The bun fight is tommorrow at 10.30
I will drive off early start… to Wantage where the commissioners (of my last project) Persimmons Homes and The Vale of the White Horse Dist. Co. are providing drinks and cakes so the residents can use this celebration to meet each other and get to know their neighbours. This is what should happen more often, after all the point of these projects is to strengthen communities and build social capital.
The best one was when an aquantance sent me a photo of celebrations at a project I had done ages before. It turned out to be an asian wedding and they used an urban stone circle I created, which they sang, danced and waved coloured material around and stuff.
Now for me, that makes a successfull project.
Lets hope tommorrow is as fun?
As for this project, its too boring to talk about, but it looks fab. check out the photos.
So that's it then the nice bits all done and what's left is just mechanical. Brain damage will no dought ensue.
I am very very pleased with it though. Its like looking at one of those architectural models the ones with streets, cars, buildings with windows, trees and stuff. like looking into a micro world. Its the first time I think I've made a mosaic like that, though they are all micro worlds in their own way.
I will post a photo of the really good bits soon but today, I'll post what I have.
My batteries are low and the rest of it will be like a hard climb in the Tour de France; long, hard and painful. But I am strong and riden in these mountains many times before. I will huff and puff may even find a sprint finish at the end. I might have to find a fast finish as Halcrows 'are going to contact me' which really means when will you be ready to install, as we will be off site in a week or two!
I fixed me bike today, brakes needed attention and I've got a free lunch on Thurs next week.
So where does the Zen come in then?
Well, hours and hours of cracking rocks day in day out is a pretty boring task and the mind is needed only in very limited descision making so a higher mind set is often reached, Nivarna, sacred and spiritual places are where this level takes us. Where is it? I can't remember but I've been there all day, I dont realise the CD's finished thirty five minutes ago, its only when the CD gets stuck that you realise there is life in your body.
Zen like levels dude,
Monks used to copy the bible by hand as there was no printing in those days.
How many times did a scribey type monk write the bible in a life time?
Prehaps it started as a great job, lovely illustrations, calligraphy Lombardic capitals, uncials super work if you can get it. But by the 3rd or 4th copy of the bible the gloss has worn off and the realisation that the next 3 months till the book is finished will be more of this Nivarna, this needs a zen like acceptance to reach the end of the task. Then, when it is finished there is the next one to do. This is also the exact same head space for mosaic making.
Feeling fine with the mosaic. I will cut off the lower section tommorrow. So I am almost half way through.
The 'madness' has not yet arrived. The work has been interupted by other things and broken up the mind numbing hours of torture. So I am not going to talk about it.
What I really want to do is work with much larger material on a much larger scale. Something I would need to do to achieve this, would be to become part of a design team working with professional designers and architects to integrate a variety of materials into a floor scape for example, a town square. I find acres of mono block paving or flag stones rather sterile. I know they are everywhere but the blank empty hollow feeling they give could be avoided. They are quanityfiable, easy to work with, how many required, units, maths, time schedules, simple labour and materials all easily worked out and deliverd to the client no hass.
Result: flat floor on time within budget. Sounds great: Just that they are at best dull. We expect that and take them as the only way to deal with floors. Anything else does not compute.
I would like to see if this norm for surface treatment is a penatrable, not just floors, buildings more generally and whether BS standard building regs have closed off any kind of life.
Architects, designers, developers, contractors and clients might realise something less monotonous is possible if they broke free from units, prefabrication, time, deliverables and costs. People have to live and work and use these places, they all look the same, 'but the people provide the colour and life'. Just that they have gone mad and lost the plot.
But it was on shedule and budget.
Oh…….. Thats OK Then.
Sorry…. for ranting and spouting nonsence I expect it wont be the last time.
Just finished for today, midnight. Really tried to get as much of the background done as I could. I definately made the right decision not to go darker with the green of the grass. The ground is quite light and the lighter grass helps, makes the buildings show up more. My concern is the ground colour is too close to the white of the road!
But basically I will have to live with that. The roads a very bold, wide and straight and will hold their own as I am relying on them to 'hold it all together'.
See with painting its so easy just mix the colours to the one you need, or if you get it wrong, …repaint….simple.
I really know from todays work just how slow these buildings will be. The impact of this is a controlled resolve to absorb the news and keep it steady as if it was insignificant.
The good news is it will look fab. The house I did looks great and bodes well for the long terraces to come.
Tommorrow I will do a little bit of cement casting. Sounds good but only small flat squares. I hope they dont snap too easy… only 12mm thick! see what happens.
today's picture is how much of the mosaic I had completed before I started this blog.
