Watch This Space

A rough building site, shadows curling across the rubble and along unfinished walls, and a time designated to sit and watch this space. There isn't even any paint to dry–this time we're watching something take shape from very, very deep down inside.


It's both inside me and inside this wall. You can't see it with your normal eyes, at least, I can't. I have to keep closing those normal eyes so I can see this coming together more clearly, so it helps to sit here in the physical space for a while and let the pictures come on into view.



This is a big commission–the amazing thing I've mentioned before but couldn't elaborate on too much. It is a commission to fill this wall space with images, and while I have a fairly strong idea what kind of images, the specifics are just now being worked out. While that content develops inside it's captivating to see the elegance and grace of these shadows on the wall, the triptych of wire shapes and the soft coherence of a simple colour palette already at work. These things speak a little about the essence of my images to come. There is a peace already here while beauty emerges from the ashes of a derelict place with plans for hope and a bright future. It's good to watch because it confirms that something goes ahead preparing the way, and it's right to watch because the nature of this preparation helps encourage the vision on its journey.



This is an active building site so full safety gear is required. It feels somehow poetic that I should be there in armour, protecting myself from harm while encouraging the ideas out.

(Follow this link to related NEWS article, August 2008.)


{Today's soundtrack: Coldcut - Sound Mirrors}

[ Homeland ]

to be continued once the CD of images reappears... hmph.

[ interlude ]

Apologies for the delay since last posting. The Homeland story will continue soon once the absorbing events of this week are navigated. These include development of that *amazing* job announced way back on May26th (details coming soon), and my Great Aunt's funeral, which was yesterday.

The funeral wasn't really so sad - Auntie Ros was a very old lady who was probably blessed in passing on, and the few family that were gathered had a special and happy time together remembering her. She lived overlooking Dartmoor, and in memory of Ros today's images are only in my head, collected about twenty years ago - the view from her sitting room across the moor to Hay Tor, the bright blue of her ducks' eggs (which I'd never seen before), and tiny, yappy chihuahuas running around chintzy sofas and a muddy stableyard. A lady of the outside places, bless her and her looking out and up to the hills.


"I lift my eyes up to the hills - where does my help come from?"

Psalm 121



{Today's soundtrack: Mahler's Fifth Symphony}

Homeland : episode ii

One by one, they ascend.

Consider this, that as many shapes and colours as there are lifting into the sky, there are people walking the same piece of land as you with a hope they long to let fly. All our hopes are different, but perhaps they all ascend in the same direction, and perhaps the wind carries them all together whichever way it blows. Some hopes are big and captivate many, some small and almost unnoticed.





Although our hopes are unique, we're all in it together, carried not in our own strength but by something else beyond us. What is it? And doesn't it make you want to stop looking at your feet?



These are your people. This is your tribe, your clan, and doesn't it look brilliant?


{Today's soundtrack: Koop - Absolute Space from Sons of Koop}

Homeland : episode i

So, we found ourselves getting up very, very early one morning, climbing a hill in Bristol thick with mist and dew, exploring through some strange shapes and unfamiliar noises. The sun was low and warm, but the mist was strong and wouldn't leave, so it was we were shrouded as we waited to see what would happen.


A funny land of billowing fabric started churning, like the sea, then these massive balloons grew up out of the grass, swelling with a proud promise of fairy tale adventures.



The sun bounced highlights off wet balloon silk while the mist still veiled the bigger picture, and we waited and watched to see what would happen next. We stood together expectant but disorientated, a fairy tale promise always having been something defined by not being real.


"Passengers in!" called our pilot.

Imagination and reality were struggling to equal out while we waited for the view to clear, obscured as it was by the balloons all around. One by one they started ascending, one by one...


{Today's soundtrack: Lamb - Soft Mistake from Fear of Fours}

Homeland : introduction

Something has been stirring in the soul. (See 6th July: Homeland.)

When I moved back home to Bristol two years ago I went up on my bike to the Balloon Fiesta, very early one morning, to see over one hundred balloons taking off in thin, clear morning air. I thought there would be only a handful of people watching, but was surprised to discover hundreds of folk settled with breakfast barbeques as the Lighthouse Family (Gonna Get Lifted!) crooned the balloons on their way. It was cheesy but brilliant. After London's strictness and claustrophobia, I was moved to think of my home turf birthing these gentle adventurers, all seeking their radical view of the land with no agenda that makes earthly sense. Not only this, but I was also moved by the desire of those gathered to be captivated and lifted to another place.

It's true, I thought, there really are people who care about living in hope rather than existing in ambition, and this is where I live.

Two years following this, our story begins...

Second Fruit

Yes ma'am, no more excuses, ropy phone kit is drop-kicked for a proper camera at long last–feels like having a new handbag–and I got me tomato number 2. It feels very butch to get excited about technical quality, but I must say, look at the definition on these little yummies.




More later - there's loads to tell you.


{This morning's soundtrack: local radio (?!) }

First Fruit

[ poor phone shot 02 : at the limits of tolerating ropy kit ]


Joyous! The harvesting of one delicious cherry tomato, my very first from a tree that is bearing so much fruit it has asked to be repotted three–yes, three–times, by trying to smash its way out of various homes. I give it so much love and water it every night before bedtime, and have even tied its current pot together with string such is the rebellion and over-excitement of this gorgeous creature.

It's very poetic you know, like life itself.

I tried growing cherry tomatoes a few years ago, but knew squat about plantlife and didn't appreciate how greedy these little ones are. By September that year the harvest totaled just one, sole fruit. Served up with scrambled egg and good bread, it was well worth the wait but over way too soon.

This time things are different–if this little beauty is anything to go by then guys, we're in for some tomato heaven for the next few weeks... I absolutely love seeing this tree laden with fruit, this new tree that has grown from a mini speck of a seed that I planted with my own bare hands! It's great!

Everyone! Grow stuff!!


{Today's carnival soundtrack: Gilles Peterson's latest release}

Circles of Confusion : ii

The circles have been back, really bright and busy this morning. Revisit May's archive for the original posts on this. It was great to emerge in and out of these thoughts while coming to consciousness at 7am.

By the way - (May 22) - does anyone know where the swifts have gone?


{Today's soundtrack: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl}

Being Here Now

Enough shocking image quality (last post) for the sake of advancing my gadget competence–that's never been a good reason to exhibit photographs. Sorry.

Back to here and now, there are some interesting grown up things going on at the moment with work, but secretly this can be exhausting at times–let's do a little dance and show everyone our tummies instead.

Anyone else know the feeling? Please say yes...




{Today's soundtrack: Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Turns Black}

{PS. I know he's appeared before but it's for good reason. If you want to find out why, I would recommend getting along to one of Ray's UK tour dates. If you need beauty in your life you'll find it here.}

Passion Flower

This is great - I've just worked out how to upload posts from my phone! This little flower was blooming in solitude on my balcony last night so I figured it had to be shared.

Did you know that this plant is not called 'passion' meaning love, but the passion of Christ? There is symbolism attached to each shape in the flower, right down to the 72 'radial filaments' in the flower representing the crown of thorns. There's a description here in the last section about its name (although two apostles seem to have been forgotten in order to give meaning to 10 petals).

And I was wrong to tell a friend the other day that it's different from passion fruit. This plant does fruit, but it's not the fruit you would normally eat.

Yummy.


{Today's soundtrack: Beth Orton - Daybreaker}

{Today's soundtrack}

Caught myself making a playlist called '* really nice' (add a star * so it sits at the top of your playlist library) because I couldn't swamp myself with enough sounds in exploration of a thing that's burrowing somewhere deep and making me smile at strangers in the street.

It's one of those feelings when you get a rare glimpse into a place not really in our remit to understand, but you just know everything's going to be alright. I mean, you really know.

Rather than a quiet addition at the end, today's soundtrack is something bigger to dwell on while tilling the heart's soil - I can't really talk too much about this, here's the playlist (track/artist):

1. Roscoe - Midlake
2. Chromakey Dreamcoat - Boards of Canada
3. Spiegel im Spiegel - Arvo Part
4. Sol - To Rococo Rot
5. The Plug - Bonobo
6. Flim - Aphex Twin
7. Ralome - Plaid
8. Any Other Name - Thomas Newman
9. Fault Line - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
10. Salvation - Rae & Christian
11. Bad - U2
12. Want You to Know - Freelance Hellraiser
13. Tristesse Globale - Royksopp
14. Safe in Your Arms - Beth Orton
15. Break Me Gently - Doves
16. Above the Clouds - Turin Breaks
17. Be Here Now - Ray LaMontagne
18. Earth To Calm - Scott Matthews
19. The Part Where You Let Go - Hem

Waves of sound, waves of feelings, waves of experience.





So soothing and strong, the wave is one of the best poems I know. It doesn't deny the present but it still tells you something else is on its way. That is what tilling the soil is about too - paying attention to the ground today knowing there are seeds yet to be sown. That - I think - is why my sounds receive higher billing today because they acknowledge such rhythms.


{Today's soundtrack: as above}