On Kay’s travels she found this concrete chair sculpture on an ocean path. It had been put there as a memorial to someone. I like the fact that someone decided to do something different from the usual bench idea. Looks like when you sit on it you get an amazing view!
Happy New Year!
There are a few things that I would like to achieve this year. I’m not a huge celebrator of New Year, however I always use it as a good opportunity to re-assess.
I think the two things that I really want to do is take at least a photo a day and write down at least a conversation a day. Here are my photographs:
My first conversation of the New Year was at 12.01am to a chap who thought it was a wise idea to shake up two bottles of beer and spray it on everyone in celebration. This didn’t go down particularly well, so my friend poured the remains of her gin and tonic over his head. My conversation with him went like this:
‘I don’t know why she did that.’
I explained that he had just sprayed everyone with beer.
‘I didn’t do it on purpose.’
I explained that that was not the truth and he had shaken them up and released the contents.
He seemed to accept this and later walked over and apologised.
[While all this was going on, the beer that hadn’t landed with immediate affect over us, was now dripping down on us from the ceiling.]
The morning before the market
I really enjoyed myself yesterday! It was very chilly and our feet were like blocks of ice by the end, but the experience has made be realise a few important things. I didn’t sell any books which I thought would make me feel disappointed. However, I was so pleased that people looked through them and smiled, that the fact that they weren’t queuing up the buy them was no issue. It felt like a really different space to exhibit and it enabled a new audience to see the work.
Our stall at the Hockley arts market
There were so many lovely things to buy and see at the market. I thoroughly enjoyed looking around and seeing the huge variety of hand made goods. I also purchased a few bits and bobs, including the below beautiful small screen. The stall holder gave the story behind it which made it even more precious. A father had made the frame and stuck down the 1950’s cigarette cards as a present for his daughter. Love the use of the cards to create something new and it is now functioning as a fire cover in my living room.
Butterfly screen
Whist on a mission for bacon cobs and cups of tea, I spotted a new piece of furniture for my collection. This was the icing on the cake and made the whole day worth while!
Up against it
I’m feeling excited again! I’m collaborating on a project with Katie where we’re going to find alternative uses for objects that have been discarded, have been left behind or made to feel redundant. We’re going to give them their purpose back and have fun in the process. We shall be meeting up soon to film our first object. I am thoroughly looking forward to it!
In my day job as an administrator there is a process whereby I still get to use floppy disks and it makes it all worth while. It makes me feel like I’m part of a different time. It’s exciting, something else most others don’t do. I have to reformat old ones (as we will never buy them new again) and then download information on to them. I do all this using the external disk drive as my computer is from a more modern time, just. There is talk about taking them away to ‘stream line’ the process. I will cry.
I like the fact that the majority of businesses have rejected them, but a historic process has kept them alive here. I like the thought of trying to glorify them, give them hope. They are not very reliable but they wear their failure on their sleeve, for they are called ‘floppy disks’. Who would seriously rely on anything with floppy in the title. I need to find a use for them, and fast.
When work is taking its toll, I can always look at my red plastic container filled to the brim with used floppy disks and smile. I think to myself ‘You are as useless as I feel’.
A street in London
Saw this shop whilst walking down the road thinking about the highlighting idea and realised that this is a form of highlighting. It caught my attention although I didn’t spend any ££££’s on Golf related goods.
There were rows and rows of precious stones and gems. This photo is of one part of a collection that had been donated to the museum. Found them so mesmerising partly from a magpie’s perspective but also because I love things in collections.
This made me laugh to myself. Thought it was a great invention to use 4 metronomes and pivoting paw cups to exercise a dog.
Pocket globes – what a great idea. The text about it said ‘The terrestrial or Earth globe was usually contained in a fishskin case which had a map of the heavens on the inside.’
I thought the use of bic biros (my favourite pen!) to make a chandelier was superb. When people use objects for an alternative use, I find it really interesting as you can’t help having preconceptions about how they should be used. This usually leads me onto thoughts about the full potential of the object. Think I’m going to attempt a smaller version one day, more of a lampshade and maybe in red.
My friend Tez sent me the link to this teapot by designer Alexander Hulme. His website www.alexhulme.com is amazing! I really like ‘Fuzzy Logic’, ‘Systems and Solutions’ and ‘Lost Objects’. ‘All the things I use in one day’ is a really nice way of documenting the everyday too. Very excited! I love it when people send me links they think I’d like. I’m pretty rubbish at finding them myself at times.