Harris Museum and folly: pioneering experiment in collecting digital art

In late 2010 the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston in partnership with folly, Lancaster have launched Current : An Experiment in Collecting Digital Art. The partnership invited applications from Artists working with technology to propose new or existing work for exhibition and acquisition. They requested proposals for work such as digital art, interactive art, net art, electronic art, multi-and time-based media.

The project was heralded as a unique case study in the collection of digital art. Conceived to encourage debate from visitors, artists and sector professionals about the process of integrating digital artworks into existing permanent collections.

UK-based artists working in digital media and new media technology were invited to propose work for an exhibition at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery which took place 25 March - 4 June 2011 .

Work was selected for inclusion by an expert panel (including Mike Stubbs CEO of FACT , Ruth Catlow, Co-founder and co-director of Furtherfield.org and HTTP Gallery London , and Beryl Graham, Professor of New Media Art at the University of Sunderland and co-editor of CRUMB).

The objectives of the project were:-

• A public exhibition of new media artwork to be held at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery.
• An acquisition of one artwork for the museum's permanent collections.
• A public debate.
• Evaluation of the project to inform future collecting of new media at the museum

The shortlist of artists selected:-

boredomresearch
Southampton based artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith make artworks inspired by the diversity that exists in nature. boredomresearch use computational technology to explore this diversity often using techniques similar to those used by scientists.

www.boredomresearch.net

Michael Szpakowsk
Michael is an artist, composer, writer & educator. His music has been performed all over the UK, in Russia & the USA. His short films have been shown throughout the world. He is composer & video artist for Tell Tale Hearts Theatre Company & a joint editor of the online video resource DVblog.

www.somedancersandmusicians.com/

James Coupe
James is an artist who works with systems, autonomy and networks. His controversial recent work with surveillance systems, in installation projects such as (re)collector and Surveillance Suite, use computer vision software to extract demographic and behavioural information from live video footage.

http://jamescoupe.com

Harwood, Wright, Yokokoji
These artists have collaborated together from 2004 to 2009, firstly as part of ‘Mongrel' - an internationally recognised artists collective. Previous projects involving the group include the first online commission from the Tate Gallery, London , a BAFTA award nomination and work in the permanent collections of the Pompidou Centre Paris and the Centre for Media Arts in Karlsruhe (ZKM).

www.mediashed.org

Thomson & Craighead
Thomson and Craighead are fascinated how trends of globalisation and networked global communications have been re-shaping the way we all perceive and understand the world around us. They live and work in London and Kingussie in the highlands of Scotland making artworks for galleries, online and sometimes outdoors.

www.thomson-craighead.net/th/

The piece selected to become part of the Harris permanent collection was the Thomson & Craighead's piece 'The distance travelled through our solar system this year and all the barrels of oil remaining ' (2011).

The work was selected by an expert panel, including Paul Hobson, Director, Contemporary Arts Society; Sarah Fisher, Chair of Axis and Chair of FACT ; Gavin Delahunty, Head of Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Liverpool; Taylor Nuttall, Chief Executive, folly; and Alex Walker, Head of Arts & Heritage Preston City Council.

The work consists of two wall based gallery projections that dynamically display the number of remaining oil barrels left in the world alongside the distance the earth has travelled this year. By juxtaposing something global (the statistic streams) against something local (a visit to a gallery and contemplation of an artwork), the piece allows a poetic connection to be made between the individual and the world at large.

Alex Walker, Head of Arts & Heritage, Preston City Council said;

“We are delighted to acquire this piece by Thomson & Craighead. The work is a completely new departure for the Harris Museum & Art Gallery. It's very much of the 21st century and could only be produced now. It makes use of live stream from the internet, and also deals with the big issues of the environment which are of concern to everyone. It may not initially have obvious connections with the Harris' collections, however, artists have always been concerned with helping us to understand and relate to the world we live in. Through the Current selection process we have acquired a piece which is both experimental and innovative.”

To complete the project a public debate was held at UCLAN on 24th May 2011 to analyse the experiment and share findings and best practice on collecting digital art.

Comment
As an artist engaged with New and Multi-Media practice I had great expectations for the exhibition but was rather under whelmed by my visit. The artists brief for the exhibition was a little ambiguous. The general preamble spoke in terms of 'New Media' yet the artists were asked to submit proposals of work such as digital art, interactive art, net art, electronic art, multi-and time-based media. Whilst the broad term 'New Media' has a wide ranging definition one thing the term does generally imply is interactivity with the medium. With one exception the works in this exhibition were most definitely not interactive.

Maybe my disappointment with this exhibition was exacerbated by my recent visit to the wonderful "New Media" exhibition "Recorders" at the Manchester Art Gallery a major exhibition by Mexican-Canadian electronic artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. This really was cutting edge interactive 'New Media' art.

I attended the debate at UCLAN on the 24th May. The debate did help to clarify some of my miss giving's about the exhibition. For starters, the selection of short listed exhibits can only be as good as the work submitted for selection. Having said that the highlight of the debate was the presentation by Alison Craighead 50% of the winning partnership, Thomson and Craighead. I wasn't familiar with the work of these London based visual artists. They have been working together with video, sound and the internet since 1993. Their work explores how technology changes the way we perceive the world around us. They use live data to make artworks, including template cinema online artworks and gallery installations, where networked movies are created in real time from online material such as remote-user security web cams, audio feeds, chat room text transcripts and social media output. The breadth and ingenuity of the work is impressive. In my opinion the work acquired by the Harris, whilst of the moment, given our preoccupation with dwindling natural resources, it is possibly one of their less inspiring pieces. It may have been more relevant to relate the consumption of oil with the rocketing price of say petrol! I am not sure the man on the Clapham omnibus has much concept of how far we travel through the Milky Way; he is aware of the cost of fuel!

Quoting from the Harris website, "the aim of the project was to raise the profile of this area of practice; to help digital artists to become integral to art's history; and for digital art to be seen as something to be collected in perpetuity, thereby reinforcing the public perception of it and its value". They also intended to address the challenges facing curators, in terms of integrating digital art into existing collections. One challenge being to display the work as it was originally intended. Another being the ability for digital media to reflect a continual state of evolution in its production and exhibition and in the case of the Thomson and Craighead installation the original data source.

The recently resurrected BBC Doomsday project highlights the problem of incorporating digital media into art collections. The rapid evolution of software, hardware, storage and presentation equipment in this sector presents numerous issues and potential problems. It was this aspect of the acquisition that engaged the speakers and audience alike, the reason why the public debate was such an important part of the project. All those concerned in the process confessed to a steep learning curve.

Professional Practice Opportunity

The Poulton ArtSpOt is available to suitable students as a curatable exhibition space and potential working location.

• To exhibit 2D work subject to the submission of a suitable proposal.
• In return for a minimum of 8 hours supervision of the location per week and 15% commission on any sales made as a result of the exhibition as a contribution to costs.
• Students would be required to have public liability insurance which could be acquired through membership of A-N.
• Supervision and guidance is available as required.
• The space would be available from beginning of April.
• Work displayed must be suitable for family viewing.
• Available for 4 week periods.
  

The space is a continuous run of 28 x 8 ft lined with white painted chipboard on one wall of a public passage way. The passageway is an unsupervised public area. Work should be fixed to the display surface. In the 3 years I have operated this space there has been no problem with security. The passage way receives direct south westerly light, artists should be aware that this may affect non-lightfast pigments or dyes. Selection of suitable candidate will be made subject to the submission by email, of a proposal.
To include:-

• Artist statement
• Description of work including size, number, media etc
• Photographs of examples of work.
• Will you be selling or not?
• Risk assessment
  

Easy Citation with Zotero - Update

This is an update of my post of 17 November 2010 find it here.

A requirement of the college I attend is we have to use Harvard style referencing but they want you to include the page number of the citation but the default option does not include page numbers.

They require the "in text" citation to look like this (Trigg, 2006, p.6) but the default in Zotero looks like this (Trigg, 2006).

There is a simple solution you can download from Zotero a vast number of citation styles that can be added to the default set that comes with the initial download.

Go to this page Zotero Styles and download the "Harvard - Adapted for Leeds Met" option, click the [install ] link. I could not fathom how it worked to start but the Zotero Forum proved very helpful. The new option comes up when you use the Word plug-in to add a citation. Make sure Word is closed when you download the new option. When you next use Word you will find at the bottom of the dialog box that opens when you choose to insert citation from the Zotero toolbar menu there will be a button at the bottom marked Page in the box next to it type the page number you want to add to the citation. Choose your citation in the normal way and Bingo the page number appears as above.


Click image to enlarge.

You Right Foot's Connected to Your Right Finger

This is an experiment which demonstrates that despite what we may think we have little control over our brain. Your brain controls you. Click the image to enlarge and follow the instructions. Mmmmmm interesting eh.......

Printing a Secure PDF

Occasionally you will download or be sent a secure PDF file that has the print option disabled. If there are no copyright restrictions the simple option is to use an on-line conversion option to create a printable file. One I have used, which works a treat, is Neevia free on-line PDF converter, available here. When the page opens in your browser use the default settings, browse to the file on your hard disc, choose the delivery method, either the file will be opened in your browser or sent by email. I generally choose the email delivery option. Your file can now be opened and printed.

What is the difference between a metaphor and an allegory?

This is a distinction that constantly confuses, me included. I found this answer at e.notes.com which strikes me as fairly succinct. Hope you don't mind me passing your words of wisdom on!

Answer: A metaphor is typically a phrase that is used as a comparison to seemingly unrelated objects or actions. A metaphor is a rhetorical trope that represents the first subject as being similar or equal to a second object or subject in any way.

An allegory is also a representation of comparisons but on a much deeper note. An allegory typically consist of a longer passage of comparisons than just a phrase; it also includes more details than a metaphor. An allegory is usually symbolically substituted for something else. A meaningful historical/geopolitical event or a wider abstract concept is usually the goal of an allegory. Metaphors are mainly used in language, whereas allegories can be used in language, painting, sculpting, etc.

EXAMPLES OF KNOWN METAPHORS: All the World's a stage, Killing him with Kindness, Frozen with fear, My stomach was a bottomless pit.

EXAMPLES OF KNOWN ALLEGORIES:

Example #1: In the novel, Lord of the Flies it provides a compelling allegory of human nature, illustrating the three sides of the psyche through its sharply-defined main characters.

Example # 2: A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice.

Fragments of Memory

It is the end of the penultimate semester and we have the first half of our Final Assessment so I have been burning the midnight oil finishing off my various projects and getting my sketchbook up-to-date.

Through both my dissertation and fine art practice work continues to explore the aesthetic aspects of decay, memory/remembering, nostalgia and melancholia. I am interested in exploring the ugly as compared to the beautiful using decay as the metaphor. I am endeavouring to explain my enquiry through the visualisation of the concept of perception and how this relates to memory and the emotions of nostalgia and melancholia.

I am considering the manner in which the eye converts visual information into memory, how the brain perceives this information and how this information is subsequently retrieved to form part of our emotional and aesthetic experience. My enquiry considers the modern science of neuro-physiology, neuro-aesthetics in the response to art and the aesthetic experience. The work employs a combination of video and still images arranged in multiple layers to create visual complexity challenging the perception of the viewer to recognise the familiar within the unfamiliar.

The following video is one of the 3 video works I have on display. The other 2 have to be viewed in-situ as they employ partly silvered mirror as the front element of the work, this makes videoing the work difficult.



Fragments of Memory

This video makes use of appropriated stills from Bill Morrison's film "Light is calling" and part of Michael Gordon's sound track. Morrison's film is based on "found footage" of decaying film. I have reworked the film incorporating into it my own images, mainly nostalgic family photographs. The video explores the notion of fragmented memory and the often confused narration associated with the effects of Alzheimers disease.

This work is for academic purposes only and recognises the original authors copyright no breach of which is intended.

WordWeb - English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows

Another useful aid to dissertation writing WordWeb is a one-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows that can look up words in almost any program. It works off-line, but can also look up words in web references such as the Wikipedia encyclopedia. Features of the free version include:

Definitions and synonyms Related words 5000 audio pronunciations 65 000 text pronunciations

150 000 root words 120 000 synonym sets Look up words in almost any program

Go to the WordWeb site or download from here.

Easy Citation with Zotero

For those of you who who are struggling with the citation part of your dissertation you need to discover Zotero.

Zotero is a piece of free software that can be used to collect your citation information from the internet or manually and insert it into your dissertation using Microsoft Word or Open Office. The software is easy to install and set up and there is loads of help on the website and through associated forums.

Zotero only works with the Firefox browser on both PC and Mac but not with Internet Explorer or Safari, don't ask why it's a long story.

Zotero comes in 2 parts, a Plug-in for Firefox and a plug-in for Microsoft Word or Open Office.

If you do not normally use Firefox it is an open source browser by Mozilla and has an excellent reputation, personally I would not use anything else. You can have both Firefox and IE on your computer at the same time. Download Mozilla Firefox here

Exhibition "Four Dark Corners"

Lytham St Annes Windmill in the Spring

A exhibition of photography by Alistair Parker, titled "Four Dark Corners" has opened at The Library, Poulton le Fylde. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday and runs until 3rd December 2010.

"Four Dark Corners" is an eclectic collection of fine art images with a distinctly vintage feel. Alistair's grainy, soft focus treatment gives an "old camera" look to the photographs. A style much loved by the "Holga/Lomo film camera enthusiasts, cameras which are currently enjoying a massive resurgence in popularity.

Each image is contained in the same battered old frame that was picked up in a charity shop, adding to the vintage look. The first time I showed this exhibition it was interesting to watch people getting close-up to the images to see if the frame was real. It isn't of course, it is part of the printed image.

How Not to Sell Your Art

SCENE #1: PHONE RINGS Mr COLLECTOR - (phone ringing) "Hello. Is this Artist Brown? Hi there, I saw your painting at the Fathers With No Teeth auction last weekend. You know, the painting with the two donkeys? I love it! I want to buy it. How much are you asking?" ARTIST - "Oh yeah, great, yeah, fantastic... Two Donkeys.. Buy it? Yeah, sure it's for sale, I think. Uh, the price - well I - Uh - how about I get back to you on that? (goes to local pub and agonizes over the price...)"

SCENE #2: TWO MONTHS LATER, ARTIST - (making a call) "Hello, is Mr Collector there? This is Artist Brown following up with the price for my painting, "Two Donkeys". What? He's moved to Tahiti? Last week? Does he have a phone there?"

When it comes to pricing your work, the worst price is not the high one, and not the low one. It is "price undecided". Make a decision, and go with it. And remember that the buyer is more motivated to buy at the moment they call you than they will ever be. So be prepared to be flexible, right then, while they are on the phone.

Source: www.artslant.com

Walking on Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age

"Walking on Eggshells" is a 24-minute documentary about appropriation, creative influence, re-use and intellectual property in the remix age. It is a conversation among various musicians, visual artists, writers and lawyers, all sharing their views on why and how we use and create culture, and how intellectual property law, originally designed to provide people with incentives to create, sometimes hinders creative production far more than it enhances it. There is more information available on the "Everything is a Remix" Blog

Walking on Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age from Brendan Schlagel on Vimeo.

On the same subject Aaron Dunn has created the non-profit organisation MusOpen where he aims to make available out of copyright classical music and sheet music.

Both of these items are discussed on the Radio 5 podcast "Outriders"

My Art in a Blackberry Commercial

Recently Blackberry shot a commercial for the new Torch handset featuring Will Ramsay the owner of Wills Art Warehouse in Putney, where I sell my art. The commercial was shot during recent exhibition where my work was on display. As luck would have it they caught a quick glimpse of one of my works, "Blackpool Rocks" 15 secs into the clip. Don't blink or you will miss it. They obviously think it is recognisable as I had to sign a release agreement!

This is what you are looking out for!





The launch of the ad is intended to coincide with the Affordable Art Fair another of Will Ramsay's successful innovations. This years event runs from 21 - 24th October in Battersea Park, London.

Can poet George Szirtes save us from verbal bankruptcy? The Forum - BBC ...

SYMPTOMATIC an Exhibition by James Whyham

James is in his third year of a Fine Art and Professional Practice BA (Hons) degree at Blackpool Art College. The works on display are experimental pieces produced during the first and second year of the degree.


James states that;:-

"Mark making and gesture is my main area of interest and I have been investigating how gesture, mark making and surface communicate or define identity and how individual decisions form and influence wider social and political contexts or visa versa. My mark making is an attempt to trace the fluidity and transient nature of consciousness and an attempt to avoid the tendency of language and image articulation to form certain mindsets and fracture perception into a series of moments."

The work is on display at Village Walks ArtSpOt, Poulton le Fylde, from 24th September to 30th October, Monday to Saturday, entry free. The entrance to the exhibition space is from the Teanlowe Centre carpark, between the Post Office and Ethel Austins or from Queensway.

Exhibition "Beside the Sea" Wills Art Warehouse

Starting Saturday 31st July at Wills Art Warehouse, Lower Richmond Rd, Putney, London SW15 1LY will be holding an exhibition of contemporary art, Beside the Sea.

The gallery will be full of artworks inspired by seaside summer days and exotic travels
Featuring gallery favourites: Emma Brownjohn, Susie Brooks, Colin Moore, Alistair Parker, Charlotte Evans and many more... Continues until end of August

AMALGAM - Art Exhibition at Village Walks Poulton le Fylde

Exhibit 1 Abuse Kills - Sue McAuley

AMALGAM - An exhibition of contemporary art at Village Walks, Poulton le Fylde. A selection of work by the 2nd Year Fine Art degree students from Blackpool Art School, Palatine Road.

19th July to 28th August, Monday to Saturday 9.00 till 5.00 Free entry. Entrance next to Post Office.

AMALGAM - Art Exhibition at Village Walks Poulton le Fylde

AMALGAM - An exhibition of contemporary art at Village Walks, Poulton le Fylde. A selection of work by the 2nd Year Fine Art degree students from Blackpool Art School, Palatine Road.

19th July to 28th August, Monday to Saturday 9.00 till 5.00 Free entry. Entrance next to Post Office.

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Print a Secured PDF File

Ran into a problem today that I have never experienced before, I tried to print a PDF file that I had downloaded from the Internet but it would not print. I use Foxit Reader, a plug-in for Firefox to download and open PDF files and hitherto it has always worked perfectly but this time it came up with an error message telling me that the PDF document was secured and could not be printed.

After fiddling about for ages and getting nowhere I resorted to good old Google. After trying a couple of abortive suggestions from various sources I discovered PDF Escape . This is an online PDF editor. When you open the link there are a number of options, I chose the "Start Using (unregistered)" option. Just follow the on-sceen instructions, I browse to the file I needed to upload, it opens in an editor window. I chose the option to Print. My printer dialog duly opened and I printed off the 22 page document. Just for info I always use the fast option and print double sided to save both ink and paper. The document printed off perfectly.

Fine Art Degree Show

The July ArtspOts exhibition will be Urban Decay, work from my 2nd Year Show. There is an exhibition at Blackpool Art College, Palatine Road FY1 4DW from 21st to 26th June from 9.00 to 8.00 Tuesday to Saturday

You can see the work on my Flicker site at the moment.

www.flickr.com digiphotology's Urban Decay Sem 4 Project photoset

The Aesthetic of Ageing and Urban Decay

Well that is almost the end of the 2nd year of my BA (Hons) Fine Art and Professional Practice degree. Work is exhibited for final assessment and just one more tutorial to go.

My work continues to explore process and media with particular emphasis on photography and digital imaging. Drawing on the contextual reference which have informed my work so far, street art, urban decay, layers of history I have researched further into Décollage, Entrécissement and the work of the Letterists. Jonathan Millers book A Scavengers Hoard was particularly influential. His idea of viewing the world as a series of fragments mimicking the optical function of the eye was revealing.

I have continued with the theme of portrait and the concept of “noeme” (what has been). Drawing on the phenomena of Pareidolia – a type of apophenia involving the finding of images in random stimuli. Also the surrealist concept of the Paranoiac-critical method a technique developed by Salvador Dalí in the early 1930s. He employed it in the production of paintings and other artworks, especially those that involved optical illusions and other multiple images.


My work developed two themes, Décollage and Collage. The former took the form of Torn and Incised Poster in a shallow 3D assemblage using simulated posters created digitally and processed to simulate the Benday dot structure of large posters. This I feel was particularly successful. I shall be exploring this theme further. The contextual sources for this work included artists such as Leo Malet and Raymond Hindes.


An additional aspect to my work is a video installation piece. The work explores the duality of still and moving image. A ghostly moving image with a stilted amateurish home movie style provokes memory and nostalgia of a family event against the still ambiguity of an image of decay and the vestige of a ghostly portrait. The changing juxtaposition of the images provokes questions of perception and uncertainty bringing together fragments of memory and recollection. This concept was initially explored in an experimental mixed media collage where a subliminal stencil portrait of a child on translucent tulle material was displayed above a more complex torn poster background.



My work continues to be informed by the philosophy of Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Jaques Derrida

Degree Shows

Blackpool, Fine Art, 21st - 26th June Palatine Road, FY1 4DW

UCLAN Fine Art, Drawing and Image Making, 12th - 19th June Hanover Building, Preston, PR1 2HE

Lancaster, Fine Art, 16th - 23rd June, Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster Campus, LA1 4YW

Salford, Fine Art, 4th - 8th June Allerton Studios, Fredrick Rd Campus, M6 6PU

John Moores School of Art & Design Degree Show 28th May - 4th June, 10am - 4pm inc Bank Hol, Art and Design Academy, 2 Duckinfield Street, Liverpool L3 5RD

Hope University Liverpool Summer Arts Degree Show - Fine Art Applied Art and Design 22 - 28th May 10.00-17.00 The Cornerstone, Haigh Street, Liverpool L3 8QB

Manchester Metropolitan Degree Show 19th, 20th & 23rd June: 10am–4pm, 21st & 22nd June: 10am–6pm The Grosvenor Building, Cavendish Street, Manchester M15 6BR

Further info:
www.computerarts.co.uk
http://www.axisweb.org
www.a-n.co.uk/degrees_unedited

Check out my web locations:-
www.alistairparkerart.com
www.artspots.co.uk
arterials.blogspot.com
www.digiphotology.com
www.flickr.com

Exhibition - Four Dark Corners

A new exhibition of photography by Alistair Parker, titled "Four Dark Corners" has opened at The Village Walks Art SpOt, Poulton le Fylde. The entrance to the exhibition space is from the Teanlowe Centre carpark, between the Post Office and Ethel Austins or from Queensway. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 5.00 until 29th May 2010.

"Four Dark Corners" is an eclectic collection of fine art images with a distinctly vintage feel. Alistair's grainy, soft focus treatment gives an "old camera" look to the photographs. Each image is contained in the same battered old frame that Alistair picked up in a charity shop, adding to the vintage look.

Alistair says the images remind him of the photographs taken by his mother on her trusty battered Ensign twin lens reflex camera. This is a nostalgic look at some familiar and not so familiar local view points.

Photographs are available for sale. Details on www.digiphotology.com

Create a Blog with Blogger

Further to my talk today here are a few links to help you get started with creating a Blog in Google Blogger. There is also a link to a new on-line website creation outfit called Weebly. I have a had a go and it works really well, just needs a bit of planning before you take the plunge. If you want to register a domain name I use easily.co.uk, they are safe and good value.

http://www.blogger.com
Blogger Tutorial pdf
http://www.weebly.com
www.easily.co.uk

How to Write a Dissertation in less than a minute

In the next few weeks I have to write a 1500 word proposal of next semesters 6000 - 10,000 word dissertation (they can't make up their minds how long).

Below is something I knocked up just for practice, contains 850 words. If you want to know how, nip to the end of the article!

Deconstructing Sontag: The postdialectic paradigm of context in the works of Spelling J. Jacques Reicher

1. Lacanist obscurity and Sartreist existentialism

“Society is impossible,” says Baudrillard; however, according to Sargeant[1] , it is not so much society that is impossible, but rather the genre of society. Thus, a number of discourses concerning neodialectic narrative may be found. The subject is contextualised into a postdialectic paradigm of context that includes truth as a whole.

Therefore, the main theme of the works of Rushdie is the difference between sexual identity and class. Many deconstructions concerning the role of the artist as poet exist.

However, Sontag promotes the use of the textual paradigm of narrative to deconstruct sexuality. Any number of discourses concerning the postdialectic paradigm of context may be discovered.

2. Rushdie and Lacanist obscurity

“Sexual identity is part of the meaninglessness of truth,” says Lyotard. Therefore, Bataille uses the term ‘post semantic de-sublimation’ to denote the collapse, and eventually the absurdity, of capitalist class. Several constructions concerning the common ground between language and sexual identity exist.

If one examines the post dialectic paradigm of context, one is faced with a choice: either reject Lacanist obscurity or conclude that the purpose of the reader is deconstruction, but only if consciousness is distinct from narrativity. But presemiotic narrative holds that reality is intrinsically dead. The characteristic theme of de Selby’s[2] model of Sartreist existentialism is the genre, and some would say the meaninglessness, of subcapitalist language.

“Society is part of the dialectic of reality,” says Sartre. It could be said that the opening/closing distinction depicted in Rushdie’s Satanic Verses is also evident in The Moor’s Last Sigh. The subject is interpolated into a dialectic Marxism that includes culture as a reality.

However, in The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Rushdie reiterates Lacanist obscurity; in Midnight’s Children he denies pre-cultural theory. An abundance of narratives concerning Sartreist existentialism may be revealed.

It could be said that if the post-dialectic paradigm of context holds, we have to choose between conceptualist socialism and the neodialectic paradigm of reality. A number of desublimations concerning the difference between consciousness and class exist.

In a sense, Abian[3] suggests that we have to choose between Sartreist existentialism and capitalist narrative. The main theme of the works of Eco is a mythopoetical totality.

But if Lacanist obscurity holds, we have to choose between Sartreist existentialism and the post cultural paradigm of context. Pickett[4] holds that the works of Eco are modernistic.

3. Realities of stasis

In the works of Eco, a predominant concept is the concept of neomaterialist culture. Therefore, if Lacanist obscurity holds, we have to choose between the postdialectic paradigm of context and dialectic pretextual theory. Sontag suggests the use of Lacanist obscurity to attack class divisions.

The primary theme of Parry’s[5] essay on Derridaist reading is the role of the participant as writer. It could be said that the subject is contextualised into a Lacanist obscurity that includes sexuality as a whole. The premise of capitalist discourse implies that sexual identity has significance, given that the post-dialectic paradigm of context is invalid.

If one examines Sartreist existentialism, one is faced with a choice: either accept the post-dialectic paradigm of narrative or conclude that the establishment is capable of significant form. But Pickett[6] suggests that we have to choose between Sartreist existentialism and cultural libertarianism. Debord promotes the use of Lacanist obscurity to read and analyse narrativity.

Therefore, in Heaven and Earth, Stone examines the post-dialectic paradigm of context; in Platoon, although, he deconstructs Sartreist existentialism. Sontag suggests the use of the post-dialectic paradigm of context to deconstruct elitist perceptions of sexual identity.

However, the example of Sartreist existentialism prevalent in Stone’s JFK emerges again in Platoon, although in a more self-sufficient sense. Sartre promotes the use of the postdialectic paradigm of context to modify society.

In a sense, the main theme of the works of Stone is a mythopoetical totality. If the sub-semanticist paradigm of expression holds, we have to choose between Lacanist obscurity and Marxist capitalism.

Therefore, the premise of the post-dialectic paradigm of context implies that language may be used to marginalize the underprivileged, but only if sexuality is equal to language; otherwise, Sartre’s model of Sartreist existentialism is one of “textual narrative”, and thus fundamentally unattainable. Bataille uses the term ‘precultural sublimation’ to denote the common ground between art and class.

1. Sargeant, H. ed. (1972) The post-dialectic paradigm of context, the modern paradigm of consensus and socialism. University of Michigan Press

2. de Selby, E. M. (1986) The Expression of Dialectic: Lacanist obscurity and the postdialectic paradigm of context. Loompanics

3. Abian, O. A. U. ed. (1998) The post-dialectic paradigm of context in the works of Eco. Yale University Press

4. Pickett, Y. (1987) Textual Discourses: The postdialectic paradigm of context and Lacanist obscurity. Loompanics

5. Parry, Z. D. G. ed. (1973) Lacanist obscurity and the postdialectic paradigm of context. Oxford University Press

6. Pickett, W. (1992) Reading Lacan: The post-dialectic paradigm of context in the works of Stone. Schlangekraft

The essay you have just seen is completely meaningless and was randomly generated by the Postmodernism Generator.

To generate another essay, follow this link.

The Postmodernism Generator was written by Andrew C. Bulhak using the Dada Engine, a system for generating random text from recursive grammars, and modified very slightly by Josh Larios

You can find further text generators here:-

• Adolescent Poetry
• Band Names
• Postmodernism
• Subgenius Brag
• Time Cube

Wasn't that a brilliant find, will save you hours of work and no one will ever know!

Ravages of Time

An exhibition of some of the work from my semester 3 assignment are on show at Village Walks Art SpOts, Poulton le Fylde until 27th February. Further information on the Art SpOts website.

Work In Progress

A new exhibition "Work in Progress" has opened at The Village Walks Art SpOt, Poulton le Fylde, entrance is from the Teanlow Centre carpark between the Post Office and Ethel Austins.

The work on show is taken from my third semester assignment. This is an exploratory/experimental assignment designed to encourage the establishment of a"fine art identity". My work was based on a theme started in my foundation degree, fundamentally associated with perception. I am exploring how far the information in an image can be reduced in the face of increased noise. I took as my motif the portrait of an elderly gent who I call Jack. I photographed him, with his permission, some time ago in the Cafe at Blackpool Zoo. He was recovering from a bad turn on the "Chara" from Burnley, I think it was. However, he has a very characterful face.


Large Tiled Poster (1500 x 2100 mm)

• This started as an A3 size piece of work. A photocopy of the image was varnished and subject to a "Crackelure" finish in black acrylic ink. This image was sliced and enlarged using a piece of freeware, PosteRazor printed as 25 x A3 slices mounted on 4mm MDF.

The idea was to subject the portrait to a range of experimental processes to create a dilapidated, weathered presentation in which the face would, to varying degrees merge with the background until unrecognisable. We had to approach the task initially using painting, drawing and a combination of both. Working in 3D and life size and finishing with a representative body of work incorporating all, some or none of the foregoing. Oh yes and we had to create an animation based on an aspect of this work.

On show at the Art SpOt exhibition are the 3 pieces from my body of work, shown here. The life size work, which was recently on show at the Grundy Art Gallery. A pencil drawn work in the style of Frank Auerbach A spray paint stencil over pieces of torn poster, harvested in Manchester. And a very experimental piece, a stencilled image carved out of painted plaster in the style of the young street artist VHILS (Alexander Farto) who I admire enormously.


Stencil on Plaster (600 x 840 mm)

• The stencil was created from a posterized image, traced onto a ground of plaster painted black. The plaster and paint were scratched back to create the effect, finished by spraying with dilute acrylic paint. The old frame was found in a charity shop and once contained a mirror.
  

This a stop frame animation made of the process of creating the stencil on painted plaster.




Torn Poster Stencil (approx 700 x 900 mm)

• Using a similar stencil to the previous work, the image was created with acrylic spray paint over a background of torn posters, harvested from a billboard in Manchester.

Ravages of Time at the Grundy Art Gallery

A brief Exhibition ‘Work in Progress’ by 1st & 2nd Fine Art Students is currently showing at the Grundy Art Gallery Blackpool until 30th January. This show has been squeezed in between main exhibitions. An opportunity for students to create a gallery based installation.

My contribution is an adaptation of a piece of work I created for my last semester assignment. Based on a large poster approx 8 ft x 4 ft I have created a floor tile piece. Ravages of Time explores the metaphorical connection between urban decay as portrayed by fading and peeling signs, crumbling plaster, torn posters etc. Something so commonplace we fail to notice day today. And the way our elderly citizens become increasingly invisible to those around them.

The work is an enlargement of an A3 size piece which experimented with the combining of a photocopy of a photograph with a crackelure stressed effect created with PVA and acrylic ink. The images was enlarged x 25 from A3 using PosterRazor, freeware which enlarges the image and creates slices in this case each A3 in size in a PDF format. These are printed off and in this case fixed with adhesive to A3 size pieces of 4mm MDF and reassembled as a tiled image displayed on the floor.


Ravages of Time - Alistair Parker

The Ghost Village Project

Check out this short film, a gaggle of graff and street artists who travelled to a Scottish village allegedly built for oil platform construction workers that has been abandoned by all humanity and turned it into an art gallery.


Relatively unknown until recently, when it featured in the media with news of its forthcoming demolition and residential redevelopment, the village of Polphail was created during the 1970s to serve as accommodation for workers employed ont a concrete oil platform construction project to be based at Portavadie.

Despite millions of pounds of government money being poured into the development, both its concept and product were deeply flawed, having been rushed in order to cash in on the oil boom of the the time. The construction yard was never completed and never came close to production. The accommodation was never occupied and never saw a single resident. It did leave behind a hole, which we have seen referred to as the “biggest man-made hole in Europe” (but we haven’t been able to verify this one). The site was abandoned and has lain derelict ever since, and became the subject of a public enquiry.

Portavadie currently serves as the terminal for a CalMac ferry connecting with Tarbert, across Loch Fyne, and has seen a fish farm developed in the multi-million pound hole that was created where the concrete platform legs were supposed to be constructed. A marina opened in the mid-2000s, and a brand new facilities building opened there in May 2009, containing toilets, showers, bar and restaurant. Although there have been a number of proposals to develop time-shares on the Polphail site, none of these ever materialised, but a few holiday cottages have been built nearby.

However, progress was made in 2009, when a plan to create up to 270 home on the site was announced by the owner, and demolition of the original Polphail accommodation was scheduled to begin in following December.

Thanks to media coverage of the development, the site came to the attention of a group of artist known as The Agents of Change. Although they are graffiti artists, this in not a group kids running around with cans of spray paint vandalising the streets and tagging any clean surface, but are well-established artist, and in their forties. Having seen the derelict village in the news, they got in touch with the owner requesting permission to carry out a project in the village, and were pleased to receive a positive response to their enquiry, provided they were prepared to pay homage at hallowed altars such as Elfin Safety.

The arrival of the six artists involved was generally well met an appreciated by most of those who live near the village, who said the artwork made a welcome change from their usual view of the drab grey concrete of the decaying ruins which they have had to look at for some forty years.

Blackool & Beyond - Village Walks Art SpOt

An abbreviated version of my recent Solaris Centre exhibition is now on display at The Village Walks Art SpOt, Poulton le Fylde. Entrance between the Post Office and Ethel Austins.

Inspiration for my work is derived from many sources. I am attracted by the images created by the passage of time and the layers of history that form as a result. Recording vestiges of memories fading into uncertainty.

Blackpool is a town trapped between its history and its future. I have been recording the changing face of Blackpool for many years. I find beauty and inspiration in the fading infrastructure and once glitzy façade. My current work endeavours to capture the feeling of deterioration, dilapidation and decay that lies just behind the flashy frontage. Images so familiar that often we fail to notice them any more.

This work could be seen as a metaphor for the way we view the older members of our community. Something decrepit and insignificant to be ignored, rather than a valuable resource to be respected and cherished.

A reminder of how easy it is to pass-by aspects of our everyday surroundings without even seeing them. This work is intended to provoke thought and ask questions.
The work employs an intriguing mix of photography, digital interpretation and experimental fine art process which results in a unique work of art.

More art at www.alistairparkerart.com

Art History Archive

Came a cross this resource and thought you may be interested, Art History Archive. Lots of links to other archives.

Saatchi School of Art - What the Critic Thought

You may not always agree with the Times TV critic A A Gill, after all he does think he is Jeremy Clarkson with brains! But on this occasion his I found his view of the Saatchi X factor wanabee programme quite amusing. His comments about Duchamps Urinal was particularly apposite. I make no apology for reproducing it in full.

A.A. Gill, Sunday Times 29th November 2009:-

Right, that’s it. I am unilaterally and with prejudice proclaiming an anathema on
R Mutt’s bloody urinal. It’s wheeled out for every feeble-brained, finger-snapping, zeitgeisty art programme as a sort of shibboleth, a totem. I’ve been shown it three times in two weeks, and it was predictably used to explain contemporary art in last week’s School of Saatchi show.

Let’s get something straight about Marcel Duchamp and his pissoir fountain, the Rosetta Stone of all modern art. It was a joke; it wasn’t even shown in a gallery. Duchamp liked puns, funny names and bawdy humour. He is famous for his ready-made found objects, which he placed incongruously — a bicycle wheel on a stool, or a commercial pot-holder. The simple point of the joke is that a urinal in a lavatory is there to be peed in, but a urinal in an art gallery is there to be talked about and genuflected over for a century.

Duchamp was a bit half-hearted about art; it was a hobby, really. He got fed up after a bit and devoted most of his life to playing chess. He even carved his own set, except for the knight, which he had to get a craftsman to do. He did take 20 years to create one last secret piece. It has to be viewed through a peephole. It’s a headless woman with the full Hollywood pudenda, holding an oil lamp in a landscape. You can see it in Philadelphia. Now, no art smarties ever hold this up as an explanation for all of contemporary art, although it is far more disturbing and difficult than the unplumbed bog. Duchamp was rediscovered in the 1960s, when his found objects offered some post-hoc heritage for a lot of artists who were bored with the mechanics of making stuff.

I’ve given you this patronising pocket lecture because I’ve just been patronised for an hour by the judges on Saatchi’s art series. Yes, the young wannabe artists are made to perform like contestants in The X Factor. (They are all Jedward.) This format has already been inflicted, disastrously, on design, with that old singing teapot, Philippe Starck. The obvious difference between performing and making is that one belongs on television as its natural habitat, and the other doesn’t. Art is mostly solitary and a rather mad occupation. There is also a sadder, uncomfortable truth about artists in this programme: they are mostly very, very dim. In fact, being dim may well be a prerequisite for the calling. I say this as someone who has practised as one for most of his life; and I’ve worked in a gallery as an art critic and catalogue scribe. There is something in purely visual creation that works best when disengaged from intellect. The less you think, the more you look, the better. For every polymath Leonardo, there are dozens of thuggish Caravaggios.

The judges in this heightened reality show constantly asked the proto-artists what they thought they were making, and to explain why what they did was art. None of them could form a rational or even coherent sentence. This doesn’t make it a bad programme. Indeed, it’s rather a fascinating one, but for reasons the producers probably didn’t envisage. It is actually a vivid evocation of the reality of contemporary art. It has become all about the polemic: an artist needs to be explained by someone else who speaks the fluent, florid art-speak that is the technical jargon of galleries. This is because the market trusts explanations when it doesn’t trust a brick. Words, you can understand; art could be a lavatory. The answer to “What is art?” has always been: “That which is made by an artist.” To further beg the question, the definition of an artist is: “Someone who makes art.” Those definitions no longer pertain. An artist is someone who is validated by one of the three Cs — a critic, a curator or a collector. Any one of these contestants could be a successful artist, but they would have to be defined by successful judges. So the interesting bit of this programme is the competition between the panel of experts for authority and memorably pithy jargon.

In fact, none of the contestants will become famous artists, because they are the found object. The art is the format; they are urinals. Charles Saatchi is a Duchamp of collectors, a creator who doesn’t create, a performer who never appears. He’s probably at home playing chess. Actually, he’s much more likely to be at home watching back-to-back reruns of CSI: Miami.

Interesting Illusion - "The Afgan Girl"

Came across this on the website Mighty Optical Illusions, took my fancy.

Creating an Artists Statement

As every artist knows or should know, you will not get any where in the art world without an Artist Statement. The problem for most artists is that the flowery, pretentious, obfuscated, prose demanded by the opinion makers in the world of art does not come naturally. Although clearly if my previous post is anything to go by some artists are truly gifted in this department.

Not to be out done I have sweated blood and shed many a tear to produce my own Artist Statement, read on:-

http://www.alistairparkerart.com

Work of Post-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction

The mind creates, the body reproduces. In the material space, art objects are reproductions of the creations of the mind -- a mind that uses the body as a Zeitgeist to de-construct ideas, patterns, and emotions. With the evolution of the electronic environment, the mind is conceiving a point where it will be free from the body to share immersions into the parameters of the Delphic space. Work of Post-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction contains 10 minimal quick-time engines (also refered to as "memes") that enable the user to make innovation audio/visual compositions.

measuring chains, constructing realities
putting into place forms
a matrix of illusion and disillusion
a strange attracting force
so that a seduced reality will be able to spontaneously feed on it

---

Alistair Parker's work investigates the nuances of modulations through the use of slow motion and close-ups which emphasize the Generative nature of digital media. The artist explores abstract and deteriorate scenery as motifs to describe the idea of imaginary space. Using layered loops, non-linear narratives, and allegorical images as patterns, Parker creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of space...

You too can churn out such eloquent bilge courtesy of the The Market-O-Matic Crapometer to be found here.

Seriously if you need help in this department you may find some here, and here.

Where is Modern Art Now? - Blackpool Art Fair!

This week has seen a veritable cornucopia of art programmes on TV. Art on Your Wall, BBC2 Mon; Where is Modern Art Now?, BBC4 Wed; Ugly Beauty, BBC2 Sat and on our own doorstep, The Blackpool Art Fair at the Grundy Art Gallery till January. It was after my visit to the Grundy that the question posed by the BBC2 programme, "Where is Modern Art Now", struck me. If I had thought the BBC programme clouded by obfuscation and pseudo-ism, it had not prepared me for the Blackpool Art Fair. We expect obfuscation and pseudo-ism from art experts such as Dr Augustus Casey-Hayford and Waldemar Januszcack but not from Stuart Tullock.

I arrived at the Grundy on Saturday morning as a privileged preview ticket holder, I had a piece in the exhibition. I was looking forward to an exhibition of the work of Blackpool's artistic best. My reaction, confused and rather disappointed. What did we have here. I walked in the first gallery space to find Blackpool Art Society exhibition sparsely spread over the relatively large wall area. But where was the open exhibition? In the large gallery maybe. No, this space was filled with a strange mishmash of installations based on Blackpool Model Train Society, Blackpool Model Boat Club, Cake Decorating, Knitting, Dog Decorating and a cutting edge avant-garde conceptual art installation by Supercollider (I will come back to that in a moment). Where the hell was the open exhibition? Ah, here they are stuffed into the two small side galleries!

Why? I had trouble finding my A1 size piece of work amongst the mishmash that confronted me. The hanging was 2 to 3 works high, titled with small postal labels typed in 12 point text. Just not good enough for a Gallery of the Grundy's stature. Half an hour later with a crick in my neck and rapidly deteriorating eye sight I still had not found two pieces of work I knew should be in there. As a contributing artist I feel affronted that my hard work should be crammed into a shoe box. Particularly when the rest of the gallery is given over to work which can hardly be considered suitable for an "Art Fair"! What was the rational behind extravagantly hanging the work of Blackpool Art Soc in a huge space at the expense of the Open exhibition?

Back to the beginning, had I missed the point? Was the "Blackpool Art Fair" really one big Post-Post-Modern conceptual nay, avant-garde "Modern" art installation? Was the analist art of the hobbyist (leisure) artist, the hobby sculptors (modellers) the conceptual "true" art (Supercollider Embassy) where modern art is now! Oh, and the work of those pretentious professional and unattached arty types will make up the numbers and help fill the rest of the space!

You have to question what sort of relationship the Grundy Art Gallery is trying to foster with the local art community and the public at large. Why have they chosen to place the polarised art of Blackpool Art Soc and Supercollider at the centre of miss titled "Art Fair". Is this an effort to be even handed? I don't think so, there has to be another agenda. Questions need to be answered! Maybe a clue to the answer lies in one of the handouts I picked up at the "Art Fair" (As I have no wish to embarrass the author)

------------------------------ ---------------------- committed to the dissemination of contemporary arts practice in the town by presenting a diverse and dynamic programme of temporary contemporary art projects. ----------------------------------------------------- is well positioned to provide the community with a forum for intellectual engagement, debate, participation and appreciation. ------------------------------------dedicated to delivering a programme of exhibitions and events which reflects the diverse and dynamic nature of contemporary arts practice, embracing artists at all stages of their careers working with a wide range of contemporary issues and concerns, ----------------------------------will also act as a point of exchange between the audience and contemporary arts practice, providing a dedicated forum for engagement. ---------------------------------- aims to develop reciprocal relationships with other institutions, groups and initiatives. --------------------------------------non-profit, artist led organisation, run by unpaid volunteers motivated by an intense passion for the arts and the cultural development and regeneration of Blackpool. Through the programme of exhibitions, projects and events ------------------------ aims to make an effective and meaningful contribution to the re-development and regeneration of culture of Blackpool.

Obfuscation or what? I clearly need to update my personal statement! Why was there was no reference to Post-Post-Modernism in the BBC2 programme "Where is Modern Art Now" is Blackpool ahead of the game?

Bombin 1987

This documentary was created sometime around 1987 and aired on channel 4. It is a follow up of sorts to the 1984 BBC documentary 'Beat This' which served as an outsiders view of Hip Hop as a new New York sub-cultural phenomenon. Here Director Dick Fontaine returns to focus on the UK adoption of this Hip Hop culture and some of the conflicts created therein. To achieve this, the production chose to focus on Graffiti Art, no doubt because this element had the biggest conflict and issues to explore with its high presence, intrusion and illegality.

In those days Break dancing took centre stage in the UK but wouldn't have provided nearly as interesting debates to explore. After providing such a strong argumentative presence in 'Beat This', Brim Fuentes (TAT) is brought over to the UK as a sort of cultural ambassador of New York graffiti in a string of workshops and informal seminars. He is also put squarely in front of international main stream media's scrutiny. To which they responded in a manner of ways that at best was condescending and at worst was a down right personal attack for being a catalyst to the vandalising of Britain's culture and heritage. From here the documentary alludes to the social implications of ethnicity and poverty, and their relationship with the Hip Hop subculture.

This is where Goldie (of later Drum n Bass fame) as one of the UK premier graffiti artists makes a strong presence in his most notable early television appearance. It's his relationship and 'parallels' with Brim that really play out the rest of the documentary as the two exchange visits to each others home environments in Wolverhampton and the Bronx respectively. The film incidentally captures some of the earliest footage of significant UK protagonists such as Goldie and a pre Massive Attack 3D (not his finest hour here), as well as a noticeably limited Mode 2 and the Chrome Angels appearance at the Birmingham wall commission. However it is debatable that the producers pushed their own inclinations towards ethnicity and Graffiti here, with their focus on Goldie and Brim. It makes for interesting viewing but considering the well documented fact that the culture transcended ethnic barriers in New York and beyond, it can be held up as a particular flaw.

You decide.

Exhibition - Kiln House Gallery

Wreck #15

I have an exhibition of photography "Rot and Rust" at the Kiln House Gallery, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 4JZ, from 7th November to 1st January.

The Kiln House Gallery is a unique gallery space, connected to Thornton's Marsh Mill Windmill.

Open Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Opening times:
Winter 11am-3pm
Summer 10.30am-4.30pm

The exhibition has been curated by Sue Godsiff. Sue is a second year student on the Fine Art and Professional Practice BA (Hons) degree course at Blackpool Art School.

"I have been photographing the numerous wrecks and rotting hulks that littered the banks of the River Wyre Estuary for over 4 years, remnants of a once thriving fishing industry. During this time, many of these historic remnants have been vandalised or plundered for their scrap content and some have disappeared forever. By recording these remains of the past I hope to at least preserve a memory of them.

If you have any knowledge of the history of any of these remains please post a comment."

You can see this and other work at www.alistairparkerart.com

Exhibition - Blackpool and Beyond

Solaris Centre, New South Promenade, Blackpool, FY4 1BB
8.30 - 5.00 weekdays, 10.00 - 5.00 weekends
2nd to 27th November, Entrance Free

Blackpool is a town trapped between its history and its future, decay and regeneration. Familiar memories, fading signs, torn posters, peeling paint, cracked walls and crumbling façades. Happy memories fading into uncertainty.

The work is intended to provoke thought and ask questions about our history. A reminder of how easy it is to pass-by aspects of our everyday surroundings without even seeing them. The work could be seen as a metaphor for the way we view the older members of our community. Something decrepit and insignificant to be ignored and taken for granted. Rather than something valuable, to be respected, cherished and enjoyed.

I have been recording the changing face of Blackpool for many years. I find beauty and inspiration in the fading infrastructure and glitzy façade. My current work endeavours to capture the feeling of deterioration, dilapidation and decay that lays just behind the flashy frontage.

The work employs an intriguing mix of photography, digital interpretation and experimental fine art process.

You can view my work here www.alistairparkerart.com

Map & Directions


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Tips For Artists Who Want To Sell

A quote from Time Out magazine 15th October......

• Generally speaking paintings with light colours sell more quickly thay paintings with dark colours.
• Subjects that sell well - Maddona and Child, Landscapes, Flower Paintings, Still Life (No morbid props like dead birds), Nudes, Marine scenes, abstract and Surrealism.
• Subject matter is important, it has been said that paintings with cows and hens in them collect dust. ....While the same paintings with Bulls and Roosters sell.

Interestingly one of the most common motifs at the Affordable Art Fair was cows ........

Affordable Art Fair

Suckers Tram

According to the Guardian the 2009 Affordable Art Fair proves to be a recession buster, sales exceed £100 million. Not sure how much of that is coming my way but Wills Art Warehouse managed to shift at least 4 of my pieces of work by mid-day Sunday, and the fair does not close till 6pm, so fingers crossed. The work proving most popuar was my Blackpool stuff, "Suckers Tram" was the first sale. You can see the work on sale at alistairparkerart.com.

Now it is off to Amsterdam for the next Affordable Art Fair, next week, more fingers crossed.

Frieze Art Fair 2009

My first visit to the London Frieze Art Fair was interesting and inspiring. Here is a video clip courtesy of Art Review which shows a few of the bits you may have missed, well I did.


Find more videos like this on artreview.com


By the way you can subscribe to Art Review and read the whole magazine online saving you a small fortune in subscription costs.

BIG DRAW EVENT- Video

BIG DRAW EVENT- Blackpool Art College

INVITATION
To ALL FE and HE students in ALL Departments
You are invited to take part in the BIG DRAW - MAKE A MARK event

Starts 10am Wednesday 7th October and will continue untill 15th October
at
GALLERY SPACE
Palatine Road Building

Draw, Scribble, Write, Doodle - Make a Mark

Drawing areas will be divided in to Male and Female
Alistair Parker is organising this event as part of a Feminist Studies assignment
This is an equal opportunities event

See images from the Make A Mark mural on Flickr

Exhibition - Accidental Art

Accidental Art - Layers of History: An unusual exhibition of mixed media pieces. Inspired by fading signs, torn posters and decaying buildings found in the local area. The work is mainly large format and uses recycled materials such as corrugated cardboard from cartons, newspaper, household paints. The project was triggered by my interest in the ephemeral impermanence of Street Art and draws a parallel with our inclination to ignore the elderly and their contribution to our life and history.

For many years I have photographed fading signs, torn posters, cracked walls and peeling paint. These images have now been incorporated into my artwork. I am fascinated by the layers of history represented by the urban landscape. The changing architecture, peeling paint, typography, fading and peeling layers of paint, torn posters all serving to portraying the passage of time, reflecting a history of which many of us know little.

Ever since man made his marks on the walls of a cave he has left evidence of history all around us. The work in this exhibition is based on the remaking of mans marks on the urban landscape. Using an experimental printing process which echoes the feeling of deterioration, dilapidation and decay. Likewise use of recycled corrugated packing cases as the ground for artwork adds further to the feeling of impermanence.

The work is intended to provoke thought and ask questions about our history, reminding us how easy it is to pass by aspects of our everyday surroundings without even seeing them. The work could be seen as a metaphor for the way many of us view the older members of our community. Something decrepit and insignificant to be ignored and taken for granted. When we should be considering them as a valuable members of the community and a reflection of our history.

The exhibition will be at the Village Walks, Art SpOt, off Teanlowe Centre Car Park, Poulton-le-Fylde, from 22nd September to 31st October, Monday to Saturday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, entrance free.

If you are interested in exhibiting at Art SpOts send a CV and proposal to Alistair Parker.

Van Project

As part of the Professional Practice module for the second year of my BA Fine Art course I will be using this van to promote the Art SpOt at Village Walks Poulton and hopefully my "Art in Empty Shops" project.

The van is shown decorated with a piece of street art by B.Toy one of my favourite street artists. This will shortly be replaced with my own work.

Local Garage in Flames

Samsung NC10 Sound Problem

I have a Samsung NC10 netbook and it is brilliant. The sound however has driven me mad. The speakers are tinny but worst of all the sound was horribly distorted even with earphones. After much fiddling I eventually found the solution. I opened the Realtek Sound Effect Manager in Control Panel. Under the Sound Effect tab there is a Karaoke icon, make sure that there is no X showing in the circle. If there is click to turn off. Make sure all the equalizer sliders are on Max and the environment is set to or Padded Cell. Success sound back to normal!

Freaky Photographs

An exhibition of photographs of Victorian Fairground Freaks and other photographs from the archives of Liverpool Photographer and Tattooist William Turner together with work by local artist Alistair Parker. At the Village Walks Art Spot, off Teanlowe Centre Car Park, Poulton le Fylde, from 4th to 29th August, Monday to Saturday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, entrance free.

William Turner (1869 - 1937) was a Tattooist and Photographer (above) in Liverpool at the turn of the century (1900) he was also my grandfather. He had a studio at 44A Lime Street in the heart of Liverpool. His clients were many and varied, from bare knuckle boxers to circus freaks. And he was tattooed from his neck to ankle.

This exhibition has been created from the remnants of his archives. A mixture of original glass negatives and photographs from my mothers photograph albums.

The exhibition is in three parts. A selection of Carté Visité, photographic visiting cards, which would have been given to him by his wide and varied clientele, in this case fairground "freaks".

A selection of personal studio photographs from the original half-plate glass negatives (plates). You will note that long before Photoshop was thought of he was experimenting with the ghostly effects of multiple exposures.

The three larger pictures are part of a project I am undertaking for my Fine Art degree using experimental printing processes. These images have been created from photocopies transferred using an experimental acrylic transfer process.

The original material, which was not in very good condition was digitally scanned. Retouching has been kept to a minimum as I feel the marks of time contribute to a unique history.

View the exhibition on Flickr

Photo Tampering Throughout History

An interesting article for the photographers by Hany Farid, Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA.

• Photography lost its innocence many years ago. In as early as the 1860s, photographs were already being manipulated, only a few decades after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814. With the advent of high-resolution digital cameras, powerful personal computers and sophisticated photo-editing software, the manipulation of digital images is becoming more common. Here, I have collected some examples of tampering throughout history.

• Just days after Sarah Palin’s selection last August as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, a photo of a bikini-clad, gun-toting Palin blitzed across the Internet. Almost as quickly, it was revealed as a hoax — a crude bit of Photoshop manipulation created by splicing an image of the Alaska governor’s head onto someone else’s body. From start to finish, the doctoring probably took no more than 15 minutes. We review the impact of digital photo manipulation, and recent advances in digital image forensics to detect such manipulations. more........