Meanwhile, back at the ranch

I've been lucky enough the last few weeks to have too much to do to work so much as I'd have liked on my drawings and texts for August's show in The Market Studios. A few weeks ago, I took part in The Last Arty Party with an A Room For Improvement sound set set to visuals. Aside from a few minor technical difficulties, it went well and was well recieved. I was happy with this piece (Senryu #4 - theMarriageOfTheSerf) and will have to come up with something extraordinary before I endevour to perform another of these sets. On the other hand, I've sent an A Room For Improvement video/sound piece for consideration for installation at the Hilltown New Music Festivalin July. This piece is composed entirely of clips and sound samples taken from the enchanting site of the festival itself. So here's hoping I get in there!

Arty Party was well attended and just as well - there was a lot of great work on show. The musicians from KnockanStockan were good fun, apart from the guy who stropped off. And Hugh Cooney's performance will not be forgotten by anyone in attendance. Funny motherfucker! Heaps of good stuff on the walls too. One paper cut out structural thing was particularly charming (got to get the name of the artist and then I got it - Wendy Stephens, who I'm informed can be found selling such wares in Cows Lane of a Sunday). Thank you to Mia Marshmallow for providing that name and oh yeah, for organising the entire thing. I reckon it was a hit with all in attendance and that was quite a few - nice one.

The same weekend, I performed as Icarus Crane in The Forger Of The String at the same venue (the Back Loft) for La Cat Salon. A fine evening's entertainment it was too.

I was supposed to perform the same piece this weekend at The Shed but owing to equipment failure it didn't happen. Not to worry - had an enjoyable evening all the same, chilling to some rockabilly.

For the last few weeks I've also been doing some live video mixing of old public domain exploitation, documentary and advertising to the funky turntable stylings of Mongoman Steve, Sundays in the Thomas House. This week we also watched the Goonies and I did a video remix. Which was fun. Next week it's The Big Lebowski at 6 oclock and White Russians on special!

Last Monday, I took a step in the direction of August's exhibition by performing a few short spoken word pieces at Stephen James Smith's reinvigourated Open Mic Night at the International Bar. One piece was the abreviated third part of The Forger and the other was a meadering text experiment of intensly mundane qualities. The absolutely impressive Dublin poet Colm Keegan wrote a great review of the night here http://theblogsthejob.blogspot.com/2009/06/stephen-james-smith-and-international.html . Have a look at this guys blog anyway - its quality. For those who don't click that link, I will repeat his mentioning of Marcas Carcas, who was I also saw at Arty Party. He's a sight and sound to see and hear... there's a video of that on YouTube actually and there it was - this video belongs to the afore mentioned Ms Mallow

Class, isn't he?

The above pictures are a little sample of the research I've been doing for my current project. Doesn't look like much and it isn't much but there's been a lot of reading and writing going on and much more drawing to come this week. I look forward to having the time now to get stuck into this work and withdraw further from the real world. I'll be recording my endevours more closely right here and I'll eventually get around to publishing some samples of the video work I've been doing too.

this week, i will mostly be doing...

performance art.

I've just been in to the Back Loft to sort the set up for La Cat Salon.
Also Performing
Icarus Crane (video & performance artist - live)
Riona Hartman (musician)
Julien Longchamp and Kim Porcelli (projections and live cello)
Hillary Williams (performance artist)
Julyo and the Photosonic Orchestra (electronic music)

Promises to be something different.
People seemed nice and were certainly helpful - so I'm ready to prance about a bit for them - no charge.
Here is the preview of the piece I'll be doing


On Saturday at the same venue, I'll be doing a sound piece against a video projection at Arty Party

Other Artists include but are not limited to
Stephen James Smith (Spoken)
Kevin Nolan (Spoken)
A Room for Improvement (Live visual performance)
Hugh Cooney (Performance)
Conor Foy Andreas Scholtz
Turf Boon (Brooklyn based artist showing new work)
Ruth Power
Fiona Carey
Helena Doyle?
Loki Bee
Carolyn Walshe
Anna Adrians
Barry Quinn
Fiona Spiers
Wendy Stephens
Mia Marshmallow
Music from Knockanstockan Musicians:
Marcas Carcas
James Guilmartin
Steve from Bojangled
Peter Space Invasion
Bo Sean Ford Owen

So, heaps going on there!

Stephen James Smith is rather good. I've seen him a few times last year. Don't always know what he's saying but he's loud and moves a lot. Holds my attention.
I look forward to seeing new work by Turf Boon too. I've just seen the one video that I'm aware of, but it was lovely so it was! Don't know much about the other artists although I believe I've seen Loki Bee's stickers gracing toilet cisterns and pub walls. Quite striking. Of course thanks and praise are due to Miss Mallow for all her work putting these parties of art together and providing almost edible lighting to the masses.
Here's a portion of what I'll be doing on the night.


The last few days I've spent working on a set of live visuals to compliment the turn table stylings of one Mongoman Steve - also known as Steve - which I'll be performing and developing over next few Sundays at Thomas House between eight and twelve.

Kidstuff

Been doing some drawing with crayons and markers with a view to creating an installation of sound and drawing, concerned with the nature and function of sleep. Started to work on models for claymation - just for fun. Just today I've gotten back to preparing for my performance at Arty Party after a little break. Just rehearsing it really. It's done. Also mentally preparing for La Cat Salon in a week. No real preparing I can do until the day before but to directly translate from the Swedish "jag peppar" - I'm pepping. Yes I am.

I'm interested to get a reaction to "The Forger of The String..." from a different audience. Also, the real reason I'm bothering to perform the same piece for a second time, I'll be glad to get some documentation of the participatory elements.

The Arty Party should be an interesting evening and I'm looking forward to performing "The Marriage of the Serf...". It's new, it's dark and it rattles the inside of yr eardrums until they're tickling yr eyeballs. Yes it does.

Most of May I spent working on "The Marriage of the Serf..." and sleeping because both of those things I could do for free. Been to some interesting exhibitions too but if I start writing about them, I'll bore myself.

Here's to reignition.