Nottingham Trent

Has it really been this long since posting on here? Degree show around the corner, private views this week…Its been a whirlwind of a term interspersed with periods of lucidity taken where available.

For better or worse you cant hold back whats happening and what Ive chosen for degree show. I tried to remain brave in my decisions, and with performances at this weeks private views and possibly beyond, the work is not over yet. Not quite yet.

There was a time for reflection before, and there will be again, but probably not until some of the dust of this degree show has settled a little. Its time to enjoy this period. Its special and unique, but already slipping away.

Well the Christmas break over, which was nice and relaxing and ready to ease back into uni next week.

Beyond some writing assignments, reading, old vhs I finally edited a video that has been taking months and given me wrist ache (insert boyish sniggers here). Nothing like a deadline to get working, so I have been finishing up some collages for Simon Raven’s Dirty Box http://boxnottingham.blogspot.com/ for this Tuesday.

Also over the break I have been intermittently answering questions from Richard Taylor for a-n’s blogger’s profile sometime in the future. Trying to remain coherent holding a conversation over several days was different, but it was a useful experience. More like a tutorial really, which I wasn’t expecting. So thankyou Richard. I encourage anyone reading this to get involved too.

Why do I choose to post on here when I’ve got food waiting for me again!? Ah but pressure and stress can be a great catalyst…

Course-wise we got feedback on written work this week, all going well – ‘keep on keeping on’ to quote Curtis Mayfield.

New videos are coming together, developing some new techniques, possibly moving into a more performative/vjing area which would be exciting. Having played in bands a little a few years ago, I kinda miss playing live. I’m sure there is something in the notion that artists are failed rockstars…

Already behind with this whole blogging-as-recording-as-experience-as-reflection business.

Third year just seems much more busy.

Deadlines come at us at a seemingly weekly pace. Combine this with fundraising meetings, events, booster workshops and degree show organising, oh and trying to make work in between….you get the picture. But busy is good, right? Absolutely.

As previous bloggers have pondered, the purpose of what I am writing right now is unclear to me. Maybe some vain hope that someone might care or be interested. But who? I’d like to think people on my course could just approach me to gain an insight into how I feel about the fine art course at Nottingham Trent, (I’m the one with grey hair and spectacles wandering around) so what would be the purpose of them reading this?

Maybe it doesn’t have to have a purpose. Fine with me I guess. I enjoy reading about other student’s experiences on their course’s; the similarities, the differences, their thoughts and struggles and triumphs…Sorry this is all getting a bit inspirationally cliched. Again, you get the picture.

Anyway, heres some stills from some video work I’ve recently been investigating. I guess I’ll talk about them some other time. Right now dinner is on its way…

Provisional list for starting 3rd year tomorrow

(In no particular order);

– Remain calm

– Remain focused

– Keep working

– Enjoy it

– Learn more

– Refine

– Experiment

– Do not be frozen into creative stasis by the mere fact that everything handed in this year counts towards a final abstract arbitrary assessment.

– Try to remember the degree is not an ending. But a comma, brief pause, in my development. Ok, maybe a full stop, new sentence. New paragraph? Actually, maybe that cliche, a new chapter. Hell, next volume? Whatever, you get the idea – continuation!

– Drink less