Lovely Stuff.

Simply cannot believe how bad I have become at blogging, no posts in June and I believe just the two in May. Not good enough.

So, a quick update; Nathaniel and myself went to D’dorf to collect ingredients for Finding Kling Klang. During trip we fetched up in Kassel, home to the Brothers Grimm and the art show dOCUMENTA13, which was good. Back home I have taken advantage of different settings on drum kit to start composing noises for FKK.

Talking of fairy tales, the Red Nile project had a happy ending with a show for the winners (in the best traditions of fairness this meant everyone) and the following morning (Sunday) a trip up to Stoke on Trent with the mobile billboard for more photos.

Phonetic Phlaag made it to Art Vilnius as part of Nathaniel’s yearly artfairfest and mention of flags reminds me that Supernormal would like to take it to Brazzier’s Park in August so, happy days. 

Last weekend myself and Darling #1 attended Frome Open Studios where we ended up at Ellen Folley and John M. Robinson's joint show. Lovely work, lovely food and lovely jazzy type music to listen to too. And we got to steal one of John's small works! 

Lovely stuff.... 

Untitled.

Right, first up is the news that Working Men’s Klub are off to Dusseldorf to find Kraftwerk’s Kling Klang. Eastside Projects have kindly given us a small token of encouragement which we have promised not to fritter away on Wheat beer and pretzels. There is a Twitter account although I have no idea how you access it.

Also had very productive 'surgery' there with Liz Rowe which has led to a bit of an overhaul of the www. variousartistisdead.org. Go there if you've not already.

Second up is that Supernormal festival have accepted my proposal for a flagpole flying the legend that is Ing-Er-Land. However they have yet to reply to my email informing them that I will need to dig a hole and fill it with cement; otherwise the pole will fall over the moment some festival crackhead leans on it to get his bearings.

Third up; Herefordshire’s Downstairs Gallery haven’t dismissed out of hand my proposal for flying the legend that is the Ing-Er-Land flag from an upstairs window during the Euro’s/Olympix. The reason being that the Union Flag always seems to be most prominent in more run down estates; put it this way, you never see one hanging from a window at Windsor. Anyway, they are going to think about it and get back to me.

And fourthly; Rednile/Stoke on Trent – finally got together with Chris (with whom I am collaborating) in Worcester. We agreed on an idea/concept and Chris returned to the Potteries with a mission to get some chums kitted out in 70’s clobber and photo’d by a Modernistic looking bus stop.  Stay posted.

Ok, enough for now. Here’s a photo of Nat + Angela + Jenny at the races. 

When In Stoke

Good day today at Hanley Bus Station in Stoke on Trent, part of RedNile’s series of Factory Nights. Pitt drove, and despite setting off late and having to deposit children en masse and en route weren’t too late. Found it ok, parked up in the last space left on the park and found the main group pretty much immediately. Unfortunately I had to go for a piss, could I find anywhere on site, course not. Ended up in pub and by the time I’d returned the peloton had moved on. Took photos of desolate buses before climbing some concrete steps onto a concourse and there they were. More photos of grim graffiti daubed walls and piss stinking arcades before we bumbled off to meet Carol who has worked at the café for as long as most of us could remember. Then we gathered round Mike, Janine and Suzanne who led our merry crocodile the short distance to Perrin’s garage, an art deco design from the oldie days and now part Thai restaurant, part ongoing office development all lovingly overseen by the owner who’s name escapes me. After this it was on to a charming pub also up for demolition (name escapes me but Landlord ale is something of a delcacy in these, or any other parts) via Airspace gallery where we admired their Airvent calendar window display. Good stuff.

Good to meet up with people I’ve met before; students (Michelle), Curators (Rob, Anna, Greg), collaborators (Nat) and fellow W-CA-ers (Charlie and Nat again).

Reading this I realise that some of my favourite words have something in common; Kiosk and Depot were already there but now Factory has entered mine and Various’s Lexicon of Post Industrial Love.

In other events Various did a jumble sale last weekend, sold very little and boy was it cold!

And on Friday I attended a works event at Chesters Mexican. Good evening and fun was had by one and all. 

Meanwhile Friday night saw an opening of Simon Starling’s When In Rome at Movement. Turned up late (again) but still managed to watch Simon’s lovely film and enjoy a fabulous cup of non alcoholic punch. Lovely stuff!

Tomorrow is walk day on the Malverns. Did one two weeks ago when half a dozen of us huffed and puffed our way up and down a medium paced hill before retiring to the Red Lion in Malvern for a light lunch.  

Long Bleat

I am currently in Starbucks coffee house in the Plazza at Longleat Centerparcs. I have the best part of an hour to kill before returning to live with muggles in the real World. Unable to login/on due to a combination of free wi-fi won’t cooperate and dongle doesn’t want to know, I therefore revert to type. Along with extended family I have been on downtime since Friday with Ping pong, Articulate and frenzied eating all to distract from the matter in hand namely what to do about the billboard. The billboard really deserves it’s own page and I am happy to indulge it.

It is mid November and yet the place is already being billed as a winter wonderland, complete with snow scenes featuring mainstays of the kitsch kingdom; rabbits, foxes and reindeer. From the plein air skating rink at the Jardin des Sports a stack of speakers throws out winter warmers from yester year; Wizzard, Waitresses, and Elton etc. Spiritually we are warm as toast.

Now back in the shire and wtf is going on the City Walls Rd? new shopping monstrosity is called the Shopping Quarter or some such. Since when did we need ‘quarters’, no doubt there is history on it’s side and even Brum has form in this area; Jewellery, Irish, Chinese and Gay rubbing shoulders with Eastside and the rag market. Back in town and on the edge of Lowesmoor stands a Private shop just begging out for the addition of ‘Public Space?'

Start of months PV's at Pitt Project Space and Division of Labour; the later featuring a fake ‘gun’ that we all had fun with, taking turns to play at being Bond. Nathan’s new venture (I'll Kill) got off to a flying start although that wasn’t reflected in the attendance which hovered in the low single figures.

Ms MoneyPenny Baynham

Monopoly ‘boards’ coming on. One should be framed by now, what is going on?

Sir MoneyPenny

Shows in Stoke (Rednile) and London (books of some description) need chasing up.  Got to finish off, or better still start LP cover for Antwerp and Foxy Knoxy as Madonna for Boardwalk Kitsch. Oh and doing a jumble sale at Room13 first Sunday in December. See you there. 

And last but not least, pats on backs to Ms Baynham and Mr Pitt for their success in getting chosen for the 5x5x5 project.