what skills do you have?

Well? can you paint? (no)...how can you call yourself a master of "fine art" then?

Today, a lovely old cantankerous fart dropped into a diatribe about the whole MFA show, in my room..(I think I tipped him over the edge). Swearing and ranting about how useless we all were (no skills, you see!).

Quite an entertaining exchange of "views". His being rooted firmly in an historical idea of what art should be (and how "conceptual art" is : pretentious, useless, a waste of space).

quite an angry man (in his 70's)....he said he used to teach at gray's...painting, of course....the art of kings (well, sorry, the "only" art.)

It's quite annoying to think that this man assumes that if you can't paint, you hate painting...or dismiss it, because it's "not conceptual".

needless to say, I gave up trying to explain the finer points of "open mindedness" (even with the help of my good friend Sinky)...so we left him ranting (quite a lot of "fuck"s from a septegenarian.

anyway, we heard from the Janitor that he wanted to make a complaint at the lack of skills to the head of school...I wish Stewart MacDonald was there to take that "meeting".

anyway...let that be a lesson to you: art, it's for showing off how you can reproduce a landscape AND NOTHING ELSE...got that? (a year in UNI learning how to think outside the box, and all I needed was that lesson to "keep me right". ho ho.

It's all over!

Well....

I passed!
Sorry for the lack of postings - I'd knuckled down and focused on the final 4 weeks of dissertation and studio practice...I feel bad, no documentation (as I was too busy ?!)...

needless to say, I'd set the show up for my Viva last monday (27th August) and spoke to the wonderful and reassuring Simon Wilmoth from Norwich UNI...what a great chat, even if I did talk at 10000000 miles an hour! I'd also had a second presentation / viva with Iain Irving, Jim Buckley and John Pengelly - which seemed easier than the first...because I'd had the practice the day before, and knew what I wanted to say? or because I knew these guys and felt comfortable speaking to them?

I am having a meeting with Iain this week, to find out the "grades" (not that they matter, a pass is a pass!)

So, the show was last Firday (31st August) and it was amazing...it flew past, talking about the work all night...on many levels. Several interesting conversations, and an amazing cross conversation theme, the common story of finding old newspapers, and being fascinated by them...


The "torrent" installation was flattened on the night, kids did exactly what I thought they would, fly on in and play with the paper...wheras the austere and conditioned adults hardly even walked on the path given!

During the day, I had my photo taken for the P&J, Aberdeen Inependent and internal RGU press...and I got my pic and story in the P&J on saturday...so that's cool.

I just hope some galleries come see the show...it'd be a shame if they didn't.

I'll drop in now and again, uploading "pearls of wisdom"...
I need to document the making of the hearing aid for a shed (currently in production with Malcom Michie - gray's technician)...

and the NEOS week (in 2 weeks time).

lots to do.

rip it up and start again...

I’ve readdressed the chapter three problem, I’ve deleted many aspects of “the plan” to talk about the work (step by step explanation of individual works). I’ve scrapped it all, and need to think more about how my concepts and ideas work within the context I’ve identified. I know they do, I feel a sense of connection with the works of Hirschhorn and Tyson…I know I am addressing some of the issues they do, but on a shallower level (for now). It’s my need to define my practice, to become comfortable with my arsenal of visual vocabulary…all I have to do, is put that into words, make it sounds like I am convincing, and conclude on it…simple!

Stuck the Herald to the full stop

reflective reflection...reflects.(balls)

Drawing on previous works and reflection on newer works for the dissertation. It feels clunky and a bit trite…it’s quite hard talking about the work…and I think it’s too prescriptive…

Stuck P&J to full stop

chapter 3 staarted (my Practice)

Started on chapter three – my work and practice, in relation to others…and it was all shite. I deleted 2000 words. I can see myself falling into the tarp of describing the work, and not the concepts and ideas that my work addresses. I start to get a bit worried…I know this is my weakness, my inability to speak about the work “ambiguously”, I feel the need to satisfy the lamen in me : “tell us how you made it” (not “why” you made it…) I think that’s the simple difference in my failing. It’s a case of talking about wy I made it…not how.

I stuck the daily mirror to the Full Stop, and started thinking about how the inky hands part of the work could function on its own…I have been formulating ideas about video work, based on “transference” – passing information from one place to another. The ramifications or implications of transfer - perhaps some comparison with disease? Or random acts of kindness…I like the idea of the indiscriminate neutrality of possibility, for good or bad, or “nothing”…

Stuck Daily Mirror to Full Stop

Ganahl reflection

Writing about Rainer Ganahl. One Annoying thing about Ganahl is…his website is down! Just when I need to collate images and texts from him. I’ve had to rely upon third party sources! (which are hard to find!). I fear Ganahl is in the throws of updating his site, for the Venice biennale…must keep checking.

I “completed” chapter two, and started writing conclusions about all the artists (Tyson, Du, Mik, Hirschhorn, Patterson…

Stuck the n*ws of the w*rld to the Full Stop

chapter 2 started

Started Chapter two – artists dealing with information / media criticality
Thomas Hirschhorn & Aernout Mik

Stuck the guardian to the Full Stop