ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [20 January 2010]

The aim of this funding is to facilitate a successful realisation of a research period, building partnerships, and the development of new productions. It will cover my time – one day per week for a year - to focus on my practice, it will enable the flourishing achievement of new potential projects and will give me the opportunity to network to further develop and make new contacts for future exhibitions and the development of my career as an artist in the UK and abroad. 

I received the grant before Christmas and the first few weeks of the start of this project have been very exciting. As part of this grant I have allocated mentoring funding and I have been researching into potential mentors. I organised meetings with the Director and the Curator at the Towner Gallery and had discussions with the Director at ArtSway, and with they help I have contacted and arranged meetings with potential mentors.

Last Monday I had my initial meeting with the mentor just to see if it would work and test the grounds. The meeting went brilliantly and now I am working on some thoughts and ideas to bring forward for the next meeting.

# 2 [13 February 2010]

There have been few very busy weeks.

I was shortlisted and attended an interview in Bristol for permanent commission at St Bede’s Catholic College. Last Tuesday I had my first meeting and a site visit with the arts consultant shown around by the main architect. We also attended the design meeting and met members of the team that I will be working with. I also met some of the teachers and employs from the college and we booked my next days of research visits.

On Thursday evening I attended the Spitalfields Sculpture Prize announcement. I was one of the eight shortlisted artists to be commission for the prize to create permanent piece for Bishops Square. It was an interesting process where the public was also allowed to vote and they vote would counted as one am not sure how much this made the difference in the decision making! I kind of hoped that commissioning ways could perhaps change and that slightly more challenging and exciting works could take place. But I was wrong the traditional way won again…..

The prize was given to Kenny Hunter, and the sculpture is a Goat on top of a stacking crates. Congratulations.

This turned into a long night and next morning I had to catch an early flight to Thessalonica, where I was met by my family and after spending nice day around this great city we drove back home to Macedonia.

On Friday the 19^th of February there will be a closing down party at the Swiss Embassy in Skopje and I have to de-install my exhibition.

# 3 [13 April 2010]

I will write this retrospectively of time:

I initiated a meeting with the University of Brighton and met with Matthew Cornford and Peter Seddon some time in February. We discussed my R&D project talked about how I could get involved with the University and how the University could help with some aspects of the project. We agreed to hold an open discussion event at the Univeristy where Matthew Cornford and myself could have an open dialogue led by Peter Seddon on the 17th of March – St Patrick’s Day.

Unfortunately the event is still to be rescheduled and I have been told this will happen after Easter? I should send a second email reminder to see how/when we would do this event!

 Sarah Collicott from InSite Arts (http://www.insitearts.com/) approached me regarding a commission for Southgate Project in Bath.

InSite Arts Ltd is an independent specialist visual art consultancy with
specialism in public art commissioning, based in London and the Midlands. I was entered strait into a shortlist of four and have been given the opportunity to develop a proposal.

You can see Virtual Tour of the shopping here:

http://www.southgatebath.com/about-us/virtual-tour...

# 4 [14 April 2010]

The commission at St Bede’s College in Bristol started with a four-day workshop with the students and discussion with the staff at the College. At the same time in the four days I looked around Laurence Weston, visited the Blaise Castle House Museum and grounds and the local Library. I had a meeting with the architect and a second visit of the new school site where the work will be placed. The architect introduced me to a friend of his who use to go to the same school and through a lunch all together talked about Terries memory of what the school use to be like and how much is changed…. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

On my way back from Bristol I when to the New Forest where we had a meeting at Longdown Estate Office regarding a project called ArtChitecture.

‘Artchitecture’ is a project initiated by the Solent Centre for Architecture and Design in partnership with ArtSway (contemporary visual arts organization in the New Forest) to bring together architects, artists and engineers to collaborate on exploring new models for rural architecture, through a series of temporary buildings in the New Forest National Park. The buildings will be a resource for interaction and debate on issues of sustainability, recycling, energy conservation and rural development. Artists’ use of the buildings will be the catalyst for this debate.

The artist will work as part of the team in developing the design and will subsequently use the space as a ‘studio’ to produce new work. The artist will effectively be testing the building as work space but will be expected to produce art work that responds in some way to the nature of the building and the unique environment of the New Forest. During the period the artist is in residence there will be a range of events that will involve audiences in debate and discussion around not only the work being undertaken but the building itself and the sustainable development issues raised by it.”

12 people (including Phil from Solent and Mark from Artsway) were invited to an initial workshop meeting to brainstorm ideas and ways forward. Very quickly we where separated into three groups, artists, architects and engineers. My group consist of Myself, Paul Bulkeley, architect from Snag Projects and Trevor Thickett an engineer from

We are now on our Stage 2 to taking the project to RIBA stage D (Planning Application) which is to be done by June 2010.

Stage 3 will be the construction, from September 2010 and occupation of the buildings and programming from Summer 2011.

The meeting in the Forest was to show and discuss initial concepts of design to all other groups, members from the Forestry commission, planners and other stakeholders.

# 5 [10 May 2010]

As part of Brighton Festival we are having an open studio at Apec over two weekends, 15-16^th and 22-23^rd of May from 12.00-5.00 pm. I am hoping that there will be interested visitors who will come and discuss the development of this R&D project and have the opportunity to engage with my work.

# 6 [9 June 2010]

6-7 April 2010

Some time in March I was given a beautiful Kingfisher by Lucy Strachan. She found the little fellow on the grounds walking through the forest.

Because of its beauty and being so small I was very worried to preserve the Kingfisher. So, through the internet, I contacted David Leggett at Wild Art to ask if he would train me how to taxidermy this beautiful bird. So we had two intense days of working together. David very patiently and methodically explained everything that I need to know of how to operate a bird. And I can say I succeeded I learned how to taxidermy and now I have a beautiful in-flight Kingfisher in my studio.

# 7 [9 June 2010]

21 April

Day of presentation of my initial proposal to St Bede’s College staff, Skanska staff, Batterham Matthews architect and Art and Sacred Places.

Everyone loved the proposal and my design and I was given the go ahead to proceed to the next stage.

The next stage is the design of the 3D model of the staircase and the artwork.

# 8 [9 June 2010]

6 May

I had my interview for the Southgate commission in Bath. I worked very hard to achieve the design I had imagined for this project. I gave them a concept that could be done in different materials. I worked with two different companies to be able to achieve the costing and the different production of the work.

After two weeks of intense waiting and not knowing which way this will go, I was told that the board of members really like my design and they would like to see me again. They have some questions in regards to maintenance and slight concerns of pigeons nesting within the work.  I am now one of the two artists who’s been asked to give a second presentation.

The next meeting is to be held on the 1^st of July.

# 9 [9 June 2010]

11 May

I met with Verity Slater to discuss and follow up on how my R&D is going. Verity was so helpful as always and gave me the support. We discussed what I have done so far and the next stage of my project. Verity advised me on possibility artist and other professionals that I should contact to engage and help with my project.

# 10 [9 June 2010]

14 May

I have been searching and looking to create contacts with different Roma communities on the South East Coast. Through recommendation by Daniel Baker I contacted Camilla Palestra at the London College of Fashion and Prof. Thomas A. Acton at the University of Greenwich.

Camilla worked on a very interesting project called ‘Mapping the Invisible EU Roma Gypsies’. http://blackdogonline.com/all-books/mapping-the-invisible.html

Myself and Camilla had a very productive meeting at her office in London where she explain the history of the Mapping the Invisible project, that she worked on together with Lucy Orta, how the project was established and all the different groups involved in the project. She gave me a copy of the book, which is amazing.

I then explained what I am planning to do through my R&D project, the research work that myself and Dr Fiona Dean started in Macedonia last year (http://www.rhiz.eu/artefact-36839-en.html) and how I am now looking for Roma communities to work with in this Country.

She recommended contacts that I am following up at the moment.