Nottingham Trent University

Today I am obliged to write in italic

The past week has lent itself much to degree show planning and website preparation. so there has not been much time for working within my own practice, so the following week will hopefully force me to get up to speed and get testing things out in the studio.

In regards to the conversational element of my work though, I was particularly intigued by this weeks context lecture by Paul Eachus who is currently showing’trans chaosmos facility’ at the wasp room in nottingham.

What was interesting for me was the final output of his practice ( a photograph) in relation to the actual installations he creates. More importantly that they become this two dimensional means for narrating. and that it reveals no more than this.

In relation to my own work, I am using creating a digital collage to subvert the stance of advertising, editing in the truth and editing out the real. I think then it is useful to question how much information an image can give us at any point.

Mid-point has been and gone and now all I feel myself doing is writing and researching rather than making; I am seriously considering which is best.

My brain power feels phenomenal at this time yet I struggle to see what I am going to make for the degree show. I suppose it is only a matter of perseverance and experimenting on a more controlled scale compared to before the midpoint. But I feel like I am forced to know EXACTLY what I am going to show for the degree – there are so many ideas in my head that have potential.

And what confuses me most is a lack of things I want to see out there in galleries/performances. I am hoping the show at the ceri hand gallery in liverpool ‘spasticus artisticus’ will be relavent to my work, and something I can write about. All the things that inform my work lately is seemingly society itself. Perhaps I am worrying too much?

Lately there is one thing I am doing a lot of, and thats complaining, arguing with myself and annoying others about the concept of the art and design boundary. I struggle to see sense why it is there at all. It is only limiting creativity if we make this boundary.

I am constantly looking for a definition of art and I recently read Sagmeisters ‘made you look’ monograph in which he makes a comment on Brian Eno’s idea: Art should not be seen as an object it should be seen as a trigger for experience. It is something that happens, it is an experience not a quality.And I cannot begin to explain how I relate to this.

I think it is more because I am worried how people perceive my work. Do they label it graphic design, or Art? I find myself trying to justify the whole thing , however I find myself arriving at the same point constantly; my work is an experience for myself and the viewer, so then, why should it have this label, and why should this label stop my work being a successful experience?

Anyway thats enough of that for now, more posts later.

After having written my context assignment I feel refreshed and ready to move forward to my next experiment which I will show for the midpoint.

I am focussing on simulacra in advertising, communication and how it very much a means of manipulating the reality we see and breathe.

Im thinking along the lines of making a literal statement with my illustrations. However I am not sure what mix of mediums to go for. I am increasingly attracted to documenting the idea in a public space as it seems to make more sense.

I have been so busy in process and assignments in the last term I think it is time to reflect on where I am so far.

in the words of Tony Hung ‘My life is a series of lists from which i am constantly trying to cross things off.’ is just about how I feel right now; and it is simply annoying and frustrating not exactly knowing where I am in this list! and for me the first term of third year has been a myriad of mistakes! Continuing with the idea of netsuke and how this ties in with the notion of a simulated reality; I wanted to create this huge glass vessel containing netsuke; like a miniature created reality.

Alas! this seems not to have worked so well, the whole concept of thought just dissolves in processes and somwehere I just lose myself. that place was not so good, so I continue on and now find myself engaged in the work of Gustav Metsger and carrying on with my illustrations just seems the right place for me to be at the moment.

I find seminars have revealed how I can take illustration to the next level and simply how there are endless possibilities of representing what I am trying to say.

I hope to find myself updating my blog more regularly and now I have begun I will probably find it easier.

Plus please visit my new website it is the result of more hard work…but well worth it!