ARTISTS TALKING

# 41 [6 February 2011]

This was my fourth week at Pied a Terre. At present I am doing couple of days per week at the restaurant and every day is very different. I am constantly being surprised by the quality and the perfection - starting from preparing, to cooking to presenting the food on the plates. It is beautiful and it is an art of work in itself.

I am slowly gathering a collection of various bits and taking them back to my studio for testing.

My 2000 fish skins from Farne Salmon & Trout in Duns where delivered last week at my studio. They arrived in one huge lorry; the driver had a problem even turning the lorry around in our car park, which is pretty big. I had a bit of a surprise to how large the 10 boxes wore and soon realised that one large freezer (that I had) was not going be sufficient, and quickly had to go out and search for one more freezer.

It took me few days to defrost the boxes in order to separate the skins into smaller bags and freeze them again. Now I take a bag at the time out to defrost and clean, which are then washed and freezed again. My target, that I haven’t reached yet, is 200 skins per week.

I am off to an Artsway Associates visit to Mottisfont Abbey tomorrow. 

# 42 [6 February 2011]

the perfect dish

# 43 [18 March 2011]

14 March 2011

It’s been 5 busy weeks and I haven’t updated my blog…. Not sure if anyone is reading this and if you find it of any interest???

Mottisfont Abbey was amazing, such a beautiful place. It was a great sunny day and if it were raining maybe I would of had a different experience. Anyhow, we spend couple of hours with Louise looking at the site, including a tour of the house, finished by a nice cup of tea. There are fantastic opportunities and the approach Mottisfont is taking towards developing contemporary art is complex. We have been asked to propose two or three ideas for Mottisfont and I am expecting this to be a long process but hopefully will flourish into something amazing.

The Rt Revd Declan Lang, Bishop of Clifton, officially blessed my work ‘Transpire’ at St Bede’s in Bristol at a launch ceremony for the new facilities at the College on the 10^th February 2011.

Couple of weeks a go myself, Simon and Nicole had our first meeting with Joe, a key person for the Romany community in Sittingbourne, Kent. The meeting when brilliantly and it was decide it for us to organise a one-day event in July, in order to research and develop ideas for the project.

I when to visit the gardens and Ham House in London where I have been invited to make a proposal for temporary commission.  I meet Tim Etchells, who’s also been shortlisted, and together with Penny Schwier and Tessa Fitzjohn’s we visited all the suggested sites. The National Trust owns the house; it has a long history and it is the best-kept example of its time, very beautiful building! The same evening I when to the celebration of the 20^th of Anniversary of Artangel held at Ivor and Sarah’s Braka house in Chelsea, this was a truly amazing evening and what a house!!!

# 44 [18 March 2011]

19 March 2011

Things are also moving forward with my Ambush project. In order to establish and see if the site is workable we organized to undertake a test dig. Trevor Thickett, the engineer met in Bristol with the manager, the digger driver and myself. We dug 3 holes down to 2-3m in the area where we propose to build the tunnels, without causing any damage to the trees. The ground did not pose any significant difficulties with regard to construction. There was approximately 1.5 m of made ground with the possibility of a high organic content. The soils at 1.5m below ground appear to be the start of the naturally occurring red clays with an estimated safe bearing capacity of 100kN/m2. with no evidence of water, which was great news. Trevor estimated that the larger trees are probably around 70years old and from the trial holes it would appear the made ground extends across the whole of the area where we propose to develop.

The next stage now is for the estate to supply: Arboriculturist Report on the trees with comments on their age and health; their stability if they are undermined and the best way of ensuring they remain stable in the long term; a detailed topographical survey plan of the site and background information on what other material may have been buried on site.

My 8^th week at Pied a Terre were the discussion in the kitchen became very interesting, we talked about containers – body containers, sack’s… and Shane asked me if I’ve ever used sheep’s testicles sack in my work or have even tried sheep’s testicles? I said no but I would be very interested to see what the skins look like especially the sack!!!

So, in week 9, 6 testicles arrived (all different sizes) but they couldn’t get the sacks. Although the testicles look very interested it was bit disappointed that there was not a sack with them, as that was the part I was really interested in. So I contacted my Taxidermy teacher and asked if he could perhaps source some through his suppliers? He said: he will try and that he new a very good butcher near him.

My week 10 at Pied a Terre I met with Catherine Mason in the morning at Pied a Terre, who used to be one of the Directors at Calum Sutton PR, but now freelancer will independently work on and help with the PR for my project. We discussed the progress of my artist in residency and look at the press opportunities that we could create. In the evening I met with Marie-Lise and after going to an opening at the Austrian Embassy (Culture Matters UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the South East of Europe) we when for dinner at L'Autre Pied, one star Michelin - the sister restaurant of Pied à Terre, based in Marylebone. The staff really looked after us and the food was amazing.

Sarah Collicott and myself had a meeting with BDP lighting regarding my commission in Bath. BDP is one of the largest interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists in Europe, with a track record in many sectors including health, education, workplace, retail, urbanism, heritage, housing, transport and leisure. http://www.bdp.com/en/Services/Lighting/

# 45 [4 April 2011]

Sarah Collicott and myself had another meeting with MDM props to review design and timetable for Southgate Artwork. MDM could only do prep work until mesh is delivered, which we are hoping to be beginning of May, that means that everything will be pushed back for a month. But things are slowly being planned and other orders are being made no to delay the project to much.

At Pied a Terre things are going well and I had a couple of productive weeks with successful test back at my studio. I’ve made small books that where placed on the tables last Wednesday to give dinners brief information about the residency and me and also we set the Ipad in the reception where again visitors can view and enjoy my work. The books are made out of various fish skins that are used in the restaurant and card.

# 46 [30 April 2011]

I can happily say that I have finished with the cleaning of the salmon skins and now, having damaged a muscle on my shoulder, the fun begins – making the tiles. I’ve been also testing the skins by drying them on various surfaces and slowly getting a result but not the one that I am happy with yet!

I am off to Macedonia tomorrow, which will give me two weeks to rest my shoulder. When I return hoping that some of my tests would of worked and that I could make a decision about which tiles to use.

I am travelling to Macedonia to install my work ‘Inherent Beauty’ at the Museum – Gallery in Kavadarci. The exhibition is opening on the 6^th of May and I am so hoping that everything will go smoothly as there isn’t much time for mistakes…..

Last week I collected the first sheep testicle bags….. I was surprised to see how big they are and don’t know why but I imagined them looking very different! Yesterday I braved myself to cleaning them, and all I can say is that, the smell and the gunk it was very disgusting….. I don’t know what my stomach is made of but at the end it was rewarding – I think they are very beautiful!

# 47 [3 July 2011]

Great opening at the Towner Gallery on Friday night and thank you to all my friends that came to support me. Hurray they finally have they own website http://www.townereastbourne.or g.uk/exhibition/compulsive-obs essive-repetitive/

If anyone in the area do come and visit the show.

Compulsive, Obsessive, Repetitive

2 July – 18 September 2011 (free)

This is a group show of sculptors who obsessively use small scale repetitive processes to create large scale installations.

The exhibition comprises five new commissions by:

Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva

Brendan JamisonSusie

MacMurray

Jill Townsley

Henry Seaton (Rex Henry and Graham Seaton)

It also features an earlier work by Claire Morgan.

These artists are motivated by the need to compulsively repeat an action – in a labour intensive and painstaking way - to create a large scale installation composed of multiple elements. 

# 48 [30 July 2011]

Its been almost a month since my opening at the Towner Gallery. The show has been very popular. The visitors are very interested and intrigued by the work. Because there has been lots of interest in the work, together with the curator we have decide it to frame samples and give the visitors the choice to purchase the work if they desire. They can chose from three framed samples: one tile, four tiles, or ten tiles, also have the choice of ordering larger sections.

It has been very busy and productive time for me. After the opening at the Towner I when to Ljubljana, in Slovenia to participate at the 14^th international Fine Arts colony. There were 8 artist invited to participate four from Slovenia; Joze Marinc, Barbara Jurkovsek, Nikolaj Masukov and Klemen Kavcic; and four international; myself as Macedonian representative, Sally Sheinman as American, Colin Foster as English and Michael Burke as Irish. We worked very hard but also had a great time. The colony is organised by Tomo Vran and is part of the Ljubljana Festival. www.ljubljanafestival.si until 7^th of September 2011.

At present I am back at my studio, working with smelly scallops, producing all the works for Pied a Terre, which opening is on the 6^th of September.

# 49 [8 September 2011]

'The wish of the Witness' exhibition has opened on Tuesday at Pied à Terre and you can view my unique pieces any day between now and 31 October between 3-6pm.

Following an eight-month residency, I was the first Artist in Restaurant at Pied à Terre, and showcasing 10 pieces of works that have been inspired from the day to day running of the restaurant, using materials some would usually perceive as waste to produce art.

During the exhibition you will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase one of my outstanding pieces of art. http://ow.ly/6nJcI

more to follow....