Wednesday 31 October 2012

spillperformancechips


After a day at the record office it was off to the opening of the Spill Festival via a strange non door door – where the atmosphere was most excellent - it was good to be in a room with like minded people – sparkling wine and chips to watch a man place speakers on the floor and somehow get them to interact http://www.spillfestival.com/performance/spill-opening-night-double-bill-undisclosed-number/and then A Divine Trauma by Nicola Canavan http://www.spillfestival.com/performance/spill-opening-night-double-bill-a-divine-trauma/ truly beautiful. A woman wearing flowers attached to her with needles.
Have abandoned all and will be at everything! http://www.spillfestival.com/

Saturday 27 October 2012

distractionsandotherstuff


Distractions and ‘other stuff’ found during the research around folding have thrown up some extraordinary stuff – colour swatches – now Yves Klein’s international blue has a new context! On thursday got on the train from Norwich after a day of MA tutorials to attend the private view at the Eagle Gallery - well worth the effort as i managed to get to talk to people I hadn't seen for a while including Emma Hill who runs the gallery - David Rabinowhich who makes superb prints with Imprints - a conversation with Annie Sherburne - http://www.coinstreet.org/shopeatdrink/textiles/annie-sherburne.html had me rethinking the smocking work I'm involved in - http://unpickingandrebinding.blogspot.co.uk/ - collector Neil Crawford was on form informing everybody that he had bought my first book over 25 years ago, almost true but it was actually to Bertam Rota's in Covent Garden one dinner time at college 30 years ago - the work at the Eagle looked good and it was nice to see Matthew and Isabel and meet Heiner who I have never met but I have spent many hours over the past 15 years with his work in the kitchen at Imprints in France.
In between teaching this week there has been lots of work and thinking around folding in the collection at norwich castle 
http://unpickingandrebinding.blogspot.co.uk/
First day at Camberwell was excellent (apart from the trains) - there is a real mix of students in this cohort and as ever one projects one's role over the following year - sound and relationships with audience (often working with them) could be the key.

Sunday 21 October 2012

lookingforwardbackwards


a busy week coming up - looking forward to the private view at The Eagle Gallery of Espaces Silencieux by Heiner Thiel et Matthew Tyson– London on Thursday night – its on from 26th October – 23rd November http://www.emmahilleagle.com/ - on the book art front its the first day back at Camberwell with symposium 1 on Tuesday – it’ll be interesting to see the work of the new students and to listen to their aspirations for the year – their facebook page is a good starting point and promotes good links - http://www.facebook.com/events/29346902735440 more time looking at and considering the fold in the castle museum at Norwich and general teaching and admin at nuca including training in the new on-line assessment forms. came across the connection below - really pleased with the link at firstsite to the big book http://www.firstsite.uk.net/page/the-big-book  the book i created for the library of lost books looks good but is best when opened and sitting as a 3D object http://thelibraryoflostbooks.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2012-07-20T05:30:00-07:00&max-results=3&start=3&by-date=false.

Thursday 18 October 2012

alloutteaching

A long week – mainly teaching at nuca – two days with year 1 BA textile students away at a holiday camp in Hunstanton, drawing, walking, mind expanding, developing strategies for learning and generally bonding. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/presentation1-14790722 http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/briefing-for-hunstanton-wednesday next day course committee meeting and then another of seminars with post graduate students on the two MA units – first – defining practice and then discussing ways to talk and write about work. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/course-seminar-2-reading-fashion-and-textiles looking forward to tomorrow and chance to get some folding and smocking under way.


Friday 12 October 2012

reallyreallyreallyexcited


Well - 2 years ago I sat in a restaurant in Venice heatedly discussing the role and representation of folding and smocking within the clothes represented in the paintings in the Academia. It culminated in the question was smocking inherently evil? as the individuals in the paintings wearing smocking appeared to have poor character qualities. The activity itself has political overtones – workers clothes and busy hands, alongside the idea of the hidden and the process of creating folds. This conversation has developed over the 2 years starting off with a small body of works for a touring exhibition in Ireland influenced by some of the structures. This was almost subconscious but later a show titled bookmare at Camberwell College of Art and the repeat show at Norwich University College consciously started the process of exploring smocking through the objects I make. A TESS funding application at nuca led to a body of work for the windows at the Imago gallery.  A lot of meetings and conversations led me to some really excellent people to work with within some interesting collections and archives in the Eastern Region. This led to a successful bid to the Arts Council to spend a year working on the idea with a number of partners – here is the initial paper table layout with the notes written on it and finally I am starting on what I hope will be a fantastic opportunity......

Tuesday 9 October 2012

walkingandtalking


building a long walk from several short ones for an excellent day out on Sunday – the landscape around orford on the suffolk coast is really other - constantly shifting with sky becoming land becoming sea.
meanwhile tutorials at nuca with year 3 textiles reveal a range of exciting possibilities and the two presentations i'm giving on thursday will look at researching and developing a practice. http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/researching-the-world
http://www.slideshare.net/l.bicknell/course-seminar-1-defining-practice

Wednesday 3 October 2012

2020=400researchisall


Pecha Kucha – i am designated the Course Unit Tutor on the post graduate RiPU (research into practice unit) for the MA Textile Design Course at Norwich University College of the Arts - so - new students to meet and work with and an opportunity to show research through a Pecha Kucha.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

rapidbriefambition


a day of briefing at nuca for the year 3 students on the textile course – some interesting revelations all round with exciting discussions around ambition and personal aims for the future. the new spaces have gone down well and my ‘rapid response’ feedback forms indicate that we are doing the right thing by the students!
here are links to the two briefings held