john moores film response

well it took ages to upload/download (?) from camera to computer, luckily it was did most of it whilst i was in bed last night and it carried on til id got back from dog walking. i have arranged the first bit after a play around, tho i keep coming back to watch. as a process i think its a bit like standing back from a painting. also i find it helpful to play with it as sometimes it throws up something that fits, just so. i have been a great fan of coincidence for a while now, in a personal sense as well as in a piece of work, alot of my films are not directed but observations, so in nature rely on some element of chance. so it comes as no surprise that i purchased and am reading ‘chance, documents of contemporary art’ although i dont seem to get much chance to read it at tho mo.

i got back last night from a busy few days, still on a liverpool high.

going to try and sum up the trip in a compact fashion…

arrived weds lunchtime and went straight to the walker gallery, met marketing anne and got to it. i had decided a plan of action on the train so had & took the oppertunity to film before the exhibition opened, which was a special gift, in a practical and childlike way.

went off to nick crowe & ian rawlinsons pv (nick was BA my tutor), it was really good of them to plan their opening on the day i arrived. bumped into a few that i knew and had some very interesting conversations. a thoroughly productive day1.

thursday set up postion for the press anouncement, pootled about town and came back for the proper private view announcement, ooo nearly forgot, met one of my artheroes, wolfgang tilmans, who was invited to repsonsed to the walker collection so had a chat about my video response and his lens based response. also introduced myself to sir norman, garry hume and keith coventry. i dont get out much so thought id make the most of it.

friday i returned to my spot for a few hours and had some chats with the gallery visitors, one of which wanted me to “tell all of those down south how godd it is up at the walker gallery”. went to the tate opening and the new contemporaries but got kicked out after 10mins as they were closing, decided not to join the queue for the coach to the after party as my bed was calling.

saturday carried on visiting art sites about town. including simon faithfuls lime street station work, where he just happened to be standing (waiting for a friend to get off a train), i knew him from a project in berlin skulpturen park so it was good to see him again. he was doing a performative talk in the adelphi hotel, where i just happened to be staying. coinsidences are a wonderful thing. another true wonder is ‘turning the place over’ by richard wilson, stood there for ages with my mouth open. went backt to my spot in the gallery to film at closing time and i leave feeling i have everything covered.

sunday we visited the hope street festival which was wonderful, even in the rain, watched half of the footy match and half of simon’s talk, before rushing for the train.

the images i had in my head before i started the filming seem to be inside the video camera so i am happy with it so far, i will download this evening. i need to think about the online viewing format amongst doing the washing.

to sum up so far

i will say to all of you down south, east, west & north to pay the walker & liverpool a visit it really is all a happening there in an architectual feast, full of charm and warmth, even when raining.

right, wash number1…

setting off tommorow morning, organised kids & pets, nearly packed, chargers aplenty, back-up camera and lists ticked. looking forward to my liverpudlian adventure. will report back when i return unless i find some internet access lying around.

i won a bursary, i am so chuffed for so many reasons. the money is an obvious help, £200 is going towards accomodation and travel, but i am also excited about the filming. i have made several films in galleries before, but it has always been a tense affair as i am doing it without permission. my films are descrete observations and usually concentrate on the bottom halves of people, capturing the body language and movements of people without getting caught up in the facial side of things. i like the play between a work of art and the viewer and then again between my work and the viewer, so i try and show the work in context with the film. anyways, that was a bit of a waffle – i think i am still going with the descrete capturing approach, but without the threat of expulsion from the gallery!

so far it has been an enjoyable experience, although there is an expectation of a film from an ‘other’ which is a bit alien, im not feeling pressured tho. i have been invited to the press thing on the thursday afternoon and the evening announcement, i have asked to look around before all of that too, plus i am staying til sunday morning, so i feel in a prepared place – enough time to capture and respond to the paintings and the prize. the uneasy bit might be condensing it into 5mins of video.