Residency 3, Day 14: 'I’m not a humanitarian, I’m a hell-raiser.' - Mother Jones (Mary Harris)

Everything packed up:

Photo Sylwia Migdal, West Cork Arts Centre

Went to see these later:

• In Clonakilty: https://twitter.com/Mocksim/status/1517542293368184833
• In Cork: https://twitter.com/Mocksim/status/1517542884509163521

Residency 3, Day 13: 'Bihouix skilfully goes against the grain to argue that "high" technology will not solve global problems' - Paul Granjon referencing writing of Philippe Bihouix

Busy, busy day. Met Aoife Raune of Highlanes Gallery and discussed Sky Diving amongst other things. I'll be visiting Drogheda on 8th July. Later had a tour of Glenkeen Gardens and got to witness the latest exciting works of Carolin Liebl and Nikolas Schmid-Pfähler who make robots, and seemed connected with the ways of Paul Granjon, Simon Penny and the likes. It turned out they knew the former, Granjon, well. The two, Liebl and Pfähler, are on one of these residencies: https://crespo-foundation.de/bereich-kunst/artnature-natureart. Now I need to clear out this studio and tidy up. Might do that in the morning.

Residency 3, Day 12: 'Polished, 5,500-Year-Old Stone Balls Found in Neolithic Scottish Tomb' - Livia Gershon, the Smithsonian

Just been listing works produced for these commissions, and thinking about where to put them:

Questions to manage:

1. Messy or ordered?
2. Minimalist or maximalist / Use of space?
3. Need to justify the presence of less-connected ones (other than because I am drawn to their unusual forms)?
4. Whether to take a 'Please do not touch the artworks' or opposite approach?
5. (Appropriate) barriers around pieces or not?
6. Suitable for children or not?
7. Tension between intimidating/unpleasant affects and seductive ones.
8. To display exchanges with 'partners' etc.
9. Wit to be subtracted or added?
10. Subtraction generally. Have I got the guts to subtract? 
11. What about feedback, surveillance, 'digital' and systems aspects?
12. The writing and how to disseminate:
• audio?
• NFT?
• treasure hunt?
• pdf?
• booklet (quality)?
• booklet POD?
13. Make an open call or not
14. Organise a panel discussion or debate with main political parties (in process)?
15. Organise a suitable social event?

Residency 3, Day 11: 'Duchampian deflation stands not simply as a negation of the status of painting, but as an actual extension of the artist’s skills and competences.' - John Roberts

From Mike Stoakes about the work pictured here:

'... firstly I enjoyed it as a political image of land, ownership and shelter - the occupation of space in its socioeconomic aspect.. the photos are most eloquent about this being at the same time aesthetically pleasing as modulations of green (across image and text). if that seems to me to be the essential framework directly represented and embodied by images and objects as the work might be realised in an artworld context it's interesting to think how images in that arena are often connected in order to be valorised by their insertion into an artworld historical narrative which in some ways is impossible to escape from. in this case you could think of robert morris' comment that canvas should be left to awning and tent makers as well as tracy emin's tent. a tent full of balls reminds me of jasper johns' painting with two balls. however another aspect is the affective one of thinking of the sensation of lying on golf balls which brings to mind things like man ray's cadeau - an iron with nails - or meret oppenheim's furry teacup - even though your work is about dispossession of the space of shelter.'

Some matters I want to give attention to are:

1. Painterly approaches as applied to non-painting practices.
2. The question of skill and de-skilling, not forgetting one of my fave art books, John Robert's The Intangibilities of Form: Skill and Deskilling in Art after the Readymade https://www.amazon.com/Intangibilities-Form-Skill-Deskilling-Readymade/dp/1844671674
3. Pretentiousness again. I have discussed (with myself and in pubs and cafés) many times, but the word's lazy use to describe materials the person saying it simply does not 'get', still grates. And why would they expect to get it? Forgivable in someone new to the game.
4. Figuration, whatever that might mean.
5. Work or ideas, or the minds they emanated from, being referred to as 'mad' when they are not. The use is meant lightly at times, but think of the conscious derogatory depicting of Irish and Polish people as foolish or mad historically, {which had its origins I suspect, in the increased rebelliousness of the former, from the late eighteenth century onwards especially, and, in the case of the latter, that period of almost-democratic, or at least more enlightened, feudal order way back in Poland's history.}

Residency 3, Day 10: 'Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.' - Chinese proverb

Whether or not to buy this, that is the question: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091PNBDQG

Residency 3, Day 09: 'Work taken home, or even work taken to the beach, remains work.' Caroline Bassett (2007)

The privileging of so called 'creatives' (often by people who see themselves as part of this special elite) is contradictorily, both irritating, and something worth defending. Creativity is an aspect of much human behaviour after all. Even crossing the road safely requires it and there exist 'creative accountants'. Second, perhaps the compulsion to create ought not simply be considered a positive: it could be a curse. Consider the environmental problems, which arguably arise out of the need to relentlessly create, or our habit of creating more people, lovely people often, but lots of 'em, too many arguably.

The other side of the argument is to embrace the specialness of what, say, artists do. The blood, sweat and tears in getting there warrants some respect, you'd hope. Sports people and folk or traditional artists, those demonstrating skill from a list of accepted practices, or using certain media, suck up the admiration more easily. The person that ran the MA in Fine Art I did twenty years ago, claimed that people are born artists, by which he did not necessarily mean genetics is involved. Art seems to require commitment to a distinct trajectory, individuation, and at least tacit knowledge of art history and contexts. Regarding the last factor, there are many cultured people out there, who know their stuff, learned types, but who could not do it, for some reason. Probably there's a need to be able to dip in and out of foolishness and have no shame. I have often come across students who find it difficult to think laterally, and to be inventive. Others can't stop coming up with ideas. The second category may have a problem completing things. A mix of both is marvellous, and the recipe for an exciting life, I'd say. (Shit: just had a revelation that I blog like I'm writing for that old publication, still going, Ireland's Own.)

Earlier I visited Schull market, and bumped into an old friend, or associate at least, dishing out certain delights (for money). I bought a cup of coffee at another stall, paid for it, but then almost walked off without the drink. The man behind the operation joked that he is used to people forgetting to pay, but not leaving the coffee behind. It occurred to me that it would be interesting to set up a market stall which only provides transactional experiences, i.e. a market stall that sells nothing. The business model is excellent, right? Overheads would be minimal. Branding is crucial apparently so something like 'Organic Artisan _ _ _ _ _ _ _' might work. An expert retailer, and excellent all-round person, I spoke to about it, seemed unconvinced...

Residency 3, Day 08: 'Intuition (or insight) is no magical searchlight' - Margaret Boden

I forgot to update this blog yesterday. Once again it was not an unproductive day but frustrating, for reasons of some necessary bureaucracy that had to be dealt with. On the other hand it might be pleasing to overly engage with all the managerial tasks, that these commissions, and work connected with the exhibition in September, entail. A highly detailed Gantt Chart is in order maybe, with applications of ye olde Critical Path Method (CPM) and/or that Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), or whatever is fashionable now. I could even simulate the bloody thing. God!

Residency 3, Day 07: 'An artist can show things that other people are terrified of expressing.' - Louise Bourgeois

Today was not so much unproductive, as resulting in me not doing what was intended - Barry Brothers was closed :( - and, instead, taking other initiatives. I reviewed this beautiful little beach/bay: https://goo.gl/maps/3cBzbA5DjwU68fwo7, acted upon a problem with the plug-timer mechanism I have been creating, spoke to a TD about a potential debate on environmental questions to coincide with the show in September, received quite a bit of feedback about the cheeky little film I am sharing until Monday, and so on, and so forth...

Residency 3, Day 6: 'This absence of ugliness in contemporary thinking needs to be explained' - Dave Beech

A strange enough day, but stranger for others than for me.

Residency 3, Day 5: 'Toys are not innocent.' - Chris Burden

'I still collect toys. Toys are a reflection of society. They are the tools that society uses to teach and enculturate children into the adult world. Toys are not innocent.' said the great Chris Burden.

No time to do a proper post today. In the midst of a talk on cybernetics. Had to drive a bit today. Two days ago went to visit potential car supply place. That was good. Thinking about what is necessary. Thinking about the costs. Had bought toy cars too. Might use them.

Ann Davoren had sent me interesting material about Mexican artist Jorge Satorre who worked out of the West Cork Arts Centre a few years ago. He, for example, did a census of all the dead cars on Sherkin Island.

Phenomenal copycat artist Eric Doeringer posted this clip of a famous Chris Burden work earlier: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcPMyORLSm_/. More on that:

I passed these beauties earlier: