Here’s a video of me attempting to answer the question ‘If I don’t know how to play any chords, what else can I do with this thing?’ in front a live audience, with my pal Ash on the other side of the table answering a similar question, but in his case he does know how to play chords, he just chooses not to.
Something Is Happening: Something Happened
I’m extremely proud to (belatedly) announce the opening of Something Happened, my first proper solo exhibition. It’s currently showing upstairs at Undegun, Regent Street, Wrexham as part of Oriel Wrecsam‘s Offsite programme.
Continuing my interest in automatism, chaos, light and sound, it references sporting rivalries, planetary systems, imperial Japanese court music and quantum mechanics, and features (amongst other things):
Approx 30 vintage West German paperclips
11 x 12″ mirror balls
8 x table-tennis balls
6 x 50W sub-woofers
4 x tennis balls
3 x oscillating desk fans
3 x 20W stereo amplifiers
2 x basketballs
2 x golf balls
2 x mini pool balls (numbers 11 & 12)
2 x slinky
2 x small glass bowls
2 x crash cymbals (1 Istanbul, 1 unbranded)
2 x Session Pro rack toms
1 x Hitachi V212 oscilloscope
1 x antique West German zither
1 x Akai 4000DS reel to reel tape recorder
1 x Technics SL-20 turntable
1 x Simda 3232 slide projector
A fragment of Larry Semon’s 1922 short film Golf (standard 8mm format)
A fragment of Gustav Holst’s The Planets (3 3/4 inch tape format – I forget which recording it is)
The likenesses of Robbie Savage and Lee Dixon.
Something Happened runs from 11 September – 4 October, and is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-4pm.
What’s more, it’s FREE!
Oriel Wrecsam Offsite
c/o Undegun
11 Regent Street
Wrexham
LL11 1SG
Big thanks to all at Oriel Wrecsam & Undegun, and Ronan Devlin for the loan of the power cables.
Wet Sounds
I’m back after a lengthy silence to announce an exciting live appearance. I’ll be creating a live underwater soundtrack to a short watery film in Bangor this Friday, 7th March. Yes, you heard: underwater!
WET SOUNDS is one of those events that you hear about happening in other parts of the world that makes you think ‘I wish I lived there so I could go to that’. The good news, especially if you’re reading this from a location that’s, say, less than an hour’s drive from Bangor (the one in north Wales), is that you can go this, provided of course that you’re not reading this after it’s already happened.
What is it? It’s an underwater alternative music performance in Bangor Swimming Pool. There are two separate sound spaces in the pool: one underwater, one above – you choose your own mix as you float on the surface or dive below. I’ll be there as part of an exciting new duo, I, Demons. I’ll be playing either above or below the water, and sound-fisherman Ed Wright will play either below or above accordingly. We will probably arm wrestle or play a word game to see who goes where.
Following us will be hot Welsh surf troupe Y Niwl. There will also be other music, some aquatic dancing, lots of swimming, floating and diving.
Friday 7th March 2014, 8pm
Bangor Swimming Pool
Garth Road
Bangor LL57 2SD
More details and ticket info at Bangor Sound City.
Cymbalism
Here’s a thing I made last weekend for Helfa Gelf, from two turntables, two paper cones, a couple of sewing needles, a cymbal, mirror ball, ping-pong ball, rubber band and the innards of an old door chime:
Helfa Gelf 2013
The Christmas chocolates are out on the local supermarket shelves, which must mean that September is once more upon us. I’m taking part in Helfa Gelf, the North Wales Open Studios project again this year, in addition to being part of Llawn01 – the first Llandudno Arts Weekend. Come along if you want to see and hear some art stuff, or if you simply want to find out why I haven’t done any of those things I promised you I’d do all those weeks/months ago.
Here’s a first glimpse at something I (might|will) be showing, to get you in the mood:
Dinbych Saith
I am extremely proud and delighted to announce Dinbych Saith, a special commissioned exhibition currently on show at the 2013 National Eisteddfod of Wales in Denbigh, and carried out in collaboration with writer, performer, artist and jigsaw-puzzler Eilir Jones. It’s a response to the cultural and historical impact of the North Wales Hospital on Denbigh and surrounding areas.
It’s on from 3-10 August in the Lle Celf pavilion, and at selected times Eilir and myself will also be operating an on-site clinic, set up to collect memories, thoughts and stories about the hospital. Come along and share something with us, even if it’s just to tell us that you’ve never heard of the place.
Digital Crafts
Do you want to hear me struggling to articulate simple artistic concepts in front of a small audience? If so, you’re in luck. Have a look at this – it’s the final public presentation of the Digital Crafts project I’ve been doing with Louise Christie, Peter Hathaway and Wendy Leah Dawson.
Many thanks to northern bloc and Datrys for enabling it to happen.
Duel
The millions of you that came to see me during Helfa Gelf this weekend will have witnessed Duel, a mini-installation for coriander seeds, speaker cone and sine wave, but the millions of you that weren’t able to make it won’t have. Here is a short video of it so that no-one feels left out. And remember, it’ll still be there over the next two weekends, if, after having seen this, you feel an urgent need to stand in front of it and see it first hand.
Helfa Gelf
As I write this, it is the 9th September, possibly the warmest weekend of the year so far, and almost a whole 4 months before Christmas, both Co-op and Tesco have decided that it’s a good idea to make Christmas chocolates available to the public in dedicated aisles. It won’t be long before supermarkets lap themselves, and the Christmas chocolates on sale in September 20xx are actually intended for Christmas 20xx+1. Eventually, when Christmas 2xxx’s chocolates go on sale during September 2xxx-n, where n is greater than the oldest living human, supermarkets will be forced to rethink their sales strategy.
Meanwhile, Helfa Gelf, the annual north Wales open studio event, is upon us. I will be opening my studio and inviting the public in to see what I do, why I do it and how, on the following dates:
15-16 September
22-23 September
29-30 September
Come along, see some stuff, hang out, maybe have a cup of tea, and find out why I never return your calls.
More info at helfagelf.co.uk
Adain Avion
I’m delighted to announce that I’ve made a film, and it will be premièred inside an aeroplane this week. Welcome to Llandudno is a celebration of a unique and fascinating seaside town, its inhabitants and its visitors. It is also all about chance, about repeatability, but perhaps more importantly it’s an invitation to discover that there’s a whole lot of stuff happening all around us, even in the most seemingly uneventful situations.
Adain Avion is a mobile art space, social sculpture and travelling time capsule, appearing in Llandudno as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Catch it on the promenade outside Venue Cymru between Monday 9 July and Saturday 14 July.
Welcome to Llandudno will be shown on the following days:
Monday 9 July: 12.00-13.30
Tuesday 10 July: 14.30-16.00
Thursday 12 July: 15.30-16.30
Friday 13 July: 15.30-16.30