a networked practice

I’m working on presenting a few things that have been in development for a while at the moment… and all of them are at that difficult stage where I can’t / don’t really want to say too much about them just yet; but I am VERY excited by them! So in this blog post I will try to sum up some of them so you can get an idea of things to come and what I’ve been up to!

Work at on my resdency at #SouthamsCardallCollection has been continuing at a good pace! I’m not ready to show the work BUT I can anounce a solo-presentation and publicaton launch for which the flyer is attached to this blog post… The publication is a limited edition of 100 and will be sent to my mailing list and will be available to collect from arts venues across warwickshire (whom are participatng in the Warwickshire Open Studios Event) as well as from the Cardall Collecton itself!

There are new things lined up for Untitled (Network of Artist Led Actvity) which I can’t wait to see happen! For the mean time I’ve been working on updated versions of the scripts of which I’ve attached a photo!

Things also continue happening towards db8 idntty; more specifically as part of the research toward it… I am working toward curating an event which will be great if it works as I’m envissioning it! And have been invited to give a talk in the USA which if I get funding for I will present a performance lecture as a part of my research!

I’ve also made a few new works almost incidently as I go about other things in the studio which is quite unusual but I am certain they are works… The first is a mobile phone photograph called #Tree which will be presented on a digital photo frame which I have recently made new wall brackets for! And the other work is an untitled screenshot printed at A1 and cropped to 40x50cm and mounted in an aluminium frame; I’m quite happy to trade the screenshot for another work as I can’t really see myself exhibting it for some reason so if anyone is interested please do get in touch, is signed and dated on the rear…

I also recently popped into my old secondary school to see whats going on in the A-Level Art Department and was really impressed in the improvements of both facilities and quality of work! Hopefully I’m going to be popping in now and again to gve tutorials, crits, advice and to generally lurk and drink some coffee whch I thnk is going to be really interesting!

I’m also showing one of the Marking the Internet and the Physical sculptures at Mello Mello Cafe in a show called Liverpool Art Now PT2 so if you find yourself in that area do pop in for a look!

Again if you wanted to join my mailing list, and recieve a copy of the #SouthamsCardallColletion publication then please send name, postal and email address’ to [email protected]

I’ve just had some prints delivered for work at Southams Cardall Collection; I’m really pleased with them and can’t wait to see them installed! Unfortunatly I have to wait at least 2 weeks before I get to see this due to working on the install at Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum (all of which is going well by the way!).However, with ths post are some photos of the prints which have just been delivered and the mock-up I made of how it will actually exist in the space!

Work also continues on the publication that is being made to coincide with this display and the first two pages are currently with the printers, subsequent pages and the other pieces of work which are going to come with the publication are being either printed by myself or with a diffrent printers using diffrent papers and inks,etc… and will then all be hand bound and packaged by myself n the studio!

I’ve also been digitising my mailing list, so if you would like to recieve updates about my activities (and probably publications, prints, etc…) via post and/or email please do send me your name and relevent addresses to [email protected] , updates arn’t that frequent, I promise!

Had a day in Birmingham today (oh how I’ve missed you) as I was standing in at Grand Union. It was Reynir Hutber’s show Stay Behind the Line which was being presented as a part of Fierce Festival. It was a great show which explored “mediated images, politics of containment, security and observation”, this subject matter and the excelent production led to be becoming massively paranoid around the middle of the day but I got through it! Its open for another 7 days… I recommend you go and investgate!

For at least 3 hours!

I also took the oppertunity to hunt down some of the Raqs Media Collective billboards as a part of 48 Sheet which were really good to see! I do like Raqs!

This week has seen a lot of work put in at Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum… hence not so much making time has been spent… been up to a few things though!

A-(Discussion)-Board is almost done, just needs one final coat of blackboard paint and its done… ready to be shipped off and exhibited and used (hopefully).

I’ve pieced togeather one of the Marking the Internet and the Physical Markers with new steel cable and have packed it up ready to be shipped off next week for a show in Liverpool, more details on which I will post soon!

I’ve been getting some post which has been interesting; I got some flyers to drop into work from Aby who is curating [S T A T E] an evening of performance, video and live action in Birmingham. I also recieved a wedge of A-N Magazines which feature myself and Flowlosopha in the digital partners article.

I’ve continued work on the Southam Cardall Collection publicaton and have been getting quotes back for printing… I’ve decided that each page is being printed on diffrent paper and folded into the publication by hand in the studio… I’ll post more info on this when things start happening, in the mean time heres a photo of the publication mock-up I made… The publication, when made will be in an edition of 100 and I’ve not yet work out if its going to be free or not…

Its been a productive week!

Untitled (network of artist-led activity) is being shown at Papergirl BHM, in the 48 Sheet Project Space in Birmingham’s Mailbox. It also continues to be shown in Driftstation’s Bookstore. I continue adding to the script after each bout of communication with a gallery about the work, but it is yet to be performed. I’ve made a few decissions about it’s performance as well, potientially, there are a number of stage-sets for its performance. I’m considering video from the initial residency at the Lombard Method that sparked the project or alternativly making some sort of temporary architectural construction, which may or may not hold the prints from that initial residency and as the work grows, prints from other presentations of the work. I’ve been thinking about ‘costume’ as well, I’m looking at printing tee-shirts for each member of the cast…tbc… I really want to see the work performed so I know how to evolve the project but am quite pleased with the current level of distribution of the scripts! I’ve also decided that in Jan 2013 I will make a print depicting all activity that has gone on around the work in the year since its inception.

Everything at the Cardall Collection residency is going well! This week I carried on working towards the window display which I think is looking quite nice! And the QR Codes worked when scanned through the glass which is a bonus! Now I have the size’s/angle’s/shapes etc worked out I’m planning on digitising these and getting them printed, still haven’t worked out if I will need to dye the paper before or after printing but i’ve not yet made the dye anyway so thats not a huge problem! Need to go walking and collect some local berries! In related news the first edition of the evolving publication I made for this residency is on show at Westgate Studio’s in Wakefield in a show called #Tweetart

A while ago I posted photos of an A-Board structure I had made, at the time I didn’t know why or what it was about. I’ve returned to it and am really quite pleased with it now! One side is painted with blackboard paint (chalk will be supplied) and the other has drawing pins in. I have called it A-(Discussion)-Board and hope that it will become a physical social network where people can ‘post’ things, make comments, etc… I have also started sending out proposals for exhibiting this! Its making is not quite finished (if such a participatory thing ever is) but looks like it will when I send it out into the world for the first time!

I’ve also done my website up a bit; I’ve had a CV update (already needs updating again), updated the images on the frontpage and have compleatly re-arranged the page with my work on, this has included uploading more images and video and i think it works much better than it did originally! Whilst working on this I also started designing a new business card which I’ll get printed soon hopefully! Anyway www.ryanhughesprojects.net for those updates!

With regards to db8 idntty I can’t really claim that I’ve not started anymore! I’ve started making some small models based on the technical drawings I’d been making and have scripted one of the characters! still a million miles away from have ANYTHING to show but its a deffinate start!