up a website for the agency, that will contain all the information and how perhaps other artists [you] could get involved - the address of which I'll post here when its ready or put a link at the top of the page with the others.

The logo above is the one I have designed for the ISA.

ch - Meeting

There's a simple way to tell if it's the Easter Holidays or not... the train was absolutely packed on the way to Birmingham and it was even worse on the way back this evening. The main reason I went to Birmingham today was to have a meeting with the curator of our show as part of the NGA. We met in Starbucks on Colmore Row, it was a really cool meeting. I explained the pieces I'm hopefully going to be showing (which for now are works in progress - they will be ready for the show though, I've no doubt of that.) and we discussed various other projects that we each are involved with. It was a nice informal chat but we got a lot talked about. After half an hour or so, another of the artists arrived and the conversations continued, we must have been sat there for an hour and a half or more in total! I'm going to post images of the works in progress as they... well...progress. Stay Tuned.

ch - a bit of a catch up..

Its been a while since I last posted so I thought I'd better rectify the situation! Carrying on from where I left off, the rest of my day on the the 5th March was a very good one. I met Robin at Central Hall and he took me on a tour of the space which is huge! Our show is going to be on the 3rd floor (i think) and it is immense. I'm plumming for one (or more) of the smaller, self contained rooms which are currently being used as storage. They're full of really great architectural features; stained glass windows, iron fire-places and cornicing.

I'm meeting the curator next week to discuss the show and what pieces I want/might show, it'll be great to get a lot more focused on the show and how it's all going to work.

As usual, I'll keep you posted!

np - There and back again

There and Back again

No it’s not a tale of elves, dwarves and wizards, rather a conclusion to our theory lessons. We have, as I understand it, travelled far and travelled nowhere. We’ve being following the avant-garde through revolutionary inception into crisis, to re-emerge in minimalism and conceptual art to be pressurised by modernity and suppressed by post modernism. And yet we find ourselves here at the end of the our practices aligned with postproduction and relational aesthetics sharing some ground with the original avant-garde.

Authorship, collaboration, relationships between art and science and now (new technologies), de-skilling of art, new skills and the role of the artist in the social realm, all of these ideas are still relevant and occupy us in our practices as artists today.

Postproduction beware: In the constant re-historisizing, sampling the past, present and the future, being able, being empowered to go anywhere, use anything. Are we in danger of autopoiesis. Art for arts sake, a self generating art?

Not a hobbit in sight.

ch - Tutorials and Meetings.

7:30am on the dot, that's what time I left the house this morning. I was at the station for 7:45am and the train arrived to whisk me on my merry way at around 7:50am. It was early aswell, which for a Wednesday morning is quite surprising. I do enjoy being out and about at that time in the morning although it means getting up quite a bit earlier than ususal - nothing a cup of coffee won't fix. It's now 9:55am and I'm sat in the library computer room along with two others who I think are year 2's.

Anyway, the reason I was up so perilously early is because I've got a busy day today. I was supposed to be in a tutorial round about now, infact I should just be leaving. My tutor was caught up in traffic so to let him get his breath back we arranged to meet at 11. "But 11 is when you're supposed to be meeting Robin Dobson from NGA!" I hear you cry... well fear not, whilst waiting for my tutorial he wandered along the corridor (to the office he shares with my tutor) and introduced himself to me, he explained that he recognised me from the picture that I'd provided him with as part of the proposal. We got chatting about various things whilst we waited for my tutor, he seemed really interested to know how the MA was going and what I was up to. I told him about the space work I've been working on, although he kind of knew a lot about it because unbeknown to me, he was the man who had been working in the same office whilst I've been having tutorials! I did though have a sneaking suspicion it was him! :-) - Robin suggested that we meet a bit later on at Central Hall, he was meeting another Artist there at 5:30 so to make it easier on my tutor and him, I agreed and am now meeting him at half 5. I've got a few other bits and pieces to attend today so the time should pass quite quickly.

So that's how you find me here in the library, I'll let you know how the rest of my day pans out.

ch - NGA 2008 - Venue Confirmed!

I received an email a few days ago from the organisers of the New Generation Arts Festival which I'm taking part in this year (see previous posts). The venue has been confirmed as Central Hall on Corporation Street, Birmingham. From what I gather it is a rather old building with lots of rooms and various other spaces - there are even school rooms apparently, so there may even be a balckboard or two kicking around somewhere which would be great!

Anyway, we're all meeting up this Wednesday (4 artists) with the organisers and our curator at the venue. I will keep you all informed!