Simulacra And Simulations

I have some good news!

After submitting a proposal for the LAN for the Winning Ideas competition and it has successfully passed the first stage, and is shortlisted to become a finalist!

This means the Lincoln Artist Network stands a good chance of gaining some funding and getting going :-)

I have set up a very rickety website for the group here: http://sites.google.com/site/lincolnartistnetwork/

Luckily, the AOI brief deadline has been extended, and it seems – as I have spent most of the week listening to the soundtrack from the 1980s classic anime cartoon Ulysses 31- that the Gods have been less capricious than usual, considering that my boiler has gone, and the electricity refused to work as well – I had to get an electrician to come and check it. The boiler won't be fixed until Wednesday.

I did not kill the giant Cyclops, so I do not understand why the Gods are so angry with me, but Zeus is reknowned for his terrible temper tantrums….. (my son is doing Greek myths at school, that's my excuse!) I do feel like Ulysses much of the time, having been banished to unknown space, to travel among unknown stars… such is the life of a single parent!

Anyway, Greek analogy aside, it's interesting, because I was invited to an artist's talk by Lynsey Seers. I had seen her work in The Collection a while ago, and wondered what it was all about. She made herself into a camera, photographing things in Sir Isaac Newton's garden using her mouth as a pinhole camera…. strange.

But now she has explained her practice, there are elements that mirror my own, even though she goes about it in a very different way. She is influenced by Vilem Flusser, and a brief skim read tells me that he has similar theories to Baudrillard, and in another one of those coincidences that frequently happen to me, he also talks about Ulysses and the meanings of polymechanikos, the Trojan Horse, and theories about materiality and reality. It relates to the precession of the simulacra, which is integral to my work. Baudrillard describes it as a map that covers the entire territory such that it becomes more real than the world itself. A bit like Google Earth…..

So, I have been so distracted by the faulty boiler, faulty electrics and the wrath of Zeus (!) that I didn't make it to the Private View for The Golden Record.

I have submitted some of my work for it here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/goldenrecord/pool/

but if it was selected by John Hegley I'll never know now. At least, I might drop by and go and see the exhibition when I get time… by the great galaxies!

This Friday I have a deadline for a competition brief, and I'm working on something for that. I just wanted to add some thoughts before I disappear into deadline hell…

I just want to clarify that I am still looking for work. I do actually apply for positions advertised. I do not sit around all day on my lazy ass.

BUT I am no longer applying for voluntary work.

I can't afford to do it, I need a proper income – I can only afford to pay the bills and struggle to feed and clothe the kids – they seem to rack the budget up far higher than "the law says I need to live on", as outlined by Income Support.

I thought that by achieving a degree, my days of being a struggling lone parent would become less severe, that I would be capable of earning enough to live on and get out of the benefits trap.

That was my plan. I would now like to invite a city banker to come and live with me to find out what it's really like to exist on very little. But then I wouldn't, because I met a city banker during New Designers, and they're morally messed up!

I can't complain, because I'd much rather be a single parent than spend one more second with a mentally abusive ex-husband, but here's the rub: I escaped from a belittling relationship only to find that now I'm being belittled by every suggestion that I take up voluntary work.

I'm finished with voluntary work – I've done it a death – I was doing voluntary work before I returned to university, when I first became a single Mum, I've done it whilst at University, and also more recently, but now I would rather be paid a living wage like any normal person expects to. Why is this so difficult for some people to understand?

As such, I am not applying for voluntary work – I'd rather go on strike!

I can do voluntary work at home, by myself, in fact I do, alongside single parenthood.

I am applying for paid positions, but am not receiving any response.

"Keep in touch", "we'll get back to you". For 7 months.

I have been for a CV check, and my CV is still fine, so I do not see what the problem is.

Yesterday, I went to talk to an animation company, they said they'll send me an email with details of an artist who requires admin help and possible illustrators – of course I hold out hope that they do, I would gladly accept, even though it means commuting to … Horncastle. And that would mean relying on the dodgy bus service.

But this week I am forsaking jobseeking and a lecture on "How to sell yourself effectively" to work on an AOI brief.

Meanwhile, I hear news from a Mr. Paul Stolper, who will be exhibiting some work of Magne F sometime soon…

I've been away to London for the release of The Young Victoria, in which my son had a part as an extra in scenes filmed in Lincoln Cathedral.

Whilst there I went to visit Paul Stolper gallery, which was the gallery for which the Doll Proposal was initially meant for.

The gallery is a small gallery that was located not far from Hoxton Square, but has recently relocated to Bloomsbury, near to The British Museum, where we found evidence of Egyptian custard flinging at politicians….

The new Paul Stolper gallery is about the same size as the previous one, and currently has a joint exhibition of some of its artists, which does include Magne Furuholmen, but he's currently exhibiting at Galleri Trafo in Norway.

I'm hoping he might exhibit his latest work at Paul Stolper, because I will be able to go to the preview evening, which might offer the chance to meet up with him and discuss *ahem* dolls etc… Magne has expressed an interest in the Doll Proposal, and is the biggest fan of my work, it is true. The Doll aspect of my practice really established itself with my collaboration for his "Scrabble" exhibition at Sorlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, Norway in 2007.

Previously I'd only made dolls as a one off piece of work, and didn't think it would become such an integral part of my practice.

Since I returned from London, I attended the first LAN meeting, details of which can be found on the Facebook group Lincoln Artist's Network.

It was a successful meeting, members engaged in sharing ideas, and it felt more like a cohesive group than just me pitching ideas at a brick wall.

I'm still awaiting the outcome for the competition, as funding would be useful, but I plan more LAN activities, and need to get back in touch with a gallery about the group doll exhibition.

Over the past two days I haven't been able to stop building the gallery – a strange wave of creativity just took over me and I wasn't satisfied until I had the basic structure built.

Just to re-cap, the other one was mainly made out of foamboard and was a prototype. This one has been carefully engineered from card. It's still a bit rough around the edges and needs finishing touches, but now it's taken shape I've already been playing with mini lego installations……

The only thing I haven't done with it is make it foldable, so I might make another slightly more portable version that I can take out and about.

This one will be taken out, it's just a bit oafish, a bit like a ghetto blaster to an ipod.