Graduation Show

Had some very nice feedback at the show. Thanks to all who visited.

Legacy

Well, I got all these beauties out of the past few years of study, so that's a gorgeous legacy.

That's it!

Well, as far as this project is concerned, I suppose, that's it.
Portfolio handed in, presentation made. 10 months of work summed up in an hour.
I had so much more to say, but had to fit it all into an hour.
I have no idea how it'll be received.

Countdown

Portfolio complete, all written requirements complete, a few tweaks to some of the films.
The main job this weekend is the Powerpoint presentation.
Presentation scheduled for 10.00 Tuesday 17th.

Dry run 2

Spent the day trying out speaker types and configurations. There are sometimes amazing differences in small changes. I realize it will never be perfect, but I think I have it as good as I can. I'm definitely having the audio played from the CD player.
I MUST keep a close eye on the mixer if I follow someone else.

Birdsong 2

Talking about this today, a friend put me on to this video.

Dry run

I'm having a run through of the presentation tomorrow morning.
Trying out Tannoy speakers and bringing in my Genelecs to compare.

Pilgrims' Way 6

They've just arrived.

Powell & Pressburger

A couple more films to get my hands on.

Doreen Massey

I was having some trouble finding a succinct way of describing my research into place without either sounding overblown nor shallow. I've been re-reading excerpts of Cresswell and Tuan this weekend, and for the first time, Doreen Massey's book For Space which I borrowed from the library.
Think I'm probably going to have to buy it.

Megalith Equivalent 3

Well, sadly I made my decision today not to pursue the sculpture's presentation at the degree show. It required me making quite a financial commitment and because of the uncertainties over the degree show, I had been holding back with its completion.
I now have only a few weeks before the show, and nobody seems to know anything about it so I have decided to save myself the embarrassment of not being able to install it properly.
On the plus side however is the decision that in its place I will be able to present my Pilgrims' Way audio project.
I have put so much work into it, that I am really happy to be able to present it.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and all that.

Stickers On The Central Line

My friend Giuseppe sent me this great blog. Site-specific indeed.
Stickers On The Central Line.

Resonance fm

Recorded the promo programme for the Clear Spot hour on Resonance fm today.
Martin Thompson is editing it and it was produced by Jonny Hill.
It goes out 23rd May.

Tawny Pipit

On the heels of the Powell and Pressburger Neo-Romantic films, I was made aware this evening whilst watching an BBC programme on iPlayer about a film called Tawny Pipit.
Now I'm going to have to obsessively track it down.

Just found the VHS on eBay. Fingers crossed.

Psychoacoustics 2

Took delivery today of Fundamentals Of Hearing. A pretty expensive textbook on psychoacoustics, but this little gem was 1p on Amazon.
I don't suppose I'll read it cover to cover, but there's great info within.

Presentation

Powerpoint under way.
Having trouble working out which audio to play.
Drafts of all documents begun.
Physical portfolio needs to be started.
CD approved, invoice paid.
DVD of films started but to be completed.

Pilgrims' Way 5

The discs are printed and I have just approved the artwork.
All being well, I should have the finished CDs in just over a week.

Edgelands 4

Marion Shoard was the inspiration for the poets Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts to write Edgelands. Here is a link to her 2002 essay.

Edgelands 3

I recommend listening to the authors reading their book on Radio 4.

St George's Day

Like many people, I felt uncomfortable with the bombast and narrow-mindedness that surrounded the display of nation flags, but having been impressed with the pride shown by the Irish in March each year and the way in which Germans have left the awful associations of nationalism behind, I think a bit of celebration is worthy.
I think the trick is to love one's heritage but never hate those from elsewhere. Have a happy day.

Pilgrims' Way 4

Artwork completed. Audio completed. Data dispatched. Production soon to get underway.
Not having done this before, it's a bit nerve-wracking.

Out Of Place

I popped into Tate Modern yesterday to catch this before it ends. It slipped through the net and I nearly missed it.
It aroused my interest because of the place-specific nature of the work. The political and social issues dealt with. Well, on one level, yes, it was place related, but appeared as more of a series of documents rather than opportunities to look behind the image.
It made me think about the pieces I am trying to assemble at the moment and I wondered how interesting mine would be in a similar exhibition.
Duration is always a problem for sound pieces. The film being shown was quite an endurance piece from the perspective of the eyeball-shattering camera shake and very lo-fi sound. I managed about 12/15 minutes.
People spend so little time in exhibitions and even when a duration-based piece is installed, as with this show, when uncomfortable and inadequate seating is provided, that commitment is all the more taxing. One cannot expect people to stand for 50 minutes or sit on a wooden box, Tate.

russellcallow.com

As I have had the domain name lying dormant for years s I once used to use it for my business, I thought it appropriate to make use of it for the CD I am producing, business cards and other promotional work. Kirsten Edwards is helping me with all the difficult technical stuff that I do not understand.

Graham Greene

English Heritage unveil a blue plaque for Graham Greene.

Artwork

As if the audio wasn't enough, I need to get some decent artwork prepared for the CD. I will also be getting help preparing a web site for the show so all systems go for the final presentation.
Web site.
Business Cards.
Flyer?
CD artwork.

Birdsong

Sitting here, as I have been for 2 days solid, working on the edits for the Pilgrims' Way pieces, I am struck by the amount and strength of birdsong in all environments. I love the little fellas and their bloody-minded determination to be bloody well heard.
In one piece recorded in Otford, Kent, I found a sparrow nest in a low tree about 3 metres from the busy main road. Cars, lorries and trucks all roared past. Guess who was loudest?
John Wynne set me to finding out about Niche frequencies of fauna.
Here are a couple of useful links, British Garden Birds and Birdsong Radio.

Campaign to Protect Rural England

The CPRE, amongst other work have information on the declining areas of tranquility in England. Just a quick look at their map of Southern England, one can see the huge amounts of sound along much of the Pilgrims' Way. I have written and asked for permission to use this map in my CD booklet.
Also relevant for me with the Edgelands project is their litter campaign.

Albion 2

Winchester

The last location recording day of the project. Phew! This really is a beautiful town. Terrifically old cathedral and religious buildings around it and yet a surprisingly uncrowded centre to the city. As with most old towns and cities, there is a river at the heart. Winchester boasts the Itchen and it provised me with most delightful sounds.

Helen Saunders

Thanks to the use of one of her images on the book Edgelands, I have had the pleasure of discovering the work of Helen Saunders. Apart from a subjective pull towards her wonderful pieces, the subject matter, the research and the method of execution are very similar to mine. Her work is very much collage-based and reflects a subjective appraisal of place. I have been developing the Non-Places idea, and this no-man's-land essence runs through her work too which will ensure I keep abreast of her portfolio. There are hints at surrealism here in the slight manipulations of content and perspective which I very much admire, and to my untrained eyes, the photography is reminiscent of Keith Arnatt.

Psychoacoustics

I have become more interested in this area recently as I grapple with my reasons for the placement of sounds in my collages. Whilst I easily get lost in the science of psychoacoustics, it really is a fascinating area to investigate and try to understand. The physical qualities of sound and hearing are truly amazing. I have just borrowed Yost's Fundamentals of Hearing, so that's me sorted for Easter.

Albion

Canterbury

Initially, on the way home from yesterday's recording session, I thought this was going to be a bit dull, cliched even. All those bells and church organ, but having listened through the recordings and begun a very rough lay out in Logic, I am quite happy with the start of this track.

Otford

Took Otford as my latest location for the Pilgrims' Way. The present High Street is the old Pilgrims' Way and as noisy and busy as one would expect. The River Darent, whose source is in Otford runs through the village at the West side. Plenty of avian activity it being spring and I noticed yesterday the volume birds are able to sing at these days to cut through the traffic noise.

J G Ballard 3

... and of course, whilst not a place specific, but unquestionably English, Graham Greene.

Sonic Neolithic Sites

I have just come across the idea that some Neolithic stone sites were constructed for their sonic qualities as opposed to or equivalent to their visual.
I am trying to find a Channel 4 documentary from about 10 years ago on the subject.

J G Ballard 2

Ballard leads me to Orwell.
Note to self: Dig out copies of George Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying and Coming Up For Air.

Village Greens

After a conversation with Salome last week, I thought I'd look into village greens a bit.
There is good practical information on the Open Spaces Society website.
The Kinks should not be overlooked at this point.

J G Ballard

I have been thinking about Place and Englishness in English poetry recently thanks to the frequent quoting of Blake, Tennyson and particularly John Clare. I bought a small collection of Clare's work and found them to be really charming.
Thinking about poetry, I then was reminded of the huge emphasis upon place in many of J G Ballard's brilliant books.
Born out of the development of my Non-Places project, I am going to experiment with a Ballard piece or series of pieces. I will begin with Concerte Island and High Rise. Partly as they are the books I enjoyed the most but because fortunately are more straightforward to begin obtaining pertinent recordings.

Listening Through The Noise

I found an interesting thought on Space, Place and Location today in Listening Through The Noise by Joanna Demers.
Space refers to large-scale sites, be they physical, mental or cultural.
Place refers to sites that are local governed by interpersonal, ecological or political relationships.
Location refers to the physical placement of listeners or of sound objects. Location can be actual or perceived, but says Demers, usually perceived. (2010, p114)

White Horse Stone 2

This location and the Neolithic stone will be the basis for my sound sculpture.

White Horse Stone

Recorded on the same day as the Charing recordings, this will be a modest piece from a relatively quiet place punctuated by the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and several tractors.

Moat And Green At Charing

A new piece for the Pilgrims' Way project. This was a fairly quiet and sonically unremarkable location but had a lovely small moat that ran through the village at the bottom of the green.

Kit's Coty House

I visited a couple of spots for the Pilgrims' Way project yesterday. I spent a great bit of time getting the feel of these amazing stones for the megalith project.

Edgelands 2

Having discovered this phenomenon a week or so ago, I naturally bought the book. I have been thinking of these areas in the same context of non-places, the same un lived-in feel that these places exude is really interesting especially as they owe their existence to the needs of people then the people abandon them. Looking forward to digging deeper. There was an interview with the authors on the Today Programme which might interest.

Modern British Sculpture

Had a good couple of hours at this Royal Academy exhibition today. This was one of those exhibitions where I go and spend a few hours and come away with a really positive feeling but cannot for the life of me work out why. The show it not that big and actually rather subtle but left me really wanting to get my megalith piece sorted out properly.

Non-Places 2

This side-project is starting to take shape. I'm not sure if it will be substantial enough to be included in my portfolio, but it is starting to be quite interesting. I have the beginnings of a piece from a Tesco check-out area and an hour on Clapham Junction station.

David Nash

I discovered this sculptor a few days ago. Amazing to me that there are so many interesting people out there that I don't know about. I was really taken by Nash's sculpture, but in interview I found his approach to his work, his aesthetic and his overall concept. He has a very personal commitment to his medium and an obvious emotional relationship with it. More striking totemic pieces.

Box Hill

I trudged and slopped my way through quagmireish pathways to the top of Box Hill today. Sonically, I struggled to find the central sound for this piece, but think the sloppy, squelchy journey will be the core.

Edgelands

I came upon this exciting new area this morning thanks to Radio 4's Today programme. Edgelands are mobile masts and gravel pits, business parks and landfill sites that occupy the non-places around England that are the strange lands between the town and the countryside. I need to get the book and find out more.

Pilgrims' Way 3

I recently came across the walking artist Hamish Fulton. He created a piece in 1971 about the Pilgrims' way. He says of his work, "My art is about specific places and particular events that are not present in the gallery. The given information is very minimal. My hope is that the viewer will create a feeling, an impression in his or her own mind, based on whatever my art can provide.".

Medway Bridge 2

Recording the expansion gaps on the Medway Bridge.

Listening

I'm listening to Saison by toy.bizarre & Pierre Redon, which is a mixture of field recordings and musical instrumentation. Not as engaging as I first thought, but worthy of a good listen and there are some nice areas where it is unclear what the sound source is.

Sculpture 4

Here is a very interesting collection of work by Dominique Blais. There is also a strong visual element to the work and a consistency throughout his recent work that gives a solid feel to the whole body of work.

Sculpture 3

More of what's out there......

Megaphone Sculptures 1 & 2 from Paul Naughton on Vimeo.

Sculpture 2

From the Rolex Tower in Dubai. I don't have much of a feeling for this, but it is interesting to see what other people are doing in their work.

Sculpture

It is interesting how the Zeitgeist flies around influencing us before we even know it. To this I add my interest in sculpture and the sculptural aspect of my work. There is a BBC programme on soon looking at sculpture and this exhibition at the Royal Accademy.