ARTISTS TALKING

# 31 [13 October 2010]

11 October

I had my final meeting and sign of day for the project in Bristol at St Bede’s School.

The commission was finished on the 27^th of August but there were final snaggings of the staircase to be done by the contractor. Although the contractor is still working on the outside, they are finishing the amphitheatre and the landscaping, they have moved long way and should be completed by the end of this year. It felt good going back to the school and seeing the students, the staff and the finished artwork.

From there I when to our quarterly AIR meeting that was held at the Architecture Centre in Bristol.

# 32 [31 October 2010]

21^st of October

Being an artist you have to juggle so much work at the same time and sometimes is so difficult to draw a line of priorities!

I had a very productive meeting on my first visit to Queenborough in Kent where I met Nicole Mollett and Simon Evans at the new Arts Centre. The three of us discussed the project and ways forward to develop ideas and how to engage with the local Romany community. We talked about our interests and first steps of the project. So Simon took the responsibility of making contact with people that he know and has worked with in the area, so we can arrange our first visit to add list two different communities.

Our first site visit has been arranged for the 26^th of November.

I also had my first meeting on site at the Southgate project in Bath with the commissioners, arts consultants, personnel from Bath City Council and the fabricators.

We looked at the site and the first samples produced by the fabricators that were made out of different woven metal materials and various samples of different methods of joining together. Everyone was so pleased with the samples and there was a join decision that everybody liked the most intricate and delicate sections that used the Placid mesh and the smallest bends with the thinner joint strip that will be gilded.

After the meeting, I met with my friend Teresa who is also based in Bath and will be helping me with the gilding on this project.  We run some test and gilded one section in order to work out the cost and hours that will take to do the full job.

I when to see Robert Mapplethorpe’s ARTIST ROOMS at Towner in Eastbourne and met with Sanna Moore for a short catch up and to give her an update of the development of my commission with the salmon skins. ARTIST ROOMS is an outstanding collection of Mapplethorpe's photographs alongside a selection of his sculptural works never before seen in a UK public gallery. 

# 33 [31 October 2010]

31^th of October

Last week I had to attend Brighton Magistrates Court and for a first time give evidence. The defendant broke into my studio and not only caused damage to the premises but also to my artwork. I had to attend court because he pleaded guilty only to damaging the premises and braking into my studio but not to destroying and damaging my artworks. The damaged to my art works was in the value of £5000.

Although I was not being accused I was very nervous in attending this court case. I arrived at Court and sat there and waited patiently for to be called in. After about an hour I was told that the defendant, when was told that I have arrived to give evidence, changed his plea into GUILTY. This meant that I was not longer required to give any evidence. I was thanked for attending and left the court. Next day I found out by the police that the Court case was rescheduled for the 27^th October because the defendant lost his plot and when mad….. On the 27^th this was finalised and I was told that he was prosecuted and had to do 6months community work at a mental hospital and that I will be paid £350.00 for all the damages.

Unfortunately at this time when my studio was broke into I didn’t had any insurance for the value of my artwork so I can’t claim for any of the damages. Since the damage in March 2010 I’ve moved to a new studio and at present looking into insuring my work.

At the end of this week I had a very productive meeting with Mark Segal and Jo Sanna at ArtSway. We discussed all the projects that I am involved with and the next stages of my Creative Inclusion project. We also discussed the new Artsway shop at Culture Label and what other works they can put for sale. http://artsway.culturelabel.com/

# 34 [7 December 2010]

1^st of November I had a 3 hour session with my mentor where we discussed the next steps of my Creative Inclusions project and looked at my timetable which I have been doing daily to see how productive my time is. When you take notes its amazing and very scary to see where and how I have been spending my time…. No wonder why I never have time and I have to work in the night to catch up on things… Is frightening to find out that I am doing on average 4-5 hours daily on admin that includes conversations, arranging meetings, replying and sending emails etc.

I was invited to attend both the dinner at De La Warr Pavilion on Tuesday 2nd November and the event at Towner Art Gallery on Wednesday 3rd November, organized by Turning Point South East. Tuesday 2nd November, all delegates arrived for buffet dinner at the De La Warr Pavilion and had the opportunity to enjoy De La Warr Pavilion’s Myth, Manners and Memory: Photographers of the American South exhibition - http://www.dlwp.com/WhatsOn/ExhibitionDetail.aspx?EventId=1299

With a working title of “Economies and Ecologies”, the Turning Point National Event and Dinner was an opportunity for members of the regional Turning Point Steering Groups to gather together to explore and discuss ways of strengthening the national network by using the Turning Point structure as an agent of positive change and support for the visual arts.

The day event started at 10:30am on Wednesday 3rd November, and finish with drinks at 6:00pm. The programme of the day was very interesting. The morning opened with a workshop by John Holden, an associate of the think tank Demos and visiting professor in cultural policy at City University London. This workshop looked at new business models through the prisms of networks and ecology.

Then we had to make a choice of on of the Workshop bellow for the morning session

1. How can we maximise and share resources? - drawing on her TPN research and examples from other sectors, Susan Royce, will lead a practical workshop.

2. Digital Creativity - what are the funding, production and artistic opportunities being made available through digital innovation funds and collaborations with public service networks (led by Honor Harger, Director Lighthouse) or Market Development (East and North East CAS)

3.Sharing best practice - marketplace for inter-regional collaboration

And the afternoon choice of workshops was:

1. What are the lessons from the TPN evaluation process? The future of the TP network (led by Annabel Jackson)

2. Investing in artists - how can we continue to ensure that artists are supported?

3. Sharing best practice - marketplace for inter-regional collaboration

I chose to attend the Digital Creativity by Honor Harger and the afternoon session the Investing in Artists by Gillian Nicol and Stephen Beddoe.

# 35 [7 December 2010]

On the 4^th in the morning I had to catch the National Express at 5.45am to Heathrow airport where Sally Sheiman and myself flow to Zagreb to the ECA (European Council of Artist) yearly conference called Art Funding – Artistic freedom.

The event started at 19.30 on the 5^th with an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, which is an incredible new building.

The conference opened on the 6^th with an address by Silvije Petranovic the president of the Croatian Freelance Artist Association.

First speaker Zarko Paic, a philosopher from Croatia, spoke about ‘The Post Liberal Conditions - mapping the arts as freedom in unfinished European cultural space’. Second speaker was Louise Walsh, a sculptor from Ireland, she spoke about her experiences in public art, ‘Expectation| Imagination’. Third speaker, Sibila Petlevski an author and president of PEN. Her topic was ‘Free-Expression Policies’ with the subtitle: Cultural Policies, Cultural Branding & Cultural Jamming. Fourth speaker was Marta Smolikova, director of Pro Culture from the Czech Republic. Marta spoke about ‘What is the Role of the Sponsor?’ and the relationship of partnerships and funding in an open society. The fifth speaker was Christian Brandt, an author from Finland, great sense of humour, needed to break the atmosphere at the time…. His topic was ‘Funding Principles & Criteria and their affects on art’. The sixth speaker was Patricia Fernandez-Mazarabbroz, working at the Ministry of Culture in Spain. She spoke regarding ‘Intellectual Property Rights’, about the arts protection at an international level – Europe’s legal framework.

We had a pleasant surprise and the final speaker was the President of the Republic of Croatia Mr Ivo Josipovic. He is a composer recently elected President. He spoke eloquently about the importance of Art, Culture and Society.

The morning of the 8^th Sally and me when to the Airport in Zagreb and Sally when back to London and I continued my trip to Skopje, where I had to create new work for an exhibition that opened on the 18^th of November 2010. I was collected and met by my sister and we drove back to my parents. The same afternoon with the help of my family we started to plan the next few days, which were long and hard work.

# 36 [7 December 2010]

In September I when to Macedonia to start the project, I placed the skins into chemicals which was then, for the next 10 weeks, cared by my mother and father. We also found a local company that cut and prepared the tiles for the work and this was delivered and ready for my return.

After arrival to Macedonia the following 5 days I worked in my studio, which is an amazing space on the third floor of my parents house that was created for me 19 years a go before I left, but now most of the time sits empty and is hardly being used…. We organised ourselves and worked as a team. My mother and me made the tiles, by carefully stretching the wet skins onto the black tiles; this was then carried by my father and placed on the covered floor to dry. My sister cooked our dinners and looked after all of us. It was a great team and without they help I wouldn’t have been able to finish the work. We made approximately 100-150 tiles per day, in total we made 600 tiles of 20cm x 20cm.

# 37 [7 December 2010]

On Monday morning, the 15th my father and me delivered the work to Public Room Gallery in Skopje where the space was ready for install. We started by placing and organising the tiles on the floor and after long and careful measuring of the walls and working out the spacing, we started to install the work, which took 2 ½ days. Everything was ready except the catalogues. The company that was printing the catalogues in Macedonia did them incorrect and made a full mess of the print. They delivered the catalogues very last minute on Thursday morning and we didn’t had the time to reprint or find someone else to do the job… On the opening, which was very embarrassing for me, we had to make an announcement that the catalogues have been badly/wrongly printed and that we are going to reprint them back in the UK!

But I have to say that the opening was a great success, there was so many visitors came to the opening that the gallery was to small to accommodate everyone that arrived, so many people where queuing outside to come in! Ana Frangovska, curator at the National Gallery of Macedonia and the Mayor of Kavadarci (my city) Mr Aleksandar Panov opened the exhibition. The amazing thing was that the Mayor of my city organised a bus from Kavadarci to Skopje to help and bring all the interested people.

For me this was an incredible evening, it was my first solo exhibition in my country and many friends and family came to see it. Also I had brilliant coverage in the papers and interviews with two different TV stations.

After the opening I had a little rest and enjoyed the time spend with my family before returning back to the UK on the 22^nd of November.

# 38 [7 December 2010]

I was shortlisted and attended an interview on the 24^th November at Pier a Terre restaurant. Last week I was notified that the Interview panel were very impressed by my presentation and have selected me as the first Artist in Restaurant. This was a unanimous decision, backed by Shane Osborn, the head chef, who very much welcomed me to his kitchen. This is such an exciting news and an amazing opportunity to be the artist-in-residency at a 2michellin star restaurant, to work with the chefs, see, experience and contribute to the life of a kitchen and together develop ideas for new works.

The announcement was made nationally on the 3^rd of December and various writings have been published in the Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/the-diary-english-national-ballet-jasper-joffe-mark-wahlberg-stephen-hawking-2149537.html

The Evening Standard, ArtReview http://www.artreview.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=elpida+hadzi-vasileva

# 39 [7 December 2010]

On Tuesday the 30 November I participated in the VAUK Media Training organized by Thinking Practice. I was invited on behalf of AIR and was the only practicing artist in the group. Because of the weather there was only 8 of us who managed to get there plus the three media, Charles, Claire and Dominic. It was a small group but nice. This was a very tough, intense but very interesting day. We started at 9.30, with introductions and each one of us explaining what we would like to gain from the day, and finished at 5.30.

They teached us and explain how we should handle the press, what we should say and how we say it, things that we should be considerate about; how to prepare for the interview; how to dress….

This included giving direct interviews to someone holding a microphone in your face, interviews on the telephone, Direct Television and Radio interviews.

Finally we managed to arrange the meeting with the Romany community in Kent on the 2^nd of December but due to the weather had to be cancelled again; we are trying to reschedule the meeting for this Friday the 10^th or following week Friday the 17^th, fingers crossed don’t snow again.

Due to the weather I have been having problems getting the fish skins delivered from Northumberland, the factory is hardly working and staffs are still snowed down. I really hope I get the skins delivered before Christmas….

I did days teaching at City college Brighton yesterday and it was very enjoyable. I gave lecture about my work first and then did three one to one tutorials with third year students.

I am driving to Bristol tomorrow afternoon for a Thursday morning meeting at Ashton park and going back to St Bede’s Catholic college to photograph my work.

# 40 [15 January 2011]

My Arts Councils years grant is officially coming to an end. The funding enabled me to concentrate on areas of my practice; to focus on identifying key people who would help, support and advise me on developing my work, eg Tommaso Corvi-Mora and James Lingwood. The open-ended research is been very valuable and enabled me to initiate collaborations that resulted in unforeseen exciting spin offs and developmental opportunities.

Instead of finishing with this blog and starting a new one I have decide it to continue with my Creative Inclusions Blog because the following projects have been initiated and realised through the research.

This week I started my Artist-in-Restaurant residency at Pied a Terre. This is an 8-month residency followed with a solo exhibition at the restaurant planned to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair, 2011. http://artist-in-restaurant.co.uk/press.html

I spend couple of days at the restaurant observing, talking to and getting to know some of the staff and chefs in the kitchen.

On Tuesday I had my first lunch at Pied a Terre with a freelance Stephanie Theobald who’s writing a piece for BMI Voyager (inflight magazine, high readership figures) about Artist in Restaurant and setting up a feature with a national newspapers. Our lunch/meeting lasted 3 ½ hours; we were given to choose what ever we want it from the menu; there were three types of menu: Lunch menu: 2 courses menu; A la carte: starter and main course with a choice of dessert or fine cheese; and Tasting menu: 10 courses tasting menu; Stephanie and myself chose a starter each and a main course but the food just kept coming; we starting with a canopy, which was followed by a starter and choice of beautiful bread, main course, then choice of cheeses, followed by pre desert, then desert and at the end to top it all arrived the three layered tower with amazingly presented sweets. It was a great experience to dine here and try these exceptional gourmet food carefully presented by Michelin star chef Shane Osborn.

The following day I arrived at 9.30 and after changing when strait down to the kitchen. I found all the staff busy preparing the food for the day, I said hello and observed what they were doing, from time to time moving to keep out of they way. There are 10 people at one time plus the main chef, the kitchen is so small but amazingly comfortable, they all have they own designated areas to prepare different parts of the food and so well coordinated and work together. I slowly started to get to know some of the staff and figuring out what they jobs are, fascinated with they skills and ability to work so fast and precise. The morning when very fast and at 12.00pm the first orders started to come in; these is when I moved to one corner, with a great view to observe the presentation and dishing of the orders. I was impressed with how fast but still with perfection to detail they worked and every dish was carefully examined and inspected before being send to the customer. From time to time Shane showed me and give me to taste small unique bits of food that they use in they presentation, with explaining what they are and where they come from, eg. Red blossom flowers from apple trees in Holland, green leaves which were hand picked in woodlands in Wales, that had very fresh and lemony taste….

By the time I new it was almost 4.00pm, with the last orders done, and the staff began cleaning the kitchen and immediately to prepare the food for the evening. Although I didn’t do much, just stood there watching, I felt so tired I had to call it a day. I was happy, I when home with few fish skins and bird fit that I asked the staff to put a side as they prepared the food during the day.