ARTISTS TALKING

# 11 [19 July 2009]

Are you doing jankers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jankers

The nextdoor neighbour from the newsagent having another go. Looking into the shop saying you can't see anything, (I don't understand, there is 'something' in the shop, a visible thing) saying no more people coming into St. Johns. In the middle of our conversation/debate/argument he walks off to talk to someone else, rude.

# 12 [20 July 2009]

Two planks have fallen!

# 13 [22 July 2009]

A young girl asked "Is that where you live?". My immediate thought was 'In the shop' then thought she means in the tent tunnel wigwam 'thing'.

Old school technology givin' me a hard time. Trying to put a one hour loop of a sample from The Great Escape on to VHS to make an 8 hour tape but no joy. Maybe today.

I bought one of those trolleys car mechanics use for working under cars.

A Dad asked if he could buy a digger.

# 14 [22 July 2009]

"You look like you're havin' pure fun."

A fella says he's been meaning to ask what I'm doing, people have been doing. I tell him there's only been me doing and he say's nah there was a half caste guy here the other day. I tell him that's news to me.

Children having a go with the remote control digger. I watch them use the wire to pull the digger back rather than the reverse lever. So that's something to be aware of, not that I can do much about it. The other thing is; whilst one child's playing the other wants to play. Creative conflict. I'm in a shop buying re-chargeable batteries for the digger and one of the kids who've been playing with it says "There's the artist."

# 15 [24 July 2009]

"A pile of bricks,

A dead cow."

A raised eyebrow.

A trio of scouse ladies stop and chat; they've been to Blackpool for the week, using their bus passes. They ask what I'm doing and I tell them. One of them says something that sounds like "You want to be an artist." I ask her to say it again because I'm not sure I heard her correctly, she ums and arghs, then says you "You want to be an artist." I say I am an artist.

Of the variety of questions I'm first asked I try and do a Roy Walker 'Say what you see' and pass the buck back and most of the time people say tunnel. On a couple of occassions people have said bridge and that's stumped me. I understand tent, wigwam, construction site etc. but bridge....

Remembering the lady who said it looks like a bee, or was it a wasp, colony collapse.

# 16 [27 July 2009]

A toddler bangs on the window. "Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in?Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I come in?"

# 17 [27 July 2009]

I'm in the back of the shop and I hear a women say to a man and a child "You two could do better than that." The other day I could hear the bingo caller upstairs.

Elaine walks past. I wonder if she wonders where I am.

I felt, sensed, a red dot on me, moving around. I followed the movement and trace it back to a couple of kids sat on the bench outside B n Ms. One of them is pointing a toy gun with a "laser sight" at me. I watch him pack it in the back of his trousers.

I sat in the shop window and watch the world go by.

Unrelated anecdote #1: A friend of a friend has a restraining order against her ex-husband. The ex confronts and threatens them, they report it to the police. The police say, it's his word against hers and do nothing. What's the point of the restraining order?

Unrelated anecdote #2: A friend of a friend is walking along the promenade at Blackpool. A guy with a Staffy off its lead walks past. Their is a couple with a Jack Russell puppy walking past. The Staffy attacks and kills the puppy. There is a crowd present, aswell as the Police. Many of the crowd are in tears, the Police do nothing.

Sunday used to be a day of rest.

# 18 [28 July 2009]

A funny thing about writing a blog is people tell you they've read your blog and then I tell them what's happened. But they'll already know because they've read the blog.

# 19 [29 July 2009]

Yesterday a man asked what I'd do if he pushed over the tunnel with the remote control digger, I said I'd build it again. He laughed and left.

Dismantled the tunnel today to lay black plastic on the floor. Haven't decided about the fish hooks from the ceiling yet.

Some kids must've used a swear word on the fridge doors because a few moments later someone else censored them.

# 20 [31 July 2009]

"Ask him, ask him!" She didn't ask me.

In the shop arranging letters on the fridge door before putting them outside. A guy, who had just watched the video loop of Steve McQueen throwing his baseball against the cooler wall, walked past whistling the soundtrack to The Great Escape.

I've been experiencing problems with old school tape technology; the player has stopped auto reversing so instead of the audio loop playing continuosly it's only been playing one side (45 minutes). Burned the loop to a CD to play on repeat on a CD player but then the CDs wouldn't even play! Exported the audio to a mini disk which should play for 300 minutes. Then the tape player worked all day yesterday and then today it stopped again. Found a tape playing walkman with auto reverse on the market for five pounds. Lets see what happens.

Put some fish hooks up, attached to the ceiling with hazard tape. Nearly walked into them on a couple of occasions.

Sat in the chair in the shop space can see the reflection of the video loop in the window. Whilst sat there I notice the wind blowing underneath the door and lifting the black plastic sheeting I've laid on the floor. Potential to knock the sculpture over.

A couple of passers-by returned to try and knock the sculpture down, they thought I was going to let them in the shop and use their hands. I explained that if they wanted to try they should use the remote control digger and the remnants of the rolls of hazard tape. The son said the wire wasn't long enough for the digger to reach, I agreed and advised to try and arrange the rolls so that pushing them against the sculpture should make it possible. The dad gave it a go and said he could see what he needed to do but it would take too long.

Wore a red shirt, red glasses, red socks and my red watch.