Falkirk Visual Art Residency

Winter Warth 2009 at the Park Gallery

2009-11-03T03:19:00.000-08:00

Winter Warmth 2009
Saturday 31 October – Thursday 31 December 2009 at theparkgallery and Callendar House, Callendar Park, Falkirk

Now in its fifth year, Winter Warmth 2009 will focus on textile design, in all its forms. It will highlight contemporary textile design and the original and innovative use of textile materials and techniques in all areas of applied arts and crafts. A unique and tantalising array of work will be on show from sixty artists from the UK and beyond.

This year’s exhibition will be a rich, colourful and vibrant showcase of textile practices; including modern and quirky embroidery sculptures, felt flowers and insects, knitted animation, patchwork birds, crocheted ceramics, silk and corduroy quilted tapestries, woolly toys, tweed jewellery, organic cotton cushions, velvet handbags and linen cards.

This exhibition includes work by artists at the forefront of their practice. For example:

Michael Brennand–Wood is internationally regarded as one of the most innovative and inspiring artists working in textiles. His recent work is inspired by traditions of floral imagery which have utilised computerised machine embroidery, acrylic paint, wood, glass and collage. Michael’s work can be seen all over the world, including in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, in Japan and the National Gallery of Australia. He was appointed Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2005 and is Research Fellow at the University of Ulster.

Aberdeen artist Donna Wilson is one of Scotland’s most notable young textile designers. She will exhibit an installation of her playful and bright knitted creatures and toys that are inspired by the everyday oddities and deformities of life.
A graduate of Glasgow School of Art Deirdre Nelson’s textile work employs a variety of techniques and materials fusing traditional textile skills and contemporary reinterpretation through photography and digital manipulation. She has been artist in residence in a variety of locations from Sutherland, Outer Hebrides to Western Australia, creating work for exhibitions and with local communities. She has recently been selected for the Jerwood Contemporary Makers award.

Abigail Brown’s work is instantly endearing and full of childhood charm, she makes beautifully crafted bird sculptures with scraps of materials and eccentric hand stitching. Stirling based artist Iona Crawford, is described by Vogue magazine as "one of the most avant-garde young fashion designers emerging today".

Claire Moynihan a recent textile graduate from the University of Hertfordshire creates hand embroidered artistic insects in felt balls as part of her entomological collection, using local and sustainable alpaca wool. Her work can currently be seen in London at Paul Smith's and it will be in Liberty's from the end of September.

French artist Ode Marie and is now based in London, she explores handicraft techniques such as knitting, crochet and embroidery to create colourful three dimensional sculptures and fashionable pieces of jewellery. Sarah Symes grew up in the UK and is currently living in California; she creates her unique textile abstract tapestries from scratch, hand-dyeing different colours of cloth for each piece before cutting, stitching, and layering the entire composition together. She won the Best of Show prize at the Los Angeles Art Association last year.

“We’re tremendously excited about this new exhibition of textile design at the Park Gallery and Callendar House. All work is for sale and available to take away. It will be a great opportunity to see innovative artwork of the highest standard, and will provide an irresistible choice if you’re looking for unique ideas for your Christmas shopping,” says Gillian Smith, Arts Development Officer.

The Park Gallery and Callendar House opening hours from October: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm/ Admission is free, all welcome!

Participating Artists

Max Alexander
Harriet Appleby
Maggie Ayres
Michael Brennand - Wood
Claire Brown
Abigail Brown
Annette Bugansky
Janet Clarke
Pauline Coddington
Sylvia Corsie
Iona Crawford
Kandy Diamond
Anna Divers
Victoria Evans
Betty Fraser Myerscough
Midge Gourlay
Anita Hutchison
Wendy Inkster
Jo Jack
Samantha Jack
Gourlay Jenkins
Rebecca Johnston
Louise Kirby
Vikki Lafford
Ruth Lee
Stephanie Liddle
Ode Marie
Sheena May
Paola McClure
Lyndsay McFarlane
Angharad McLaren
Carol Meldrum
Claire Moynihan
Pringle & Murray
Joanna Neil
Deirdre Nelson
Agnieszka Niciak-Marciniak
Clare Nicolson
Louise Oppenheimer
Sue Rankine
Marilyn Rattray
Ebba Redman
Mouse and Bean
Jenny Sweetnam
Sarah Symes
Annette Tait
Moira Third
Lucy Turner
Morag Tweedie
Allison Weightman
Donna Wilson
Nicola Wilson
Sylvia Woodford
Shona Young

2009-10-09T03:25:00.000-07:00

From James Trust, United Kingdom
I'm disappointed that the Labour/ Tory administration has forced through the closure of The Park Gallery in Falkirk, which was a wee cultural jewel in Falkirk district. The culprits who voted for its closure were: Cllr Linda Gow (Labour) ,Cllr Alex Waddell (Independent Labour), Cllr Craig Martin (Labour), Provost Pat Reid (Labour), Depute Provost Allyson Black(Labour), Cllr Charles MacDonald (Labour)|,Cllr Craig R Martin(Labour),Cllr Gerry Goldie (Labour), Cllr John Patrick (Conservative),Cllr Joe Lemetti (Labour),Cllr Adrian Mahoney (Labour) Cllr Billy Buchanan (Independent) Cllr Malcolm Nicol (Conservative), Cllr Alan Nimmo (Labour). Philistines one and all!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/sign-the-petition-to-save-the-park-gallery-falkirk

Exclusive - A new play by Falkirk Writer Alan Bisset

2009-02-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

Come along to the exclusive first performance of the one - woman show

"TIMES WHEN I BITE"

Written and performed by Alan Bissett

Author of Boyracers and The Incredible Adam Spark

Directed by Sacha Kyle Winner of Arches New Director Award 09

Friday 6th March doors at 7.30pm @ the Glen Club, Glen Village, Hallglen

£3 entry

All proceeds going to Hallglen Primary School

Warning : Content not suitable for children

Rabbie Burns in Falkirk

2009-02-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

Dan Mailer has written a piece for the next edition of the Village Voice Magazine, VV5, about the time The Bard spent the night in Falkirk and wrote a poem as a result of his visit. We are in the process of finding out which one...

In the meantime here's a photograph, taken by Helen Beurskens, of the plaque that marks the spot where he stayed the night, 25th August 1787, at the East end of the High Street.

Calendar Park in the Snow

2009-02-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here's some lovely photos of the recent snow in Calendar Park taken from Symon Tower, by Catherine Anderson. Beautiful!!

Calendar Pics from Virginia, USA

2009-02-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

A photograph sent to us from Forest, VA, USA by Mrs L. Boswell.

More Calendar pics

2009-01-20T05:29:00.001-08:00

More pictures of the Calendar in situ.... with thanks to Westend Cabinetmakers, Glasgow; Walter Simms, Designer,Callendar House: Gillian Smith, Community Engagement, Martin Richmond in Security, Elaine Craig Arts Development Officer for Music, Callendar House.

Yvonne's Kitchen

2009-01-20T03:34:00.000-08:00

Here's an image of the Calendar in the kitchen of Yvonne Cieslar. Yvonne has recently moved to the Callendar High Flats and joined the Village Voice group, she featured in the October page of the Calendar modelling the Tank top made by Mandy McIntosh.

2009-01-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Here's an image of the Calendar up in the office of Ruth Barker, who organises the PARS website. We have been contributing to a blog for PublicArtScotland over the last year at www.publicartscotland.com

The Calendar in California

2009-01-15T02:55:00.000-08:00

Here's an image sent by Alex from California, he's been in San Fran again.

Calendar Pics - In Situ

2009-01-13T02:25:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of the Calendar up on the notice-board of Richard Higlett an artist based in Cardiff. (www.richardhiglett.com)
It would be great to get more images of any other Calendars now they have been sent out, so if you have received one, please take a photo and send a jpeg image to janienicoll@yahoo.co.uk. We'll include them in the next edition of the Village Voice magazine due out in February, or on the website.www.vvgroup-falkirk.org. Thanks !!

The TWINS Calendar

2009-01-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

The TWINS Calendar 2009 has been distributed to every flat in the Callendar Park High Flats, featuring the work of 12 Scottish Artists as listed below. Each artist has been teamed up with a resident or with a member of the Village Voice group. The artworks were photographed in the home of each resident and also contain a selection of Scottish Recipes. We hope the Calendar will be a useful as well as an interesting household item.

JANUARY Alex Hetherington Judy Beattie
FEBRUARY Amy Marletta Irene Dickson
MARCH Cath Whippey Ann Miller
APRIL Hanneline Visnes Marion McLuckie
MAY Jim Colquhoun Dan Mailer
JUNE James McLardy Mary Johnston
JULY Janie Nicoll Isabel Johnston
AUGUST Kenny Hunter Helen Young
SEPTEMBER Lindsay Perth Helen Beurskens
OCTOBER Mandy McIntosh Yvonne Cieslar
NOVEMBER Rachel Mimiec Catherine Anderson
DECEMBER Tommy Grace Chris Smith

Information about the Artists

JANUARY Alex Hetherington
“Campaign For A Hollywood Walk of Fame In Falkirk 2009”

www.alexhetherington.com

FEBRUARY Amy Marletta
'Untitled'. Video Projection, Gold Shoes.

Amy Marletta is a visual artist based in Glasgow. Her work is multi disciplinary involving video, performance, music and collage. Amy graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee in 2002 and since then has exhibited at home and abroad. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art.
www.ganghut.co.uk

MARCH Cath Whippey

Cath Whippey aims to create magical and fascinating moments. In recent work she has explored metamorphosis, transformation and change through masks, worn items, sculpture and animation and video pieces. These are often experienced as temporary projects in public spaces, including projection and installation, in gallery exhibition and at artists’ film and video events.

http://cathwhippey.50webs.org/

APRIL Hanneline Visnes

“The Spoonmakers Diamond” Oil on Board, 29 x 25 cm

Hanneline was born in Bergen, Norway but lives and works in Glasgow. She gained a BA and MFA from Glasgow School of Art . She has exhibited widely in Britain and abroad and is represented by Doggerfisher Gallery, Edinburgh.
www.doggerfisher.com

MAY Jim Colquhoun

'A State of Nature' Poster work

Jim Colquhoun is an artist and writer based in Glasgow. His work seeks to negotiate the boundaries between art and life, waking and dreaming, fiction and fact. To this end he produces drawings, installations, performances and texts. He has shown recently in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, New York, Akureyri and Glasgow.

JUNE James McLardy

'Grand Parallel’ Tufa, Wood, Foam

James McLardy's work encompasses drawing, video and sculpture, which he combines in order to observe and arrange objects to suggest their gesture, narrative and authenticity. Recent sculptures bring together modern materials like MDF and silicon sealant with traditional methods and materials like wood carving, bronze casting and Tufa

www.glasgowsculpturestudios.org/
www.re-title.com/artists/james-mclardy

JULY Janie Nicoll

“Family History”

Installation, bed and digital projection of slide images.
Janie Nicoll generally uses photography and installation to make artworks. This digital projection was made using slides taken by Isobel’s late husband during the sixties and seventies. These had been left in a box, unseen for decades. They were scanned and made into a single digital image and projected, imitating the original slides.

AUGUST Kenny Hunter

"Out on the rolling Sea". Resin, paint, wooden roof shingle. 2008

Born in Edinburgh in 1962, Kenny Hunter studied sculpture at Glasgow School of Art between 1983 and 1987. He has exhibited extensively in Britain and Abroad including solo exhibitions at Arnolfini 1998, Scottish National Portrait Gallery 2000, CCA 2003 , Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2006 and Tramway, 2008. Hunter has also created a number of high profile, commissioned works in Scotland including; Cherub/Skull, 1997 for the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Man walks among us, 2000, for Glasgow Museums, Youth with split apple, 2005 for Kings College, Aberdeen and Citizen Firefighter, 2001, outside Glasgow’s Central Station. Kenny Hunter lives and works in Glasgow.

SEPTEMBER Lindsay Perth

“Doorways” video work

Lindsay Perth is a Canadian born artist, who has lived in Scotland since 1986. A graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone in BFA Printmaking and PostDip Electronic Imaging, Perth’s artwork is often motivated by collaborative art processes. Many of her artworks engage with diverse social groups and individuals. Although predominantly but not defined by media based work, her approach is interdisciplinary and includes screen-based work, installation, photography and performance. She is currently artist-in-residence for Street Level Photowork's Collaborative Arts project, Multi-story.
www.lippi.org
www.multi-story.org

OCTOBER Mandy McIntosh

Tank Top

Mandy McIntosh is a Glasgow based artist who uses an array of media: animation, video and knitting in the development of her projects. Employing a variety of methods McIntosh’s work often responds to particular social, historical and geographical contexts. Mandy has recently been featured in the book “Knit Knit, Knitting's New Wave”.

www.hamandenos.com/

NOVEMBER Rachel Mimiec

“Moon Leaves” Aluminium leaves

Rachel Mimiec is an artist who works with people in communities, while also developing and exhibiting her own work. Her most recent exhibition was at Tramway in Glasgow and was the result of a residency in The Hidden Gardens.

www.rachelmimiec.com

DECEMBER Tommy Grace

“Fifteen Easy Pieces” Oil on Canvas

Tommy Grace's work is a play of opposites, balancing tight draftsmanship with messy gesture. Previous paintings present imagined ruins, meticulously drawn from Classical architecture but swimming beneath the random stains of Rorschach inkblots, or exquisite geometric patterns skilfully corralled from a testing combination of red wine and blotting paper. Taking the disposable detritus of our everyday, consumer-driven lives and playfully combining it with historical reference, Grace explores the legacy and lifespan of things, considering current visual culture through that of the past.

“Fifteen Easy Pieces” casts a realist eye across the scant remains of a dinner party and a chance display of abstract mini-masterpieces.

www.inglebygallery.com/

2008-12-12T02:47:00.000-08:00

Artworks by Lindsay Perth, Mandy McIntosh and Kenny Hunter.

TWINS Calendar Project

2008-12-12T02:43:00.000-08:00

Artworks by Tommy Grace, Rachel Mimiec, Hanneline Visnes, Amy Marletta, Alex Hetherington

2008-12-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Artworks by James McLardy, Janie Nicoll, Jim Colquhoun, and Cath Whippey.

The TWINS Calendar 2009 will shortly be available, featuring the work of 12 Scottish Artists as listed below. Each artist has been teamed up with a resident of the High Flats or with a member of the Village Voice group. The artworks were photographed in the home of each resident and also contain a selection of Scottish Recipes. We hope the Calendar will be a useful as well as an interesting household item. The Calendar will be distributed for free to every household in the High Flats.

Alex Hetherington
Amy Marletta
Cath Whippey
Hanneline Visnes
Jim Colquhoun
James McLardy
Janie Nicoll
Kenny Hunter
Lindsay Perth
Mandy Mcintosh
Rachel Mimiec
Tommy Grace

Anyone wishing to obtain a copy please send a cheque for £5.00 per copy made out to Falkirk Council; to Gillian Smith, Callendar House, Callendar Park, Falkirk FK1 1YR, along with a delivery address.

Lucy KeanY TOMFOOLERY

2008-10-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

Gallery of Modern Art Edinburgh and the Dean Gallery, Edinburgh.

2008-10-15T04:07:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the group made a trip through to Edinburgh to visit the Gallery of Modern Art at Belford Road, where we saw the collection and the Tracey Emin exhibition. The group really enjoyed seeing "Landform" by Charles Jenks and seeing the sculptures in the grounds. Tracey Emin's show was very impressive and although it might not have been everyone's 'cup of tea', everyone agreed it was interesting to see.

Then we went to the Dean Gallery situated directly across the road, which houses further collections including The Surrealists and Eduardo Paulozzi. We also saw works by Scottish artists Alan Davie, from Grangemouth and Anne Redpath, and John Bellany from Port Seton who all trained in the painting department at Edinburgh College of Art.

Amy Still

2008-10-09T02:55:00.001-07:00

Amy Marletta

2008-10-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Amy Marletta came out to Falkirk on Tuesday to give the Village Voice group a presentation about her artworks and it was really good to see her images and hear her talking about residencies she's done at Generator Projects in Dundee and at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire. She is part of an artist collective called Ganghut and they have been making collaborative projects in Scotland and internationally. Last year they resurrected the Lumsden Gala Day as part of their residency, which was a great success, and they are currently in the process of setting up an exhibition space there, which opens soon.

The group really enjoyed meeting Amy and hearing about her practice. She's just started on the Master of Fine Art Course at Glasgow School of Art and we will be including her work in the Twinning Project. We would like to thank Amy for travelling out despite the train strike, there's perseverance for you ! Also thanks to Irene for allowing us up to check out her flat in Leishman Tower. (Thanks again Irene!!)

Alan Bissett Book Reading on Tuesday

2008-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Alan Bissett will be doing a book reading at The Den on Manor Street (the one with Moscardinis) in Falkirk this Tues 7th October at 7.30pm . Alan is Falkirk's answer to Irvine Welsh, and wrote The Incredible Adam Spark and Boyracers, both written from a very "Fa'kirk" perspective. He is a very entertaining and well worth checking out.

Check out his MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/alanbissett
or his website at www.alanbissett.com/

John Houston - Scottish Painter

2008-10-02T03:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I heard the sad news that John Houston passed away a few days ago. He was one of Scotland’s best known Landscape Painters, having forged a career over fifty years and developed a confident style and a huge preoccupation with the Scottish Landscape that saw him exhibit nationally and internationally. He was my Fourth Year Lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, and definitely one of the best lecturers I encountered during my time there. He was one of the old guard of painters, along with David Michie (son of Ann Redpath), who had certainly found their own voice when it came to painting. He was always quite forthright about his opinions and although I didn’t always entirely agree with him, I always respected what he had to say.

In the years after Art College, after leaving Edinburgh and moving to Glasgow, I used to see him at Glasgow Print Studio where he would come through to make prints, quite often accompanied by his wife Elizabeth Blackadder. They were a very unassuming couple despite the success they had achieved between them, and John still liked to give me words of advice along the lines of “Stick with the painting” which I waywardly chose to ignore at that point in my life.

There are certain people whose star shines brightly while they are on this planet and maybe we take their brightness for granted while it burns. I am thinking of another artist of my own age group, Paul Carter, who died recently and who also taught at Edinburgh College of Art. Both these men have given much to the Scottish art scene through their artwork and their influence. Ironically, maybe it is only when these stars have gone out that we really realise the light from which we have all benefited.

Rest In Peace.

Piece from the San Francisco Chronicle, Anne Colvin at New Langton Arts

2008-09-26T01:04:00.000-07:00

Between 7-11 tonight, New Langton Arts in San Francisco will inaugurate a program devised by Bay Area artist Anne Colvin titled "The Colony Room: Anne Colvin and Guests."

Each Friday and Saturday night through Nov. 6, Colvin will host a different performance event or screening. Future guests will include the band Rubber O Cement, writers Bill Berkson and Emily Wilson, and performance innovators Tim Etchells and Alex Hetherington.

The inaugural evening commemorates San Francisco conceptual artist Tom Marioni's milestone "relational" work, begun in the 1970s, "The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends is the Highest Form of Art," which took the form of sporadic get-togethers among art world comrades and invited guests.

At 8 tonight, Marioni will perform his sound work "One Second Sculpture" (1969) for the first time publicly and will sign copies of his book "Beer, Art and Philosophy."

The evening will include a screening of Melvyn Bragg's 1985 television interview with Francis Bacon, who helped to make the Colony Room Club in London famous as a hangout for artists.

Tickets to "The Colony Room: Anne Colvin and Guests" are $5 at the door; a $50 subscription is available for the entire series. Information at (415) 626-5416, www.newlangtonarts.org.

- Kenneth Baker

Village Voice Edition #3 Print version to accompany online edition

2008-09-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

Twinning Project - A Calendar for Callendar Park

2008-09-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

We are now working on our final project which is to create a calendar, that will be distributed to all the Callendar Park High Flats, and we are starting to pair up artists with residents.
Anyone interested in having a piece of Contemporary Art in their homes, for a short while in October please get in touch !

Here are some photographs taken at the studio of artist Kenny Hunter, who is most famous for his sculpture of The Firefighter Sculpture outside Central Station in Glasgow. We have been in discussion with Kenny about a suitable piece of work for this project and it looks like it could be a squirrel !

More Forget Me Not.....

2008-09-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

Here's another one !

Forget Me Not out in the Park

2008-09-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Alex for helping me take these pictures.

ALT-W, New Media Scotland

2008-09-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

Programme_Alt-w Awards Announcement
Paparazzi

Following the exhibition Alt-w: New Directions in Scottish Digital Culture at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Glasgow, New Media Scotland is proud to announce that the following eight projects are the recipients of the 2008/09 Alt-w awards.

Production Award: Cybraphon
Ziggy Campbell, Simon Kirby & Tommy Pearman (Found)
found-electronics.net

Inspired by the nickelodeon this is an interactive version of a mechanical band in a box. Consisting of a series of robotic instruments housed in a glass display case, Cybraphon will behave like a real band. Image conscious and emotional, the bands performance will be effected by online community opinion.

Production Award: Mutsugoto
Tomoko Hayashi and Stefan Agamanolis (Distance Labs)
www.distancelab.org

A communication system for long distance lovers. Unlike mobile phones, e-mail or SMS messages which use generic interfaces in business-like contexts, Mutsugoto allows distant partners to communicate through the language of touch as expressed on the canvas of the human body.

Production Award: The Loop
Wendy McMurdo & Paul Holmes
www.wendymcmurdo.com/

Exploring the relationship between digital gaming, fantasy and play examining the nature of interactivity itself. Alt-w will fund the creation of an experimental film which will delve into the psychological state of the player of a kinetic figure-skating computer game.

Production Award: A Short Film about War
Thompson & Craighead 
www.thomson-craighead.net

A documentary made entirely from information found on the world wide web. In ten short minutes viewers are taken around the world to a variety of war zones as seen through the collective eyes of the online photo sharing community Flickr, and as witnessed by military and civilian bloggers.

R&D Award - project2891
Benjamin Dembroski
www.dembroski.net

A system that encourages engagement from less technically experienced artists in the development of both hardware and software solutions for nodal device art installations. The simple user interface will provide control of connected hardware, as well as other nodes via the Internet. A series of free workshops will explain how to use the system and suggest how it might be modified for creative applications.

R&D Award - A Million Lies;
Once and Only Revealed After Death
Alex Hetherington
www.alexhetherington.com

Researching the nature, psychology, construction, philosophy and consequences of lying. The work will include the construction of personality, identity and personal truth and will explore cultural forms that employ fakery, sham, scams and deliberate misinformation. This research will lead to exploration of these themes both online and through performance.

R&D Award - Aeolia
Sarah Kettley 
www.sarahkettley.com

This project explores the nature of space and place and will examine the concept of a bodily connection with the land through sketch prototyping of stretch sensors in sculptural textile forms. The resulting series of woven pieces for the body will be remotely connected to three-dimensional forms in the Scottish landscape, combining information from each to create unique low frequency feedback to be experienced by the wearer.

R&D Award - Imagine 3D
Emma Tolmie
www.emmatolmie.co.uk

Assuming the role of digital voyeur, visionary and creator the artist will explore the potential and the practical limits of a retro-futuristic subversion of the experience and aesthetics of film. Mixing low-tech gadgetry and high-tech imagery she is developing a heads-up display and unique digital content that re-imagines the concept of stereoscopic imaging.

The distribution of Alt-w awards is managed by New Media Scotland and funded by Scottish Screen and Scottish Arts Council.

Live from Falkirk

2008-09-10T12:14:00.001-07:00

Goodbye Mineral Park

2008-09-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

The Village Voice web site edition # 3 is imminent, please stand by

2008-09-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

www.vvgroup-falkirk.org

Artist Talk

2008-09-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

We will be doing an Artists' Talk on Wednesday 3rd September at 2pm - 3pm in the Park Gallery, Callendar Park. All welcome !

Favourite Trees from Callendar Park.

2008-09-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

This image was created in collaboration with the Village Voice Group, which meets every Tuesday at 2pm in the Education Room of Callendar House, all welcome! Feel free to come along.

We are about to launch the Village Voice website, and create the next edition of the Village Voice Magazine and we are also planning a trip to Edinburgh soon.

www.alexhetherington.com

2008-08-29T04:32:00.001-07:00

Updated my principal web site. Have a look.

www.alexhetherington.com

mineral stills #4

2008-08-25T12:48:00.001-07:00

On it (American Voodoo Wish Machine) and Voodoo King Kenny, with email scam, John Sebastian Vitale and Alex Hetherington screening at Total Kunst, Edinburgh Friday 29 August 2008

Garlands slide images

2008-08-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

These slides are photographs taken when I revisited the former gardens of both my grandmothers.

I have created an A4 leaflet to go with this slide projection, containing an essay about both these women and their gardens.

Anyone requesting a copy of this leaflet please email a name and address to janienicoll@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks.

Mineral Stills

2008-08-20T01:35:00.001-07:00

More Mineral Park

2008-08-19T08:38:00.001-07:00

Mineral Park installation shots

2008-08-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Elizabeth Frazer, Falkirk Goth Hell Yeah!

2008-08-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

The Falkirk sessions, Mineral Park and further Garlands images to follow

2008-08-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Garlands lyrics

2008-08-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Cocteau Twins Garlands lyrics

Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary (x4)
Well, with these brave garlands
They never find out for her
They never find I'm lying
Well, with these etchings
Cravings convince
My cravings commence
Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary (x4)
Well, with these scarve's scars
Cravings convince
My cravings commence
Well, with these splint's scars
I'm all that to you
I'm all that's who
Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary (x4)
Well, with these scarve's scars
Cravings convince
My cravings commence
Well, with these splint's scars
I'm all that to you
I'm all that's who

Robin Guthrie is a genius

2008-08-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

You don't feel damned
between the sunrise and sunset
You're damned well panicky
I know the rainy days
Please them or run on the turf

You could be raising money
with your momma
You might be sure when you're
round and dressed up with kid
Take a toast to that, imbibe
you're alone

Men are so nice
(Lays can be)
Roses may fly
Men are so useful
(He's a flirt)
Men are so useful
(Reflection beauty)
Men are so nice
He pleases me fine
(Reflection beauty)
Men are so useful

(Be able to feel)
Don't feel damned between the sunrise and sunset
You're damned well panicky, I know the rainy days
Please them or run on the turf

(You could be)
You could be raising money with your momma
(You could be)
You might be sure when you're round and dressed up with kid
Take a toast to that, imbibe, you're alone

Men are so nice
(Lays can be)
He pleases me fine
Men are so useful
(He's a flirt)
Men are so useful
(Reflection beauty)
Men are so nice
He pleases me fine
(Reflection beauty)
Men are so useful

Beautiful hands us no way
lies a means of love
(Men are so nice)

On sounds and guard the stone
and bed had a law
(He pleases me fine)
Answers written and I reason
(He pleases me fine)
In the reign of sex, blown more
than it's pleased to be
(Fine, fine)

He's a beauty affection, oooh

(x3

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Frazer, 29 August

2008-08-09T12:46:00.001-07:00

Thank you.

I love the Cocteau Twins, on Jay Leno, US TV debut, Bluebeard, are you the right man for me?

2008-08-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

I love the Cocteau Twins, Garlands, self-produced montage video

2008-08-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

I love the Cocteau Twins, Song to the Siren

2008-08-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

I love the Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas

2008-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

I love the Cocteau Twins

2008-08-09T12:24:00.001-07:00

I love the Cocteau Twins

2008-08-09T12:20:00.001-07:00

Song To The Siren

2008-08-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

This Mortal Coil
"Song To The Siren" (written by Tim Buckley)

On the floating, shipless, oceans
I did all my best to smile
til your singing eyes and fingers
drew me loving into your eyes.
And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me,
Let me enfold you."
Here I am, here I am
waiting to hold you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?
Now my foolish boat is leaning,
broken lovelorn on your rocks.
For you sang "Touch me not, touch me not,
Come back tomorrow."
Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow.
I'm as puzzled as a newborn child.
I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or shall I lie with death my bride?
Here me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me,
Let me enfold you."
Here I am, Here I am, waiting to hold you."

The song was first featured on Tim Buckley's 1970 album "Starsailor", and it has been widely covered by many artists including George Michael. Tim Buckley gave an early performance of the song on the final episode of The Monkees TV show which aired on March 25, 1968.
This Mortal Coil was a musical pop project of Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of 4AD Records. The project brought together key 4AD artists, as well as others not signed to the label, under an umbrella name. Among others, This Mortal Coil featured contributions from Howard Devoto, Colourbox, Dead Can Dance and, pivotally, Cocteau Twins. Between 1983 and 1991 This Mortal Coil released three albums—It'll End in Tears, Filigree & Shadow, and Blood—each of which consists largely of atmospheric interpretations of songs by 1970s artists such as Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Roy Harper, Gene Clark, and Tim Buckley.
Two tracks from the first album, It'll End In Tears, feature vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of the Scottish group Cocteau Twins, who also recorded for 4AD. The better-known of these is the ethereal cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", which created considerable renewed interest in Buckley at a time when his albums were not widely available.
The name "This Mortal Coil" is drawn from William Shakespeare's Hamlet and is a poetic expression referring to the earthly condition.

Every commercially released Cocteau Twins song

2008-07-31T13:19:00.001-07:00

Blood Bitch
Wax and Wane
But I'm Not
Blind Dumb Deaf
Shallow Then Halo
The Hollow Men
Garlands
Grail Overfloweth
When Mama Was Moth
Five Ten Fiftyfold
Sugar Hiccup
In Our Angelhood
Glass Candle Grenads
In the Gold Dust Rush
The Tinderbox (of a heart)
Multifoiled
My Love Paramour
Musette and Drums
Ivo
Lorelei
Beatrix
Persephone
Pandora (for Cindy)
Amelia
Aloysius
Cicely
Otterley
Donimo
Lazy Calm
Fluffy Tufts
Throughout the Dark Months of April and May
Whales Tails
Oomingmak
Little Spacey
Feet-Like Fins
How to Bring a Blush to the Snow
The Thinner the Air
Blue Bell Knoll
Athol-Brose
Carolyn's Fingers
For Phoebe Still a Baby
The Itchy Glowbo Blow
Cico Buff
Suckling the Mender
Spooning Good Singing Gum
A Kissed Out Red Floatboat
Ella Megalast Burls Forever
Cherry-coloured funk
Pitch the baby
Iceblink luck
Fifty-fifty clown
Heaven or Las Vegas
I wear your ring
Fotzepolitic
Wolf in the breast
Road, river and rail
Frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires
Know Who You Are at Every Age
Evangeline
Bluebeard
Theft, and Wandering Around Lost
Oil of Angels
Squeeze Wax
My Truth
Essence
Summerhead
Pur
Violaine
Serpentskirt
Tishbite
Half-Gifts
Calfskin-Smack
Rilkean Heart
Ups
Eperdu
Treasure Hiding
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Feathers Oar Blades
Alas Dies Laughing
It's All But An Ark-Lark
Peppermint Pig (7-inch version)*
Laugh Lines
Hazel
Peppermint Pig (12-inch extended version)*
Sugar Hiccup (12-inch extended version)
From the Flagstones
Hitherto
Because of Whirl-Jack
The Spangle Maker
Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops (12-inch version)*
Pepper-Tree
Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops (7-inch version)*
Aikea-Guinea
Kookaburra
Quisquose
Rococo
Pink Orange Red
Ribbed and Veined
Sultitan Itan
Plain Tiger
Great Spangled Fritillary
Melonella
Pale Clouded White
Eggs and Their Shells
Love's Easy Tears
Those Eyes, That Mouth
Sigh's Smell of Farewell
Orange Appled*
Rilkean Heart
Golden-Vein
Pink Orange Red
Half-Gifts
Feet-Like Fins
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Violaine
Cherry-Coloured Funk
Iceblink Luck
Mizake the Mizan
Watchlar
Heaven or Las Vegas (edit)
Dials
Heaven or Las Vegas
Evangeline
Mud and Dark
Summer-blink
Winter Wonderland
Frosty the Snowman
Bluebeard
Three-Swept
Ice-Pulse
Bluebeard (acoustic version)
Tishbite
Primitive Heart
Flock of Soul
Tishbite
Round
An Elan
Violaine
Smile
Tranquil Eye
Violaine
Circling Girl
Alice

Mineral Park install shots

2008-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Up On The Roof

2008-07-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

CARPE DIEM washing line installation for a video work for Garlands exhibition at the Park Gallery, and Helen Beurskins Vintage Lanvin Scarf.
Some other versions of "Carpe Diem", at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop exhibition Magazine '07; on the Kunstlerhaus window in Trollhattan, Sweden; and at the Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh in Associates, May 07. A special thank you to Irene and George Dickson who have been extremely patient allowing me access to the roof of Leishman Tower, and also to Judy Beattie of Marshall Tower.

Lanvin Garland

2008-07-29T14:57:00.001-07:00

Garland created using vintage Lanvin scarf, from Helen's mother's wardrobe
Pearly Dewdrops Drops.

Cath Whippey

2008-07-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yorkshire and Glasgow-based visual artist Cath Whippey gave a presentation of her performance and mask-making projects to the Village Voice group, some images here:

Garlands Invite information, Janie Nicoll

2008-07-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

Name plates

2008-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

stills

2008-07-14T11:27:00.001-07:00

invite

2008-07-14T10:50:00.001-07:00

Poetry 4

2008-07-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Poetry 3

2008-07-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Poetry 2

2008-07-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Poetry Reading 1

2008-07-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Garlands

2008-07-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Alex and Janie will be exhibiting again in the exhibition "Garlands" at the Park Gallery, Callendar Park, Falkirk FK1 1YR. The opening reception will be Friday 8th August 6pm - 8pm, and the exhibition will be open to the public 9th August til 9th September, Monday to Saturday 10am -5pm, Sundays 2pm - 5pm. The exhibition will consist of a new installation by Janie; and Mineral Park, a selection of video works curated by Alex.

The title Garlands is taken from the first album by the Cocteau Twins, a band originally from Grangemouth. This image uses the album cover from New Order's "Power, Corruption and Lies", which itself uses the painting "A Basket of Roses" by the French Painter Henri Fantin-Latour. This is used as a basis for a collage containing flower images taken from Callendar Park, The Hidden Gardens, and Janie Nicoll's own garden. In addition to this there are flowers sampled from dresses from the Porter Collection currently on show at Callendar House.

Visit to the People's Palace

2008-06-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

After the Hidden Gardens we headed over to the People's Palace, where we had an introductory talk by Rachel one of the Learning Assistants and a tour round the exhibition "Glasgow 1955:Through the Lens", showing photographs taken and exhibited by the various Camera Clubs in 1955. Then we had time to wonder round the different exhibits which included a reconstruction of a "single end", and a "Steamie', and items from the Sufferagette movement including a tea service, and some weapons used during a riot with police. All very thought provoking stuff !
We'd like to give a big thank you to Ian for driving the minibus and for getting the group back to Falkirk safely.

More Images from the Hidden Gardens

2008-06-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rachel for the slide show and her time !!! We had a great visit !

Village Voice Trip to the Hidden Gardens at Tramway, Glasgow

2008-06-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Village Voice group made a visit to the Hidden Gardens at the Tramway in Glasgow, where Artist in Residence, Rachel Mimiec, gave a talk about her work and her residency at the Hidden Gardens over the last two years and then gave a tour round this unique and very beautiful place. We had a look inside Rachel's "Shedio" (part B & Q Shed, part studio) which she has customised to make a warm, comfortable yet compact and bijou workspace tucked away in a quiet part of the garden.

The gardens contain many interesting plants, trees (see the Ginko Biloba pictured) and raised beds containing herbs. There are also various artworks in the form of carved poetry rocks by Jerry Loose, inverted heels by Steve Skrynka and the Xylotech by Alex Finlay, son of Ian Hamilton Finlay. The Hidden Gardens are constantly evolving, changing with every season and its a place well worth a visit any time of the year.

Fool's Gold and The Sparky Show, NY

2008-06-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

Images from 1. Fool's Gold publication, edited by Lucy Keany, with design by Tommy Grace, showing collage by Alex Hetherington and image and text from SF based Anne Colvin and 2. Stickers, by Alex Hetherington, from the Sparky show, New York, devised by performance artist Nelson Santos. Anyone wanting one of these editions, please contact me at alexander.hetherington@virgin.net

1000 Japanese cabin crew at SFO

2008-06-13T04:24:00.001-07:00

Callendar Park photos

2008-06-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday some of the Village Voice Group and I went out into Callendar Park to photograph different aspects of the park, favourite views, favourite trees etc. It was a lovely day and good to get out for some fresh air. We are going to use the photographs the group have taken to make a collaborative image for the front cover of the next edition of the Village Voice. If any readers of this blog have images of Callendar Park that they would like included in this collaborative image, they can email them to me at janie.nicoll@falkirk.gov.uk

After a trans Alantic email conversation, Alex and I have agreed on a title for our next exhibition at the Park Gallery "Garlands". This is taken from the first album by the Cocteau Twins, a band from Grangemouth active in the Eighties.

Clothes from the Porter Collection

2008-06-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent a day at the Grangemouth Workshop looking through some of the boxes of clothes from the Porter Collection. A selection of these are about to go on show in the Large Gallery at Callendar House (opening on 28th June).

There are so many outfits and accessories, not to mention pairs of shoes that I only managed to photograph the tip of the iceberg, or so it would seem. Mrs Porter has donated over 300 outfits to the collection spanning several decades.
Here's some things that had a Jackie Onassis feel to them....

Falkirk interior/exterior

2008-06-04T06:59:00.001-07:00

Falkirk interior/exterior

2008-06-04T06:57:00.001-07:00

A day with Jane Lange at Falkirk, San Rafael

2008-06-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

More soon. And thank you to Jane Lange for allowing me time to wander through the house...

Robert Dollar/Chronicle

2008-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

The Village Voice second edition

2008-05-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

The second edition of the Village Voice magazine is now being distributed to every household in the Callendar Park High Flats, and is also available for anyone else who is interested. It's been printed as an edition of 1000. Anyone requiring a copy please get in touch by emailing a postal address to janie.nicoll@falkirk.gov.uk or by phoning 01324 506983 or 503788.

Thanks for everyone who helped produced this edition and to those who helped to distribute it.

Apologies for any printing errors and typos, we'll get it right next time ...third time lucky, hopefully !

Live Art Falmouth

2008-05-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

Following last year’s huge success, Live Art Falmouth (LAF) is back Friday 6th and Saturday 7th of June 2008. The annual, two-day festival features an innovative program of live/performance art, interactive video installations, cutting edge technology, video screenings, sound/sonic art performances, at Wellington Terrace and around town.
More than 70 international, national, regional, and student artists (University College Falmouth incorporating Dartington College of Arts) will contribute to this year’s live art platform.

Artists include Alex Hetherington, Lynn Lu, Charlotte Eatock,Claire Blundell Jones, Dorte Strehlow and Christiane Obermayr,Evangelia Basdekis, gilbertandgrape, Jeff Cloke and Mike McInerney,John Dummett, Jon Fawcett, Katherine Hymer, Kathy Rose, Ken Turnerand Jane Whitaker, Misha Horacek, Nathan Walker, People in Pieces,Rachel Parry, Rupert White, Stephen Cornford and Matthew Appleby,Tom Marshman, and Vana Gacina.

Guest artist Richard Layzell will present ‘Key Notes’, a work first performed at this year’s NRLA in Glasgow. There will also be a special launch event of 'Cream Pages', the brand new publication by Tania Koswycz and Richard Layzell, incorporating a live dialogue specifically created for LAF08, which encompasses five years of debate, discourse, disagreement and dynamism.
LAF08 closes with an open discussion for artists, curators and members of the public on Sunday 8th at 2pm.

For more information and full program see
www.liveartfalmouth.com
www.myspace.com/liveartshow

Village Voice pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2008-05-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

Village Voice pages 6, 7, 8

2008-05-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

Film screening in London

2008-05-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

Another Roadside Attraction Gallery’s regular artist film screening returns to The Griffin on Wednesday 28th May.

Starts at 8pm
The Griffin
93 Leonard Street
London
EC2A 4RD

Nora Adwan
João Biscainho
Christophe Bruchansky
Emily Candela
Disinformation
Christopher Hall
Anton Hecht
Alex Hetherington
Alexander Kelly and Christopher Hall
Robin Kiteley
Claudia Mateus
Claire McArdle
Richard O Sullivan
Camilla Robinson
Mikio Saito and Youngho Lee
David Sherry
Marianne Templeton
John Younge

Stills, Photography, Jennifer Beaton

2008-05-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Leishman Tower screening, with artist Megan Faye, photographs Jennifer Beaton,

2008-05-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

High Rise Cinema - more images

2008-05-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Mika, from Fool for a Pretty Face, photographer Jennifer Beaton

2008-05-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

Images from the performances, photographer Jennifer Beaton

2008-05-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

Sunday 4th May Meddle with the Devil events at the Park Gallery

2008-05-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Jim Colquhoun Reading

Jim Colquhoun and Voice Like Bones performance "Weasles"

Alex Hetherington House/Lights performance with Laura Cameron Lewis, Lorna Shields, Carrie Urbanic, Lisa Hutchison and Finn Hobson

Saturday 3rd May Events at Big In Falkirk

2008-05-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Music Events at the Park Gallery :
Fool for a Pretty Face

Tut Vu Vu

Tut Vu Vu

Video Screenings - High Rise Cinema for the Residents of the High Flats

Screen for Video Screening, Saturday and Sunday evening 7.30 onwards. !

2008-05-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Screen for High Rise Cinema video screening, for the residents of the High Flats, during Big In Falkirk, 3rd and 4th May 2008. 7.30pm 'til late.
There will also be a screening in Leishman Tower Community Centre, between 6 and 9pm, refreshments will be served.

Stills with the performance with Lisa Hutchison

2008-05-02T02:55:00.001-07:00

Potrait of the artist as exhausted drunken wreck, rehab? no. no no.

2008-05-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

This one's for Anne

Photo Jennifer Beaton

More from the venue site, projection 3 and 4 May, kicking off at 8.00pm now

2008-05-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

We tested the projection today; the scaffold with the screen and back projector will be built tomorrow. It's a 10k lumen projector, some of the work looked truly amazing even in the bright evening sun.

However we do kick off some time later and it will probably run until 10.30/11.00 now to take full advantage. Paul from Metro Ecosse is a star. Thank you.

The screening installation site, test tonight with Metro Ecosse

2008-05-01T15:08:00.001-07:00

Meddle stills, Alex Hetherington, Photographer Jennifer Beaton

2008-05-01T15:05:00.001-07:00

Weekend events at Big In Falkirk.

2008-05-01T03:43:00.000-07:00

All readers are invited to the 'Meddle with the Devil' events over the weekend at Big In Falkirk.
Saturday 3 May at 4pm in the Park Gallery, music event featuring two Glasgow bands, 'Tut-VuVu' and 'Fool for a Pretty Face'
Sunday 4 May also at 4pm in the Park Gallery, a performance event featuring Jim Colquhoun and Voice like Bones; and a performance of House/Lights by Alex Hetherington and others.
Please contact the gallery to reserve tickets. It’s free but ticketed. 01324 503789. The Park Gallery, is at the Stable block next to Callendar House.

There will also be an outdoor Video Projection for the Residents of the High Flats, from 7.30 pm until late on Saturday and Sunday. (The programme for this is featured earlier on this blog.) The screen will be situated in the garden behind the Park Gallery and Tearoom and should be viewable from Maxwell, Symon and Paterson Towers at least. For those unable to see the screen, there will be a special screening in Leishman Tower Community Centre from 6pm - 9pm on Saturday and Sunday. Refreshments will also be provided.

Gallery stills

2008-04-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Sparky Show, New York City

2008-04-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

Schroeder Romero / Winkleman Gallery Project Space
637 West 27th Street (btw 11th and 12th Ave) NYC
May 15-June 28, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 15, 6-8 pm

David B. Abbott / Derrick Adams / Alex Aleixo / Meredith Allen / Stephen Andrews / Marina Ancona / Dominick Avellino / Thomas Bellof / Barton Lidice Benes / Kermit Berg / Dennis Bergevin / Vanessa Boer / Elizabeth Bonaventura / Joseph Brajcki / AA Bronson / Mary Button / Mark Carter / Janice Caswell / Niccolo Cataldi / Cat Celebrezze / Mark Chamberlain / Vincent Cianni / Chris Clary / Jon Coffelt / Albert Crudo / Megan Cump / Erika deVries / Marta Dell’Angelo / Danielle Dimston / William Donovan / Angela Dufresne / Neil Farber / Rachel Farmer / Sarah Farsad / John Findysz / Teresa Fogard / Martin Freeman / Milton Garcia-Ninja / Joy Garnett / Paul LeRoy Gehres / Laura Gilbert / Eric Ginsburg / Jeffrey Graul / Max Greenberg / Magalie Guerin / Kim Hanson / Jan Harrison / Michael Harwood / Alex Hetherington / David Humphrey / Derek Jackson / James Jaxxa / David King / Scooter LaForge / Aldo Lanzini / Lou Laurita / Jennifer Lehe / Marc Lepson / Serge J-F. Levy / Tim Lonergan / Gina Lovoi / Preston McGovern / Reyez Melendez / Toma Miller / Joe Monroe / Michael Muller / Stefanie Nagorka / Jeanine Oleson / Laura Sue Phillips / Drew Pisarra / Catya Plate / Amy Jean Porter / William Powhida / Carol Radsprecher / Richard Renaldi / Eric Rhein / Daniel Roberts / Nelson Santos / Joel Seah / Emily Severance / Frank Sheehan / Ethan Shoshan / Oren Slor / Clifford Smith / Thomas Somervile / Clare Stein / Stanley Stellar / Sur Rodney (Sur) / JD Talasek / Sam Tan / Steed Taylor / Tom Teebe / George Towne / Alexander Vasiljev / Alberto Velasco / Glenn Walls / Barbara Weissberger / Michael Werner / Robin Willis / Noel Wynn / Rob Wynne

Exclusive, film programme for High Flats Residents, during Big In Falkirk

2008-04-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

The installation

2008-04-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

This installation, Meddle with the Devil, combines and synchronizes materials that attempt to simulate memory loss and fake memory syndrome employing a series of graphics, The New York Times newspaper logo, a large-scale mirror, black-out curtains and performance materials, as both live re-enactments and on video, which also explore and stage exaggerated public behaviours, personal relationships to the press and exchanges based on wealth and desire. These works make reference to and synchronize an array of materials, including Mike Kelley’s works Memory Ware and Day is Done, the video work of Catherine Sullivan, House/Lights by The Wooster Group, The Idiots by Lars von Trier, The Tenant by Roman Polanski, email scams, hazing rituals, newspapers quotations, marbled paper, explosions and biker gangs. It also references the town motto: Better Meddle with the Devil than the Bairns o’ Falkirk and an ongoing body of research into memory stimulated by working at the House and the High Rises, principally archives, recollections, mementos, etc.

For this installation I have produced a new film: Falkirk Voodoo King Kenny, with email scam and dog jokes (2008). The basis of this film is personal and public transactions, primarily the exchange of money, the exchange of ideas, news, power etc. It uses a scenario from a re-enactment of House/Lights, an experimental theatre work by The Wooster Group, the texts for this work commingles Gertrude Stein’s libretto Dr Faustus Lights the Lights and Joseph Mawra’s film Olga’s House of Shame. In Stein’s text Dr Faustus sells his soul for the power to create electric light while in Olga’s House of Shame, a drug and narcotics ring kidnap a jewel thief, Elaine, to bring her into alliance with the gang’s leader Olga. The second part of the film sees the text from two email scams, suggesting the accumulation of massive wealth from bank accounts from deceased millionaires, which are in fact attempts to steal the identity of anyone who falls for the con, as well as the contents of their bank accounts. The two fictional authors of the emails, Ken Morgan and Emma Bambara appear as absurd characters in a performance to camera filmed at The Park Gallery, 18 April 2008, with the photographer Jennifer Beaton. (Further forms of transactions appear as FOR SALE or FOR RENT signs). The characters also allude to King Kenny and George Washington, two identities from Falkirk’s past. These two men displayed extreme forms of public behaviour based primarily on religious zealousness, mental health issues and financial hardship, they appear in momentary recreations on screen based on a system of absurd interpretations. The work also includes the personality of Jayson Blair, a New York Times journalist who was forced to resign from the paper when it was discovered his news stories were either plagiarized or fabricated, his scandal is used in the film to develop a relationship to his imagination, his false memory syndrome, here re-enacted as a display of the psychosis but not the (traumatic) false event, since the ‘original’ events never took place or were radically different from their ‘public’ presentation. Meanwhile this form also extends my interest in interpretation of events and their siphoning, deterioration and corruption through memory and its imperfections.

The “Bairn o Falkirk” is seen in an image of a female child taken from a Mike Kelley work, she mimics my performance material (make-up etc) as well as displaying a premonition of aging. She also alludes to a character in House/Lights and Dr Faustus Lights the Lights, Marguerita Ida and Helena Annabel, a female split identity who is created by the Devil to deceive Dr Faustus and to the Devil’s promise in the text to reverse time, allowing the old to become young.

An artist edition has been made for the show, which appears in the form of a playing card: one side is the Queen of Spades, the other the Ace of Spades. The card shows some of the absurd characters in the film and the other is a specially-commissioned knitted felt drawing by Lorna Shields which shows the word Heroin in display cases, another form in the show referencing the psychotic, hallucinations, desires, addictions, downfalls. (The felt is my Joseph Beuys moment in the work, we all have them.)

Lars von Trier’s work The Idiots appears as a connection to the email scam as well as the presentation of faked behaviours, the film sees a commune of individuals pretending to be mentally disabled in order to challenge social acceptance and tolerance of the spectrum of modes of public behaviour.

The installation is accompanied by references to gold, a colour and material which appears frequently in Callendar House. This explores further notions of wealth, transactions and value. The work is supplemented by a number of old jokes about dogs, the kind of thing you’ve heard before, a set-up-joke-set-up-punch-line scenario again looking at constructing fictional mental narratives and their surreal outcomes. It also relates to the character of a dog in House/Lights whose only line is “thank you” (a receptive, accepted/acceptable transaction) and the policy of barring dogs in the high rises (a prohibited, unaccepted transaction).

The final character in the film is Roman Polanski (no stranger to scandal himself and still wanted as a fugitive from justice by the US authorities) from the motion picture The Tenant, here his male identity assumes a female one (the previous tenant who died in the apartment) as his mental status deteriorates, mirroring her decline (and the fugitive status of criminals Olga and Elaine). This connects the work again to my live performance of House/Lights which sees, through the use of computer and sound technology, my voice delivered in a feminized pitch. This completes a cycle of traumas and scandals whether real or imagined that commingle through this project.

Of course I also think there is something interesting about gender in all of this.

Film, reel and security cameras

2008-04-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

Falkirk Voodoo King Kenny, with email scam and dog jokes, 17 minutes 14 seconds, silent

The characters in the film:
Jayson Blair, journalist
King Kenny, deceased Falkirk resident
George Washington, deceased Falkirk resident
The Banker, Ken Morgan
Director of Private Accounts, Emma Bambara
The Tenant, Roman Polanski
Elaine
Olga

(Jayson Blair is a journalist who was forced to resign from the New York Times in May 2003, after he was caught plagiarizing and fabricating elements of his stories.)

I’ll be adding more on this soon. I am putting together the reel today and shot some slides from Isabel’s collection, which I will transfer to video and add in Dan Mailer’s anniversary video. And then the VHS tapes. Then we’ll place in the artists’ video. I’ll upload the full program this week; we had an idea to put the reel in the community room too and are investigating piggy-backing the reel onto the security channel that runs through the apartments. Janie discovered the security door system is viewable on the residents’ TVs so they can see who is visiting. We are looking to see if there is a back-up channel that we can use, so the reel might appear through this, so it becomes a private TV station. I don’t know yet if we can pull this off.

As I was filming Isabel’s collection one of the slides fell into the mechanism and projected this interesting shot, which I’ve added here, accompanied by a still from the film for Meddle…

By the way Isabel’s collection is great; it’s a whole lifetime in there, someone in her family was a prolific photographer. I think it was her husband.

Untitled (sexyback, foley artist), (2008) my film about Justin Timberlake, silver foil, Olga’s House of Shame and a whole load of hellish noises is screening in Brazil in August, it’s at File 2008.

The reel for High Rise Cinema, I’ve added San Francisco-based Scottish artist Anne Colvin’s piece Cracked Actor (2006) as a connection to the first edition of The Village Voice magazine and to relate its title to the performances in my film. It’s also a great rock and roll moment, and will have resonance with the music event at BiF.

The final program for the reel will be here shortly.

Photoshoot/performance with Jennifer Beaton

2008-04-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Photoshoot from performance at The Park Gallery 4/17/2008. The security CCTV cameras came down. This is a Falkirk Voodoo scenario, meddle with the devil, invocation of George Washington and King Kenny