Perspectives: Gary Kemp

Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the other Young British Artists on ITV. Will update tomorrow after I watch the whole thing. 

Alchemy Film Festival

Alice and I volunteered to help at the festival together. With all the artists coming into the college to give us talks, I've realised how lucky we are- these people are taking time out of their day to talk to us. I knew Richard Ashrown (he came in to talk to us when I was in the first year of the Art course, and we also saw one of his films at The Haining in Selkirk) was the Creative Director for the festival and decided I would give up my time to help him and the rest of the team out. I'm not really a film person (arty films I mean) so there wasn't much I really wanted to see. Also I had never done anything like this so I had no idea what to expect. I've put a bunch of stuff on instagram to encourage more people to come but I also wanted to blog about it.

The first day I was outside the Dreaming Room. I will hopefully have time today to pop in and watch some things as I didn't on the first day. All I had to do was tally how many people went in and also answer any questions. After the two hours were up, Alice and I went to the Auction House. The building is a bit out of the way compared to the other two venues, which showed with the lack of people who came while we were there. The building alone is amazing- it's so old and creepy and gives off an abandoned feel which seems to be perfect for the installations within.

My view outside The Dreaming Room

Day two went fast, we were on the register desk and then went upstairs to help with handing mics around during a Q&A. No one came out to get us (like we had been told would happen) so as people started leaving we went back downstairs. I had something on in the afternoon so I left just after this. I wanted to have a look in the horsebox (Pat Law) but I was in a rush- again, hopefully today!

Day three we were at the Crown Building. This building was previously a hotel. The corridors and long and the floorboards creak- I love it. After our "shift" was finished we went upstairs and looked at the installations.

Alice and I "For Everything To Go As Planned" (Emma Finn)


This Moving Image installation is in a tiny space. I liked it for it's minimal use of colour. 

"In ‘For Everything to Go Exactly as Planned’, the workers must come to an important decision. Our narrator, the wrecking ball, recounts for us what he saw, heard and understood. Everyone’s true nature is exposed, including the wrecking ball, who ultimately destroys his own story. Primarily working with moving imagery and narrative, Emma Finn draws upon a broad range of visual languages and codes, derived from comics, television and cinema. ‘I like seeing the Marks I make on pages join together. These Marks become people and things that have stories to share. Wrecking balls, postmen and office workers. They might mirror us but they are not us, they are less in power, dimensionally. They are the second to our third dimension.’ The narratives reflectively, if obliquely, address the distance between people. We create our own parallel and private worlds beside one another; ranging from lonesome to satisfying and everything in between. Working with the Marks’ stories, Finn pushes them into a dialogue with the third and fourth dimensions of space and time, using video installation and, at times, incorporating live performance."
- http://www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk/2014/moving-image-installations-2/

The next one we looked at was Ben  Skea's "Sleep Vessel". It attempts to explore and understand the three core processes of memory (encoding, storage and recall) by way of hand-drawn animation.  The film is projected onto a pillow which is really cool! In my own work I am looking for different things to use to put my message on rather than just paper or textile. Also, the pillow was a bit crumpled and that made the projected image seem more 3D. 
"Organic line vessels become glowing containers for fluid movement – transformative shapes and cyclic actions reinforcing themes of stored impulses, muscle memory and lucid dreaming. These loops are finally broken when the process of retrieval begins – rapid stop motion drawings are juxtaposed with photography and mixed media collage representing the human form as it wakes from sleep."-- http://www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk/2014/moving-image-installations-2/

Not sure if I was allowed to record it, but there were no signs telling me not to! 



Lastly we went to the third floor. "ORPHINE" by The Bird and The Monkey. THIS is a moving image installation. This is my kind of thing. It is in a large room, text bordering the walls, funky music, a speaker between some fake legs, 3 projections, just so much to look at! This was the first thing that caught my eye. I did take a closer picture of the side of the cupboard as it was half covered in red handwritten text but my ipod decided to delete it. Sadly I can't even remember what it said. If I get the chance today I'll go back  up. 

"The Bird And The Monkey are entering the Dreamlands with ORPHINE – their follow-up to their 2012 Sung To The Crows Installation. We plan to produce 3 films for projection, alongside unique sculptures, art, music and performance. Orphine looks into a puddle and through nature’s pull and the push of her emotions falls into the Underworld, where she is transformed. In the struggle to return, Orphine must locate and pass through many portals which will eventually lead her somewhere. Enlightening and dark twists and turns befall her in the Subconscious as she discovers characters and relics both familiar and strange."
-- http://www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk/2014/moving-image-installations-2/


I also recorded a video just taking you around the room for this one too but it will be uploaded (as well as more info) in my next update. I will also be talking about the Auction House again as I am there from 4-6pm tonight.

Today is the last day so if you have chance, please please please come along! It is too good to miss!

I haven't forgotten about you!

My blog has constantly been on my mind. I keep thinking "I need to update it" every day but I never get round to it. I've been suuuuper busy with my units. For FMP, I have filmed the piece i previously spoke about and got it on a disk.

I am obsessed with the shop B&M. It is super cheap and you get everything in there. Last year I got a bunch of frames for my x-stitch. This year I've got a few frames ready for some pieces. I also got a heart shaped chopping board for £1.99. As you can see I decided to paint on top of it. I'm trying to find something different to paint on instead of paper. I think this could work well if there was a bunch of them and if I was paying closer attention to typography. It was just a quick experiment so I didn't plan too much. This could be hung on a wall. 

I showed my sister (the one that paints skateboards and stuff (http://defy-art-lab.tumblr.com/)) and she said I was copying her. Yes, because she invented painting on wood with monochrome colours.

Finally, I will be updating a lot over the next few days about Alchemy Film Festival as I am volunteering for all four days. If anyone has spare time over the next few days they should definitely go- £4 to get into each film and there are artists coming from every where. Should be really interesting!