Looking About – Auto-Bio-Stratigraphy – conceptual geologcal mapping

‘Raining cats and logs’

October 31st

Portsmouth

Catching up post – no 1 sat with cat as the raincreates aural distracting patterns on the plastic roof above me….

Mapping exhibition: A Work in progress

Friday 11th October

A ‘two weeks start in earnest’ with a day showing with talk at the end.

I had booked the space in GASP a while ago (ArtSpace Portsmouth – the studios where I have space) in order to show the pre-printed finished map – unfortunately after being beset with quite a few months delays due to my imposed health issues it turns out to be the ‘reveling’ of the start of the finalizing of the map (last stage of project) not the ending. This is complex as i think in chronology and Churchill said something better during the war about the end of the phony war/battle of Britain.

The work starts a while before – each of the many hundred’s of day logs in book form and loose needs translation into numbers and condensing to make the map – As I have severe difficulty with reading I engaged another artist as access – We both sat together for this time and started the process working and modifying a system and process as we tumble through – we were able to show some of these sheets which will then be correlated with fossils (souvenirs) and make the map later in November – December – ready to show in Northern Ireland first in February 2014.

We also showed maps – I LOVE maps – any map but geological maps are works of art in their own right – they in 2D translate the 3D for those of us who can read form -The first geological maps in the UK were made by the army (Ordinance survey) but soon taken over by the British Geological Survey – you can find detail here

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/about/ourPast.html

http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.htm…

and a mobile app is available too

I took great joy in pining various maps on the wall – no guilt at marking – they always attract attention

We also showed fossils and the Wichester series of manipulated images – they can be microscope slides or maps – free of scale i prefer people make their own mind up – what I didn’t show was ‘The map’ roughs – there are two and as I cant choose there may be two maps!

in short:

People came to view – I gave a talk – we left the sad lamp on – we drank wine and I had the eureka map moment I had been waiting for walking in to the showing – for that I am ‘externally’ grateful

‘I should have done art – I liked art more’

October 30th

Portsmouth

I tempted fate with the last post and have ‘missed a couple of months’ before adding with this post – as with the Konfirm blog – I now play ‘catch up’ – there is a certain duality between these two blogs – the unexpected has happened and Konfirm is continuing out of the blue as it tracks the legacy and the renewal for part 2 to come.

This blog though, has been uneasy – uneasy with respect to choice – being busy making or writing about things – also the more I am stressed to more as a person with aspergers ‘I close up’ – the last 2 months have been not good – personally a few imposed issues of support have affected me – we aspies often find the ‘social world’ imposing without a map – I need a map – well I need an interactive guide – this has been silent in its absence’ leaving me stranded in an alien landscape.

Why write? the blog for Konfirm is part of the artwork – this blog is still young or too late whichever angle you look at it as it was impossible to start from the beginning unlike Konfirm as most of the logging was pen on paper.

Time spent has been taken by the work and not writting about it – my energy has been spent on product not documentation – this is a ‘disconformity’ – an allowed ‘disconformity’ – I has not been writers block but a lifers block – yes I am free of the PTSD but I have retained fragility, vulnerability as a person and artist – some times this is unlivable with sometimes not – it finds its way leeching – invaiding – the work – artistic diagenesis if given time.

we often

do not

have time

to sink or swim

The posts to catch up will be out of place – be that faulted or folded eroded and examined – they are part of the landscape – my issues are part of the landscape all be it imposed stress – unnecessary in taste – I do not make to ‘make myself better’ a therapy for periods of anxiety or depression – I make because I am compelled to make – not to make is hell – death – so anything that stops you is to be feared – reviled – avoided unless foisted upon you

so here we go