Pictures from our Blinc 2013 performance

It's been over a month since I updated this. I've been a bit slack on the old writing front! But the past few weeks have been productive and creative so I'll try to sum them up in a few posts.

As mentioned in an earlier post, end of October took me and Alys over to Conwy to perform at Blinc Digital Arts festival. It was a great experience this year despite the torrential weather. Well done Alys for dancing in a rainstorm, which added to the atmosphere of the piece!

Alys performing in stormy conditions

I managed to get a few pictures from some friends (thank you Gwyn and Johnny). Note to self - nominate someone next time to photograph and film the show, as along with Neil I spent most of the time setting up the space and practical side of the performance and neglected the documenting side of things!

Setting up the projection / performance space - we had to anchor
the screen to the platform to stop it from blowing away!

Unfortunately we didn't manage to get a film of the performance either, but we are hoping to perform it again sometime in 2014. I am currently updating my website so I'll put up the animation on there. We will also be devising another project for Blinc 2014 and are investigating other potential platforms for a dance / animation piece!

Curious Books

This week the Curious Books exhibition, curated by Jane Millar, opened at Studio 73 in Brixton Village. I've got three books on display in amongst an eclectic library of hand-made and limited edition lovelies, including work from Okido magazine, Sophie Herxheimer and Tony Hayward.

Jane Millar outside Studio 73 (photograph by Sophie Hexheimer)

The private view is on Friday night. There'll be some poetry readings by Sophie and I think I'm going to be reading aloud a short story I wrote on the MA! Ooh-la-la. I might need a swift shot of rum to see me through. Come on down and show your support, and see some interesting and beautiful work (and provide a hip flask).

Magical Blinc

I am currently getting together a film and images from this year's Blinc performance. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it so fantastic this year; Alys Hughes, Casi Wyn, Afal Drwg Efa, Kevin Jones, Neil Mayston, and the whole Blinc crew. It was even better than last time and we are incredibly proud of how it went. I'm still floating!

In the mean time, here is a still from this year's performance (copyright Michal Repec).

Alys and Casi performing 'Action / Reaction' (photo copyright Michal Repec)

Blinc, curiously..

Let's hurtle towards the weekend in a wheel of light and magic; here are not one, but two helpings of stuff occurring in the very near future.

First off is Blinc festival, kicking off on Friday in Conwy with the Bridge of Light, the largest laser display in the U.K.

Preview still from the performance

(I was chatting to one of the Blinc crew the other day, asking him how everything was going. He said; 'Ah, it's getting there, it's getting there...and then it's here, you know what I mean'. I couldn't have put it better.)

Alys and I will be showing our Action / Reaction performance the same evening, with live vocals from Casi Wyn (times TBC). We will be performing on Saturday as well, so if you miss it on Friday all is not lost. There will also be a display of last year's project, 'Hiraeth'. Times and locations TBC.

Next on the agenda is Curious Books, an exhibition of handmade books at Studio 73 in Brixton Village, from 4th - 10th November, with a private view on the 8th (Friday); here's the press release from curator Jane Millar....

 Printed, hand-written, folded, collaged, constructed, informative, chaotic, poetic, photographic...many artists use a book form to express themselves....come and browse a collection of works, explore this unusual art form...and enjoy a piece of cake! You will find an inventory of rat-traps, books made from fruit, book sculpture, nail tip art, culinary poetry, kids’ magazines and cloth books.  Curious Books is a selling exhibition of artists’ books, limited editions, poetry, hand-made sketchbooks, object multiples, and more...this is the place to buy that totally original and collectable Christmas present! (Prices start from £2.50) Curated by Jane Millar for Studio 73, located in Brixton Village, among the lively bars, shops and restaurants.  Studio 73 showcases local artists with rolling exhibitions of original paintings, drawings, photography and prints; and also offers bespoke picture framing. 

I'm showing three handmade books alongside treasures from a range of artists, some of them Brixton natives, some from further afield. In addition to this, as part of Studio 73's showcase in their space next door, I'll be screening some animation and exhibiting some prints, so come on down. It should be a melting pot, but without any pots or anything melting.

Blinc Artists of the Day

...that'll be us, then!

Alys Hughes and I are Blinc Festival's Artists of the Day today. It's adding to my excitement! Take a look at their website for more info...the festival takes place on the 25th-26th October 2013.

Preview still from this year's animation

We will be doing a live performance incorporating dance, projected animation and sound on the Friday and Saturday around the town of Conwy (exact locations to be confirmed).

Keep an eye on the blog as I will update with more info as it emerges....

Sensoria Festival: Now Will You Listen

Just wanted to show you a photo of Furry People being read aloud by Juliet Ellis this Sunday gone at the Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, as part of Sensoria Festival's Now Will You Listen event. That's my animation in the background! Looks like it was a great event - I'm sorry to have missed it, but hopefully there'll be a repeat performance in London soon.

Photograph by Netty Boo

Blinc 2013

I'm collaborating with dancer Alys Hughes again for this year's Blinc Digital Arts festival, which takes place on the 25th - 26th of October. The theme this year is Action / Reaction and we are devising a dance, sound and animation piece which aims to highlight Welsh culture, language and freedom of expression.

For this project we are also enlisting the talented input of Afal Drwg Efa, Casi Wyn (TBC) and ironworks / crychddwr studios. 

We were so proud of last year's performance and felt it had the potential to go further, so being part of Blinc 2013 is a great chance for this to happen. Watch for more updates! 

A new term begins!

I'm excited to say I'll be trundling back off to Cambridge tomorrow, to run another term of the Illustration for Picture Books course at Hills Road Sixth Form College. There are ten splendid weeks in store, of drawing,  picture-making, dreaming up ideas and stories, and making books. I'm looking forward to meeting the new students and seeing what wonderful ideas they come up with!  

Flyer illustration by Sally Walker 2013

Now Will You Listen: Furry People - this Sunday!

This Sunday an eerie collection of stories will be read aloud at the Lantern Theatre in Sheffield, as part of Sensoria Festival. It looks like a fantastically spooky line-up, narrators including the likes of Richard Hawley, Reese Shearsmith and many more.

I've made an animation as a backdrop to 'Furry People', written by Michael Ward and read by Julie Ellis. It's a story about a pet shop, where the owner has a bit of a peculiar secret...and that's all I can tell you. You'll have to see it to find out!

For more information find the Facebook page here.

Nick Edward Harris - The Flood

A couple of months back I had the great pleasure of making a music video for one Nick Edward Harris, and his beautiful song 'The Flood'. Here is the finished film. It is out now and available to download as a single / video / b-side; find it, along with other treasures, on his website.

Nick Edward Harris - The Flood from Nick Edward Harris on Vimeo.