Phillip Toledano

My dad died two years ago, maybe this is why I find this subject interesting.

Is it ok to take photos of people dying??????

Richard Avedon

Chasing the sun

I always listen to radio 4, and find lots of interesting programs about the art world and genrally great shows about everything.
Being a slow reader, who has always struggled,  I find listening to the radio and watching TV more my thing.
This is a series that's on at the mo, that I listen to on my way into college.
Episode 4  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00wmnlj/Book_of_the_Week_Chasing_the_Sun_Episode_4/

Another exhibition

Came across this while I was waiting for a film to be processed in my lovely local Asda,
I always forget about The Grant Bradley Gallery.
I had already been to see Barry Cawson's photos at the Paintworks, but it was great to see them again.
I thought it was a strange collection of work, or maybe it was having Barry Cawsons work there?
The theme is a real mix, but they are all photographers from the Bristol area, mostly showing an urban, documentry style of work from the 80s and 90s in Bristol.
Its on till the 6th Jan and i think worth a visit even if i found it a bit disjointed

Gucci Guilty advert

Notes and link bellow, as only just found out how to do this!!!

Newspapers

I have been to 3 college libraries to find the daily papers to look at, to see what days I would find useful in my pathway, and generally for creative practices. 

I couldn't find a weeks worth of papers on one day, but did look at that day,

Wednesday: 

The Independant

Britain Arts, mostly about theater page 20

World picture of the day

Arts and books reviews mostly music and visual art

(Friday) Artical in the arts section about London's Lisson Gallery exhibiting contraversial artist Ai Weiwei

The Times

2 pull out, fashion, arts, theatre and performance

The Guardian

G2 gift ideas no arts

photo on page 21 - Tang Chhin Sothy, Phnom Penh 'shoes'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/23/cambodia-stampede-phnom-penh# 

We get the Guardian most weeks on a Saturday and the Observer on a Sunday, and find I have discovered new photographers, to me in both the magazines and the review section on a Sat.

Gucci Guilty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXGxOmsWtiA&NR=1

Scribbly notes about advert for Gucci Guilty

I have always liked this ad, maybe because it is very cinematic, which I am interested in.  

It is playing on old film stereotypes, such as Sci Fi in the first shots, through old westerns to gangster and film Noir, but all in a graphic novel style.

By playing on these old stereotypes of genres, it can create an atmosphere and tell a story very quickly.

I didn't realise straight away, that it is an ad by Frank Miller, who made Sin City,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFLrTYKIXk

which probably explains the use of black and white film, with just the hint of colour, only on the lady in the advert (is she wearing the perfume?)

A lot of Gucci ads are very cinematic and in themselves are short films. This is only made possible by our knowledge of cinema and their genres.

stuff

Interesting program on last night
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wdlkz

Do artists/creative practitioners have more responsibility than other m
I feel that as an artist / creative practioner I have a responsibility, as every member of society does when addressing social issues. However if you are in the public eye, in some way, your responsibility becomes greater, or maybe your reasons for your opinions need to be explained.
If your art is showing something ethically sensitive, I feel it needs to be accompanied with a clear explanation of your message and reasons.

Some artists will use things/icons/images to get a reaction or to grab the attention of the viewer, like Kira O'Reilly.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-401165/Its-art-says-naked-woman-wholl-hug-dead-pig-stage.html

How about Ai WeiWei on Imagine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007ght1/episodes/player

Some things I find too shocking to watch or look at and don't feel it is art, but that is my opinion.
I have ethics that I hope if / when I become a practicing artist/photographer I will stay true to them.

exhibitions,events or screenings I am planning on attending before xmas

http://www.colstonhall.org/whatson/Event2068

Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 - Exhibition in Bristol, Clifton - Visit Bristol

visitbristol.co.uk

'Shaped by war' - Don McCullin

Don McCullin: Shaped by War Exhibition 

http://www.victoriagal.org.uk/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.aspx

Went to see the exhibition yesterday. It was amazing, thought provoking, moving, emotional, inspiring. 

This was really interesting to see Don McCullin's working outs for the darkroom




Frida Kahlo museum

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx/serviciosfranc.html
Visited on 5th Nov 

 

 'Avonmouth to the Amazon' - Barry Cawston

http://www.artrabbit.com/all/events/event/21816/avonmouth_to_the_amazon_an_exhibition_of_contemporary_photography_by_barry_cawston 
http://www.barrycawston.com/portfolio.html 

My son Leo like these photos the best.

 'Britain from the air'

www.britainfromtheair.com

Came across this exhibition in the streets of Bath while out with my son and husband. What a great place to exhibit work. It captures the attention of so many people walking by, who may have never been to see a photography exhibition in their lives.

How beautiful Britain is. My favorite are the ones that make you look twice as you can't quite work out what they are. they are textures and patterns.

http://www.thephotogallery.org.uk/ 
I have seen this, but brieifly with my son, who was enjoying running around in the foyer of the Colston Hall. I need to try and go back again on my own.

Totterdown art trail
http://www.frontroom.org.uk/
 
The Totterdown art trail was on all weekend from Fri 19th - Sun 21st Nov. Various artists were exhibiting their work inc a really intereseting idea of a group of people recording every day for a year. I wish I had ideas like that...... 
http://www.photooftheday.org.uk/photos/gallery
There was also work from Outside Art, Filton College, doing live graffiti at Arnos Vale Cementary with Inkie and of course Oli Timmins oh and my husband! Great..

http://www.kwmc.org.uk/index.php?article=604 
Private view is on my Birthday so will see it at some other time.


 

London olympics logo

http://www.london2012.com/

I didn't realise until now that the logo for the london olympics says 2012!
Here are some alternative ideas.
 http://www.davidairey.com/alternative-london-2012-logo-designs/ 
I like the one like a street sign.

The Bristol museum logo

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/new-logos-ll-163-73-000/article-2639435-detail/article.html
This is all I could find on the new logo. I don't like it. It doesn't feel fresh and exciting, and why was a designed by a company in Manchester when Bristol is full of artists and why did it cost £73,000???
The new design for the Mshed is much better, and gives a feel of Bristol and it's heritage.

http://mshed.org/

QUESTION 2

   2. Look at how people's clothing might make them 'tribal' or part of social group and write about this on your blog too. E.g Emos, chavs, mods and rockers etc

 People try to be individual in their dress, but actually they just become part of a group or tribe.

See link below

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2008/may/16/disciples#/?picture=334199740&index=0

I feel when I was in my teens it was easier to be individual, everything goes now. You can buy punk, emo, chav & mod clothes in the big department shops like H & M & Primark, and drive a bus with piercings all over your face.

Maybe it's not about being individual, maybe people need to be part of a tribe to feel secure, especially as teenagers.

 

Questions

1.     Take a day in the next week to record everything you see that might have spawned from a creative practice i.e adverts, textiles, posters etc etc and put this on your blog.

‘A defining element of being human is that when we create or produce something there is always an aesthetic.’ As discussed with a friend.

Everything in our day to day lives has spawned for creative practice. To record everything through one day would be almost impossible as you wouldn’t get anything done! Here is a snap shot of one day:

Getting dressed: my cat dress and necklace, textiles & design.

Going down the road to the shops: Adverts, shop windows displays & graphics everywhere.

Photography & Graphic

Textiles

Photography, fashion, graphics

Graphics

Graphics

Cooking: Textiles on the aprons, graphics logo

Textiles and graphics

Graphics

Graphics, design, textiles

Walking into town

There are adverts everywhere:

Went for lunch surrounded by pictures on the wall, photo’s on the glass screen separating the kitchen from the customers, and even the sugar sachets had a design on them.
The afternoon and evening was spent with the desperate men and various performers

            http://www.desperatemen.com/

Street performers. Is this art? I suppose it is.....

                                                                  

                                                                     Kid carpet

                                                                       'The Language lab'

            Kid carpet has used language and there translations with photographs to make a really interesting performance piece.

ha ha

Questions week one

1.  What was the last image/object/artefact that excited you? How, why & where did you encounter it?

The Colston Hall.

It’s not really an image, object or artefact, but it did interest me.

While taking photos for my Urban Landscape project, I looked at the building in a different way. It shimmers in the sunlight and casts reflected sunlight on the darker areas of the building. I think I may be becoming interested in architectural photography.

2.  What excites you about your chosen area of Creative Practice? Why have you chosen to study it further?

I have always been interested in photography and studied to foundation level some years ago. I didn’t feel the time was right to continue onto degree level, so I spent years travelling and working abroad.

Returning now at this stage in my life feels right. I’m more focused and am looking forward to learning new techniques along side getting back into the darkroom, where I was always so happy.

Photography plays some part in everyone’s life, whether it is to record a summer holiday, birthday, wedding or used in advertising, photojournalism or an intriguing piece of art.

I feel photography is a diverse medium and is always changing technically and artistically and I am excited about finding my niche in this field.

3.    What do you hope to achieve at the end of these 2 years? What would you like to be doing?

After complete the course I am hoping to go on to study the 3^rd year at Bower Ashton . I have had lots of work experience and am really excited about having the opportunity and know how to be working within a creative business at the end of the 3 years.

4.    What sorts of things have you written about and/or researched specifically before? E.g are you particularly interested in a specific area, issue, theme, genre, subculture, type of design etc?

Some years ago now I set myself a project in Portugal. I followed a group of cork cutters around in the woods and recorded their working day. I discovered the traditional way they worked as a team, with the ladies painting the dates on the freshly cut trunks and cooking their lunches on the fire in the old clay pots. This way of cork cutting has died out now, so I feel I have been luck enough to record a part of history. Portugal  moved very quickly into the 21^st century so the photos I took less than 20 years ago are now a huge part of Portugal’s history.

5.    What excites you now? What sorts of arts, design, performance, media, spectacles etc do you go & see/take part in? What do you read? What feeds your interests?

Recently I have attended the opening of the Upfest gallery and a fashion show for a retro shop.

Living in Bristol and having friends who are artists and performers means that there is always something happening somewhere at the weekend.

I visit some galleries, mostly local ones like the Arnolfini, Watershed, Tobacco factory, Spike Island and Photographique.

I’m not a great reader, but I do get the weekend observer and guardian, where I find there are great articles about all elements of the arts. They have also introduced me to some new photographers.

Day of the Dead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwMgT7FQ-9Q&feature=related

pin hole

http://www.kwmc.org.uk/index.php?article=484

Murdo Macleod

Murdo Macleod is a new photographer to me. We always buy the weekend papers and I recently discovered some of his pictures in the Guardian.
I'm interested in portrait photography, and have myself taken many candid and also posed portraits. I find the outcomes you get can vary so much.
The one of good old Maggie, linked below, is great. She seems so lost in her own thoughts that she is completely unaware the picture is being taken.
Murdo seems to really capture the whole person, and I love the way he uses light, both natural and flash. I am hoping to become more at ease with using flash, as it is something i have always steered away from.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/aug/28/photography-cultural-trips

What is art?

8th October 2010

I asked my two year old the question "what is art?". 

His answer was simple...

"RED"

Maybe he knows more than me.

exhibitions RPS

Infared photography exhibition
http://www.rps.org/fenton-house

Upfest opening night

Upfest is held in Bedminster every year and I have been to most of the weekend events. They have opened a new shop on North Street recently, and we went along to the opening night. Definately worth a visit.
http://www.photoshopdaily.co.uk/news/upfest-gallery-opens-on-1-october/

They also do framing in conjunction with 'Niche frames' http://www.nicheframes.co.uk/