Experiments | Film | 16mm | Buried Film Technique

I was given some really old 8mm and 16mm colour film, it is too old to shoot with as the emulsion on the film isn't useful anymore due to age. However there is other technique I could use the film for. And one i've come across is burying the film into soil, which erodes the emulsion and strips away parts to create a weathered and damaged look to the film and also for unshot footage it can create a series of colours and patterns. I've started looking into useful blogs on this and also below are some videos I've found from Vimeo that use this technique. 

http://www.rogerdwilson.ca/experiment--1.html

http://www.rogerdwilson.ca/2/post/2013/04/film-decay-burying-film-in-a-leaf-and-soil-compost.html#comments

Reading | writing | Ideastap | Interviews and Articles

I have started to actively seek and read articles relating to my practice more often, I struggle with large amounts of reading and find short articles are better for me to pick up more information. Also there is a range of articles, reviews, overviews and interviews out there, while I write my own it is also important for me to read these for that reason also. Self teaching in learning structure, styles of writing and also at the same time gaining valuable information from it.

I read a lot of articles from ideastap and recently quite a few on on writing here are a few I found interesting and helpful....

Jackie Kay on being a writer

http://www.ideastap.com/IdeasMag/the-knowledge/poet-novelist-jackie-kay-interview


Novelist Samantha Shannon on writing dystopian fiction

http://www.ideastap.com/IdeasMag/the-knowledge/samantha-shannon-bone-season


Richard Tyrone Jones on writing and programming spoken word

http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/the-knowledge/richard-tyrone-jones-spoken-word-exercises


Jeremy Herrin on new writing
http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/the-knowledge/headlong-jeremy-herrin-directing-new-writing


Sean Gandini on how to juggle

http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/the-knowledge/sean-gandini-how-to-juggle

Research | Writing | Film Critics | Indiewire Article

Writing film reviews has always been something I do on the side, I love films and I love writing and the two just came together. It was more for my benefit to strengthen my writing on a subject I love. It's not aimed at an audience and it's definitely not there to force my opinion of the film upon anyone. If people read it and like it, it's an added bonus for me. I've always written how I feel about the film, in a way I know best, trying to avoid being one way or another with how I saw the film, just keeping it honest and interesting. But at the same time reminding people this is just what I thought, we all have different tastes in things and that's okay.

My favourite response to my writing went along the lines of "I enjoyed reading your review, but I don't agree with what you thought about the film." I liked this honesty and it also sparked interesting conversations about how each of us viewed the film. However everything I know about films is self taught, or information i've made an effort to find. I've not studied things like film studies, media or any film related course, this sometimes makes me question "Can I write film reviews if I haven't studied film?" My thoughts are, if you're passionate about something you will learn what there is to know about that subject or make a good attempt at it at least. Also if we all had the same training and background wouldn't that result in similar if not the same work from everyone, in style, angle and approach.

How we live our lives and the interests, training and source of information defines us and I think that follows nicely over to things like film reviews. Writing requires a voice, and developing your own voice as text can be a hard thing, but if you just go about writing things in a technical, standard way, most of the audience is bound to get bored or not read. You need to place something personal to the piece, your opinions count, but there is different ways you can show this.

There is a great discussion in the link to the article below questioning what critics should and shouldn't write about, overall being that there is never a shouldn't. There is many things you can talk about for a film, from plot, story, acting, to how the audience response, your ideas and thought that arose form watching and so on. However all reviews are open for discussion and never fact. I've always been told to take the angle of how I view the film and highlight points others may not have seen or notices. Like bringing something new to the table in an interesting way that will capture an audience, but not stray too far from the purpose of the piece.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/critics-should-definitely-write-about-form-except-when-they-dont-want-to

Research | Dear Progress | Micah Purnell

http://www.dearprogress.co.uk/

Series of billboard written by conceptual artist and graphic designer Micah Purnell, with statements relating to him personally about progression and work, but open statements that can speak to an audience as a whole. 



How to get people to stop and read, make it big, make it exist in a place people are used to looking and reading. 

Funded my Arts council

HOARD | Towards An Archaeology of The Artist Mind | Quotes to translate

Upon looking at the stock in Blott, I came across a series of stationary called 'citations' and the quotes on them all revolve around writing by writers. This got me thinking about the quotes and/or text I translate using the dictionary and these quotes work well. Not only is it old text, it is quotes aimed at what it means to write and have a strong literature connection. By extending and pulling apart to find the meaning of these, I am expanding on my exploration of art and literature.

The collection can be found here...  http://www.blottshop.com/brand/Citations/27

Below is the list of quotes used, which will be a good place to start as I collect up various quotes on this subject.

List of the Quotes 

"There is something very comfortable in having plenty of stationary." - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

"The pen is mightier than the sword." - Edward Lytton Wheeler

"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write." - Martin Luther

"The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with." - Marty Feldman

"All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make." - Truman Capote

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." - William Wordsworth

"I can always live by my pen" - Jane Austen

"The pen is the tongue of the mind." - Horace

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

"Only on paper has humanity yet achieved glory, beauty, truth, knowledge, virtue, and abiding love." - George Barnard Shaw


"I'll call for pen and ink and write my mind." William Shakespeare

HOARD | Towards An Archaeology of The Artist Mind | A book to the collection

Using this opportunity of the space at the Departure Foundation with HOARD I have started a collection of books which I can store and use to expand further on my exploration between text and language bridging the link between art and literature.

Today I picked up a 1894 collection of Shakespeare's work. At what I first thought to be a misprinted version of Shakespeare's name, I found wasn't the case when I investigated this further. It turns out that it is an old version of the spelling of his name, which is also the case with some one the words used in his writing and also the names of his plays.

This is my first addition to what I hope to be a big collection of books and text, documenting each step of what I find and the variations of books. It will be a small collection that will be a example of text, language and its many forms.

HOARD | Towards An Archaeology of The Artist Mind | Space and Ideas

Having just got the great news of my application being accepted for a place as an artist with the year long HOARD project, it got me thinking about how I can use this space to further my exploration and aid my practice.

I have decided to pull through all the ideas I have and use this space to collect text, creating a place that I can look deeper into language while surrounded by books. It gives me a place to go to pull apart sentences and words getting to the core of understanding, and if there is, find the exact point at which a collection of words become seen as literature.

I am going to fill the space with books and texts that I currently own and also what I find, as well as start to pull apart older texts and explore and expand on definitions of words. My idea is to take old text and translate each work using its dictionary definition to expand on the understanding. This will also be looking at how I have struggled with the way of using a dictionary and to me how it can sometimes complicate matters further.

I am looking forward to using this space, especially as my existing space won't be available over the summer, making it a great opportunity for me to be continually working as well as just thinking about my practice.

Exhibition | The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery | Gather and Bind Exhibition

During the Easter I helped out with the Easter School at Leeds College of Art for a three day workshop in exploring self-portraits and identity. While on a trip to The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery to see the Alfred Drury and the New Sculpture Exhibition, I came across another exhibition on the other side of the gallery called Gather and Bind that was asking questions that are quite relevant to my work. And especially to my current piece with the two books.

Exhibition description (as copied from the Gallery's description)  

Gather and Bind

The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery teamed up with aspire – a Leeds based service run by community links that works with young people experiencing early signs of psychosis - to deliver a series of four bookmaking workshops led by Book Artist Rebecca Jones and Alex Prichard. This project offers the participants the chance to come together and learn new skills in a calm, quiet environment in a way that we hoped would offer some kind of therapeutic respite whilst engaging with the University's Art collection.

The workshops also formed part of the Gallery's wider three-year education project funded by the Audrey & Stanley Burton Charitable Trust, one aspect of which was to engage the community groups that had not previously visited the Gallery.

The participants in the workshops learnt a variety of book making skills, from identifying the grain of paper through to Japanese binding techniques. This display shows examples of the books they have created during the workshops alongside examples of 'Artists' books from the University's Special Collections. It also explores a variety of bookmaking techniques employed by artists.

So, what is an artist book? This is a much debated question indeed. Are they books made by artist? Does the categories include books about artists, or artists' sketchbooks? In the display we are interpreting the term 'Artists' book' to mean a Book made by an artist is intended to exist as an artwork in its own right. What do you think?...

The first question this exhibition has got me thinking about is that whether my idea for these two books are considered as artists books because they are created by myself or are they books connecting to literature because that was the point of questioning by making anti-books. But by making an anti-novel am I in turn creating a different kind of book, and that being an Artist book? Just by the simple notion of challenging what a Artist book is through this exhibition and the process of making has got me thinking further about this. My aim and visioned outcome won't be possible until I tackle this idea. My direction of looking should be spent researching further into what makes an artist book an artists' book and what makes a novel, a novel. I felt I may have been rushing to get these books made without thinking deeply enough into this idea and what the book would represent. Rather than rush into making a book, at this point i'm going to stop and revisit my research and ideas before I am ready to make the book in full, otherwise I will miss the point completely and do as I did with the 'overheard conversations' originally and rush for a finish product that didn't work and felt empty.

Published Writing | Under the Skin | The experimental look at what it means to be human (For Leeds Student News)

My review of Under the Skin written for Leeds Student News. The original can be found here. Some mistakes are in the edited version which I didn't write and also the title wasn't me either. 

Under the Skin is a beautiful, sinister, and lovingly crafted Science Fiction film whose story is simple; yet it delves deep into humanity and what it means to be human. Seen through the eyes of an alien openly hidden in a human form, director Jonathan Glazer’s experimental filming style sees Scarlett Johansson released with hidden cameras into the unsuspecting general public of Glasgow. As she roams the streets, a celebrity among the public, like an alien among the human race, she charms her next victim into a white van.

The combination of stunning visuals with a chilling soundtrack and Johansson’s icy, almost emotionless portrayal of an alien, whose task is to lure men into her trap, has made a film that produces a skin crawling effect. It reminds me of what I felt when I watched Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time.

This film is hard to describe, and hard to review, as no matter what you say it can’t describe the film to its fullest; it needs to be viewed and experienced. It is slow and a bit unnerving, not your easy-watch popcorn movie. However don’t let this put you off, every shot has been carefully considered and guides you through a journey that is part people-watching, part Sci-Fi thriller.

I knew little about this film before hand, but the harder it was to find at the cinemas the more excited I got about seeing it. With a later viewing at the Hyde Park Picture House I soon found it was totally worth the wait.  I urge you all to seek out this film before it’s too late, especially those who want a film that’s a bit different. Even more so if you like intelligent science fiction films, or even just to see Scarlett Johansson in a role completely different anything else she has been in. This has to be by far one of my favourite films this year, alongside Her.

NEST Magazine | Finally got my hands on a copy

NEST Magazine is here and today I got my hands on a copy from the Leeds College of Art Students' Union. This issue is the biggest yet, packed full of articles, interviews, illustrations, photographs and so much more all contributed from students in a wide range of courses within the College presented in full colour of around 48 A4 pages that make up this magazine.

As it gets bigger so does the cost of printing, with this sponsors and adverts present within the print is understandable, but rather than be taken over my adverts that stand out as eye sores between pages, NEST took a different approach. Each advert is designed and created by a student which in turn gives the sponsor a fantastic slot for an audience to see and done in a way that flows with the colour and design of the whole magazine.

It is great opportunity to write for this magazine especially over the last two years. NEST has been a publication that has challenged me in my writing, giving me weird and wonderful tasks and subjects that has taken me outside my comfort zone and helped me get back into writing. This issue is the current editors last, it has been a pleasure working with Kai and Sacha and I look forward to how the new editor envisions the future of NEST.

Here's a sneak preview video....

NEST will be available at Leeds College of Art and other various locations around Leeds. 

Music Video | Filming work | Boomville Finished Video

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I helped work on a music video of a local Leeds Band called Boomville. Filmed and edited by Si Sturgeon and Ozzy Beniston at Leeds College of Art. I had the opportunity to lend a hand, learn some camera and lighting techniques as well as making sure the continuity of each shot was okay.

It's a nicely shot music video, first I've ever had the chance to be apart of. It was an absolute pleasure meeting and working with these guys. Hope you enjoy the video.

Published Writing | Starred Up | Jack O’Connell is a rising star (For Leeds Student News)

My review of Starred Up written for Leeds Student News. The original can be found here.

Image: Sigma Films, Film 4

In my opinion, the vision of Film4 films and the situations they portray are like an actor’s version of a live musical performance: risky, personal, and if done well make for a flowing natural performance, as they throw themselves into the unknown of up close and personal camera work and storytelling that could make or break their career.

Known for his roles in Skins and This is England, Jack O’Connell steps up to the challenge once again here, this time in his portrayal of troubled young offender Eric. Eric is ‘starred up’, or moved early from a junior detention centre to an adult one for being too violent. On arrival he discovers that he has been placed in the same facility as his convict father, and the two struggle with their own relationship amidst the violence of entrenched prisoner factions. I was a little unsure of this film working as a whole, but it didn’t take long before I was convinced. O’Connell gives a show-stopping performance that guides you through a violence-fuelled prison rollercoaster of emotions and second chances.

The film takes a somewhat direct route to what seems like it will turn out to be feel-good story, but out of the blue takes a few twists and turns which change the mood. Favouring some in-depth camera angles and shots, it leaves you feeling agitated and annoyed at the situation and story in front of you. This is, however, a good thing, it builds up the frustration of both sides of the story, viewed by the audience from a distance. But no matter how many glimpses it provides of possible resolution, you are reminded of the powerless role of the viewer; you are a mere spectator of the unfolding situation.

How much of this film is true to prison life? I‘m not sure. Compared to other prison based films, it did feel a little stereotypical to the genre, but this is perhaps only due to what the prison environment calls to mind, which the performances and story enhance to make so much more of.

This is a film I had no interest in seeing originally, the little I knew beforehand didn’t interest me, but going in knowing very little added even more shock to my love of this film. It is an intelligent yet gritty film that Jack O’Connell carriers from start to finish, and gives proof that he is truly a British rising star whose acting career has only really just began.

Film | Super8 | Camera and Film

Got given a Super8 camera and bought some film today from Cherry Kino. All ready to go out and start making some films. Hopefully I am going to shoot a small film in Oberhausen at the end of the month to accompany my article covering the film festival. Looking forward to seeing the results, will post the updates on here very soon.

Kiss Kiss Kill Kill | Exhibition Catalogue | Look what came in the post today

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak to Richard Rhys Davies when I attempted to sneak into the Kiss Kiss Kill Kill Exhibition early so that I could write my review and also because I couldn't wait any longer for this exhibition. Upon getting caught I wasn't kicked out, but welcomed to come in and ended up staying a while to talk films, posters and this exhibition with Richard who collects and curates this archive project of spy film posters.

After a long chat and a look around the exhibition, Richard asked me if I could send my review when it was done, which I did. And today I received a lovely thank you email and a copy of the exhibition catalogue through the post.

This A4 full colour glossy catalogue accompanies the exhibition wonderfully, below is my favourite image so far...

I recommend checking out the Kiss Kiss Kill Kill Archive to anyone interested in film and/or posters of this kind, more information can be found here.

Published Writing | Art | The Home of the Future (For Nest Magazine)

My article The Home of the Future, written for NEST Magazine, printed in the April 2014 issue of NEST. 

The home of the future will be minimal and ever changing to the needs of people. Self-cleaning, self-sufficient and self running to allow more time for working, living and creating. It will be spacious without objects, modern in design with tributes to old twisted in with the new. 

As the population grows, so does the height of the buildings, towering over as blocks of structural architecture that was once deemed impossible to create. Apartments would be habitable in size, made roomier by the use of technological advances reducing the need for so many objects. Due to space individual gardens is a given extra; instead tower blocks create communities where the foyer area of the block contains the basic needs of a person in terms of a few shops, hairdresser and an outside garden area. As space gets tighter, the buildings will start to inhabit the deeper underground in the city, burrowing down like a rabbit’s tunnel further away from the sunlight that becomes a rarity even on the surface; as the colossal buildings block it out like a constant eclipse. With what little light seeps out off the edges and bounces off the metal and glass structures. Lighting will be adapted so that it simulates sunlight rather than a glaring artificial light, for the purpose of making the space as habitable as possible; to avoid the feeling of imprisonment in these underground dwellings. Other measures would be put in place to adapt these lower spaces to present the illusion of being in the world above with ways of creating a night and day seen through a projected of sky overhead; simulating the weather of the outside.

Every building will provide for itself with energy storing solar panels, a rain water collector and small indoor system for the growth of fruit and vegetables; which in turn will be modified to bloom quickly in these conditions, with indoor lights simulating the sun.  In the kitchen, one device cooks all. Completely de-cluttering a range of electronic appliances that boil, roast, reheat and fry into one handy, efficient box. Food will be packaged less and be transportable in a smaller size, which will expand into a hearty meal when cooked.

Any surface can be a touchable, moveable thing. Rooms adapt to individuals needs and style by the use of login systems that changes the room’s appearance according to the inhabitant’s settings; which can control the mood of room with virtual projections. Meaning there is no need for excessive or permanent design, blank walls do just fine and makes redecorating a breeze. Everything around you is purely wireless and can be voice activated from anywhere in the apartment. No need for cords and wires, no clutter, no dashing to another part of the room for something, most things can be achieved without moving or having to give up one task to achieve another.  News and entertainment are also provided through wireless means, instant and quick to receive in any part of the room, on any wall, suited to where you are located at the time. Computer games have evolved to inhabit a room creating a virtual projection-like environment, to give the player a more interactive world to explore.

The wardrobe of the future is to be small, compact and multifunctional. Material that becomes self fitting, and designed to monitor and adapt to the slightest change in the environment it is faced with. Separate rooms won’t be a thing, so cupboards and storage are hidden in unobtrusive compartments around the walls; giving the illusion of space and avoiding clutter. All doors will slide rather than opening out occupying a space.

Transport will be fast, direct and cleaner to the environment. It will glide almost soundlessly rather than roar and grind across the ground. To adapt to the height of the buildings public transport would be available on various levels and heights like a ladder of monorails climbing up through the city.

A fight to inhabit space will commence. As space gets tighter, ideas will expand to be more efficient with the way it is used. Great is the human mind at problem solving and with the invention of robotics to do a lot of the work, time will be free for more humans to be even more creative.