WALL BUTTING

During my attempts to ascertain a portfolio visit I have contacted so many different studios and to no prevail! Amongst these only a handful bothered to reply and of those only one asked to see a copy of my portfolio, of which would have to be a digital version as mounting deadlines meant they wouldn't have face time free for a while. The whole process has been fairly disheartening at points especially when my email is interpreted as me asking for a placement as apposed to just some tips advice. The majority of replies were thankful and friendly but held the point of having no placements available. It is a true lesson in persistence and if anything I feel as though it has given me more motivation and determination to hunt down these illusive designers!

Below were my favored studios and a few of many that did not reply:

DRUM BEAT

TRUE NORTH

FLUID CREATIVITY

ATOMIC DESIGN

CREATIVE LYNX

ASHCROFT CREATIVE DESIGN

DESIGN BY DAY

These are the people that took the time to let me down nicely:

Janet Moses - WHY NOT ASSOCIATES

Tom Heaton - RAW

Samuel Netherwood - INFLUENCE

Paul Heaton - REFORM

Jo Garland - JACKNIFE

And then there were two. From it all there were two people that could spare any time at all it would seem, the first being Richard Stote from CURB from which I gained a good insight into what goes on in the studio; the second being Tony Moore from FRONT ROW that couldn't offer me any face time but was more than happy to look at a digital version when he got chance.

... and the search goes on....

OSCAR MUÑOZ

Oscar is a Colombian artist working with many media such as photography and print making as well as installations and moving image. This exhibition Biografías at the Cornerhouse is a collection of moving image that take the form of distorted self portraits. He works a lot with the ideas of memory and human loss both of which you easily get a sense of here.

The darkened room immediate draws your attention to the lit squares on the floor. As you watch these disappear into a makeshift drain the eery sense of disintegration is coupled with the audio of water trickling down a drain, this really seems to emphasize the despair in the faces of the portraits. The technique used in this method in an interesting one using a combination of screen printing and coal dusting on water to help bleed the images away.

The portrait of Oscar himself is probably one of my favorites to date. It consist of a short film in which you see his face reflected in water cupped in his hand. Throughout the video the water is constantly in motion twisting and distorting the reflection and as it plays on and the water trickles through the fingers his face becomes more and more distorted and confined.

OSA/MERZEN/

This latest exhibition at the Cube gallery has bee brought to you by Office For Subversive Architecture which is a treat as they never usually exhibit indoors. The exhibit at first glance is a collection of street rubble and as the exhibition is gradually erected over a number of days you are greeted with a reception of gathered rubble yet to be used.

As you wander around the exhibition you realise layers amongst the collection. As bits and bobs fit together in the space your attention is drawn to the actual structures and forms these pieces of rubble make. It was really interesting to see the marriage between different random everyday materials and the spaces they created. It challenged the perceptions of how we can experience our everyday outdoor tat. Initially the idea was to have the exhibit extending through the building and out onto the street but this unfortunately has been met with some resistance from local businesses. The object to create the exhibit have been both salvaged and donated offering a nice collection of local media including a Manchester City Council litter bin which I'm looking forward to being used.

There was a certain sense of familiarity in some of the collection such as the road signs and old doors, these have always grabbed my attention because of their lived in characteristics and grubby aesthetics. A few architects of Osa will be giving a talk about their exhibition on the 28th March this year. I'd like to go and get a further insight into Osa's concepts of trying to bring the outdoors in and other aspects of their work.

YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK

(more pics coming!)

The sculpture park was most probably the best combination of inspiration and exercise I've ever embarked upon. For first timers like myself I can't imagine how you could get a sense of the scale and surrounding atmosphere without spending the whole day exploring.

The fact that all the sculptures were either bleeding into or protruding from the natural landscape was exciting as well as engaging. Although you are aware that these are man made at the same time you can't help but feel as though you are discovering something new and special and even a little magical.

The experience stretched from points that felt as though you'd found a forgotten relic to others that gave me visions of a giant alien returning to collect forgotten goods. It's hard to explain how the sculptures are so diverse and yet still sit amongst nature and each other so comfortably.

Visiting the park has inspired me to look at external exhibition spaces and even into the sculpture process itself. I hope to be able to work with 3D artist or masons at some point in the future in order to develop some similar skills through collaboration.