stART Space Gallery, Kirkby Library

A few months ago my friend Steph & I received confirmation that we secured our exhibition at Kirkby library! Wahooooooo! Here are a few photos of where we will be exhibiting;

Mirror Failure

Yesterday I attempted to cut my mirror to the size of the paper template ... buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut it cracked whilst using the mirror cutter =S oooooops!!!

Creating a template

Inside my corner well (for my assessment) I am going to be placing a mirror, I'm doing this to create a sense of curiosity for the viewer & to see how people will react. I will also be placing in a small cctv camra to capture the reactions of the viewer, opposite the well will be the plinth with a tv on. The view from the camera will appear on the tv, however the viewer will also see themselves in the mirror.

At the weekend I bought myself a large mirror for £2, I will be using my mirror cutter tonight to cut the mirror to the size of the template I created today.

Attempt Number 1 - Not Correct

Attempt Number 2 - Not Correct

Attempt Number 3 - Correct

Securing my plinth

I have borrowed a ready made plinth from my sister to use for my degree show for a tv to sit on. It is a collapsable plinth which can be secured using plastic brackets, the plinth required a little bit of tlc, which is still to be complete i.e. cleaning the plinth. Below are a few photos of the plastic brackets which had to be attached today;

PDP

In preparation for my final assessment on Thursday 28th April '11, I have spent today working on my Personal Development Portfolio (PDP). I've began to gather documentation from the various institutions where I volunteer, this includes;

• Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool
• The Brindley Arts Centre, Runcorn
• The Bluecoat, Liverpool
• Tate Liverpool, Liverpool
• National Museums of Liverpool - World Museum, Liverpool
• Zion Arts Centre, Manchester

It also includes the art workshops which I have done at my local girl guide hut in Rainhill.

Response from 'Balloon No. 1 (Green)'

I was just checking my e-mails for my balloon launches & I have a reply!!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!! When I released the balloons it was very exciting ... would I ever get a response? I didnt know.

Well! Just as I was about to doze off for the night I checked my e-mails & I saw an e-mail from a lady called Lynn from Mission (just outside Doncaster). Her e-mail read;

'Hi Paula, at 5.45 on the 31.3 11, I found a green balloon in my garden at Misson nr Doncaster, hope its traveled a long way, Lynn.'

The balloon was only up for just over 2 hours, I am guessing that the balloon travelled along the M62 (using the winds from the traffic), but this is just a theory. 

The Dream to Mission, near Doncaster (potential route)

I am so pleased to receive a response from one of the launches, this has been an excellent turning point in my 'Curiosity' work. I'm annoyed that the e-mail from Lynn came through on the 31st March '11 but only shown up tonight in my inbox. I still hope to hear from the other 3 balloon launches, but I personally think it is unlikely as it has been over a week now.

Experimenting with formations

While I was in my studio yesterday I was experimenting with different potential formations for my well for my final piece for my assessment. I have considered the following formations;

• A full circular well
• A half well
• A corner (quarter) well

I have also been considering the positions of the bricks, i.e;

• End to end
• Fan shape (side by side)
• Criss cross

Here are a few examples of my experiments;

To accompany the well there will be a plinth opposite with a tv on top. Inside the well there will be a cctv camera hidden, the tv will be showing the view from inside the well from the camera. My piece will either be titled 'The Curiosity Well' or 'Well'. I am intrigued by observing other peoples curiosity when approaching unusual objects and the unknown & recording their reactions.

I personally feel that this piece is symbolic of my other Curiosity experiments I have worked on over the last 4 months. I have a few more contemporary ideas featuring circular movements which will be recorded soon by the use of drawings.

This evening I have cut a piece of MDF to the size of the well's base, tomorrow I will be painting it white as to make my well stand out at the assessment.

Creating a fake brick

About a week ago I had an idea; 'What if I was to create fake polystyrene bricks instead of using real ones, for weight purposes...'. I decided to experiment, I acquired some polystyrene, shaped it into a block/brick shape (although it is bigger than the average brick). I then covered it in Polyfilla to create textures and definition & to make it look more authentic. Once dry, I applied water to some clay, then using a brush I painted the wet clay directly onto the Polyfilla brick as opposed to using acrylic paints. I think the experiment was time consuming and it would be easier to aquire bricks elsewere. This would also give a better finish/result. Anyway, I've included a few photos of the Polyfilla brick ...

Reflection about balloon launches

Since the 'Curiosity' balloon launches I have been reflecting about where the balloons could potentially end up.  

At the 1st balloon launch, The Dream, St Helens the balloon was heading South / South East when it was released, it could end up France / Italy way.

At the 2nd balloon launch, Zion Arts Centre, Manchester the balloon was heading North / North East when it was released, it could end up Norway / Sweden way.  

At the 3rd balloon launch, Pex Hill, Cronton the balloon was heading North East when it was released, it could end up Sweden way.

At the 4th balloon launch, Keswick, Cumbria the balloon was heading North / North East when it was released, it could end up Norway / Sweden way.

I think there is a good chance that the 1st balloon launch is the only one which could end up going South. Although I am hoping that the winds would have changed, and I never know what could happen. I havn't had any replies yet, but my fingers are still crossed!!

Here are the weights from the balloons, these, the videos & photographs are the only evidence I now have of the launches.

Balloon Experiment - Balloon No. 4 (Red)

Yesterday afternoon Andy & I took a day trip to Keswick, Cumbria to release the 4th (final) balloon for the 'Curiosity' Experiments. The time of the launch was 10:45BST. Whilst by the lake we took various photographs and a video of the launch, as seen below;

... and now we wait. So far I havn't had any responses.

Balloon Experiment - Balloon No. 3 (Yellow)

Yesterday afternoon Andy & I walked up to Pex Hill, Cronton release the 3rd balloon of four. The time of the launch was 18:15BST. Whilst at Pex Hill we took various photographs and a video of the launch, as seen below;

 

 

  ... and now we wait. Later on today (03/04/11) we will launch balloon number 4.

Balloon Experiment - Balloon No. 2 (Blue)

Yesterday afternoon I had a meeting at the Zion Arts Centre, Manchester as part of the Zion Young Curators Programme. Before going in for my meeting, Andy & I did launch number 2, the blue balloon. The time of the launch was 16:38BST. Whilst at The Zion Young Arts Centre we took various photographs and a video of the launch, as seen below;

  ... and now we wait. Later on today (02/04/11) we will launch balloon number 3.

Balloon Experiment - Balloon No. 1 (Green)

Today Andy & I trekked upto the The Dream, St. Helens to release the 1st balloon of four. The time of the launch was 15:25BST. Whilst at The Dream we took various photographs and a video of the launch, as seen below;

 ... and now we wait. Tomorrow (01/04/11) we will launch balloon number 2. 

Balloon Experiments - The Plan

Between Thursday 31st March 2011 - Sunday 3rd April 2011, I will be doing an experiment a day as part of my 'Curiosity' themed work. Each day I will release a different coloured balloon at a different location with a response tag attached to each one (as seen below), to see how far they will go. I am hoping that I will receive a response from whoever finds my balloons. Should the balloon be found, I am hoping the finder will e-mail me back with a response as to where it landed.

I will video each launch (with a little bit of help of course!) aswell as taking some photographs of the events. This documentation could be all that I will ever own from these experiments if I don't get any responses.
The locations & colours are as follows;

Green Balloon
Thursday 31st March 2011; 
I will be releasing the green balloon on Thursday afternoon before I leave for an evening celebration in Liverpool. 

The Dream, St. Helens

 

Blue Balloon
Friday 1st April 2011;
I will be releasing the blue balloon about 4.30pm, before my meeting at the Zion Young Centre, Manchester. 

Zion Arts Centre, Manchester

Yellow Balloon
Saturday 2nd April 2011;
I will be releasing the yellow balloon on Saturday afternoon after I've finished work.

Pex Hill, Cronton

 



Red Balloon
Sunday 3rd April 2011;
I will be releasing the red balloon in Keswick, Cumbria as I'm taking a day trip there.

Keswick, Cumbria

Tonight I will be going to my sister's to pick up the tripod for the video camera & to get some fishing wire to attach the tags to each balloon.

Zion Young Curators

About four weeks ago I applied to Zion Arts Centre, (Manchester) http://www.zionarts.com/ for a chance to become a ‘Zion Young Curator’; I didn’t think I would get a place to work with them as it’s so competitive. However, two weeks ago I was very pleased to read an e-mail saying;

‘I am pleased to inform you that your application has been successful and you have been selected to be part of the Zion Young Curators!’

The first meeting is Friday 1^st April & I’m really looking forward to it. The initial meeting will introduce us to Zion Arts Centre & their programme of events. We will get to know each other and discuss the current plans for the group & get feedback about the kind of events and opportunities we would like to be involved with.

After the meeting will be the launch event of their latest exhibition;

Araam: Breathing Space

Friday 1^st April – Saturday 23^rd April

The Araam exhibition presents the work by two contemporary UK artists, Halima Cassell and Zarah Hussain created during residencies in Pakistan and the UK.

Araam was developed to enable “breathing space” for the artists to research, develop new ideas and experiment with their creative disciplines. During this process, both Cassell and Hussain explored their Pakistani roots, issues around identity and pushed the boundaries in their creative practices.

Cassell and Hussain use very different artistic mediums, but both are inspired by their ancestral heritage and Islamic influences through pattern and architecture resonate in their work.

More Information About The Artists;

Halima Cassell - http://www.halimacassell.co.uk/index.php

Halima Cassell has traditionally worked in clay, fusing together her Asian roots with Western and African pattern as well as architectural geometry. She chooses to celebrate each of these elements in their own right and from this, she is able to create a new and unique style, which absorbs and addresses the rich diversity of both pattern and geometry. Her pieces utilise lines and angles, capturing the universal language of pattern, number and form. Her recent work involves working with different types of materials such as stone and wood as well exploring new spaces in an urban architectural environment.

Zarah Hussain - http://www.zarahhussain.co.uk/

Zarah Hussain explores the use of geometric form and pattern inspired by the Islamic art tradition. In the past, her work has taken the form of both paintings and technologically advanced light installations. Her recent work operates on several different levels, devotional beauty through repetition and pattern, an esoteric or Sufi understanding of the Muslim faith in modern times, and a look at the 'trueness' and purity of number in an age where spiritual ideas are confused and there is no longer any belief in anything absolute.

Results from "neon lights workshop"

Last night at the workshop we split the 14 girl guides up into 4 groups;

Group 1 - 3 people

Group 2 - 4 people

Group 3 - 3 people

Group 4 - 4 people

Each group did 2 dance routines to 2 seperate songs (except group 3 who didn't want to participate for the 2nd song - their loss). I created a video of each performance along with taking the photographs for each one too (for privacy reasons I havn't included the videos). Instead I have included a photograph from each performance, at the end of the evening there were 2 group dances where everyone participated (except the 3 from Group 3 who were sulking), I have also included photographs of each. 

Group 1, Dance 1, Katy Perry's Firework

Group 1, Dance 2, Lady Gaga's Just Dance

Group 2, Dance 1, Cee Lo Green's Forget You

Group 2, Dance 2, Flo Rida/David Guetta's Club Can't Handle Me

Group 3, Dance 1, Tinie Tempah's Written In The Stars

Group 4, Dance 1, Taio Cruz's Dynamite

Group 4, Dance 2, Rihanna/Jay Z's Umbrella

Group Dance 1, Glee Cast's Version of Don't Stop Believin'

Group Dance 1, Glee Cast's Version of Don't Stop Believin'

Group Dance 1, Glee Cast's Version of Don't Stop Believin'

Group Dance 1, Glee Cast's Version of Don't Stop Believin'

Group Dance 1, Glee Cast's Version of Don't Stop Believin'

Group Dance 2, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie

Group Dance 2, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie

Group Dance 2, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie

Group Dance 2, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie

Group Dance 2, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie

At the end of the evening I gathered feedback from the girls in the form of a comment box, some of the comments left for what the the guides enjoyed were;

• "I enjoyed the bit where we were in the dark & got to dance"
• "Dancing"
• "All doing it together"
• "Dancing as a group with the lights"
• "Everything (Dancing)"
• "The lights and everything"
• "Dancing and Glowsticks :)"