scope to play

my phone has been lighting up with yellow warnings of snow – i look out the window and the bight sunlight makes my eyes squint, the bluesky clear of cloud.  warnings of things to come.

its been half term so routine patterns have been slightly disrupted and this is a good thing.  i’ve spent more time this week considering secondhand projectors and i’ve metaphorically kicked myself at missing out on two.  i reassure myself its simply a question of time. a mental image of morpheus appears and i smile to myself.

we’re starting back with forest school after half term and i’m looking forward to getting back into the wood.  this week has seen me checking and preparing our resources and making another mallet.

the highlight of the week has been facilitating a family friday session at derby museums.  it was the penultimate richard long inspired activity and it didn’t disappoint.  the invitation was to use the natural materials – sticks and stones to create an image with an option to have that image photographed and added in real time to a slide show on the projection screen.

the 90 minute session flew by and by the end we’d added 66 images to the show.  along the way the process we were using facilitated conversations about the practice of sir richard long and how there was work by him upstairs.

i loved the diverse responses and ideas.

i loved how parents got involved and demonstrated positive role modelling for their children – their pictures being copied by their young children.

i’ve made a selection of my favourite composite images created by the image display to share with you :

i glance over to the window – the afternoon sun lighting up  **** phone rings *****

sometime later its getting dark now, my earlier happy mood further helped by a really positive phone call that potentially will led into something really really positive.

my week has been good and enjoyable and productive – the sun has been out – a good week to be on holiday.

i’ve bee tip of the week !

“Generate value in your practice by developing the relationships with people and organisations connected to it.” Tip of the Week from Andrew Martyn Sugars, AA2A Artists 2011 – 12 Nottingham Trent University @TrentUni @andrewsugars

https://twitter.com/AA2Aproject/status/963030591338876928

yes ! aa2a have published my top tip and i’ve managed to take my own advice this week.

(i note that the embed function is improving yet i still can;t press the final button to make it stick – note for a-n web development team)

i feel quite bingly. my week has had lots of things starting or restarting.

i’m happy this is the case as my january developed into such an enjoyable month that i honestly wondered how i might follow it up.  the answer came – with new stuff !

my confidence is still on the up and it feels good.

one of the starting things is the skin and bone trio.  i’m researching what generative visuals i might want to present to the trio as a starting point for them to ponder.  here are three images from a section of work done earlier in the week.  i’m pleased how they look.

a different day – different starting point – different images to share.

the skin and bone opportunity presents many problems to find solutions for.  one of them is how to control the nature of the generation.  this week a wacom tablet arrived and i’ve fallen foul of operating system incompatibility – i work at finding a workaround and i do have an idea.

i’ve left the restart till last – picking up the whittling of skulks of foxes.  a friend’s son is 21 soon and there’s a party to go to.  what to give ?  i decide it’s time to share my skulks with him.  for the first time i work with cherry, sourced from a volunteer session doing woodland management tasks near to where i live.

i’ve found the cherry really lovely to work with.  it was felled two weeks ago and sat outside so moisture content is high.  whittling as been relatively easy – once i remembered what steps i needed to make to create the fox !  the third attempt is the one i’m going to give.  i spent a lot more time with this set and i’ve realised a lot.   the hardest part is making the nose and of the 8 i only had one that looked vaguely how i wanted it to.  i went back in gently whittled away more wood.

i use homemade charcoal to blacken their noses.

as the cherry dries – it changes colour !

i’m so looking forward to giving the present to him.

returning to the skin and bone work – i think i have a plan.  as the project is for all intense and purpose voluntary, i’m keeping in focus the “it needs to be fun”.  so with this in mind i’m making time to play when it feels good to do so.

i have a sense of the layering i need to be able to feel responsive to the trio’s improvisation.  for now i’m concentrating on establishing what the three layers are.  at some point i hope to improvise (play) along with the trio.

i have some options to consider for human interface.  all in good time.

something that has been giving me a headache this week is how to show my work.  i think the project needs what i create to be projected in some way.  i’m keen for the output to be part visual and part light show.  my time on ebay has been on the increase of late.  (i currently don;t own or have access to a projector.) .

one thing i’m aware of is that my wish to upgrade my phone – ongoing since last summer – might well have to wait again as i work out if i have any budget to purchase something second hand.

the trio have mentioned the intention to consider making an application for funding.  we’ll met sometime soon to explore why we need the money.  i feel the conversation could become tense as we collectively explore our attitude to how might we work towards the wanted outcomes of potential funders ?

its half term next week so not sure how it’ll pan out at home.  i know i have commitments at the beginning and end of the week – i wait happily to discover what scope for play and fun present themselves.

happy weekend everyone.

hello.

sometimes i have a freeze of ideas how to start a post – today has been such an occasion.

i add in a picture from a walk last weekend to break up the words so far.

i feel tired.  today has been a day of wordsmithing and completing my submission to doc fest of the second tranche of the non linear commission from the derby silk mill.

even if the submission were to be unsuccessful, the non linear project has moved on as a result of considering what was needed for the submission.  part of me knows i can re-write this in more positive langauge – the project overall has benefitted from submitting.

a week ago i responded the invitation from sue ball to join the volunteers and listen to the digital artists who are jointly commissioned with dlab also part of the arts and heritage programme.

at the meeting were 3 of the 4 commissioned artists and their projects. they are very diverse.  the plan  for the group is to meet bimonthly and share about practice and projects.

it was wonderful to be in the silk mill again and see some of the objects from around the museum waiting to be taken to storage.

while out with florence today i thought about the completion of shimmering place and the beginning of the skin and bone trio collaboration.  one circle completing – another beginning.

with the skin and bone trio there is synergy with the silk mill project.  at the beginning of the filming there were lots of different things to think about and consider – so many possibilities with the path ahead of finding out what i know about the project as yet to be defined.

skin and bone is as yet unfunded.

therefore i’m needing to make sure i manage my time and keep enjoying the opportunity.  i say this upfront – almost to remind me – of what though ?

its fun and for me.

i mentioned earlier i feel tired.  if i wasn’t i would pull up a you tube video of carl cox and start playing.  i think this evening i need to accept being tired and find a way of looking after myself and relaxing.  i smile to myself as really i want to play and i almost need to so i can see that i am too tired to make anything constructive this evening.  i’ve chosen to generate the visuals from scratch so i have much playing to do.  there are some simple conventions to find and agree upon too – a way of making the early stages of development manageable.

i’ve got the end of what i wanted to record.  oh my mind struggles to find a neat way of rounding this out.

for now.

goodbye.

i’ve met with the skin and bone trio. greg, walt and geogre have been playing together for about 18 months and they are looking to add visual elements to their set.

we met in the first floor function room of a pub in wirksworth while outside the sun gave way to snow gave way to sun.  i sat, listened and talked between the trio’s improvised rehearsal.

i meet a dancer called rachel, also new to the collaboration.

twice during the afternoon i experience a meditative trance as the trio work together.  i discuss the aesthetic of feel that is being expressed within what they do.  i start to learn how they communicate with each other through what they play.

after my meeting i begin to consider how i might create generative visuals.  i begin to assemble means to human interface with the computer.  we will meet again soon.