Sonic Landscapes

 As part of  Alice Fox's 'Place- Making Winter'  course, for the last  6 months I've been recording/mapping  my  daily(ish) walks down  'Abbeyfields'  in Faversham  in different ways. 

So I was delighted to participate in  another project with Kimbal Bumstead as part of his residency at the  BasementArtsProject   this time making  audio recordings on my phone   in my 'Place'  and  then drawing from  the recording with my eyes closed, responding to the sounds and textures.  From the submissions made by the participants  he has created a   digital collage ' map'  and a 'sonic journey' to accompany it.    The result is interactive - you can move through  the 'landscape'   accompanied  by the soundtrack, highly recommended ! 

SONIC LANDSCAPES — Kimbal Quist Bumstead (kimbalbumstead.com)

Abbeyfields  1 

There was  a zoom meeting  with some of the participants talking about what they got out of it.  On many of my walks  I was aware of the  some of the  sounds (  a patch of brambles  with lots of sparrows I call the ' shouting bush ' ! )  but listening  to the recordings at  home  with headphones on  and replaying it again and again I was able to isolate and identify  far more. The crescendo  of a car or bike going past on the road; the rhythms of a dog barking ; distant clanking of boat masts, blurred conversations  and used different media and colours to try and  capture those qualities on paper. 

 A fascinating process which  I hope to repeat  which has added a new dimension and awareness to my walks .   Maybe have a go at blind stitching to the sounds  ( as on Dorothy Caldwell course) 

Abbeyfields 2

Abbeyfields 3 

Abbeyfields 4 

Kimbal's  'Sonic Landscape': screenshots of Digital Collage ( above)   and detail ( below)  

EDAM term 3: ''Meanwhile..." First explorations

  In the second session of EDAM this term looking  at theme of 'Meanwhile....', after  going through the slides of  different approaches by various artists to research ( see previous blogpost ), I had a discussion with Amanda  about  my initial thoughts and ideas .  After  taking lots of photos from the train and having an initial stab at a 'mindmap'  , I was in a lot better position to talk about it than the previous week.  As usual ,  too many ideas  but we discussed  what could be done at home and what to focus on  while in the class.  I  thought I'd like to do more monoprinting but that was something to do quietly at home ( or review what I had already) and what the classroom offered was opportunity to be messy with charcoal and  work large!   

 She suggested   working on a collaged  background  of maps / squared paper -   until I could get to the photocopier all that was available was copies of a map of India  but it served it's purpose  in combinations with sections of the rail timetable.  and I quickly  drew in charcoal over the top to indicate the seat and window and some of the   scenery flashing by

 At home, I   did some different versions  in Photoshop .  It occurs to me that the curves remind me of  the influence of  the catenary paintings of Jasper John  on my paintings based on collage .

After lunch and a session  with the photocopier  I used  collage of the map for the train route in combination with photos taken out of the window  with drawings in  ink of the seats and their reflections  in the window when in 'Tunnel Land' . Too much  going on  and I over-thought it  but it has possibilities  for further exploration , perhaps on a larger scale or cutting it up and reassembling ?

 I also had a go with tracing onto acetate   the section of the map around Gravesend and Ebbsfleet where the train goes under the Thames .I then used the overhead projector  to draw it A1  size ( below) , getting a different quality using graphite stick.  When I posted it  on Instagram , there was a comment    saying it looked like bones  and was I considering archaeology as part of the brief . So now I'm re-reading about the Ebbsfleet Elephant!  

I've scanned the acetate and been playing with different filters in Photoshop ( above) 

Also on acetate, I traced  on a different scale the  whole route from Faversham to St Pancras  ( above) and scanned the stitching  on acetate I'd done with Ruth ( below)  - I like how you can see  both the front and back at the same time. 

 I showed Amanda  the 2010 Moleskine 'Pocket Project Planner'  notebook I bought  cheaply in 2011  to modify as  a sketchbook (  realising the demand for such  items  they now  sell 'proper'  Japanese Accordion albums ). During  our discussions  we realised it's potential  with its printed details of charts  etc of  considering 'Time ' as one  aspect to consider  further - exciting!

  The  'Zine'  book I produced  using photocopies of monoprints   was something I wished to explore further  in any case.

After all this thinking and cogitatating , tomorrow I'm planning to have a 'play day'  in my studio sampling  different  approaches, including getting my sewing machine out! 

EDAM Term 3 : Further thoughts on 'Meanwhile...', techniques and artists to explore

 During the course  of 2 terms of EDAM I've been pushed well out of my comfort zone in the variety of  drawing techniques. Now in Term 3,  when we're working on our own projects, I need to consider which of these  will be useful for  me to use to explore the theme of ' meanwhile...' ( initial thoughts here )
 Large scale drawing with Tony Hull, starting with  object, blind drawing, mark making with long stick. wrapping object ,  inserting sheets of paper to disrupt composition , making linkages across surface,  layers, responding to what's there.

 Bookmaking , copies of monoprints, change of scale,  formats, concertina
 ( also ideas  from   monoprint  sketchbook project -  backs of work different to front, interaction of pages,, juxtaposition ,

 Paper manipulation and stitch - lots to explore here, take on idea and try different methods: pleating, distortion , ripping layers , stitch on acetate

Space and Light with Anne Teahan, feeling the form

 Lessons from 'Large Scale Sketchbook' :

 Interest in layers - in cloth, excavating old  quilts, what's beneath , how to  try this in paper?

Some  first thoughts on artists  of relevance:

Michael Buthe 

 Junko Oki ( Looking forward to  going to see her exhibition in Brussels in a couple of weeks time !) 

Paul Feiler - I spent some time looking at layers and composition at the Redfern Gallery 

Julie  Mehretu 

Guillermo Kuitca

 And 'mining'  my  own blog for artists that have influenced me over the years - interesting to make connections.
 Richard Long
David Nash  Tree  Quaryy
David Nash Cork Structures
David Nash
Sue Lawty
Cornelia Parker 
Tania Kovats 

Our homework  from the first  class was to read an article from Contemporary Drawing 1960's to now by Katherine Stout and research  ' expanded notion' one of the themes 

We started  the  next session  looking  at  artists using these different methods :

 Alison Wilding 

 Jenny Saville 

 Claude Heath 

 Frank Pudney 

Kirsten Elswood

Gerhard Richter  ( overpainted photographs at Gagosian) 

Stephan Talasniek

( for his use  of frottage, monoprinting  'activating the surface' 

 Helen Scalway 

 'Psychogeography'  writer ( well worth downloading the pdf's) ,  ' Travelling Blind'   shows  fascinating interpretations of the tube.  

Cosmopolitan city  shows different scales ( above) and I like' patterns and perspective' ( below) linked with her essay on ornament and memory

 Nancy Spero  for her use of text 

 William Kendridge' s interdisciplinary  work covers so many different media , it was a privilege to see the rehearsals for the 'Head and The  Load' last year . I  have a copy of his  '6 Drawing Lessons'  somewhere, must track it down.

My own  research, linked to my interests in  mapping walks,  was in ' walking as art' ,  so I was interested to find the catalogue for exhibition ( which can be downloaded on ISSUU)  

 Walk on-WALK  celebrating 40 years of 'art walking' 

Those that caught my eye  were  Tim Knowles ( whose '7 walks from 7 Dials, Covent Garden' is featured  in the inspirational 'Drawing Projects' book 

 Also Jeremy Wood  who pioneered  drawing  with GPS ,the  3d physicality of his piece  ' White Horse Hill'  I found   exciting.

"We cannot understand where we are on the ground without first looking up at the stars. The chalk figure from the Bronze Age was made to be seen from the heavens and today we use space age technology from the heavens to tell us where we are.

The Uffington White Horse was chosen for its mysterious dialogue between the ground and the sky; a relationship it has in common with the magical properties of satellite navigation technology.

The original shapes have eroded over time along with their meaning. They are signs, not entirely visible from the ground that are projected towards the skies like symbols on a map to be seen by the gods."