ARTISTS TALKING

# 38 [24 August 2011]

Unbelievable we are over half way through 2011 and I am still finishing a project with the end date being the last day in 2010. Never the less I have completed the first stage of the November Challenge, which was to amass a crowd.

I took part in the STOFF Festival in the Kulturhuset in Stockholm, the idea being I would form a flashmob, by canvassing for participants and then indicating the action was to being. I the number I had been set to gather was 20, and 3 participated. That is despite giving the seated audience instructions prior to going on stage. The challenge has inevitably failed, although it did produce a performance I am happy with that relied heavily on instruction and the way people choose to interact with instructions, or not as the case may be.

I think I will re-try the performance in the UK, but take away the instruction, and change the tact of the piece to become a visual spectacle. The piece changes dramatically, simply leaving a performer waving a flag at an audience, however it changes to something that is worth questioning, and that is the publics engagement with simplistic movements in a public environment and their viewing of them as entertainment or not. This would be more of an experiment than a street performance, as being a dancing monkey doesn’t interest me and would detract from any artistic merit the piece may or may not have.

I am still in the process of attempting to get the ethical hair piece programmed, the performance is there, it just needs to take place, almost there!

# 37 [23 March 2011]

I haven’t posted in over a month, I think it’s because my momentum has slowed some what. I have completed the September challenge, not desperately successful, but completed none the less. I attempted to fly a kite for 2.5 hours to celebrate the achievements of one of the first female aviators. I could barley get the kite flying let alone for 2.5 hours. The resulting film is 25mins long, and is going to be shown as a part of the Format Festival, in a location in Burton Upon Trent.

For the subsequent challenges I have changed my approach to making. October, November and December have still to be completed. I have decided to focus on attempting to get them into festivals etc as proposals for new work.

The rational really is that my concept for the October challenge is going to be out of my budget and I really could use some assistance. In a nut shell I want to raise awareness of the use of unethically and at times illegally obtained hair for hair extensions and in doing so I want to open my own unethical salon. By doing this I hope to catch people off guard and give them a moment to ponder the reality of a fashion we are being encouraged to follow as consumers of celebrity culture.

So from here on out my challenges are attempting to work their way into programmes. It’s not something I am necessarily that good at achieving so I will have to up my game if I am to complete this project and the challenges. Incidentally I have had one 'no' so far, but you have to have a few no’s before you get a yes. 

# 36 [13 February 2011]

Blink and you’ve missed it. My fifteen minuets on prime time TV came and went quickly. I reached the third round of the Weakest Link before being voted off. I will post the video made from the appearance once I have finished the edit.

Another quick flying project was Red Kite, as suspected with this project it didn’t quite go to plan. I eventually managed to finish the kite with several feather variations adorning it. It would appear that I have bought most of the online feather market, they will have to re-stock now.

I am making the film of Red Kite with a Nottingham based film maker called Sam Mercer, who also runs Tether. I am paying him via a skill swap. We went to film on Friday, but at 13.00 the wind dropped to one knot, as you can imagine one knot isn’t enough to even rustle leaves, let alone fly a kite. The second attempt was this morning, and Sam and I decided to instead of making the film 2.5 hours we would create a 25 min film. The reason for this was that none of the project has particularly gone to plan, and the ending of the project was no different. The kite was too heavy to fly, and continually nose dived. It is possible that a better kite flyer would have succeeded. The wind seemed sufficient however I am incapable of truly launching the kite, even when following instructions. I think the failure was to be expected to some extent, but success would of course have been better. I have yet to see the footage but am looking forward to seeing it from Sam.

Now onto the next challenge ...

# 35 [23 January 2011]

Tomorrow at 5.15pm on BBC1 you are invited to watch the June Challenge live. I will be appearing on the Weakest Link to complete the challenge set by Anneka French; to appear on a TV quiz show or game show to test my knowledge. If you miss it you can catch up on BBC I Player. I filmed the episode back in November so am looking forward to see how it appears once edited. On the day of filming they filmed three episodes, each one requires rehearsal, re-takes, make-up, hair, wardrobe and a whole host of other adventures you would never know went into half an hour of TV!

The red kite I am making now has 480 feathers on it, and the stockist has run out! This means I have to upgrade to 12packs of larger red feathers. My partner pointed out that there have been so many things that have gone wrong with this particular piece it seems a bit of a mess. Hopefully when I come to shoot the film it will all fit into place. Here is to hoping any how.

# 34 [16 January 2011]

Progress! I have begun work on the Red Kite work for the September Challenge. Eventually the piece will be a video, however I initially need to make the components to the work. The red kite is made from an existing kite called the Hawk, it is then modified with red feathers. I bought 240 red duck feathers and have been attaching them to the frame work over the weekend. I am please with how it is beginning to look, however 240 feathers only cover a sixth of the kites surface at most. I have ordered a further 240. The website I am buying them off must be supplying to me alone, as every time I need feathers I buy all they have in stock, and I can’t find them cheaper anywhere else. I am also beginning to wander if this compromises my morals, as I question how the feathers were obtained.

I think I may have missed the ideal weather for filming in so will have to rely heavily on the editing process. I am going to need some help with this as my computer is not sophisticated enough to cope with the software I need. I plan to employ my friend to help with this, but have yet to ask him. I also want to edit the footage in a very particular way which I am unsure even exists as a function. Similar to the techniques employed by Photoshop I would like to use colour effects with selected areas throughout the piece, which I plan to be 2.5 hours long.

If you know of any good film editors do let me know. Email mail@ameliabeavisharrison.com

# 33 [9 January 2011]

I have completed the August Challenge, which was from the famous Simon and Garfunkel song Scarborough Fair; to sow a cambric shirt with out seams on needlework. Despite taking me the best part of five months to realise I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The research process took me on an exciting journey to Elizabethan France at the time cambric was inaugurated, through to the then present French monarchy and Elizabethan fashion. The end result is a shirt for King Henry the III of France and Poland, who was chosen due to his turbulent relationship to the Poles who believed him to be vain. The shirt is in a traditional Elizabethan style and uses ribbon as the bind between fabric sections instead of sowing. More information on this can be found on my site www.ameliabeavisharrison.com

The research process is something I plan to take further into my current practice, and has also fed into how I began to research the September challenge, of celebrating one of the early female aviators. The next mountain to climb is completing this work. After getting over the initial feather fiasco (dying feathers and them crystallising, they are to be attached to a kite) I ordered 100 more, which were actually red. The only down side is they are about 10 cm tall and will probably only cover the tips of the kite. This is becoming quite a drawn out process with the feathers, which is surprisingly costing a lot. I have a deadline for the challenge now, as the challenger has suggested it could be a part of a digital festival he is involved with in March. The time frame should be fine, but as I have learnt from this whole process it is quite hard to make 12 art works in a year, at least it is for me anyway.

Only four more challenges to complete, and a venue to find to take the show, and some funding to find to make a publication...

# 32 [1 January 2011]

My blog and project is a year old to the day. This time last year I was about to start the 2010 Challenge project. I had assumed that it would be almost over at this point in 2011. In reality I am just over half way. I still have all the art works from August to December to complete. I am hoping to complete the August Challenge in the next few days which will mean there will be less works to make.

It would appear that my practice can not sustain making one art work a month at this point in time. Although that is down to the types of art work I make, and how much time I choose to spend on each piece, its a self imposed limitation. I am surprised that very few of the challenges I have received have been time limited in any way, especially as that is a huge part of the project.

I have now received the final challenge for the project which seems like a fitting challenge to finish with:

December Challenge

'Celebrate new year's eve as if it would be already Friday, December 31st of the year 9999. Invite people living already in the future.'

Challenged by Julian Klein

The challenge is also some what reminiscent of the January Challenge, which had a guest list and feels event based in a similar way. The two remaining challenges for the project are to finish the production of all work and find a venue to show the concluded exhibition of work and documentation.

Happy New Year!

# 31 [19 December 2010]

I have had a set back with the September challenge. After being happy that all my deliveries of various materials all finally arrived and that I had some free time, things were starting to go well. That was until I crystallised my feathers. For the September challenge I am creating a kite that will be part made of red feathers. The challenge was to celebrate the achievements of Helene Dutrieu as an aviator. Early in her career she got the nick name 'Girl Hawk' which became my starting point for the work. It was by chance when researching hawks that I discovered a kite called the Hawk and from there my idea grew. I am working on top of the original Hawk kite to create a new interpretation of Helene's work, a new Girl Hawk. The kite will be covered in red feathers (a symbol of courage). It was at this point things started to go wrong. I set about dying my feathers and had done research into how this may be achieved, and what to not do such as use boiling water. Despite my best efforts the feathers have crystallised and really can’t be used on the kite. I had no idea feathers could crystallise until it happened, although with the right chemical reaction I am sure most things can.

In other news the August challenge, of constructing a shirt without needle work is going well. I have currently got the body work and two lengths for the sleeves pinned out. I am now at the stage of starching the sleeves into the shape that I need and then attaching the whole thing together, and this is the tricky bit, so there is time for it to go wrong still. I do hope it doesn’t.

I now only have two pages in my challenge book to fill, and in twelve days there will be no time left to submit challenges!    

# 30 [13 December 2010]

18 days and counting until I will no longer be choosing challenges for the 2010 Challenge. On December 31st at midnight the submissions will come to an end. I do and will still however have five challenges to complete. I had hoped to have got back on track by having some free time but the snow has meant that the Royal Mail haven’t managed to get my deliveries to me quickly. I have three collection calling cards to take to the post office when I have a free moment, to collect my parcels. Despite Christmas I may actually be able to get some work done this weekend, and that’s a good feeling.

It feels a little bit naughty still having challenges going back as far as August to make, but at least they are well thought out. I have almost all the materials except some starch spray and potentially a fabric hole punch gizmo.

I have been writing down the challenges I receive in a small book, and am pleased to say I only have three pages left. Ideally I will receive exactly three challenges before 31st December, but that’s wishful thinking. It will be over or under. If you do have a challenge email one to mail@ameliabeavisharrison.com

From all the work I make I intend to exhibit the documentation and products at some point next year. I would also like to make a publication. In the New Year I need to begin trying to find a gallery to take the show on, which currently I haven’t begun, although I realise I should have done this before the project began.

Bring on the challenges!! 

# 29 [1 December 2010]

I feel a bit giddy, since almost completing the June challenge to appear on a TV show, I seem to have a new bubble of energy. On Monday I went to Glasgow to film a new episode of The Weakest Link. I can’t tell you how well I have done; you will have to watch the show when it airs. It was a fantastic experience but I have signed a contract to not really talk about it until after its on TV. Never the less there are photos on Facebook. Speaking of which a small gang of contestants have now become friends on Facebook, which I think is amazing. From one small challenge a whole other area of activity has opened up, and one of the contestants, Rich, has even set me a challenge! I can see this particular challenge extending into a larger project, I have something up my sleeve. (There seems to be a taboo about talking about using Facebook as if its 'not proffesional', well it’s just added a whole new dimension to my practice!)

For the November challenge I have choose the following:

'Go to a crowded but unfamiliar street (ideally in a town away from where you live) Gather a crowd of twenty or more people around you, any way you can.

Challenge by Martin Reed'

By the end of November I seemed to have a reasonable selection of challenges, which really I could have chosen any of. The choice was split between the above, sneaking an art work into the British Art Show, lighting candles and making people pray, and constructing a weaving out of peoples shoe laces. Incidentally all of which made me laugh in some way.

I have finally begun to order the materials for some of the challenges that are still pending. This coincided with being paid which always helps. The weather at the moment is perfect for the September challenge to celebrate the aviator Helen Dutrieu, so I need to get a move on before all the snow disappears. I have a feeling I am probably the only person thinking that now.

With it being December this is the final opportunity to challenge me, so do email a challenge to mail@ameliabeavisharrison.com incidentally I already have my first December challenge already.