ARTISTS TALKING

# 18 [24 October 2009]

RADICAL NATURE

I managed to squeeze in a visit to Radical Nature at the Barbican last week before it closed. It was really informative and helpful, enabling me to look afresh at the work I'm developing & generating some new ideas.

I was really interested in the work of Wolf Hilbertz, a German architect & marine scientist. Hilbertz harnessed the process of marine accretion, developing and patenting "Biorock" ®, a sort of extreme limescale it seems to me, which accumulates on a submarine metal framework through which an electric current is passed, to form a concrete-like structure. Work continues to develop artificial coral reefs using this process, but I was particularly interested in Hilbertz' plans to develop an artificial island in this way.

Amongst others, I also enjoyed Hans Hacke's work, "Grass Grows". And a few words from Hans Hacke which seem relevant to me: "...make something which experiences, reacts to its environment, changes, is non-stable... make something inderterminate, which always looks different, the shape of which cannot be predicted precisely...make something which reacts to light and temperature changes, is subject to air currents and depends, in its functioning, on the forces of gravity...articulate something Natural"

# 17 [22 September 2009]

STEP ON A CRACK...

What strange sayings. Tracing the cracks in the concrete road with these words at Charleston today made me really wonder about the words. How violent they are.

Step on a crack, break your mother's back.

Step on a line, break your mother's spine.

Step on a nail, put your father in jail.

# 16 [21 September 2009]

STICKS AND STONES

Back to my "Walking With Words" preparation today. Some of it's going ok... some is not. But that's the way it goes. I'll persevere a little more with the idea which is not working out, but I'll have to keep an eye on time & if it doesn't work out, I'll just have to dump it. Time is short. I'm happy with my text pieces on windfall wood & I've started making a sign for the spot where I found a fossil (I think I've been reading too much Bob & Roberta Smith!) I'm going to have another trip out to Charleston tomorrow to try out a couple of things on-site.

# 15 [20 September 2009]

WEATHER(ING)

A little while ago I put out a lump of clay in a tray of water without any specific purpose except to see what happened to it. The weather here has been very dry for weeks and sea level in my tray continually declined. My lump of clay grew hard and dry.

Then we had a day of heavy rain. To accelerate the processes of nature, I put my lump of clay, in its nearly dry tray under the dripping, gutterless eaves of my shed. The tray was nearly filled in a day, but the impact on the clay was disappointingly minimal.

Days have gone by. Dry weather has prevailed. But the processes of nature in my clay & water microcosm have continued. Gradually the clay has softened, cracked and slipped, forming cliffs and caves and crumbling headlands.

# 14 [17 September 2009]

WALKING WITH WORDS

So... variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Islands are on the back burner for a few days while I prepare for my "Walk With Words" at The Small Wonder Festival at Charleston Farmhouse next week.

Yesterday I walked the route and collected materials and ideas. Now I've got a few days to finalise what I'm going to make.

http://www.charleston.org.uk/smallwonder/outsider....

# 13 [15 September 2009]

BEAGLE BLOG

I've started following the progress of the Beagle. No not Darwin's Beagle, but a reconstruction of the voyage of that ship by the Dutch clipper 'Stad Amsterdam' & her crew. On board ship are a team of scientists and state of the art equipment including a TV studio from which a year long documentary series will be broadcast.

"Last night we sheltered close by two small barren volcanic islands - the Selvagens. Just one guard lives there, in a tiny hut, to look after the lighthouse... Islands like these have suffered miserably at the hands of myriad sailors over the last few centuries. Being strategically positioned for both European and Muslim explorers... has led to the introduction of a number of invasive species, either as a source of fresh meat to restock a passing ship’s larder (rabbits) or inadvertently from within the ships stores (mice).The combined effect of these creatures has been all but to destroy these islands’ ecosystem. They especially enjoy feasting off the chicks and eggs of the islands' native birds."

Christopher Lloyd: "Homo meddlesomosis" (Beagle blog)  Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 8:35am

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=436...

# 12 [2 September 2009]

RE-TRACING THE 50 FOOT LINE

I love drawing lines.

I love tracing.

I like maps.

I love walking and exploring.

I'm intrigued by what a line can describe.

And what it can imply.

This is my drawing of the 50 foot contour line on the Island.

# 11 [2 September 2009]

FROM MICRO-MAPPING TO MINI-LANDSCAPES

1st day at work in the shed.

Developing some ideas from old mini-landscape work to make some more mini-islands for my "weathering bath".

I'm interested in the processes which "form" our landscapes and want to see if it's possible to exploit these processes in a speeded-up way to form my islands.

# 10 [24 August 2009]

STARTING TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER AGAIN

After what seems like weeks of pulling things apart, packing up & making a mess, today is a BIG DAY - hopefully the start of things coming together again.

Here  it comes - my new home work space.

# 9 [20 August 2009]

ISLAND TESTING GROUND

Packing's done. Just waiting for new shed to arrive at home so I can move stuff out of Blue Monkey & make room for Liv who's taking my space.

Spending a lot of time tidying up loose ends - finishing bits of work and doing my summer job.

Have acquired an old bath which will become my island testing ground. I've set a couple of experiments in motion to see how they "weather".

Hope to do some more "re-tracing", progress with my cardboard island and try out a couple of other ideas.

SHOPPING LIST

salt

chalk

sand

plaster

spade