24/03/2010

Went up to Belfast for the MA interview. It was a long day; left at 7am and didn't get home until 1am. They were nice enough people, and it was very informal.Walked around some of the studios after; the work was of a high standard, and the most of them were using either painting or drawing in their work. Had plenty of time for reflection on the journey.
One thing that I did notice up there was the unfriendliness of the drivers of the two black cab I used. Normally those guys would be ever so chatty and friendly. One of them never even said thanks; it was like he was doing ME a favour, rather than me paying him for his service. Saw an ex student up there, (Julie Lovett) and said hi but got no response; perhaps she didn't recognise me, or maybe she did ! LOL

23/03/2010

Artist Richard J. Williams went on a course today run by the Arts Office North Tipperary County Council. The title of the course was 'Keeping safe' Child Protection Awareness Raising Workshops. The course did exactly what it said on the label ! The course is aimed at artists who may at some stage work with people under the age of 18; be it in schools, the community and so forth. It is a 2 day course; another day in April, and it is grant aided so it is free to participants. Apparently, most organizations now require that the artist undertake courses like this, so I decided to avail of it just in case I ever need it. It is certificated also. It was quite intense but was well worthwhile. I met a couple of ex students from LSAD there. This was the first day I have missed in college since I started there, and I am missing another one tomorrow as I have an interview at University of Ulster.

22/03/2010

Shot some more footage yesterday. It looked perfect in the view finder but when I downloaded it today, I realized that the background was out of focus, so I will have to do it again. It was the usual fiasco with the computers in the multimedia room; one did not work, another one had a dodgy mouse which made it impossible to use and another was not configured for premiere pro. Finally got it downloaded onto my own computer and did some editing.


'Shattered reality'; work in progress.

19/03/2010

Forgot to mention that I went to a talk by David Brancaleone at the Faber studios in Limerick. The talk was about socially engaged contemporary art practice. It was good to hear that he has kept himself well informed as to contemporary art practice; the arguments of different writers etc. I was the only undergraduate there from the Limerick School of Art and Design.
Carried on editing the video work. Had a quick chat with Alan Keane about the prospective MA study; he seems to be very enthusiastic about it and he will advise me on aspects that will strengthen my proposal, it is great to get this professional advice on this matter. The library has got a new copy of Guy Debord's "The Society of the Spectacle", someone had stolen the copy they originally had, so have got it out and will read it as it is appropriate to my work. I have skimmed it online before so have a fair idea of it's contents. Have booked out the 3cc video camera again for this week end; I will see if I can get some better footage this time; Matt Gidney has given me a couple of pointers that may help.

18/03/2010

Carried on editing the video work; I am getting more proficient at using premiere pro. Actually got a notion to do some drawing and painting ! Drew a quick sketch of a used shotgun cartridge; I dipped my fingers into some red acrylic paint and placed them over the drawing; it was a metaphor for blood on one's hands which I suppose is a metaphor itself for the taking of someones life. I am in the process of getting some more shotgun cartridges; I believe I can use them in my work, I will also get some bullets. Put some more fingerprints on a sheet of white paper and quickly moved my hand across the page; it was meant to as if they were "shot" across the page. They resembled heads, so I added matchstick bodies to them.(I hope no psychiatrists ever read this; they'll send the men in white coats for me! LOL). Also started a painting on mirror paper of the shotgun cartridge;(by using the mirror paper, I want people who look at the painting to actually relise that they are in the painting, and that the shotgun cartridge, or shall we just call it a bullet, is not only a part of the cultrual reality of life in limerick (Not just Limerick) but that if effects the life of every individual on some level). I added the words at the top "This will liberate me" (A colleague who works with ".........." says that they believe getting into a life of crime, drugs, and so forth, will liberate them. However, the REALITY is the opposite; it keeps them in limited circles; but, this is their reality.

16/03/2010

Unfortunately, the footage has not turned out as good as was expected. I had a chat with Matt and then Nigel about it to see what they would suggest. (When the mirror shattered it caught the reflection of the sun, and the result was like a photo flash over the whole sequence of the shattering mirror). Matt says perhaps a higher frame rate might be an option to get a better result in slow motion; he is going to refer to the manual, hopefully I can get the desired effects. Nigel has suggested that I shoot some more footage, but this time on an overcast day. Went to the "Art in the Making" today; an ex sculpture student was giving a talk about his work. He and a couple of other students have got a studio/exhibition space on Catherine Street Limerick called Faber Studios. It was interesting to hear about the group/studio dynamics. Apparently, there is a lot more to having a studio than meets the eye; he is trying to organise artist talks/visits etc, something which he had not envisaged himself doing. The MA students were having a critique today down in Georges quay. I was in two minds as whether to stay and get the benefit of the crit, or to go and give them some privacy; I chose the latter; hard enough to be in a crit with your peers, without a pesky 4Th year being there too ! LOL
Nigel mentioned that one of my submissions to the "Table of Contents" website was published; I had almost forgotten about it.

(Photograph of workspace; published on the "Table of contents" website.)

15/03/2010

Spent most of the day getting footage for video work. A cousin of mine assisted me with the shooting (sorry for the pun!). It went well, although the biggest problem was the sunshine; it was very hard to see the video camera screen. Of course, it was on my mind that there was a chance that the 3cc camera might get damaged in the process, but thank God it didn't. Went in to college and managed to get the footage downloaded onto my computer. I also made a sound recording of the shot gun being fired; one at low level and the other at high level, to see which one would be more suitable. Got that downloaded as well.


Shattered reality. Experiment.