Wednesday 5th May...

Firstly was a much needed hairdressers appointment, something I was looking forward to, to relax and de-stress...

After that was again a journey to Derby, I have become a cog in the commuter's machine... the same journey... the same stops... and the same book...

Working out where to place the plynths and general technical issues.

Until tomorrow.... the final set up day!

x X x

Tuesday 4th May...

Early morning... same routine... train to Derby...

Spent the whole day painting the space, the heat was pretty immense... I wonder why I always get the most covered in paint when I just paint a wall...

How is it that paint is mixed a different colour from the last when the batch is meant to be identical?
4 tins of 'Brilliant White' paint was bought yesterday and only 1 was brilliant white... strange

Next is creating the installation and I'm mighty excited! Updates on that at a later date! And pictures of the creation... :)

x X x

Monday 3rd May...

Another trip to Derby...

Train journeys always seem somewhat peaceful, a relaxing time to read and clear my mind. This journey was no exception.

Arriving at the gallery about 10.30 this morning with a full schedule of painting ahead!



 

I spent the morning painting most of the new wooden boards, giving them a base coat. After lunch I carried on with more painting! It felt like a never ending job!

I got most of the new boards painted but didn't get round to the ceiling due to running out of paint!



 

I decided that now was time to do the filling, I went round the whole space filling in holes and then gaps between the boards.




 







I left the gallery about 6.30pm leaving a full day to continue with the space tomorrow...

x X x

Saturday 1st May...

Today began with me deciding I really should look into getting a new phone considering my phone decided to disconnect itself in the night meaning my alarm didn't go off... so... a rushed start and extra money spent getting to the train station quickly to catch the next train...

A relaxing train journey to Derby reading my book and emptying my mind before cramming it full with lots of excitement and err... lots more excitement again...

I now have a clearer idea of what is happening and what I need to do and think about... How I want to create my installation...

Today I painted a small section of skirting board in the gallery and drank a ridiculous amount of tea... I also found the Wilkco's, bought some hooks... bought some wool from the market.. Derby's not too bad a place really...

Plans for before the opening...
Sunday - Finish off the last bits of my films
Monday - Paint my space in the gallery
Tuesday - Create my installation

I am way excited for Friday, the opening... Bring ... It .... On...

Peace out
x X x

Growing danger...

I'm nearing the end!

Tomorrow is the day of delivery of my projectors and equipment! I am still putting the finishing touches to my films, sound has been created and the video footage is now on digital and getting connected together with the sound...

It is all very exciting!!

I will keep updated alot more on the set up...

Press

My memory hasn’t always been a problem. When I was younger I had excellent recollection, and was amazed by how much minute detail I could recall. As I have grown older my memories seem to have faded and are not so reliable, I believe that this is a shared experience by many. Loved ones are forgotten; the memories that are left are mostly just the feelings and emotions from certain events. I decided to create films to question what happens to our memories. Can they truly disappear and be lost forever, or do they remain buried deep somewhere in the recesses of our mind?

My work involves the creation of film installations using found footage. I fabricate what can be described as ‘memories’ using other people’s recollections, and have aimed to create artwork that is in character with how memories are stored and evolve in our minds. Memories, I feel, are like a montage of tiny snippets of past events; and not necessarily the best of the event.

I trawl through reels of footage and have to be very selective about what I choose. Because some clips remind me of my own past experiences, I alter the appearance of these parts due to the emotions they evoke.

Scrutiny of unfamiliar found footage

Work has gone slow... but today, I seemed to have an energy in which got me motivated into sorting out bits of footage I liked, bits I didn't!

I recently bought ANOTHER Super 8 projector, unluckily it isn't too brilliant and I'm not sure I will be able to use it in the exhibition - it does nothing but chew up any film I feed into it! Thought my trusty Projector's bulb blew today, but it was just having a rest, I do have one bulb spare but I didn't have a screwdriver on me at the time, but its fine now...

I also bought a HD Camcorder... its exciting as I have never owned a camcorder and the digital footage of my work was all filmed using a tiny pocket digital stills camera! Lucky me I have this amazing one now, which is practically no bigger than my tiny stills camera, but WAY better!
Today I found myself up and about pretty early for me, I went to my studio and started sorting through my films, what films I wanted to use. Its difficult as I only like say a couple of seconds in the middle of the 2-3 minute film, and that could be all from one film... so trawling through all the films to find the bits I want, but then working out what bit goes with what other bit and so forth... its just time consuming and tedious... I stress... but love the splicing ... the sound the little plastic splicer makes :)
A meeting was had between landlord and tenants at the Arts Centre where I have my studio this morning at 11, to just see how the place and things were running for the building the individual rooms and whether there were any problems etc...
Afterwards I carried on sorting and sifting through stacks of films ... (If anyone has any old Super 8 film they don't want any more then please let me know! It could end up in some sexy art film on show in Derby!)

This week has gone mighty quick! Work has been pretty good, gone alot smoother with the lovelier weather we have been having... taking away today of course, that was nasty! I spent most of today at work playing 'Headbandz' (the game where you have a card on your head with a picture of something say, a tin of baked beans and 'I am a tin of Baked Beans' wrote above and you take it in turns to ask questions to guess what you are... it was fun the first few games but after at least 2 hours of playing it it can be pretty strenuous!

Anyways, until another time

x X x

New beginnings...

Ok, so I thought it best to set up a proper blogging site to update about my ongoing work towards my exhibition in May '10.

To cover so far, I was shortlisted along with 11 others from my degree show from the East Midlands to write a proposal for an exhibition. A proposal was written back at the end of '09 and accepted for a bursary to create new works for a group exhibition consisting of 5 recent Art graduates. The Exhibition will be called Future Focus and is a chance for recent graduates to get their name out there.

Basically I am getting some money to make some lovely sexy films and then the chance to exhibit them in a lovely gallery space in Derby called QUAD. The bursary gives us the chance to be mentored throughout, with regular meetings with the mentor, curators and the technicians within the gallery space. Also throughout the six week exhibition there will be a professional practice group seminar for the public to attend. (This bit terrifies me!)

Our first major deadline was on the 1st of this month, having to present images and text for the brochure, which then may be used for press releases and such like...
I'm not sure what images will be used but I had sent 5 altogether...

Are memories always there?

Stuck in the continual focus of our minds?

Do they ever disappear?

Ever vanish completely?

Are they hiding just waiting for a trigger to drag them to the surface?

Remembered memories, are they real? Did they actually happen or are they just a figment of our imagination?

Can we create a memory?

More to update at a later date!

Bekka

x X x