'New Year'

On the last day of February we took Fr-Agile down. Then March came with glorious sunshine, it feels like the start of a New Year. The display of the Spurn piece was planned for 2009, so, my inner clock is lagging behind a bit ...

Fr-Agile at South Square Gallery:

To see more images go to TIME-BASED and click on thumbs.
Photos by Bob Levene

Happy New Year.

Resurfacing

It's a week since the completion and Opening Night of Fr-Agile @ South Square Gallery; and it's about two years since our very first visit On Spurn. It's been more or less the start of this blog as well.

So, it took a while to find, create and display Fr-Agile. And often it felt like riding against the wind. Maybe the ever present gusts of Spurn?

After a strenuous installation week - it seems I can be as well prepared as possible, there's always The Unforeseeable creating a whirl - the Opening Night was really nice!

South Square Gallery

It's up and running!
Thanks to Jo, Stefan, David and all at South Square Gallery for their help. And Thank you to the Arts Council England and the Humber Mouth Festival for their support.

Fr-Agile

Seascape [Fr-Agile]

On display 6 - 28 February 2010 at South Square Gallery, Thornton, Bradford.

South Square Gallery | Feb 2010


Fr-Agile, two projections on curved screens (Seascape and Buoy), received funding from the Arts Council England and the Humber Mouth Festival, Hull.

The two three-dimensional video sculptures are the outcome of a research residency:

ON SPURN

Spurn Head, a spit of land on the Holderness coast, is a three and a half mile line of sand and shingle that forms a sweeping curl where the North Sea meets the Humber Estuary. It is a place of continual change – of constant erosion and reformation. It's a haven for plants and wildlife and also a place of man made interventions. The Humber is the UK's busiest shipping channel, requiring a permanently manned lifeboat station.
On Spurn is a research residency for six artists, in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. During the summer 2008 Bob Levene, Pete McPartlan, Rick Welton, Jo Millett, Rob Gawthrop and I developed new work in response to Spurn Point. Click here to read my Blog.

This project is supported by Arts Council England, Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Close-up screen / Come-back

The smaller of the two Fr-Agile screens has been re-installed and fixings improved. And at the same time - magically - the second projector arrived. So, here's some more studio documentation, captured with small camera:

Wide-screen: moving on

It occupied my studio for about six month. Now it has been packed and stored to move to South Square Gallery next February.

Merry Christmas!

Studio test projections

Some test projections using the new projector :-)) recorded with a small camera :-(
The video below is a taster - with sample footage not yet cut to fit the screen. Reality looks definitely better.


More views of seascape projections ["What you see depends on where you stand."]

Projectors

Spent some time looking for projectors to fit Fr-Agile (and budget) and updating my vocabulary with the technical terms involved. Then I found that the chosen model is available in the US only: start again from square one.

Once the European models have been chosen ordering proved to be another adventure. When Next day delivery doesn't materialize 'Out of stock' is a reoccurring explanation... Yet I'm hopeful that in the near future the postman will ring and bring some nice parcels - not for Christmas. Meanwhile I've amended the floor plan again to fit the throw-ratios of the ordered projectors.

Southsquare Gallery

A visit to Southsquare gallery in Thornton where finally two time-based sculptures [Fr-Agile: projection on wide-screen and close-up-screen] will have a debut in February 2010. Hurray ;-)

Larger space, view towards and from the gallery entrance: Things* seem to fall into place:
Amended plan 14 Dec 09

The smaller space with a view to the adjoining larger space

*namely curved screens and projectors

Sounding

See also: Sounding Blog



Midsummer Place
Milton Keynes
8 September 2009 8pm

After an intensive 48 hours the piece is installed. It went well - thanks to the good cooperation with all involved, namely technicians Martin, Paul and Ray; and Sally who kept me going.

For a next time I wished to have another set of my hands and eyes assisting me. It can be difficult at times to be in two places at once, especially when you're on a scissor lift four to seven metres above ground.
Video of Sounding with the background noise of a shopping centre as soundtrack. Do they fit together?

Sounding installation

Sunday, 6 September 2009 (image by Sally)

We started installing Sunday evening as soon as Midsummer was more or less empty, except for Martin and Paul who are licensed to handle the big machine to reach the 20m high glass ceiling, Sally, Gavin and all the kids and - most important - Mrs Smith who, when I went hectic, so helpfully took charge of the sewing machine. [Many Thanks to all of you!!!!!]

Most of the work had to be done during the dark hours. During daytime I prepared bits and pieces in Midsummer's underground world - a strange but genial contrast to the world of the shopping centre above my head.

You can see more images about the installation in a separate album and in the video's below.

7 September 2009, 20:19
Unwinding third bobbin for second band.

7 September 2009, 22:00
Unwinding fourth bobbin for second band

Sounding

Sounding, commissioned by FringeMK 2009, will be installed at Midsummer place in Milton Keynes from September 2009 for two month.

This project and FringeMK 2009 are supported by Midsummer Place, Arts Council England, Arts Gateway MK, Milton Keynes Community Foundation and thecentre:mk

You can see images of work in progress and the final installation on the Sounding-blog.