Day Twelve

доброе утро as they say in Russia ;)
Drull roll for my self led project!

Day Eleven

Bad start to the day. First day with my Alarm app working again and the battery goes flat in the middle of the night. Typical :(

Beginning the day with writing up the events of yesterday, and writing up the whole experience at Site. I can't believe that tomorrow is my last day :( It only seems like yesterday that I walked into a room of quiet, quiet people....(Joking :) They're all awesome :D )

I began writing up my interview post for Part C, which can be seen just below this one on my trusty blog :) This (along with the random blog updating and note taking on today took up most the morning, so it was dinner in no time.

Met up with one friend (who's working as a civil servant) and we went to meet another who works at BT (I think I've mentioned?). And what did we see. Michael (BT kid) running towards us, still not having seen us but speeding up the pavements faster than I've ever seen him run. At least I thought it was towards us. Suddenly he veered sharply to the left and jumped on a bus just as the doors closed. We ran straight to the window and started jumping up and down like maniacs. When he looked up and saw us an evil grin spread across his face and as the bus pulled away he did the sort of wave you only expect to see in movies when the Goodies escape the Baddies.

Confused, we retreated again to the basement of MackyDs (As I believe it is now called by those who are 'with it') to find that the scoundrel had texted us. Here's what it read; Sorry Guys :( They've let me go at dinner today, so I decided to just go straight home. Was going to call you, but decided it'd be more fun to confuse you :D Seeing as you like that - priceless :) See ya round fools :)

This resulted in badmouthing him for the remainder of the meal, and comforting ourselves by saying how we were glad to be still at work, although deep inside, we both wish that we could have pulled off a trick like that :(

Getting back I began the long trawl through the interview sound clip, editing out all the bleeps and bloops. A very lengthy process, but time I'm willing to sacrifice for art ;) I would have finished it fairly quickly, and set off into the blogosphere, except for one tiny detail - you can't do anything on a mac without it trying to make life difficult for you. It crashed, wiping most of what I had done :( Brilliant. Just brilliant. Start again.

Half an hour later I'm finished, and pull the laptop towards me to get a better look at the saving screen boxes. Black screen. The life support power cable which makes up for the lack of working battery in the laptop came out. In a voice what I thought was relatively quiet, but turned out not to be so, I said (shouted) 'I hate Apple!'. I got up to stretch my legs while the blasted contraption restarted.

When I came back into the room, someone had put an actual apple on the keyboard of my Apple :D Very funny and all, but what do you do when this happens? Ask who's the apple is? Leave it till they come to take it back? NO! You eat it!

Computer restarted I finished (again) my editing and saved it this time, not risking a third crash from the 'trusty' state of the art technology. Lucy asked us about the biggest lie we've ever told and I told the tale of my (fake) three year stay in Russia, and how my friend willingly believes I'm fluent in Russian. If you ever read this Warren, I'm sorry but you are just so gullible :)

All was starting to go back on track once more. But it just wasn't going to be my day. My apple crashed for the third time while I was picking out photos for my Part D blog post. Giving up, me and Lucy (a journalism student working with us) just played hangman and tic-tac-toe for the last minutes of the day :).

We also had a look at the finished version of 'A Bit-Flat' (our version of the excellent 'In Flat Flat by Darren Solomon http://www.inbflat.net) which we all recorded earlier in the week. Have a mess with the madness here - http://sitegallery-workexperience.blogspot.com/

Just before leaving I had a quick look at Bethany's Part D project, 'You Couldn't Put It On A Map...' which looks to be coming on great! A map of Sheffield dotted with pins locating memories of places different people have memories of. It looks really cool and neat apart from one pin that's miles out from all the rest, making the map stick out by two extra sheets in just one place. Still, an awesome idea!

Not much interesting at home did some blogging and watched a repeat of Sundays Topgear about motor-homes (RVs to you Americans out there) which made me LOL :D but a fairly quiet night by standard. Another 12 o'clock bedtime as well, meaning I'm going to be well and truly zombified by tomorrow :D

Until another day, Shalom my friend :)

Arts Award - Part C

For Part C of my arts award I need to explore and research an inspiring person in the arts. And what better was to do research than in a 1-2-1 interview! I’ve gone for local painter Sean Williams because Vicky considers us both 'strange, but in a good way' :D

After doing a little research on the internet I concluded that I was just going to have to work with what I had heard about him. I knew he painted with incredible detail and that what he painted was unusual and a little about his work, and armed with this I came up with a range of questions that would not only help me find out more about him but also about a career as a painter. After work, Vicky and I set off to Bloc Studios where Sean has his studio.

When we got there a smiling Sean led us up a flight of stairs to his cosy studio where these incredibly detailed paintings hung over all of the walls! The detail was truly amazing! And where he worked? Well that was the studio of a TRUE artist - messy, paint everywhere, comfy sofa, works on the wall, and a well stocked mini fridge! He was such a nice man, welcoming us in and telling us how nervous he was. We set up the microphones pretty quickly and I got straight into the interview. These were the questions which I asked;

1. How would you describe yourself as an artist?

2. Why did you want to become an artist? Er, a painter!

3. If you wasn't a painter, what do you think you'd be doing now?

4. Who inspires you the most?

5. The first time it typed you into google to do research for this interview, the only thing that came up were two photos of a treehouse and a garden. I dismissed them as I knew you were a painter. It was only later when I went back to double check I hadn't missed anything that I noticed they were in-fact paintings. How do you fit so much detail into one painting?

6. Why do you paint with the detail that you do?

7. What’s the process you work to?

8. How long does it take to finish an average size piece?

9. Is being a painter you main source of income?

10. What’s got you making work here to Sheffield?

12. Do you have any advice for people considering art as a career?

13. How do you choose what you are going to paint?

To listen to the full interview (which I edited) go to:

http://www.radiowaves.co.uk/story/151004/title/JoshFoggInterviewsSeanWilliams :)

After the interview we talked for a bit about his studio and how even creative writers (Like me :D ) can have studios, and a bit about Sean and his life. He also very very kindly let me take some photos for my own project (Part D of the Arts Award!). And I managed to get some cool shots. I think I've finally got the hang of the whole blurred background thing on fancy cameras :)

All in all the experience of researching and preparing questions, then interviewing a real artist was brilliant. Vicky gave me some excellent feedback says I did a really good professional interview and Sean gave me a real insight into how he works and why and I’m proud to share it with others on the radio!

Day Ten

I hate my dreams! Had some monstrous nightmare about giant flying spiders biting peoples heads off. I really need to lay off the cheese. Which would make scenes if I actually liked cheese. Perhaps it was dodgy milk. Or just a crossed wire in the old noodle pot :D

Today is going to be an odd post, ‘cause we weren't actually at Site for long, but instead at a totally different gallery called Bank Street Arts. First we set off into town on an ‘assignment’, taking photos for a mini competition for the best photo in the team entitled ‘Hidden Sheffield’. From there it was all a mish mash of madness. Got some great photos in the peace gardens for my Part D art project! When we got there we left for dinner pretty much straight away (well after a quick look around the exhibition we’d be introduced to later) I went to straight to Greggs and got ma Mexican chicken. I ate it whilst having a conversation with two friends in the basement of MackyD’s about breaking on to the roof of the BT tower, and whether shredding paper is as good as a stress ball for anger management.

All would have being well and good, but within just ten minutes my stomach was already trying to kill me :( I reckon it must've been a dodgy Mexican in the sandwich. There I was thinking 'Oh its OK, I'll get a sit down back at work'. Fat chance. The art for the afternoon; Taxidermy. It wasn't so much the fact that I didn't like what I was seeing, it was more the fact I just wanted a sit down. But I knew if I did that everyone would instantly assume I was squeamish, and I couldn't let that happen! So I fought the pain (clichéd I know :D ), and acted as normal.

The show was by Susanne Gent, an artist who used Taxidermy in her work. It wasn't all that bad actually. I mean, I'm no big fan of stuffing dead animals but I guess it’s still an art. And it wasn't as if she just stuffed them and left them, she did put a twist on the common features of Taxidermy, such as putting the glass casing in different places (like actually in the badger!).

After this we did a mish mash of other things, cleaning glass cabinets, having a go at arranging gallery displays and visiting some of the works of photographer Jackie Bellamy who is behind 'Laringogirls', (photos of ladies in women’s toilets!) and who recommended the pizza at the Riverside :)

Going back to Bank Street me and Lucy volunteered to paint one of the walls in the basement. And as I rightly said, 'It's like painting white on white!'. But, I didn't get much paint on me, (quite) a bit on the floor but other wise fairly mess free :) The idea with the labour stuff was to introduce us to the fact a lot of people in the arts, regardless of their job, end up getting their hands dirty. It’s the nature of the business!

An empty tram on the way home was a nice surprise. The first day in two weeks I've had a sit down on the way home. There was literally four seats to every one person, I think it’s the emptiest I've seen the trams ever!

So yeah a nice end to a miss mesh day :)
Nite yal :D

Arts Award - Part A

For my Arts Award Part A, I decided to see whether I could develop my knowledge of photography. I decided to do this while doing my major project (Part D). During the two week of my work experience I used a camera a lot. Both a small ‘point and shoot’ and a smart SLR (the sort that has lots of controls and you can change the lens). The main things I learnt were related to composition and focus.

My self-led art project was great for learning and putting it into practice because it involved very staged (meaning set up) close-up photos. I had to make sure certain areas were in focus and I had to think of things like the rule of thirds (where objects sit in the frame) to get the most from how an audience will view the photo as well as get a message across. It was a tall order and I’ll be honest I took 100s of photos! But Vicky said that was normal and the more I took the more I learned. I also had to think about how to get my ideas across through photography which is not always easy but I think I've done a good job.

I feel confident now with using a big camera. And even photographing unusual things and people I don’t know. You’ll see that form the photos!

Arts Award - Part B

Exhbition review - 'Chronicles' by Haris Epaminonda

An arts events review. I don't think I've ever reviewed something before, so this could either be wonderfully brilliant or disastrously terrible. Here goes...

We went to a lot of exhibitions as part of my apprenticeship. I chose to review 'Chronicles' by Haris Epaminonda, which is showing at the Site Gallery in Sheffield from the 11th June until the 21st August 2010. The exhibit features five looped films projected in small squares onto the walls of the gallery, accompanied by a range of often eerie sounds. At first glance I found it a bit dull. It was only after I gave it a closer inspection and a guided tour of the works that I began to see more of what it was about.

I noticed of the imagery seemed to convey the life of a particular culture. For example, one of the projections showed a series of videos of ruins mixed in with photos of statues of people, which I believe were of Greek origin. Similar to this, another showed a long slideshow of pots along with some videos of men working in fields, both of which reminded me of oriental culture. Other than these two fairly obvious ones, the rest would have being impossible to figure out without the tour.

One of the videos is very particular to the history of the artist who was born in Cyprus, a country whose ownership has long being disputed between the Greeks and the Turks. The video depicts a palm-tree and a sign post, which I imagine is the borderline between the two sections. I liked this because although there wasn't much movement, when put into context and the background sounds taken into account, it had a real atmosphere to it.

In a separate room to the others, all alone in a corner, a projection showed a silent film of animals performing in a circus ring, something which is now outlawed in most developed countries. The silence added a tenseness and focus to what, if shown to us in a different way (i.e. without sound) can suddenly be seen differently.

Up to now, all the imaginary for me suggested links to the past, whether it be a past borderline in a country or an entertainment act which no longer happens. But the next clip for me goes and scraps any connections I made so far, but is still the most unusual and interesting for me. A car dragging an olive tree in circles round a field, while a small pack of dogs watch over the scene. This happens continuously, with a fair amount of time passing before the clip begins the loop again, and yet no motive for these actions is ever revealed. Stuff like this intrigues me, and I would never have being able to walk away from that scene like the artist apparently did without any explanation of why! How she did it I'll never know.

The background noise was a mix of smooth calming noises such as the wind and running water and loud booming noises like the striking of a gong. All of which II thought added to the strange timeless quality of the work.

The films where also all shot with something called 'Super 8', which I don't have a clue about, (except that it’s real film rather than digital video) but it made the footage look quite old, and a little mysterious which I liked :)

On the whole it was a fairly good and interesting exhibition, but I would have like to see just a bit more of how it linked together and even better, to have met and interviewed the artist. Maybe two or three extra projections would have made it complete:D

Day Nine

(Today’s studio = the busiest the room’s been in ages - 15 people!)

Today has being a great today. Today has being brilliant. Today should be the standard that all other days have to live up to, making the world a happier, awesomer place :D

Very tired this morning. Four after twelve o'clock bedtimes are starting to take their toll. Struggling to keep eyes open, but I will fight on regardless! And by fight on, I mean I won't fall asleep :)

There was good news amongst the blurred vision and impaired hearing. The nice chaps who make my 'your music alarm clock' sent me an email apologizing for the apps crashing, and saying that they would fix it for tomorrow morning! I've never seen such good customer service! Thank you nice people :)

Got to work in a great mood, and started writing up all my arts award stuff and nonsense. I finished my Part B review of an art exhibit which I'm rather pleased with considering I've never reviewed anything. I also managed to get something roughed out about my Part A, but it’s a bit messy so I'll tidy that up later :)

Dinner was a bit of a flop, both of my friends bailing on me to sit in business meetings. "Mexican Chicken on my lonesome in the Winter Gardens I guess" :(

After a quiet dinner our studio was the busiest it’s been since our first day. All I was doing was finalising my questions for my interview with painter Sean Willaims, just being quiet and minding my own business, when all of a sudden these ninjas came out of nowhere! They came through the roof, the floor, the windows and EVEN the door! OK, so maybe that's exaggerated. They only came through the door. And yes, when I say ninjas, I mean various creative types. Tomato tomato. And I've just realised that that only works out loud :(

Anyway, the 'ninjas' flooded into the room! An animation graduate with Billy, a time lapse film maker with Jessy, two of Bryony’s friends for her photo project, Kim with Lucy and then Ben milling around in the background. It was quiet a nice atmosphere actually :D From this it just became more and more of a fantastical rush, getting better and better until the end :D

After work I went to interview an artist called Sean Williams, and I'm going to leave the details for the arts award post, but it was amazing! He was such a cool guy, and if you have the time I'd really recommend hearing what he had to say in my edited interview! After that I managed to get some more photos for my Part D that Sean kindly let us shoot in his studio. He even let me use him as a prop :)

After this it was good bye, rush home, get changed, eat/drink soup, rush to town. I went to see the a performance of Alice at the Crucible. And it was awesome! The acting was great, the jokes were funny, the plot was clever, and it was just generally an awesome experience! I'd greatly recommend to anyone who is considering going :D

And it doesn't finish there! Getting home I was given my scores for my Grade 5 clarinet exam, which were (just) a pass so I went to bed feeling pleased with my self :D After a nice chat with a friend (which cost me nearly two pound in credit!) I dropped off going into the nice swirly world of dreams...

Arts Award - Part D

Right, this is long over due. Here is the plan...
Anyone who is accustomed to facebook will know of the millions of groups that circulate, each dedicated to a habit which most people have, such as pretending to text people in 'awkward situations'. My project for Part D is about focusing on some of these groups printed onto card and then photographing them in different (but appropriate) places around town. In doing this, I will be developing my photography skills and also learning how to use text in art, which covers my criteria for Part A :) Two birds with one stone and all that :)

Doing it: I got the rest of my group to help me choose some commonly liked Facebook groups that would work printed on cards then ‘left’ around town. The actual work is the photos I took. I also got the rest of the group to help me make decisions on how and where to take the phones. I did two lots of location shots to get enough photos to choose from. And I didn’t get to use all the titles that I printed as it was actually a lot of work and experimentation. I did take loads, just to get a good shot, but apparently that’s normal for a photographer to do! Check out part A for more information.

Really pleased with my final work and happy that I got to include everyone in my group! Go Fogg. And here’s the final gallery! http://www.flickr.com/photos/site-education/sets/72157624929516229/show/

Day Eight

Tip No.1 for setting an alarm-clock on a phone - never set it so that it makes the same noise as your ringtone. What followed was a ten minute scene which could have being straight out of a comedy sketch, featuring a half asleep me attempting to talk to a none existent caller and waking up half the family in the process. Not a good start to the morning, but it'll make a funny story to tell later :)

Quite a lively day today, and much improved weather was much appreciated :D We began the day with a visit to Yorkshire Art Space (YAS), which I thought was awesome! YAS is a huge complex of artist and maker studios just a stones throw from Site Gallery. The idea of having your own studio that you can do anything with really appealed to me, but I'm not sure if the idea of making the 'sellable' type of art for profit really appeals to me. Still, something to consider.
As part of our tour an artist called Emilie Taylor showed around her exhibition of ceramic pots she has made. She also explained how exhibitions at YAS work (and how they differ from other galleries) and where inspiration for her pots and plates comes from. I really liked how she had drawn all the flats that can be seen all over Sheffield, but had also decorated them in the background with old fashioned flower prints like old wallpaper. We also visited a Silver Smith in one of the bigger studios, and were given a rundown on how things worked there by Rachel Dodd, the project manager.

One thing I've noticed at the art galleries is that they all seem to have ginormous doors! Doors that are sometimes twice the height of me, running the full height of the building! It’s as if they're expecting some really tall person to come waltzing round Sheffield demanding to see every gallery there is!

After a quick dinner, I went out with Lucy and a photography student called Emily who came in to assist us with taking photos for our individual Part D projects. I think I got some nice shots, but there's still more to do, and some need redoing :( More on this in the blog to follow). In fact more on everything in the Arts Award post to follow :)

After getting back not much else happened, so that's where I'll leave it for today :)
Adios Amigos :D

Day Seven

(weekend blogging:) Turns out I never watched the film. V for Vendetta it was, and I was all settled and ready to watch. But ten minutes in, my sister came in. Within minutes it was deemed inappropriate, and was forced to retire to bed. She of course did what she always does and stuck Friends on, the same episode for the third time today. Not all was lost however, as I did get some reading done :D

The main filler of the day was viewing potential flats with my Grandma who is planning to move, but frankly, that's nothing to write home about. Also, I have now finalised the most of the photos and captions for Bethany's Part D project, and will be taking the remainders before work tomorrow :)

I did however watch Titanic for the first time! And I was amazed! I'd always put it down a bit of a boring film given the length, but once I got sucked in all that went away. I was truly amazed. Instantly goes into my top five film list. Although that ain't all that hard, being as most the films I want to watch are instantly discredited as unsuitable and so never get watched.

Yet again, I will promise to post more details about my Arts Award projects tomorrow so that you have a better idea about what my plans are :)

After two very quiet days, I can't wait to get back to work and be busied again :D
Much more to report soon! - Josh