I believe I could fly.....and mop the sky

playing with the wind here in Aberystwyth and surroundings!

Seeds in the Dunes, what the sea borrows the wind lends

OUT THERE AGAIN: BORTH in Wales

In between rains, winds and summer sunshines  I squeezed through one cloud and an english shower a quick installation. These are the adaptations of the leftovers of 'Oasis'.
When I saw the location it seemed ideal for it! Here it is!

Settling into Aberystwyth

  My new Studio at the Aberystwyth Art Centre

'A Decade' the flyer

                

RESCUE!

DISASTROUS!

SCULPTURE EMERGENCY!

After setting up my work at Leicester Botanic Garden I made my way straight to Aberystwyth where I will be residing for the next three months: another residency!

I was just about to settle in when I received an urgent email from Leicester: My sculpture had collapsed!

PANIC!
Although to be completely honest, all along I felt that the installation was not properly  installed and was very unhappy with it.
But little time and small budget made me leave with that unsatisfied feeling.
In Aberystwyth I was not even able to enjoy the beauty all around me and value another amazing opportunity, always worried and anxious, waiting for the bad news to be delivered!

Finally it was here! and as annoying that always is I jumped on the first morning train.
Five hours later I was back on site and felt so relieved!
With the exceptional and amazing support of all the staff at the Gardens and all the contractors I was able to resolve the problem and fix the work back up....just on time for my last train back to Aberystwyth to rush to see Jamie Oliver latest show in Los Angeles.
Ten hours of solid travelling were well worth it for the sake of art and reputation!

Another expensive learning experience! Obviously in the wrong location. I felt so vulnerable with my flimsy installation against all the imposing and beautiful stone, bronze, wood and metal sculptures!
Of course in the eye of all that macho display I have proven my weakness!
Still I have reinforced my mind wanting to make work that is ever so vulnerable and transitional. always changing for the best and the worse.
I am still committed to make flimsy construction that are on the verge of collapsing, deteriorating and decaying, it's very hard to follow through though,  when surrounded by a parade of strength and sturdy security.

I still need to work on my confidence as much as improving my art to push through and standby to what I think is the strongest aspect of my work.

'Weep me to hollow tears' video and statement

WEEP ME TO HOLLOW TEARS

Yesterday I saw a nice family outside their brand new holiday home.

An old oak tree shadowing their Sunday talk, 

its spring leaves overhearing their future: 

Felling. 

The trunk is violating: 

Territory. 

The branches are invading: 

Space.

In the back a radio announcement: 

Europeans raising their borders back up. 

A blockage against the sea: 

gallons of flesh and souls vainly tested out by the water and washed away, into the void. 

Echoes bouncing off the raise and fall: 

ancient rhythm of waves breaking on futuristic walls.

My hands working, making, faster, more, 

plastic bags, thousands. 

I am like a machine in the factory. 

One bag after the other, 

to forget, 

to protest: 

my cowardness.

Quick, more monuments, to remind what I keep forgetting. 

Quick, I need to commemorate my story, 

protect my fence, 

justify my petrified heart.

Today I saw another overlooked object wondering across a new frontier. 

'A DECADE' SHOW AT HAROLD MARTIN BOTANIC GARDENS IN LEICESTER

From Quenington I rushed to Leicester where I set up this work. The show will open on the 25th June and is curated by John Sydney Carter. This year 66 artists are setting up their sculptures in these glorious gardens.
Here are few pics of my bit:

The sculpture is made with the plastic bags reclaimed from the piece: 'White noise'. The metal wires are the same one I had used for 'Oasis'
The pipes I had to buy new. In fact despite all my efforts to keep the once I had used last year for 'Everything must go' they have been all dispose of together with my plastic bags. This happened just few weeks before my arrival. While overseas I had been in constant contact with the organizers of the exhibition to keep track and make sure that the bags would be kept until my arrival, nevertheless the contractors decided to throw them all away, thousands of bags, only because they seemed to look a bit tatty. Interestingly enough that would have never happened if my sculpture would have been made out of wood, stone or metal.
People perceived my work as disposable and not worth saving from the rubbish dump.
I will miss all my bags very much, I had made so many plans for them already, like for example re use them at my residency in Aberystwyth and for my next solo show at the Art Museum of Los Gatos in California.
But I managed to save a little bunch. While searching for a piece of wood I spotted some of my last year bags in the dump, were they were forgotten and abandoned so luckily I was able to rescue few of my babies!

'Everything must go again', the video

Few pics of the work at Fresh Air 2011 at the Quenington Sculpture Gardens

                                                                                                                

This piece which is titled: 'Everything must go again' it's an evolution of the previous artwork made for Leicester Botanic Gardens called: 'Everything must go' and has be adapted to its new location.

All the he bags have been reclaimed from the piece 'Oasis' made for the Broomhill NSP and now reused for this occasion.

These bags are very special for me not only because they won the NSP public vote but also because they experienced and survived one year of outdoor exposure. Weather and nature have contaminated the bags with the signs of their story and carry green and brown mould marks on their surface to prove their journey.

Somehow the bags now look more natural and could blend into their new surroundings. It took a whole year for the bags to get tinted by nature and for their incorruptible tough skin to surrender to their new brand and keep the label!   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 
 



                                                          
                                                            

Hello again!

I have just come back from installing work for the next group show.
My plastic bags will be surrounded by the most fabulous settings look out for them!

here is the invite if you like to take part to some special art opening set in the most splendid gardens:

  

Coevolutionary Extinction, Sketch for a Fairy Tale

Finally!

I have managed to import this footage filmed at Plush gallery in Dallas from my new video camera!

My first video with it!....more to come now!