When we proposed a project for Aid and Abet’s Space Exchange we wanted an artist from somewhere else in the UK to set us a research task that we could undertake in the Eastern Region somewhere. Artist Dave Evans from Royal Standard took up our offer and in an email we received last Thursday he put forward some areas of interest. He has been researching UFO sightings over East Anglia (the fact there have been any is news to me). He names two incidents in particular, ‘Operation Charlie’ in 1947 and the ‘1996 East Anglia UFO Flap’ which has intrigued Dominique and I, and already ideas are forming as to how we will approach the task of being research assistants to an artist we have never met.
So equipped as UFO incident investigators, we will search for traces of real or unverified UFO incidents, gathering as yet unidentified evidence that might include photographs, objects, sound and conversations. We will send the research material to the Aid and Abet gallery during the exhibition to form an evolving body of corroboration. At a later date the research material will be delivered to Evans in Liverpool.
Coming home tonight our research journey has already begun quite by chance something unusual in the sky whilst the fans at Carrow Road were cheering (final score Norwich 2 Sunderland 1).
Nicola Naismith
Whilst compiling the portfolios we had a chance to debate the pros and cons of getting stickers with the Satellite logo printed. In seeing and handling the finished portfolio with its DIY ethos and aesthetic, we finally decided the sticker would not ‘over egg’ the simplicity of the object. We can just squeeze the cost from our slimline budget. I made some alterations to the text on a pretty unwieldy, quick-printing website, with Ikea-like routes to the check-out, but finaly managed to order 20 for the portfolios. They will look good though…
Dominique Rey
Dominique and I delivered the Portfolio Editions to Aid and Abet today. Its been a fair bit of work co-ordinating the project but as we spent an hour or so making up portfolio packs for sale and for the Satellite members it was very enjoyable. To have the time and space to work systematically and without distraction was good, very good. There is one more portflio work to arrive at the gallery, Annie who runs the back gallery has full instructions on what to do so we will leave it in her capable hands.
Each participating Satellite artist has produced the edition with their own money and resources which while obviously not ideal it has been worth it. There is a new logo on the block that can be used when no other funding mark can be appied because the work has been produced under unfunded conditions.
http://www.unfundedlogo.net/
The portflio work looks great, not that we are bias in anyway of course – will post each artist’s image and accompanying text next week, projects opens on the 30th September 2011 at Aid and Abet, Cambridge.
http://aidandabet.co.uk/projects/
Nicola Naismith
In stark contrast to Dominique, my Satellite Portfolio images have been a bit longer in coming. Time spent over several days hand drawing with pen and ink an image of traditional engineering machinery has on balance been an enjoyable experience. Made much more so now the smallest light-box in the world has been replaced by wonderful A3 light-box which never gets hot – it was a worthwhile purchase.
When i did my Foundation at Shelly Park in Bournemouth a tutor Eddie made me a ink pen with an old partly melted Biro and a nib, i improvised in a similar way for this project, buying a lovely new nib and attaching to a fast disappearing favorite pencil.
The two have been made some 20 years apart.
I’m a great fan of home made tools which do jobs really well – there is a great book i have my eye on Vladimir Arkhipov’s book Home Made: Contemporary Russian Folk Artefact’s, great images of inventions made by necessity out of odds and ends now rather ironically sold out and selling second hand for £125 !
http://www.fuel-design.com/index.php?menu=3&pic=26…
Nicola Naismith
My digital prints for Satellite Portfolio were ordered yesterday and arrived hot off the press this lunchtime. Impressive service. Now to number and label all 37.
The image Aid & Abet chose of mine is the bunker shot from Happisburgh beach. I returned to that spot last month and the bunker is more submerged, (impossible to get inside now, certainly on the day I went). The cliff is more crumbled, receded and lined with temporary homes, mobile homes, caravans. There is a push to clean the beach of fallen debris and mangled structure from the destroyed lifeboat slipway.
Somewhere there is a photo of me taking the photo on a very cold winter afternoon.
Dominique Rey
