Danger signs - Kensington Road, SW7

Did you always wonder what's inside the big red postbox?

The danger sign warns that there may be hypodermic needles ...

Book du jour

It's a clamshell - made the empirical way (ie, try it and see if it works). I learned a lot, especially about measuring, checking, trimming, measuring again, starting over ...

I cut two sets of pieces, hoping to use the second set as templates for further clamshells. The material is mountboard and the glue is fast-drying PVA/paste combination.

Close examination of a photo archive box gave me some pointers, and by this stage the worst was over in terms of figuring what to glue down first and what that meant for cutting the bookcloth -

An empty box - not perfect, but presentable -

Now to figure out what to put in it - something 3D - it's a nice cosy place for all sorts of shenanigans, especially when the covers are closed and no-one's looking....

Photo organisation - choices

After a bit of research into suggested photo storage programs like Picasa and Smugmug, I have decided to "do what I can with what I have" - one of my sticking points, after all, was getting to grips with something new. At least I have some experience of using the Windows and Bridge systems - though obviously not to their capacity. So now I'm "looking" at them both.

Here's the familiary view of any file of imported photos - the folders arranged by date, eg 2011-09-03. I've been adding keywords to this title (sometimes) - eg, camberwellMAshow - but that may apply to just some of the pix.

But what's this at the bottom of the screen - something I've not noticed before - when a photo is highlighted, it appears -

and it has an option to "add title" ... but ... if the title is visible only when the photo is selected, that's not much good for my current purposes. I want to change the filename so it's visible among gazillions of similar pix on screen.

Will going back to the folder and renaming it help at all? no, unfortunately.  Is there a "batch rename"? no, selecting a batch and using "rename" still affects just one pic at a time. 

Looks like the easiest way forward with this system - though possibly not the best way - would be to move files to folders and then sort out what's what within the new folders. After all, the pix are named by date (something I do on importing).

Speaking of importing, perhaps there's more can be done at that point - adding keywords, perhaps ... something to investigate next time I import pix, later today or tomorrow. Hardly a day goes by that I don't take, and download, a few photos.

Now, Bridge - I've not really used Bridge, which makes some people incredulous - "oh I use it ALL the time," they say; "it's SO useful" - and indeed, you can do things with "batches" ... but what, exactly - there seem to be too many options!

 Some careful looking shows how helpful Bridge is - I've selected some pix, put in a bit of text for the title, and in the bottom of the box it shows how many files are selected and what their new filename will be. OK, I'll do that for a while (a pilot study on a few recent folders) and get comfortable with doing it and then assess if it's worth doing. Uh-oh, another decision - "rename in same folder" or "move to other folder" - simple is best, let's leave it here for now....

Done - the filename of the selected photos is now more helpful - a keyword, the date, and a sequence number, eg v&a20110903_36 - ah, I don't want the date cluttering up the filename ... but it's not in the metadata, hmm ... well it's in the "sep5" tag that I added when importing. A check of the folder in Windows (in extra-large icon mode) shows the renaming (v&a_36), and hovering the cursor over the photo shows the date and time, should that ever be needed.

Another feature of Bridge is the panel on the right - Keywords. I've changed them to fit in with my developing file structure and am about to start tagging, in the hope that this will somehow be useful for finding a particular photo later (gotta think more about this...). The discipline here will probably be keeping the number of keywords so that they all show on the screen at once -

 This is still in the "pilot study" phase - but at least I've bitten the bullet and got going.

Erasmus, Silverberg, van Lingen

The book work of South African artist Stephan Erasmus blends words/text with visual components, sometimes in large-format installations, like "In the stars a love letter for her" -

He cites Robbin Ami Silverberg as a big influence - her work is new to me, and I'm glad to see works with "skin-like pages" and others with references to textiles, for example in Emperor's Clothes -

See some of her collaborations here, as well as on her website - as well as editions and unique books, she makes installations - this is Simulacrum -

Another of his influences is Claude van Lingen who creates "drawings" by intensively and extensively writing words and phrases on top of each other until the paper can hold the weight of the words no more -

More of his work is here.

Mule chest discoveries

In the bottom drawer, audiotapes from 20 years ago - these once gave me a lot of pleasure, in the days of Walkman. Now - they are gone -

In the chest, unopened for a good two years ... my collection of knitting wool, some of it dating back quite a while. Looks a mess; needs sorting. Not gone yet ... I just couldn't face it.

What to do with materials for projects that you might get back to? Many times I've given up knitting for months or years, and then started again. Are there medically-supported programmes for knitting cessation?

Book du jour

A bit of frippery - the foredge is sewn shut, but the pages are kept open by the beads; nor is there anything in there to read! I plan to sew it onto a bit of velcro to make a silly ring.

Bibliomania: the book

An intriguing work published, in two volumes (there is so much to say about book collecting!) in 1930, with excellent chapter titles. Hope they're readable at this "extra large" size. 

"Do bibliomaniacs read their books" - ah yes... and "Reading many books at once" ...  What about "Men who become books: biblioanthropus defined" ?

 

 Thanks to Chris for finding the book and sending the photos.

These books have left the building

Freeing up a little more shelf space by moving on some quilting and textiles books -

On the train, though, I had one last look and found some things for future use: a method of using gesso and plastic -

 and some knitted shapes that appealed to me -

Sometimes getting just one thing out of a book is "enough". 

When I went quickly through my shelves, several "old" books got put back - the early history of art quilts, for instance. There's still a little room on the shelves for those.

Art I like - Diana Wolzak

The bread quilt was made in a damp church in 2003. It measures 7 metres by 3 metres, filling the altar space, and consists of slices of white bread sewn together with red thread -

Since 2005 Diana Wolzak has been using red thread to sew together small squares of sheeting -

Other materials she has used include salt, plastic bags, roses, tulips, cotton wool, net curtain, wire mesh, sellotape.

"Wrapping, covering, holding and adding to surfaces is an integral part of nearly all my work. New surfaces are created, the space is redefined, and sometimes a purpose is rediscovered in the process," she says.

Paper engineering

Pop-up books have limited appeal for me - but having seen this bit of paper engineering (a wedding invitation by Stefan Sagmeister, found here)

The pleasure of handling this! It definitely tempts me to experiment....

Moan on Monday - the minimalist website

"Clean" is one thing for website design - lots of lovely white space - but the minimalist look can be really, really annoying when the page is so empty of guidance that navigating the site is cumbersome. 

Here, for instance, you have to go back a page to get to the next image (why is there no "next" button?) - and the same for going back the artists' main page to see the other projects.

The artists do themselves a disservice. Someone mildly interested would have to do a lot of clicking - and mental keeping-things-in-mind and building-up-a-picture - in order to get an overview of the artist's work ... rather than finding this intriguing, most people will leave the site quite quickly, and unsatisfied. 

Fortunately, some pages have more than one image. More pictures, less text ... well, it's visual art ...

Potato pancakes

Potato pancakes were one of the highlights of my childhood. We had them with applesauce ("Himmel und Erde") or with blueberries, both of which my mother had canned in special glass jars during the season. The applesauce was made with a special gadget - a sieve with a pestle (a "seed remover canning colander") - and the jars of blueberries ended up as half liquid with berries floating on top - Mom thickened this with a bit of cornstarch to make a sauce - delicious... Mind you, the pancakes with their crispy edges are damn fine food on their own!

Per person: grate one large potato and "some" of an onion (for 4 people I use an onion of whatever size is handy). Add an egg (but if you're making it with 2 or 3 potatoes, still use only 1 egg; use 2 eggs for 4 people). Optionally, add 1 tablespoon flour per person/potato, to soak up the liquid a bit, and some salt.

Heat a frying pan and add a little oil, then put in spoonfuls of batter and spread them thin (to get the crispy edges). I use a 10" pan and make 3 little pancakes at a time. When the edges are brown, turn over and cook a bit more.

The sadness of old books

(from artpropelled)

Art I like - Julie Leonard

This spread from Penland Book of Handmade Books shows one of the stiff-leaf books made by Julie Leonard.

She writes about the difficulties of exhibiting or displaying books: how can the piece successfully convey ideas in varied environments - as an object; in terms of handling it; and in terms of reading or engaging with it, which needs more time...

The book shown, fifty-two words, creates an arc where only about a third of the text/pages can be seen; they read mostly as an overall texture, derived from repeatedly-printed words. On handling, the book acts like a slinky - flipping through, you see cut-out shapes and the words printed in bold text. Paging through slowly, you see lightly-printed phrases on each page that refer to the word and shape.

"My hope with this piece was that each viewing worked on its own that there was a sense of resolution when the book could only be seen from one point, and that each further level enhanced its meaning, " she says, and goes on:

"Structure becomes an integral part of content. It helps to tell the story. ...I am concerned with creating objects where structure builds on the function and meaning of the piece. I also want the work to be beautiful in some way. ...In his essay [in Uncontrollable Beauty] James Hillman says,
"We want the world because it is beautiful, its sounds and smells and textures, the sensate presence of the world as body. In short, below the ecological crisis lies the deeper crisis of love, that our love has left the world. That the world is loveless results directly from the repression of beauty, its beauty and our sensitivity to beauty. For love to return to the world, beauty must first return... Beauty cannot enter art unless the mind in the work is anchored beyond itself so that in some way the finished work reflects the sacred (the world) and the doing of the work, ritual."

Images of her works in Masters: Book Arts are included in this review.

Photo organisation: first steps

For about a week I've been thinking about my many digital photos stored on this computer - how can they most easily be organised? That sick feeling about needing to organise them and yet not knowing how to start - it's passed, and I've started in a small way ... a very small way - but, great oaks from little acorns grow, and all that ...

The hard part isn't necessarily the physical doing, but deciding how to do it. If it took the compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary until the letter G - or was it M - to get the organising method for the many words and definitions right, what hope is there for lesser mortals?

On we go, though - "start small, start now".

One important task is to retrieve and amalgamate all the photos that relate to my current coursework. I started with those already on the blog, which already get archived in subfolders, and accumulated (copied) them into a subject subfolder in the Blogging folder. They are small files so I don't mind having several copies taking up room. They are labelled by date downloaded, so I can probably find the high-res file easily if necessary - if it survives the high-res purge that is (surely) to come.

So now I have a "book du jour" file, which includes any and all completed books -

 and a "textile printing" file, which includes screenprints on paper -

I'll move these subfolders into the "bookarts" uber-folder and add to them systematically (or else!). Filenames remain as they are. These pix have no tags or labels.

Going through the archive files (confined to the past year, while I've been on the course) has given me an idea of the kinds of further subject files that will be useful.

Relevant photos from these subfolders can now be selected to put on my website. Some of the little books are there now; what a pleasure to be able to choose them so easily, instead of realising something is missing and not being able to find it ... indeed, getting sidetracked instead.

New in the studio

The Boiler Replacement Project at 136A will involve taking up floorboards in two rooms to install larger-diameter pipes. Our old boiler, which lives in the cupboard in the studio, was recently deemed "at risk" by the men who came to change the gas meter. It had been going out when the wind was in the wrong direction; even after that was fixed - which needed an extensive search for parts for this old model - it was, and is, making a loud swoosh when it lights. So we are ready to replace it, which means a lot of mess and bother, and expense -- and a fair few decisions. Like, whether to leave the cupboard there at all...

Smaller, more congenial, changes are also afoot. The new type of boiler means that the hot water cylinder will become unnecessary and we'll gain more storage space (or, empty space? not likely...) in the studio, with or without any changes to the cupboard.

The gas guys recommended giving the old boiler ventilation, so we took the door off altogether rather than having it open all the time. It just happens to fit in the space under the window, apart from a small corner needing removing. Once it has its brackets and legs it will be just a bit higher, right under the windowsill, and it will be fabulous to sit there, basking in the north light ... and the heat from the radiator under the window. And best of all, all the rest of the room will be out of sight.

It's done! But this area will never look quite like this again....

Art I like - Tine De Ruysser

Tine De Ruysser makes jewellery from banknotes; they are current notes, only folded and not damaged in any way. This work is a comment on gold jewellery and why we wear it. Read more about the idea here.

At the other end of the preciousness/usefulness spectrum are the "instant" plates she exhibited in 2004 -

She's exhibiting at Origin, 22-28 September, which is being held at Spitalfields Market.

Struth at the Whitechapel

The photographs of Thomas Struth (at the Whitechapel gallery recently) puzzled me - how were they made; were they digitally altered; and - why these subjects?

Fortunately, the accompanying film was revelatory. He uses large plate cameras and doesn't use photoshop. Only rarely are the photos staged. He is looking at what has already been experienced and what should continue. For the portraits, it's important to frame the shot (to decide what's not wanted in the photograph) - and once he's chosen the frame, the subjects are free to arrange themselves within it, to be themselves. His one stipulation was that they look into the camera.

The "jungle photos", which he's called Pictures from Paradise, are about looking without interruption - these need a complicated graphic structure to keep you looking because you can't completely read it.

The photos of complicated scientific machines are taken with 10-minute exposures. We don't know the origins of our technology, he says. They have connotations of a crime scene - a documentation.

The photos are about the nature of looking, not about the objects themselves.

A virtual tour of exhibitions of his work 1977-2002 is here.

Drawing from paintings

"When you draw from a painting you are describing the experience of looking and seeing," says Michael Broughton in this video, which shows him building up an image, "copying" from a print.

He's drawn repeatedly from a Hogarth Beggar's Opera engraving: "The finitude of consciousness never knows itself entirely, so everything is always coming new, no matter how many times it's repeated."

"Drawing is perhaps the first contact with thoughts and ideas," he says, applying charcoal to paper. "The drawing goes through from the very beginning to the very end of everything I do" - drawing operating in tandem with painting, going from one to the other as the work develops, indeed in order to develop the work. It leaves a trail of thought.

(Image from elsewhere.)

Coming up bobbles

Pompoms and big bobbles are de rigeur on this season's woolly hats. The veil is optional, but adds rather a good touch, don't you think? (Everything looks better on someone who doesn't wear glasses.)

Map or book?

 The folding system used by these maps is protected by patent - up to 1978, the date of this example (Cologne), over 47 million had been sold. Maps of 45 other German cities were available then; more, now, probably...

The folding arrangement allows the map to be handled like a book. You simply open it, and fold down the flaps, rather than having to open the whole map.

The company, Falk, has been making maps for some 60 years and, as you might imagine, is now heavily into satnav.

On looking

In the words of Henri Cartier-Bresson, "One eye looks within, the other eye looks without." Above all, be patient. "One looks, looks long," said Joseph Campbell, "and the world comes in."


(from Robert Genn's newsletter - he has more quotes on seeing here) 

Things found in books

The book - Valuation of Land and Houses - was published in 1924. At the auction, held in 1931, one lot of three houses went for £225 and another lot of six houses went for £365; a shop and dwelling for £325 and a "well-built leasehold residence" (with name rather than street number) for £625.

Moan on Monday - google searches

It seems that, more and more, Google is telling us what to think. I'm not a fan of the whole +1 idea (am happy to decide or discover for myself whether something is "good" or "relevant", thank you very much) -- and now in a further act of Big Brotherism, the omnipotent G is being even more "helpful" by NOT confining searches to the actual terms.

Searching for an artist's name plus "sculpture" resulted in hits not for sculpture per se, but for statue and carving. The Big G isn't believing that what its users says is what they mean. Correcting mis-spellings is one thing, but changing the words is something quite different. How far down the line of subcategories and synonyms does G intend to go, in this subversion of meaning?

And then there's the "helpful" question at the top of the search page - Did you mean: [different word]? - which can get you shouting "No I *#&!! well didn't!"

Just as well there's no way to email these concerns to Big G. Perhaps via prayer...?

Book du jour

More flexagons, and rather unsuccessful at that. Yes it's fun to open them and see a different configuration appear - but ... so what? They don't work well with a "sameish" all-over pattern like this. Each surface needs to have two elements to juxtapose or interchange in order to maintain interest; the reader/viewer is trying to make up some sort of story as they look through this book/thing...

Juxtaposing bits of maps definitely is a nonsense!