Video
I am going to have a little moan. You would never expect a plumber or an electrician to work for nothing yet somehow artists, especially if you work digitally, are asked to work for nothing on the grounds that "it will only take a few minutes…all we want is a 5 /6 minute video."
Yes, after much prevarification I agreed to do one for a friend ( who shall remain anonymous) to go with her upcoming exhibition.
Because you cant see anything – its all done digitally inside a computer- there is little understanding amongst the non-computer literate of the complexity of the work.
The promise that the work would arrive already in a form to put straight into the computer i.e. still images on CD and video cassette ready to be edited proved still-born.
so, please spare a thought for us poor video artists before you ask us to "knock up" a quick video to go with your exhibition.
Have just heard that The Wellcome Trust want to archive my daily weblog on Craig-y-nos. (www.craig-y-nos.blogspsot.com ) This is good news and makes up for the nasty comments appearing on the BBCMidWales website(www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/abercraf/pages/annshaw.shtml
Another 26 photos arrived on email this morning , thank goodness for Broadband, but it still took ages to download.
Well I had hoped my e-book would be inter-active – and its certainly being that – but had not expected it to be inter-generational. All these photos that are flowing in ( 72 yesterday on CD) are being sent by children and grandchildren who are suddenly discovering the "hidden life" of their elders, a history they never suspected.
Phew! I had no idea what I had started when I began to research a book on a piece of missing Welsh history. . The stories from the former child patients are rolling in and its a struggle to put all this into some kind of order. Have still got 8 hours of audio to edit. The stories range from the bizarre – midnight feasts on the castle roof- to Dickensian – children forcefed food. For many their experiences, usually running into years, had a profound effect on them for they were isolated physically from the rest of the world ( remote Welsh castle) and from their parents ( visiting allowed once a month).I am keeping a weblog about the research(www.craig-y-nos.blogspot.com)
And still the photos and emails come rolling in…however this afternoon met up with Caroline – we havent met since we were 10 years of age- and she has offered to help with the book. It's an offer I can't refuse. With nearly 80 people waiting to be interviewed we are seriously wondering if there is some money around to help.
