Spectate / Translate

Earlier in the year I accidentally stumbled on an idea for an intervention art piece. My inspiration for this was people and their many hidden lives and conversations. I have lost count of the amount of times that I have caught the tail-end of a strangers conversation, wondered what the hell they must have been talking about, imagined where their lives take them... It has become like a sort of mini addiction for me, true you don't get the highs or the chattery teeth but there is great fun to be had in stealing snippets from strangers lives. I wanted to share the love of this wondrous past-time and get people involved and really just see if people shared my enthusiasm for such a sport. So, a number of illustrated tags were given out as means of documentation.

The holder of the tag was to see it not just as a bit of paper but as a mission. Their mission was to look and listen. I have visions of people rushing straight out and furiously beginning their invasion of peoples privacy, or maybe they kept it on their person until the time came when they would catch the end of a conversation and stumble on a situation. There would of course then be a huge scramble for their tag and the scrawling of the words just then stolen from that strangers mouth. It may have been easily understood, maybe nonsensical. Either way it would be documented exactly as heard. A few weeks later a marvelous event took place at Derby's Industrial Museum, there was music and wine and dancing and such things and sure enough the tags came back. They were called, they didn't just turn up. I then translated these 'spectations' in my own fanciful live-art type way. Work will be shown at Bank Street Arts, Sheffield for P.A.N.D.E.M.I.C, an exhibition based on the situationist movement. Work will be up from 5th - 19th Nov. This will be a mix of the unfolding's from the first event and translations since made. You may attempt to figure out which conversation goes with which illustration.

Cut the Pumpkin

Bought our pumpkin today, all carved and ready for the sun to set. Milly did say if we got it today she would carry it home. This did not happen.

Spectate / Translate : Tag 1

" I gotta go cos it's embarrassing"

Nan's Christmas Jumper

Castle Carol

Peas and Mints

Yesterday, I did my usual getting out of the house to use a cafe as a studio when i bumped into lincoln photographer, Peter Spaczynski, lovely guy, he and his mrs were checking out the old derby for the day and they found me making a mess with paints and things and eating pea and mint soup in Quad.

(and this is what the big painty mess was about...)

if im stuck for something to do or im lost for inspiration OR im avoiding self assessment tax returns, i find that a trip to my local coffee selling place helps heaps.

Ping!

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm... You make me smile... So much more than Chamomile

INTERVENTION (spectate/translate)

Do you ever find yourself listening into peoples conversations? At a bus stop, at the doctors, while waiting for a friend…

I find myself doing this more and more. I can journey off to a place where they might live. Where do they go when they put down their coffee and screech their chair across the floor as an exit? What do their half heard words mean. Sometimes it seems there might be a million interpretations.

On the 30th Sept i will be producing a live intervention art piece for this Holy Smokes gig everyone’s talking about.

For this to happen I need your help, I need your eyes and ears and quick hand for documentation.

I will be leaving illustrated tags at Quad for you to collect . From the moment you hold this tag in your hand your mission begins. Your mission is to look and listen.

You might want to rush straight out and begin your invasion of peoples privacy, you may keep it on your person until the time comes when you catch the end of a conversation and stumble on a situation. You will then scramble for your tag and scrawl on it the words you’ve just stolen from that strangers mouth.

It may be easily understood, it may be nonsensical. Either way write it down exactly as you hear it and bring it to me or drop it into quad and from there i will translate / speculate via the means of live illustration on the 30th september.

ALSO! as a thank you for your help, when you collect your ‘spectacles of spectacles’ tag you can CLAIM YOUR VERY OWN FREE TEENY WEENY MINI ILLUSTRATION PRINT.

Tags ready for collection monday 5th sept.

As part of this experiment I will also be exhibiting all speculations and translations at this here event:

http://bankstreetarts.com/people/residencies/pandemic/

Peas of (Mis)fortune

Hand-crafted fortune messages encased in pea pods. Containing small drawings and messages. These were displayed at a regional music and arts festival. The range of messages, from the positive and affirming to the negative, the absurd and the silly in an attempt to parody the expectations of the public from the mainstream fortune cookie.