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.

Andy Goldsworthy

Quite a lot of Goldsworthy's work is inspirational to me. Not simply the totemic nature of some of the pieces, but the solidity and mass of many and the obvious link with the landscape.

John Wynne

This piece by John Wynne at the Saachi Gallery is obviously influential.

Sound Tower

A piece by Achim Woolscheid. An interactive piece from a series of three towers.

Wall Of Radios

This wall of radios was interesting in connection with the megalith project.

Beauty

I watched a DVD last night presented by Roger Scruton on Beauty. He has some very interesting points to make, not all of which I agree with, but many that pertain to a version of an English idealism. He hadf quite a problem with a lot of 20th century non-representational art, not exclusively, but argued that the past had given us so much more than the recent. I have sympathy with his aspirations towards the Romantic ideals of beauty, but do not feel the need to reject so much post war art as he seemed to do.

Megalith Equivalent 2

I was reminded today by Tansy and Alex about this piece, Babel. A huge stack of 1000 radios.

Megalith Equivalent

The piece now has a name, Megalith Equivalent, and was exhibited today as a work-in-progress piece. I was pleased with the overall idea, but there are some areas that need serious consideration.
I will not use microphones on future versions except to pick up passing listeners, and then only sparingly. The telephone pick-ups worked very well sonically, but I have to find a good way to mount them. The piece must be more physically representational of a column, it was too pyramid-like. The cabling was no problem wrapped around the base. Low tones on the lower speakers and higher tones higher up worked best.

Non-Places

As an adjunct to the portfolio project, I have begun recording in Non-Places. I was interested to read Marc Auge's book on the subject ant thought about representing these strange places that we all know, inhabit and transit at some point in our daily routine.
Supermarket check-out, cash machine or waiting room. They are usually dull as dishwater and spaces we invest very little of ourselves in, and yet we all have to be part of some of them all the time. I have a supermarket check-out area as my test pilot.

Blue Bell Night Call

This piece, recorded around Blue Bell Hill, a few miles south of the Medway heard the birds beginning to settle in as dusk arrived. it is amazing that everywhere I wend in mid-Kent, I could hear the M2 or M20, or both very often. Constant hissing type sound from tyres on tarmac.

Medway Bridge

Following some successful recording this weekend, I have two more tracks underway. The forst is on the M2 bridge over the River Medway. The Pilgrims' Way is now directed over the Medway by way of the footbridge at the side of the motorway. Very strange experience! There were some really interesting rhythmic sounds from cars going over the expansion gaps on the bridge. It has started out really well.

Megalith

I have applied for some sponsorship with the megalith project to a number of places, but no answers! I have bought several more books on the subject and think there might be another interesting angle to consider pertaining to their sacredness and the meaning we give them.

The Wey at Farnham

I have begun the basics of the second piece for the Pilgrim's way project. This one centres around the dominance of the River Wey. I'm going to think positively about Schafer's Flat Line theory on this one too as there was a constant drone from the busy A31 and there may be a way to work this in.

Englishness

The dissertation has been my focus for a couple of weeks, but I mustn't let this practical project slip behind. Bought a couple of great books yesterday, Landscape and Englishness and The Megalithic Monuments of Britain and Ireland.