Touring Territories

Considering what form UFO research may take. There are, of course, a heap of precedents to draw from in film, literature and on the web. How to do this wholeheartedly and deeply with fun but without diving into empty pastiche. I think a bit of ‘full’ pastiche might be ok though.

And what are we looking for? What sort of evidence of UFOs are we looking for? I guess evidence takes many forms. I think we’ll be using a lot of the words and ideas in this definition:

1 they found evidence of his plotting: proof, confirmation, verification, substantiation, corroboration, affirmation, attestation.

2 the court accepted her evidence: testimony, statement, attestation, declaration, avowal, submission, claim, contention, allegation; Law deposition, representation, affidavit.

3 evidence of a struggle: signs, indications, pointers, marks, traces, suggestions, hints; manifestation.

verb

the rise of racism is evidenced here: indicate, show, reveal, display, exhibit, manifest; testify to, confirm, prove, substantiate, endorse, bear out; formal evince. ANTONYMS disprove.

Do we have a hidden agenda of scepticism to disprove the UFO sightings I wonder?

Dominique Rey

Satellite Portflio 2011

Selected by Aid and Abet

On sale at Aid and Abet from 30th September 2011 http://aidandabet.co.uk/

Participating members featured in the first Satellite Portfolio are Dominic Allen, Jo Chapman, Polly Cruse, Nicola Naismith, Kate Parrott, Dominique Rey.

Dominique Rey:

Resistance Nest 9 – Happisburgh

A3 digital print on Fuji satin matt crystal archive paper

Dominique Rey produces photographs, sculpture, collage and video, informed by the narratives and influence of individuals on a particular site. The work investigates fundamental ideas about the transience of life, death and growth and notions of an afterlife or paradise. By using the form and lay-out of structures such as defence fortifications, places of worship, four-quartered gardens and Islamic textile designs, Rey works with the effects of time and human abrasion on the architecture of a landscape.

Number 9 is from a series of formalised views, fixed through obsolete World War Two defence loopholes. The camera looks out over shifting but peaceful Norfolk landscapes, here capturing the new coastline post landslide. The imposing black border defines the unseen, internal space and ‘holds’ the views and the voyeur. To paraphrase Paul Virilio, the visibility of the aperture, as well as its form, influences the perceptual identification of objects for the viewer. The bright views outside may seem distanced from the darkened, internal space. They reflect the disjuncture between a dark reality of life and ideas of a bright, paradise-inspired (after)life.

Virilio, War and Cinema: The Logistics of Perception 1984

Satellite Portflio 2011

Selected by Aid and Abet

On sale at Aid and Abet from 30th September 2011 http://aidandabet.co.uk/

Participating members featured in the first Satellite Portfolio are Dominic Allen, Jo Chapman, Polly Cruse, Nicola Naismith, Kate Parrott, Dominique Rey.

Kate Parrott:

River Bed

A3 screen print with drawing and collage

My works are an exploration of material qualities and the processes involved in making sculpture. The use of the everyday, an element of comedy, and the suggestion of people and figuration (real or otherwise) are all aspects of my work. I enjoy creating works that combine pathos and humour. Longevity, permanence and preciousness are challenged with ideas of collapse, carelessness, and the accidental. Latest works explore the application of colour and the siting of coloured objects, as well as the humanized and theatrical quality of certain objects and compositions. I am also using drawing to inform and develop my sculpture.

This particular drawing is in homage to The River Ouse as it runs through Bedford, and in particular a small island in the middle of it. The island is inaccessible to people and is treated as a wilderness/nature area, and yet at Christmas one year there was a mysterious appearance of a lion, a leopard, and a tiger on the island (sadly, just life-size stuffed toys). This drawing aims to capture some of that surreal magic, minus the animals.

Satellite Portflio 2011

Selected by Aid and Abet

On sale at Aid and Abet from 30th September 2011 http://aidandabet.co.uk/

Participating members featured in the first Satellite Portfolio are Dominic Allen, Jo Chapman, Polly Cruse, Nicola Naismith, Kate Parrott, Dominique Rey.

Nicola Naismith:

Old Mill

A3 hand drawn ink on graph paper

Explorations of hand and digital modes of production, work and manufacturing repeatedly feature in the work of Nicola Naismith as she presents ideas about the changing nature of making and working lives. Most recently she completed a residency at Hethel Engineering Centre where she explored and mapped some of the changes and developments in contemporary engineering from an artist perspective. Naismith views process as practice and integrates contextual research into her projects, she works to commission and self initiated projects.

In this edition Naismith has taken time to reproduce an image thirty seven times by hand using the inconsistencies of pen and ink. Presented on graph paper the work makes reference to precision, only here it is of the hand drawn kind. The Old Miill is an image from the Hethel residency, the machine is situated in the workshop and shares a space with a Computer Numerically Controlled mill which is designed to eliminate human error and the occurrence of variability.

Satellite Portflio 2011

Selected by Aid and Abet

On sale at Aid and Abet from 30th September 2011 http://aidandabet.co.uk/

Participating members featured in the first Satellite Portfolio are Dominic Allen, Jo Chapman, Polly Cruse, Nicola Naismith, Kate Parrott, Dominique Rey.

Polly Cruse:

Dusk Chorus

A3 laser prints of photograph

Polly Cruse articulates the relief of escaping the banality of everyday life through fantasy and daydream. She employs everyday items as a substitute for personal identity, re-constructing and re-contextualising objects and ornaments into hybrid forms. Her photographs capture their moment of dreamt freedom. Cruse references child hood fiction and fantasy for her constructions and her photographs are akin to family snapshots of memorable moments. They use humour to communicate and engage with the imagination of the viewer.

I placed my assembled black music stands in a wide expanse of the Norfolk landscape to photograph their moment of liberty. When placed in a wide rural setting, devoid of people and in the half light of dusk, the stands and their music became crow like, sinister and noisy. The stillness of the evening became menacing. It was at that point that I was told by the land owner that the land was reputed to be inhabited by witches. The resulting image is a curious one which aims to raise questions for the viewer to consider and indulge their fantastical thoughts.