Review of Wakefield Art Walk

The walk was 5pm-9pm. We arrived at 5pm at the Cathedral but it wasn't set up yet. There was no times of the events on the leaflet. So we moved onto the next venue which was Mocca Moocho who told us they weren't doing the art walk tonight. We moved onto the Wakefield Museum which had an exhibition on and free wine. There was an interactive setup with household objects that we could re-arrange and take pictures.

This was very good the pictures you took you gave them it then it became part of the work as they were show on a TV next to this piece. The wall indented and laced with velvet with the fruit sat on it. It gave you instructions on what to do to get your picture in the work. The gold frame made it look like an old fashioned painting of fruit (still life).

As the map wasn't very accurate we asked for directions to Art of Oak which is an art shop with an exhibition space downstairs. We met the manager who explained to us that he doesn't really own the exhibition space to make a profit but uses it to bring more customers to the art shop. We were the first ones to visit this space, so he showed us round the exhibition space downstairs and gave us some free wine.

We then moved on to West Gate studios which is studio spaces where you could meet a number of artists in there studio space, exchange business cards and buy there work if you wanted to all with free wine. (But unfortunately my businesses cards I ordered hadn't come yet for this event, but will hand them out next time).

Makes neon signs. She was asked by Saga to make the sonic the hedgehog sign. Everything was hung up with pins and wires hanging down going to the sockets to have them all lit up for the art walk. Her space was amazing. Everything looked quite dangerous with wires everywhere. But it is her space but maybe taping some of the wires might have made it a bit safer with people coming round.

This piece was beautiful paper birds going down over several floors with the light hitting it it was lovely. They were hung with wire and tied at the top and bottom. The place it was put was perfect because as people was walking the staircase to see the studios they can see this all the way up and down.

We then moved to Interval Cafe at Wakefield Theatre, thankfully we knew where this was as the map was very inaccurate. There, there was free wine at the bar and painting all around and you could talk to the artists about there work, in this venue they were asking us to fill out feed back forms for this haven't.

We then went to the art house which again was a studio space we met a number of artists there was also a craft stall and free wine.

Our final stop was at the Cathedral and there was a band playing.


Overall there was a number of spaces we didn't get to and i think that the art walk may benefit from an optional tour so people can find all the venues. As the event runs from 5-9 there was too much for us to see in that time particularly with the map not been very accurate. However it is a really good night but would have benefited from more organising as the artists showing there work don't even know who organises the event or who runs the website. And maybe a should have taken a note book to jot everything down. Overall this event is good for making contacts and finding new venues.

Contacts:

Wakefield Theatre Royal - Janine Heseltine (engagement officer) (contact if your looking for an exhibition space)
01924 334 115
janine.heseltine@theatre royalwakefield.co.uk

Laura Slater (textiles designer/ maker)

www.lauraslater.co.uk
laura@lauraslater.co.uk
07929599215

Abu Jafar (visual Artist)
www.abujafar.com
01924312056

Kat Hall (visual artist)
07947 158978
k.hall@wakefield.ac.uk

Julia Peta Bickerstaff
Newworkshops.com
01924387999
info@neonworkshops.com

Glenis MA Fergus (visual artist)
07870885379
glenferdy49@blueyonder.co.uk

Rosemary Firth
firthrosemary@hotmail.com
01302 738377
www.gallery12a.com

If you want to find out more about Wakefield art walk go to www.artwalk.org.uk
(be warned the dates and day are slightly out but you can work them out )

Third Angel Alex Kelly art talk

He talked about the relationship between art and science.
At this talk I met Paul Digby - Hybrid Co-worker and Alex Kelly Co - Worker of Third Angel.
Alex Kelly works with Rachel who is the other co - worker of Third Angel and they work together within a small network of people with different talents. Alex and Rachel nearly always work together and have a selection of people that they work with a rotate depending on what project they are working on. Alex sees his practice as a multi stranded practice where each section of it intertwines with each other.

Alex Kelly is obsessed with the Voyager Satellite program from the 1990's. He loves how samples from earth have been sent into space from our civilisation to hopefully show other forms of life how we live. The satellite contains 53 languages that we speak on earth and contains a drawing of a circle.

Book about this mission - 'Members of Earth' Reference only

In 1999 Dry Vulcan (a German company) collaborated with Third angel.

Show - Hang Up - He uses telephone boxes in this show as it fascinates him when sometimes you see someone in a phone box but when you walk by another time there could be no-one in it.

In 2001 Alex was invited by Tarisa Brayshaw to do a show with her students called "Of course it's a journey" For this show they all read a passage about the Voyager Satellite.

Book- Faster by James Gleick there's a section Alex calls the hurry sickness section

Alex Kelly and Rachel worked with scientists (Institute of Work Psychology Sheffield) to do a show called Keroshi. Alex said that artists and scientists get on well.
Alex said "We make shows the way they make experiments."
Keroshi means 'Death from over work' in Japanese.

In 2005 Third Angel aimed to slow a space down in Sheffield. The show was called standing alone standing together. A group of people wearing similar clothes occupying a space. It consisted of 3 1hr cycles.

To see there work visit thirdangel.co.uk

In 2006 he did a show called Presumption for this project the worked with Chris Thorpe and Rachel.

Book - 'Clock of the long now' It's a bout a clock built in the Arizona Desert that only ticks once a year.

He's also worked with Chris Hall film maker.

Alex said,
"I describe myself as a serial collaborator".

Group called Forced Entertainment video group.

The talk was very informative about the work and people he has been involved with. I learnt that it is better to work within a small community rather than by your self as then you can use different people talents depending on the project. The only downfall for me was he didn't mention how he got funding for these projects. I would have like to know that as i could have brought that information into my own practice. Overall a very interesting talk.

picasso

A girl on a school trip fell into a £80million Picasso painting ripping a 6inch hole in it. The painting i think was called the anchor, and she had ripped the bottom of it so it didn't ruin the focal point of the piece.

Walks

There is a Wakefield art walk tomorrow starting at 5pm finishing at 9pm.

Then next week on the 3rd of February there's the Leeds art walk.

Alex Kelly

I'm off to see Alex Kelly's talk next Thursday if anyone fancies going?
Then I'm off to project space Leeds after for there opening night of a new exhibition i think.
I will re-read the details for that and let people know.

Native Americans

Last night i also researched Native Americans and there beliefs about dreams. They believe that hanging a dream catcher above our beds will stop you having nightmares by the dream catcher blowing in the air and catching dreams. The good dreams know there way and pass through and slide down the feathers, the nightmares don't know there way and get tangled in the web of the dream catcher. Traditional dream catchers should be no bigger than the side of an adult hand, and is traditionally made from willow and owl feathers.

How dream catchers accrued is from a old story told by Native Americans many generations ago of a woman who had a spider in her bedroom who had been spinner her web for days. The old woman's son came in the room saw the spider and was going to kill it. the old woman stopped him. The spider said to the old woman thank you for stopping him and in return i will give you a gift. The spider span its web across her window to let in the good drama and stop the nightmares and that was his Giffy that she would be able to sleep and only have good dreams. The tale is where the dream catcher came from. People now hang them above there beds and have small ones above there children's beds to they only have good dreams.
The link for this story in full is below.

www.allsands.com/religous/nativeamerican_zed_gn.htm

Dreams

Today more research on dreams needed. Last night i started researching about the science of dreams and found that we don't sleep to save or store energy for the next day because during a night we only save about 50calories which is like a slice of toast. Scientists don't really know why we sleep. But they know that without sleep we cant eat, drink, think or talk properly. But they don't really no why that is. Below is the link i got my info from.

www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/articles/whatissleep.shtml

Also if you want to do the sleep pro filer questionnaire to see if your getting enough sleep go to the link below.

www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/profiler/

Call For Artists

Saw this today call for artists on LVAF for Grassington Festival in North Yorkshire the link is below.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lvaf/message/5853

New

This is all very new to me. Im not quite sure what im doing on here yet. Today iv started researching dreams, looking at Freud and other artists in a booked called Dreams, science art and the uncounscious mind. Iv also started looking at Ernst and how these artist have recorded there feelings about dreams.

Today i read about a photographer called Palestinian Mahmoud Hamdan took a photograph of a bolt of lightning hitting the tallest sky scarper in the world as he watched a storm in Dubai. The photograph looks amazing as you can see each individual line going towards the peak of the skyscraper.
(Source Metro)

Also The Tete De Femme painted in 1963 has been hidden from the public for nearly 40years and goes on sale at Christies in London next month and may go for up to 4million.
(Source Metro)

New project

New project will be based arouns dreams. Me and Laura are collaborating on this project. If anyone can suggest any films or books to look at that would be greats thanks.