Creative inclusions

19 March 2011

Things are also moving forward with my Ambush project. In order to establish and see if the site is workable we organized to undertake a test dig. Trevor Thickett, the engineer met in Bristol with the manager, the digger driver and myself. We dug 3 holes down to 2-3m in the area where we propose to build the tunnels, without causing any damage to the trees. The ground did not pose any significant difficulties with regard to construction. There was approximately 1.5 m of made ground with the possibility of a high organic content. The soils at 1.5m below ground appear to be the start of the naturally occurring red clays with an estimated safe bearing capacity of 100kN/m2. with no evidence of water, which was great news. Trevor estimated that the larger trees are probably around 70years old and from the trial holes it would appear the made ground extends across the whole of the area where we propose to develop.

The next stage now is for the estate to supply: Arboriculturist Report on the trees with comments on their age and health; their stability if they are undermined and the best way of ensuring they remain stable in the long term; a detailed topographical survey plan of the site and background information on what other material may have been buried on site.

My 8^th week at Pied a Terre were the discussion in the kitchen became very interesting, we talked about containers – body containers, sack’s… and Shane asked me if I’ve ever used sheep’s testicles sack in my work or have even tried sheep’s testicles? I said no but I would be very interested to see what the skins look like especially the sack!!!

So, in week 9, 6 testicles arrived (all different sizes) but they couldn’t get the sacks. Although the testicles look very interested it was bit disappointed that there was not a sack with them, as that was the part I was really interested in. So I contacted my Taxidermy teacher and asked if he could perhaps source some through his suppliers? He said: he will try and that he new a very good butcher near him.

My week 10 at Pied a Terre I met with Catherine Mason in the morning at Pied a Terre, who used to be one of the Directors at Calum Sutton PR, but now freelancer will independently work on and help with the PR for my project. We discussed the progress of my artist in residency and look at the press opportunities that we could create. In the evening I met with Marie-Lise and after going to an opening at the Austrian Embassy (Culture Matters UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the South East of Europe) we when for dinner at L’Autre Pied, one star Michelin – the sister restaurant of Pied à Terre, based in Marylebone. The staff really looked after us and the food was amazing.

Sarah Collicott and myself had a meeting with BDP lighting regarding my commission in Bath. BDP is one of the largest interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists in Europe, with a track record in many sectors including health, education, workplace, retail, urbanism, heritage, housing, transport and leisure. http://www.bdp.com/en/Services/Lighting/

14 March 2011

It’s been 5 busy weeks and I haven’t updated my blog…. Not sure if anyone is reading this and if you find it of any interest???

Mottisfont Abbey was amazing, such a beautiful place. It was a great sunny day and if it were raining maybe I would of had a different experience. Anyhow, we spend couple of hours with Louise looking at the site, including a tour of the house, finished by a nice cup of tea. There are fantastic opportunities and the approach Mottisfont is taking towards developing contemporary art is complex. We have been asked to propose two or three ideas for Mottisfont and I am expecting this to be a long process but hopefully will flourish into something amazing.

The Rt Revd Declan Lang, Bishop of Clifton, officially blessed my work ‘Transpire’ at St Bede’s in Bristol at a launch ceremony for the new facilities at the College on the 10^th February 2011.

Couple of weeks a go myself, Simon and Nicole had our first meeting with Joe, a key person for the Romany community in Sittingbourne, Kent. The meeting when brilliantly and it was decide it for us to organise a one-day event in July, in order to research and develop ideas for the project.

I when to visit the gardens and Ham House in London where I have been invited to make a proposal for temporary commission. I meet Tim Etchells, who’s also been shortlisted, and together with Penny Schwier and Tessa Fitzjohn’s we visited all the suggested sites. The National Trust owns the house; it has a long history and it is the best-kept example of its time, very beautiful building! The same evening I when to the celebration of the 20^th of Anniversary of Artangel held at Ivor and Sarah’s Braka house in Chelsea, this was a truly amazing evening and what a house!!!

the perfect dish

This was my fourth week at Pied a Terre. At present I am doing couple of days per week at the restaurant and every day is very different. I am constantly being surprised by the quality and the perfection – starting from preparing, to cooking to presenting the food on the plates. It is beautiful and it is an art of work in itself.

I am slowly gathering a collection of various bits and taking them back to my studio for testing.

My 2000 fish skins from Farne Salmon & Trout in Duns where delivered last week at my studio. They arrived in one huge lorry; the driver had a problem even turning the lorry around in our car park, which is pretty big. I had a bit of a surprise to how large the 10 boxes wore and soon realised that one large freezer (that I had) was not going be sufficient, and quickly had to go out and search for one more freezer.

It took me few days to defrost the boxes in order to separate the skins into smaller bags and freeze them again. Now I take a bag at the time out to defrost and clean, which are then washed and freezed again. My target, that I haven’t reached yet, is 200 skins per week.

I am off to an Artsway Associates visit to Mottisfont Abbey tomorrow.

My Arts Councils years grant is officially coming to an end. The funding enabled me to concentrate on areas of my practice; to focus on identifying key people who would help, support and advise me on developing my work, eg Tommaso Corvi-Mora and James Lingwood. The open-ended research is been very valuable and enabled me to initiate collaborations that resulted in unforeseen exciting spin offs and developmental opportunities.

Instead of finishing with this blog and starting a new one I have decide it to continue with my Creative Inclusions Blog because the following projects have been initiated and realised through the research.

This week I started my Artist-in-Restaurant residency at Pied a Terre. This is an 8-month residency followed with a solo exhibition at the restaurant planned to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair, 2011. http://artist-in-restaurant.co.uk/press.html

I spend couple of days at the restaurant observing, talking to and getting to know some of the staff and chefs in the kitchen.

On Tuesday I had my first lunch at Pied a Terre with a freelance Stephanie Theobald who’s writing a piece for BMI Voyager (inflight magazine, high readership figures) about Artist in Restaurant and setting up a feature with a national newspapers. Our lunch/meeting lasted 3 ½ hours; we were given to choose what ever we want it from the menu; there were three types of menu: Lunch menu: 2 courses menu; A la carte: starter and main course with a choice of dessert or fine cheese; and Tasting menu: 10 courses tasting menu; Stephanie and myself chose a starter each and a main course but the food just kept coming; we starting with a canopy, which was followed by a starter and choice of beautiful bread, main course, then choice of cheeses, followed by pre desert, then desert and at the end to top it all arrived the three layered tower with amazingly presented sweets. It was a great experience to dine here and try these exceptional gourmet food carefully presented by Michelin star chef Shane Osborn.

The following day I arrived at 9.30 and after changing when strait down to the kitchen. I found all the staff busy preparing the food for the day, I said hello and observed what they were doing, from time to time moving to keep out of they way. There are 10 people at one time plus the main chef, the kitchen is so small but amazingly comfortable, they all have they own designated areas to prepare different parts of the food and so well coordinated and work together. I slowly started to get to know some of the staff and figuring out what they jobs are, fascinated with they skills and ability to work so fast and precise. The morning when very fast and at 12.00pm the first orders started to come in; these is when I moved to one corner, with a great view to observe the presentation and dishing of the orders. I was impressed with how fast but still with perfection to detail they worked and every dish was carefully examined and inspected before being send to the customer. From time to time Shane showed me and give me to taste small unique bits of food that they use in they presentation, with explaining what they are and where they come from, eg. Red blossom flowers from apple trees in Holland, green leaves which were hand picked in woodlands in Wales, that had very fresh and lemony taste….

By the time I new it was almost 4.00pm, with the last orders done, and the staff began cleaning the kitchen and immediately to prepare the food for the evening. Although I didn’t do much, just stood there watching, I felt so tired I had to call it a day. I was happy, I when home with few fish skins and bird fit that I asked the staff to put a side as they prepared the food during the day.