Great to get some recognition of my achievements at Leeds College of Art and be part of this publication to mark 170 years of making at the college. To be in this book with the likes of the greats such as Barbra Hepworth and Damien Hirst is a bit of an honour!! Many thanks to Dr Sam Broadhead and all the tutors and staff who have supported and inspired me over the years.
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to be independent http://www.onbeing.org/blog/the-disease-of-being-busy/7023
'How did we end up living like this? Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we do this to our children? When did we forget that we are human beings, not human doings? Whatever happened to a world in which kids get muddy, get dirty, get messy, and heavens, get bored? Do we have to love our children so much that we overschedule them, making them stressed and busy — just like us? What happened to a world in which we can sit with the people we love so much and have slow conversations about the state of our heart and soul, conversations that slowly unfold, conversations with pregnant pauses and silences that we are in no rush to fill? How did we create a world in which we have more and more and more to do with less time for leisure, less time for reflection, less time for community, less time to just… be?' Following on from my previous posting having experienced a young childhood of freedom within the rural countryside it astounds me the way children are not left to be children today. Being able to be free to interact and immerse into the outdoor landscape be it a back garden, back yard, out on the street, a wood, a lane, a park anywhere where there is space and room to be creative; to run around, play and interact with the world around you. Fundamentally to learn about self and what it means to be independent. Too many activities are engineered for children today they are not encouraged to be creative in thinking and self expression. This need to fill our children's lives with activities is in direct response to the way we as adults live our lives. The pressures of modern living and the digital age drive this manic insatiable need. In our chaotic world of activities and 'stuff to do' it gives us less time to have significant time to savour those important moments of conversation and being together. Times that a decade or two ago we took for granted and didn't see any significance in. We are constantly interrupted by the need for something else wanting your attention; a text, a message, an email, a Facebook posting, a Twitter posting................................ I came across this fantastic children's centre Hammonds Plains in Nova Scotia, Canada. It provides child care that encourages children to embrace the natural environment in all its elemental physicality. The centre recognizes 'the value of play' and understands that by allowing children the chance to be free to engage with the natural environment they can have a more rounded and enjoyable learning experience. Through this engagement and being part of a group they learn about the wider issues of growing up such as trust and responsibility. Looking, seeing, collecting and foraging all give rise to creativity, helping them find their own individuality. It is the simple things that children need to generate inquisitiveness. Engaging with the elements, playing within the woods climbing, building, paddling learning about the materiality of the world around them.
'When we love the earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully. I believe this. The ancestors taught me it was so. As a child I loved playing in dirt, in that rich Kentucky soil, that was a source of life' (Hooks B,2009, pg. 34) 'You Are Not A Gadget' by modern day philosopher and musician Jaron Lanier has become a real source of grounding and direction through the writing of my dissertation. The book is crammed full of his views of how technology is ever consuming our human nature and the demise of physical expression. There is so much rich and thought provoking stuff in this book to refer to but at random this morning this paragraph is singing to me:
'Before MIDI, a musical note was a bottomless idea that transcended absolute definition. It was a way for a musician to think, or a way to teach and document music. It was a mental tool distinguishable from the music itself. Different people could make transcriptions of the same musical recording, for instance, and come up with slightly different scores' (2010 pg. 9) A musician playing his instrument can play unique sounds produced by only them; a sound that no other musician can produce. He/she is the creator and outlet for that sound, he/she is able to form a note that is there's and only there's. This uniqueness is part of that individuals personal self expression. It can never be repeated in quite the same way by another musician. It can be used to influence someone else's playing but never be fully recreated. This likens to my own self expression through my work. Because of it's organic nature there is never one piece the same, each piece of work is individual, nothing is repeated and every piece is unique and real. This is in great contrast to the digital aspect of technology where everything is repeated over and over with no real substance to its existence. I am sure society is not aware of how close we are to the concept of the Cyborg creation immortalized by Star Trek The Next Generation. As a species the Cyborg force other species into assimilation to become part of their collective to form a hive mind of drones that think as one; everyone is the same and no one has 'a mind of their own'
The development of technology is taking us ever further nearer this phenomena. Recent technology researchers in this field have developed computer circuit boards that attach to the skin which connect to your phone via Bluetooth. The gold 'tattoo' allows the wearer to swipe and touch it in order to communicate with your phone. It also Uses NFC- near field communication, which transfers information with the tap of a device. This device rests on the skin but by being aptly called a 'Tattoo' how long before this type of device is actually tattooed' into' our skin/body???? Being 'plugged' in to a hive/source is being played out in our every day; we connect our phones and tablets via USB cables into vehicles to charge them up. We are physically connected to these not letting them out of our sight (literally) and grasp. It is unnerving the vision of individuals hooked up to a device in one given space! 'RESISTANCE IS FUTILE' The dissertation is preoccupying me and taking me a way from making and experimenting. This feels uncomfortable as this is how I research and explore materiality. This morning I remind myself what core strategies are within my practice and refer back to the Manifesto I put together last year to keep me focused..........
Manifesto I will always use organic materials to produce work I will continue to be ethically responsible by using recycled and re-claimed materials in my practice. I will endeavour to depict the fragility of life through my work Concealed, hidden and unwanted matter & materials will be manipulated to redefine its aesthetic qualities Making, exploring and doing will be my continued way of researching The ‘haptic’ will drive my practice forward; the sense of touch through making I will bring attention to the physical aspect of life through my creative practice I will endeavour to communicate my work using the World Wide Web http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07z7y5v/boy-georges-1970s-save-me-from-suburbia?suggid=b07z7y5v This was a really interesting and confirming documentary on Boy Georges life from child to superstar. The main theme that I found relevant was the music scene through the 70's & 80's and the wide range of different genres that were created, embraced and expressed in those decades. Punk, Soul, Disco, Glam Rock, Ska, Reggae, New Romantics the list is endless. The music of these decades reflected society of then the anger, frustration, good times, bad times, hardships, and ultimately the individuality of the young. Although society experienced desperate and hard times such as the Thatcher era, 3 day week, miners strike, 3 million unemployed etc. there seemed to be a fight in society to 'not let the bastards grind you down' to rebel against the establishment. The constant edge that society seemed to be living on was reflected through the creation of rich vibrant and different sounding music. It gave the younger generation something to relate to something to belong to. With the different sounds came the different styles of dress and a physically different way of expression. What popular music today can be seen as individual with a new sound? What do the younger generation have to relate to in the 21st century that enables them to be themselves rather than the same simulated, perfected, visual images they are duped into thinking they should be. We are individuals and need to express ourselves in an individual way. The different music genres of the 70's and 80's gave the opportunity for teenagers to feel like they belonged and were part of something.
The manufactured 'music' of the 21st century gives the younger generation no inspiration or reason to express or feel like an individual or belong to a special gang. It has no depth, no emotion or expression. I was lucky I lived through these vibrant eras and found 'my' music. I am a Soul girl through and through! SLOW FOOD MANIFESTO INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR THE DEFENSE OF AND THE RIGHT TO PLEASURE Born and nurtured under the sign of Industrialization, this century first invented the machine and then modelled its lifestyle after it. Speed became our shackles. We fell prey to the same virus: 'the fast life' that fractures our customs and assails us even in our own homes, forcing us to ingest “fast- food”. Homo sapiens must regain wisdom and liberate itself from the 'velocity' that is propelling it on the road to extinction. Let us defend ourselves against the universal madness of 'the fast life' with tranquil material pleasure. Against those - or, rather, the vast majority - who confuse efficiency with frenzy, we propose the vaccine of an adequate portion of sensual gourmandise pleasures, to be taken with slow and prolonged enjoyment. Appropriately, we will start in the kitchen, with Slow Food. To escape the tediousness of "fast-food", let us rediscover the rich varieties and aromas of local cuisines. In the name of productivity, the 'fast life' has changed our lifestyle and now threatens our environment and our land (and city) scapes. Slow Food is the alternative, the avant-garde’s riposte. Real culture is here to be found. First of all, we can begin by cultivating taste, rather than impoverishing it, by stimulating progress, by encouraging international exchange programs, by endorsing worthwhile projects, by advocating historical food culture and by defending old-fashioned food traditions. Slow Food assures us of a better quality lifestyle. With a snail purposely chosen as its patron and symbol, it is an idea and a way of life that needs much sure but steady support. Carol Petrini the founder of the Slow Food Movement 20 years ago forged the way forward for the Slow Movement; the concept of taking time, care, reflection, appreciation and a less hurried approach to life in general. These core ideas stem from the Slow Food Movements philosophy of embracing the value of experiencing the simple but important things in life such as family, friends, food and the social aspects that stem from these activities. By cherishing processes, materials and ingredients we become connected to others. The industrial age spring boarded the age of speed forcing society to gain momentum in the everyday. This speedy efficiency gave way to our disregard for the important things in life such as time. Time to absorb and appreciate making, connecting, being, doing, listening to each other and the environment around us.
Our ever addictive and merciless digital age is sucking the real fabric and individuality out of our souls........or at least that is how it feels!!! With every turn of this books pages I associate my thoughts and feelings of how as individuals in todays society we are becoming slaves to the digital age. We are constantly pressured into filling our days with 'stuff' to do never having time to just be. 'A life lived in a hurry can become superficial........' (pg.8) We speed through our day to day lives in such a pace we have become unable to evaluate and take stock. The pressures of modern living are taking away our time spent doing the important things in life like spending quality time with friends, family, having those regular times to just be in the moment, doing just nothing, taking in the world and its materiality.
The Slow Movement is not about going 'slow' it is about doing things in a calm, careful more thoughtful way. Making real and meaningful connections. Having that balance of making, eating, socializing, working helps us connect to each other and the world around us, something that is lacking more and more in our digitally fuelled communicative world. When things are done in a thoughtful and reflective way the quality of the outcome be it creative work, cooking, conversation; less time is wasted by doing things in this careful way than if done in a fast and speedy way! Processes are moving on. Freezing as a storage method is now becoming a major feature. I was originally harnessing the process to enable me to store pigments for later use but it is now becoming a physical elemental process of intervention with the pigments. Visually and aesthetically the 'pigment cubes' I have produced offer possibilities for ephemeral and transient work. How the pigments 'freeze' and their transient change from a fluid liquid to a motionless form and back to a melted liquid in order to mark make is driving my work forward. The freezing changes the texture of the pigment it becomes a solidified form. The beauty of this frozen form and its properties can be viewed in the momentary way it was at the point of freezing. The pigment in its frozen state is fragile.Once taken out of the freezing temperature it turns to fluid once more!
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MA Creative Practice
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