"I can see your house from here .."

Private View - with wine and nibbles, February 27th 1-4pm

".. a conversation between artists concerning notions of scientific discovery, space, the past and the nostalgic future ..

There is a natural want for humankind to believe that it has both a place and a future in the future. This exhibition considers impending possibilities, the colonisation of other worlds, time travel, Utopianism, free will, innocence, idealism and fatalism … dystopia, the entropic exhaustion of a dying earth; the marking of the end of time .." SW

The Cruiser network of ‘artists who travel hopefully’ is exploring nostalgic futures in its next quarterly review. The group inherited the idea of the quarterly review from Oldknows Studio Group, from which Cruiser emerged, earlier this year. The last two quarterly reviews, Memory + Migration and Cold War, already touched upon some of the ideas that will be expanded in ‘ I can see your house from here’

Simon Withers delves into the profound aesthetics of space in his work ‘Blueprint for no tomorrow’ .. both Simon and Yelena Popova have been exploring science and science fiction for quite some time; indeed, astronomy and Modernism’s romantic attachment to the idea of scientific progress and the space race is central to Popova’s practice. In addition, Saira Lloyd’s work is informed by her background in genetic science and Chris Lewis-Jones was commissioned to design and direct a performance in Chelmsford, Essex, earlier this year, to mark the unveiling of Irene Rogan’s Deep Space light installation (as part of the Year of Astronomy Festival). Kevin Wallace will be reading in a West Scottish dialect from a piece he has written called, ‘Hame’.

I can see your house from here brings together an incendiary salvo of stellar artists from Pakistan, Canada, Germany, Holland, the USA, Russia and Nottingham, who will ’boldly go’ where few artists have gone before, seeking out new art forms, making new links… between art and science, the old world and the new, Earth and Space, space and time, modernism, postmodernism and altermodernism ..

As with Cold War and Memory + Migration, Cruiser is tapping into the zeitgeist. I can see your house from here represents a reappraisal of the cynicism of the contemporary with regard to the vision of modernism, that is evident in many cultural discourses and contexts today, especially within Eastern Europe, and coincides with Nottingham Contemporary’s Star City exhibition in 2010. (Simon Withers)

Cruiser artists are:
Chris Lewis-Jones / Simon Withers / Yelena Popova / Saira Lloyd / Fabrice Arfi / John Fanning / Kevin Wallace / Gareth Jordan / Felix Liebig / Brian Robinson / Wayne Thexton / Maria Kapajeva / Marsha Magda.

Exhibition PV: Saturday 27th February 2010 (1pm – 4pm)
Exhibition Dates: February 27th 2010 – March 19th 2010*

*By appointment

Venue: Actual Wall
Address: 3rd Floor Oldknows Factory Building, St Anns Hill Road, Nottingham. NG3 4GP

Visit: http://www.travellinghopefully.weebly.com/

Cruiser’s ‘Memory + Migration’ (revisited) is at Deda in Derby throughout February and March 2010.

Memories: Deda Night

Saturday night saw Deda light up and flash back in a series of events that encompassed the arts through a variety of media and performance with a truly international vision ..

Upstairs, the artists known as Cruiser exhibited a collection of works based around the theme ‘Memory & Migration’ .. downstairs Julian’s paintings, executed outdoors during a succession of twelve full moons, were being previewed .. later he and his retro-punk band rocked the house ..


Saira Lloyd not only curated the exhibition but was the perfect hostess, moving through the sizeable gathering ensuring all were mingling and enjoying the evening ..

Saira’s box set of personal objects combine fragments of human memory through the genetic codes inherent in collected hair, lint and fibres, yet remain unidentifiable as though glandular specimens had been procured randomly and displayed as medical curiosities ..



Mr Lewis-Jones puts the focus on small things .. I’ve yet to persuade him to tell me all the slightly obscure hidden meanings ..


Gareth Jordan’s video blurred the distinction between the snapshot and the snapshot memory and brought the personal into the abstract ..

John Fanning created a 3 dimensional piece with hints at passages and movement - nativity scenes and goalmouth incidents create a memory collage in this delicate work ..

Yelena contributed a series of ‘martian flowers’ .. memories of growing up in the Urals during the Cold War .. a collection of paintings on what were originally propagandist posters from the Soviet Republic ..

Simon offered the opportunity to interact with the past .. a journal, a diary, a photograph (well I saw one) .. a book of dreams, a sacred place to reflect on your own collection of memories .. recollections of the religious ..?

I installed a new variation on ‘El Sol Entre Dos Palmas’ .. based on a dream and geometric synthesis of natural occurrences the piece taps the collective memory of shared symbols and forms ..

I also wrote a specially themed spoken word poetry piece called ‘Memory Man (memories of migration)’ which was, in it’s excerpted and casually performed version, well received ..

Cruiser will stage their next exhibition ‘I can see your house from here’ at Old Knows Studios Nottingham near the end of February ..

I will keep you posted on dates etc .. In the meantime watch my other blog Kevin Wallace Poet for an upcoming post featuring a complete version of the poem with photos from the Memory and Migration event ..

Naturally, I thank everyone involved in making the evening a success: Steven Munn, Mark, Saira and all who turned out to add buzz and personality to the event ..

I half expected you to be there, half hoped you would show, kept watching for the sparkle of your eyes through the crowd, my heart beating heavily in anticipation, but alas, time and distance ..

The Memory & Migration exhibition is showing at Deda until March 27th 2010 ..

***

Travelling Hopefully: Memory & Migration

As Artists Travelling Hopefully Cruiser make their way to the exhibition and performance space at Deda in Derby this month ..


I will be performing ‘Memory Man’ .. Yelena Popova will be performing as Martian Gardener .. and the rest of the Cruiser artists will be exhibiting and on hand to show and discuss their work which will be on display through March ..

Julian Woodcock is a main attraction.. and Moon Bullet will be providing music throughout the evening ..

Free preview on Saturday 23rd January .. performances start 8pm ..

And .. if you wanna make a weekend of it .. Friday night Apples and Snakes presents the tongue twisting heartfelt sentiments of Zena Edwards .. She graces the stage with her performance of ‘Security’ .. having met Zena in London recently, I can assure you this is a show worth coming out for ..
at Deda from 8pm on the 22nd ..

Something for the Weekend

Memory & Migration was an event ..



There were evolving narratives, continually flickering images, static membranes and interactive drawing boards ..


Artists as diverse as Saira Lloyd, Chris Lewis-Jones, Simon Withers, Yelena Popova, Gareth Jones and others installed works for the topical and cohesive theme ..




Oh .. and there was me performing a new piece written especially for the happening ..




The audience enjoyed fine art work around every corner .. themselves a wonderfully receptive group who brought their own memories in interpretation of the performance ..




This weekend is special in many ways .. but here’s a couple other ideas too .. As part of the Farrago Festival of Words 2009, old acquaintance John Paul O'Neil will be hosting the Annual National Poetry Slam - at which I shall be performing, luvvies ..


I was a contestant in their very first Poetry Slam in 1994 along with two others – a poetry team! Interestingly, although I have been a judge, I have not entered a Slam since .. You'll love the garage, house, beatbox, rap, hip-hop and rhyme, the jazz and the soul its just like the last one: a guaranteed good time !

Don’t forget .. if you can’t make it to London, Banks’ Mills in Derby is holding their pre-holidays Open Weekend ..



A chance to peruse the works of dozens of great artists, from fine painters and sculptors to poets and photographers, alongside a selection of talent from web designers to craft makers ..

And of course, don’t forget to watch for Cruiser : Memory and Migration 2 at Deda in Derby January 24th a collection of work forming the basis of the Nottingham show will be exhibited and I will perform Memory Man at the preview ..



.. you can find out more about Cruiser and Artists Travelling Hopefully at :

http://travellinghopefully.weebly.com/

Or, by looking here ..

http://www.nottinghamvisualarts.net/event/oct-09/cruiser-memory-migration

The WORD

Last month’s Leicester WORD! was an electrifying poetry-shock live session at the now usual spot in the Y Theatre .. I performed my nearly infamous Pop Star piece .. oh, the requests keep rolling in ..

Steve Tasane of Apples and Snakes Poetry Organisation based in London stopped up for a chat and to perform an eclectic piece of his own ..


There was video .. music .. contests with prizes .. and even little birthday cakes for everyone, to mark the first anniversary of the move to the Y ..



Hosted by one of the most daring and vital women in the East Midlands, Lydia Towsey ..
Photo by Nick Rawle.

WORD! takes place on the first Tuesday evening of every month ..

It’s jazzy and soulful and rock
With country in places
You’ll love the garage burning down the house
The rap the beat box and hip hopping rhyme
'cause every Leicester WORD!
Is a guaranteed good time

Cruiser - Memory & Migration

Here's the poster for the upcoming 'Cruiser' exhibition at Old Knows Studios in Nottingham .. A host of great artists and some fabulous new ideas for a terrific new concept .. All good .. All happening .. All the news .. All be there .. I will be performing a specially written piece, and there will be goodies on hand ..

And .. a preview of the 'Cruiser' concept ..



Hope to see you - Saturday, October 24th, 1-4pm .. 3rd floor - Old Knows Factory Studios, St Anne Hill Road, Nottingham NG3 4GP ..

But if for some reason you can't make it to the preview you can still drop in to see the visual art pieces and by appointment, talk to the artists .. Thanks .. Cruiser 7 ..

Writing on the Walsall

It has been another busy summer of exhibitions and shows in the Midlands, with the New Art Gallery, Walsall, topping the list of brilliant spaces to present work by up and coming talent like Ania Bas and Karen Tam and firmly established artists such as Andy Warhol, Helen Chadwick and Damien Hirst ..

A hidden gem in the crowded outskirts of Birmingham, this structure towers above the town at the top of the pedestrianised shopping district ..

This bronze hand and saddle sculpture points the way up the hill to the where the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse painting of Gordon Cheung currently fills a wall of the third floor main exhibition hall ..

As the catalogue states:

Gordon Cheung "creates hallucinogenic visions inspired by a wide range of sources including science fiction, the literature of authors like J G Ballard and Philip K Dick, 18th century romantic painting, cartoons and current affairs. Uniquely, he prepares his canvases using a collage of stock listings from the Financial Times, which he regards as a metaphor for the data-saturated and wealth-obsessed era in which we live. These compelling works reflect on such contemporary issues as the war on terror, religion, economics, globalisation, the digital age and technology."


Unfortunately, these phone photos don’t do justice to the magnificent scale or detail of the work .. See the link to Gordon's site on this page ..

The series of laser-etched wood carvings based on themes in the “Revelation of St John the Divine” are stunning in their intricacy and clarity of archetypal imagery as though lifted from medieval Biblical plates or the engravings of William Blake ..


This detail shows the ‘Whore of Babylon’ riding ‘The Beast’ and pouring the cup of wrath on the nations .. look closely at all the pictures and you can see the Financial Times stock listings in the background – linking these images and artist’s interpretations of the “end of the world” to the disaster of 9/11 and the on-going credit crisis ..

Additionally, there is a video of Cheung’s apparent obsession with rodeo riders and several other massive paintings that feature the recurring images of stags, bears and Scooby Doo-style ghosts, including a couple large works with the often repeated theme of a palm tree and rainbow (see my own piece The Sun Between Two Palms on the right of this page for a similar thematic design) ..

A series of Cheung’s portraits based on iconographic photos of famous billionaires and dead artists arranged in a grid along one wall reminded me of the George Michael song lyric, “.. if Jesus Christ is alive and well, then how come John Lennon and Elvis are dead ..” ..

Another interesting display at the New Gallery through this autumn is by the installation artist Neil Rock .. his large twisted silicone splatters are reminiscent of the gooey creatures in sci-fi films like ‘Alien’ and ‘The Thing’ ..


This is Rock’s first major solo exhibition in a UK public gallery and features all new work, including the eye-catching turquiose and white pigmented ‘Fanestra’ ..



A minor but well presented exhibition of work by Derby University 2nd year students at the financially troubled Friar Gate Studios was an excellent start to the season .. Ushered through the students’ work by Pride Gallery curator Carol Ann Harries-Wood (herself a student at the university), I was fascinated and impressed by the level of work on show, and her knowledge of each piece ..

And, here’s a little reminder of what was going on last year at this time .. the Cyril Seaton touring show at the Old Gaol in Nottingham .. me with Gareth and Simon - fellow Cruisers I will be exhibiting with at the upcoming 'Memory, Identity and Migration' show at Old Knows Studio ..



Hopefully, I will have some of my own more recent work to show here soon .. keep dropping back, or click the RSS feed to stay in touch .. and Thanks for visiting my Blog ..


http://www.artatwalsall.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/gordon-cheung

In Conversation: Gordon Cheung 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday 3 October
Neal Rock: 7 August - 1 November 2009

Cold Memories

A few months ago I was invited to submit a piece of work for a small exhibition at the Old Knows Studios in Nottingham entitled ‘Cold War’. A group of local artists were invited to interpret the theme loosely and produce something that collectively would make a statement toward the randomly selected title of title of the show. Here’s what I thought of and exhibited:


It is a painting of a list of names, stencilled as though in newspaper typeface, of people assassinated for their beliefs. I chose this medium to suggest the ‘cold’ blunt reality of death in the face of terror and the systematically organised killing of people who attempt to make a difference in this world .. and to make reference to the way these events are reported.

Through the media and textual analysis we develop an apathetic sense of indifference, or a resigned acceptance of what then become apparently inconsequential acts of violence too often repeated, eventually losing their individual significance .. I hoped this piece would highlight the considerable number of recognizably named people whose lives have been taken for having spoken out against the ‘powers that be’ regardless of personal political persuasion ..


I created the second piece using the same method, but in seven glorious colours, to suggest a hopeful acknowledgement of a shared vision – a movement for improvement in people’s lives, a dream that one-day peace, love and understanding might envelop the world like a rainbow after the storm ..

There is war against terror and a war against those who would provoke and promote that terror, but there is also hope that eventually justice will be done .. however, mainly war is always cold, like the feel of death .. hence, a ‘Cold War’.

Last of the Sabbatical Vine

Edinburgh in the spring is for lovers .. and lovers of all things cultural ..

Edinburgh is a city of fantasy and creativity, but it never forgets itself – it is built on solid foundations; a history of artists and pioneers, writers and warriors, architects and financiers who brought life to the Scottish dream; a vision of hope rising in the surreal depictions of past revelations of mystical charm and a self-imposed identity of strict determination ..

There are literally dozens of galleries both large and small scattered throughout this picturesque city .. On nearly every corner and down every alley there are renovations taking place to reinvigorate the old world charm of Edinburgh city centre, making fashionable the archaic crumbling facades, providing a focal point for the energy and enthusiasm of an influx of new artists amongst the often surprising and sweeping vistas ..

The National Gallery Complex houses a collection of Scottish masterpieces by the likes of Raeburn and Wilkie, as well as a vast archive of work from artists such as: Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh .. The international exhibition currently showing is a comprehensive selection of work from JMW Turner’s Italian paintings ..

Designed as several buildings in Grecian style with Doric and Corinthian columns rising above a severe modernist promenade of restaurants and boutiques, the museums are set against a backdrop of parkland at the base of the ancient stone walls of Edinburgh Castle ..

Traversing The Royal Mile, it’s practically impossible to avoid the melodic wail of bagpipes seemingly spaced at regular intervals .. the high-pitched harmonics pierce the ears along every bustling avenue, pipers squeezing out an identical repertoire of ‘Scotland the Brave’ and ‘A Scottish Soldier’ to the massed tourists who clamber for photos of the men in traditional kilted Highland dress .. No, I didn’t ask what he was wearing under it!

I made my way through the crowded thoroughfare of Princes Street, past hordes of ice cream lovers licking scoops of tutti frutti in the sweltering sunshine, and found an oasis of calm meandering the peaceful scenic river walk toward the Dean Gallery and their outstanding collection of Dada and Surrealist works ..

After a perusal of paintings by 4 post-war Scottish artists, including John Bellany and Wilhemena Barns-Graham, I wandered the grounds and surveyed the sculptures of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi .. Here’s me with my old friend, his bronze Master of the Universe ..

Across the street is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; another magnificent Greek-columned portico temple of art .. Although there was a terrific exhibition of work by Vija Celmins, Andy Warhol and others, I specifically made this journey to view the extensive display of works by Damien Hirst, and was not disappointed ..

The butterfly paintings were awe-inspiring; the dead insects captured in glorious colour against backgrounds of glossy black and flat white .. the pharmaceutical signage of pills and potions printed on back-lit plexiglass, one of his large circular paintings, called a 'tonto', created by dripping paint onto the canvas while it rotated on a spinning wheel – much like a child’s plaything, and of course Away From the Flock, one of the early “animals in formaldehyde” pieces which helped establish Hirst’s reputation as a revolutionary and radical artist whose themes deal with death and the imagination of God ..

It isn’t difficult to imagine that the great creator had a hand in building this fine city, and although the modern street plan was laid out hundreds of years ago there are many dynamic and contemporaneous features that continue to add vibrancy and a sense of growth to this marvellous metropolis ..

Stopping into the Carlton Ritz I quaffed a cocktail and headed out into the gloaming for an evening of musical mayhem at The Jazz Bar – one of my favourite regular haunts in this city of spirits .. or should that be, this spirited city? ..

The sun hasn’t yet set on this empire of imagination .. it still resonates in the theatres and galleries, from the romantic settings shared by loving couples beneath the towering Scott Monument to forceful orators in the halls of the Scottish Assembly, from jugglers and tricksters tempting laughter and remarkable feats of derring-do on the labyrinthine streets to the earthy wooden-floored pubs and chic cosmopolitan shopping arcades ..

In my own time I will return again to this eternal city, knowing that Edinburgh will continue to hold a special sense of wonder for me and its many visitors from all corners of the globe.