Studio Setup

On Saturday night I go away to The Banff Art Centre for a two-week Spoken Word residency. Amongst all the preparations for my visit I have been trying to get my studio sorted. I've finished painting the walls, cleaned and hoovered, discarded some unwanted items and put my desk in place. I've ordered some shelving which should come while I am in Canada, and when I am back in the UK I want to bring in some plants and make it comfortable and as uncluttered as possible.

I've still got some way to go, but it's beginning to take shape.

Welcome to my new studio at Carliol House

In October 2016, The NewBridge Project were given the upsetting news that Norham House, the birthplace and home of The NewBridge Project for the past 7 years, is going to be demolished and were given 6 months notice. The NewBridge staff worked incredibly hard to secure replacement premises to house the artists studios and programme.

A deal was made with our current Landlord, Motcombe Estates, to use one of their other premises, Carliol House. Located round the corner from our existing premises, Carliol House was the headquarters offices of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company. It was built in 1924-8. The company was established as the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company in 1889. The North Eastern Electric Supply Company was responsible for the supply of electricity to a large amount of North East England until the nationalisation of the British electricity industry with the Electricity Act 1947. A two year lease was signed to occupy the basement and first floor of the building, providing around 1,400 m2 of studio space, making and workshops facilities, and exhibition space to artists.

Over the past month studio holders have been moving out of Norham House and Dean and Joe from TILT have been building the new studios. They have made remarkable progress.

 

I have the van booked to move my stuff in on Saturday, but before then I want to give the walls a few coats of paint.

16mm film workshop with Hands On Film Lab

On Tuesday I participated in a 16mm film workshop with Hands On Film Lab, organised as part of the NewBridge graduate scheme.

In the morning we were shown the 16mm film camera and were taught how to use it. Then we were given some time to go into Newcastle and shoot some footage. We experimented filming at different speeds (the number of frames per second), and tried double exposing whereby we filmed for a set period of time, then wound our footage back to the point we just started the filming from. We then filmed another scene. When developed and played, there will be two layers to the film.

In the afternoon we talked through the developing process and in the daylight we had a go at loading a test film into the developing tank. It is a fiddly job in broad daylight, let alone in the pitch black! We headed into the darkroom to mix all the chemistry. Leah loaded the film into the tank (in the dark), and we began developing the film.

 The process is as follows:

1. Rinse - fill the tank with water and pour out

2. Develop - Pour the developing solution into the tank and agitate for the first minute.The agitation helps eliminate adhesions in the film that will cause the film to not get developed in certain areas. After the first minute just give it a shake for 10
seconds every minute or so. Develop for 6 minutes. Pour out developer.

3. Stop - Pour the stop into the tank and agitate. This prevents the film from developing any more. Pour out the stop.

4. Fix - Pour the fixer solution into the tank, and give the tank a shake or two every minute. Pour out the fix after 4 minutes.

5. Give the tank a final rinse with water and pour out the water.

6. Photoflo (optional) - Pour a photoflo into the tank in order to reduce water spots. Pour out the photoflo.

7. Remove the film from the tank and untangle it.

8. Hang the film to dry

Following this procedure develops the film as a negative, so dark areas become light and the whites of the image become dark.

We then left the film to dry overnight, and today we went to the Hands on Film Lab to view our film. To say it was a first attempt, I was pretty impressed by what we had produced, and would like to do more in the future.

Hands on Film is a female run and facilitated film-lab in Newcastle Upon Tyne, dedicated to the transmission of knowledge in photochemical film practice – filming, developing, processing and editing. The Lab also offers a low-cost or subsidised entry to the medium for those who might for educational, geographic or socio-economic reasons find this difficult. Photochemical film is a vibrant and exciting medium with unique opportunities for artist projects in moving image.

Hands On Film create a space of engagement via hand-processing techniques and photo-chemical experimentation. Small scale, artisanal production facilities offer a personal and reflexive approach to celluloid, and there is an ethos of skill-sharing through self and peer led education.

Mug collection has begun!

Many thanks to the wonderful studio holders who have provided us with a mug each from their studio. We will wrap the mugs in our bespoke handmade wrapping paper, and we'll safely transport them to their soon to be new home at Carliol House. The mugs will be reunited with their owners at our studio-warming gathering once we have all moved in.

Raise a mug to NewBridge - visit us in NewBridge Project Space on Saturday's between 1-4pm

WRAPPING SESSIONS – EVERY SATURDAY DURING THE EXHIBITION, 1-4 pm

(4, 11, 18, 25 FEBRUARY AND 4 MARCH) IN THE PROJECT SPACE

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Every Saturday during Moving on up, Moving on out we will be based in the project space where we will be designing and producing handmade wrapping materials, and then packaging studioholders’ mugs to be transported to the new venue for the studio warming cuppa.

These are some photos of what we got up to on Saturday.

Hot Toddy from the Tea Trolley tonight at NewBridge - 6-9pm

Escape from the cold and enter the warmth of NewBridge with a Hot Toddy from our tea trolley and a preview of the Moving on up, Moving on out exhibition.

You will also be able to see a mock up version of the NewBridge community tea towel featuring over 45 drawings of, and by, the NewBridge community, and we'll be taking pre-orders so you can be sure not to miss out on purchasing one of these limited edition artworks. They are currently at the printers, but should be here in about 2 weeks! At a price of £5 per tea towel, you can't go wrong!

It's looking like we will be based in the NewBridge Bookshop so be sure to pop in. Looking forward to seeing you in a few hours. The bookshop will have a studio plan that is part monument, part model and part mind map, designed by studio member David Lisser, which will begin evolving on the launch night, with people and studio members contributing to the structure and web of networks and friendships.

NewBridge community tea towel - guess who!

I was delighted to open the NewBridge community tea towel box tonight and find another drawing to be added to the tea towel. Can you guess who drew this?

For more information about Raise a Mug, please visit

https://www.facebook.com/Raiseamug/

Deadline extended - contributions to NewBridge community tea towel now due Saturday 28th January

As you know, I am working with Holly Wheeler on an artwork called Raise a mug which will be part of the last ever NewBridge Projects exhibition throughout the month of February.

We are producing a NewBridge tea towel featuring drawings of those in the NewBridge community - studio holders, past studio holders, members, staff, volunteers, exhibitors, and all those who are, and have been part of NewBridge.

If you are one of the above, we would really like for you to be included on the tea towel, and hope that you want to contribute.

All we need is a black and white line drawing of 'yourself', on white paper, occupying a space no bigger than 5cm x 5cm. Please include your name with the design. If you'd rather do a drawing of someone else in the NewBridge community, go ahead, but get don't forget to ask someone to draw you too!

You can leave the drawing in the box in the PMP Space on the 1st floor of NewBridge, pop it under my studio door on level 2, give it to us in person, leave it at the office, or post it to the NewBridge office. 

We have extended the deadline to 5pm on Saturday 28th January.

The tea towel will be for sale in the NewBridge bookshop. By the looks of the contributions so far, it will be a masterpiece!

We look forward to receiving your drawing.

I submitted my drawing today. You will have to wait for the finished tea towel to see the full image, but here is a sneaky preview.

Raise a mug have just received our first submission for the NewBridge tea towel

Raise a mug are asking for members of the NewBridge community to a submit black and white image (no larger than 5cm x 5cm) of themselves to be included on the NewBridge community tea towel. Please include your name within the design.

We've just received our first drawing and it is AWESOME!

Can you guess who it is from this small section?

You'll be able to find out when the tea towels have been printed.

In the meanwhile, please submit your own drawings - deadline is 5pm on Saturday 21st January

No Niceties - Friday 11th November 2016, 6-8pm, PH Space, 2nd Floor, NewBridge Studios, Newcastle

No Niceties

A lot can happen in fifteen minutes Closing Event

Friday 11th November 2016, 6-8pm

Performances at 7pm

PH Space, 2nd Floor, NewBridge Studios and NewBridge Books

14 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AW

Life moves faster than people. There are times when just being can leave a person completely bewildered.

Feelings of disorientation, isolation and social anxiety lie at the heart of ‘A lot can happen in fifteen minutes’.

A collaboration between artist Helen Shaddock and the independent publishing house UnstapledPress, the risograph publication features a selection of Shaddock’s humorous texts and sketches alongside playful and colourful patterns and diagrams. Shaddock’s wistfully penned vignettes invite meditation on relationships, personal history, habits and the awkward mundane. Everything has come feet over handlebars. You have lost your balance.

For this closing event, Helen Shaddock has invited artists, writers and musicians to submit creative responses to the text and diagrams in the publication. 

Contributors include: Gary Bolam, Kathryn Brame, Sean Burn, Susie Davies, Stella Dixon, Jez Riley French & Pheobe Law, Sarah Grundy, Ute Kirkwood, Edwin Li, Rosie O'Grady, Fang Qi, Sabina Sallis, Helen Shaddock, David Sherry, Cecilia Stenbon, Kate Stobbart, Sofija Sutton & Holly Wheeler

These artworks will be presented in the PH Space on Friday 11th November. Collaborative artwork and the publication will be in NewBridge Books.

The studio as a work in progress

A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to my new studio at NewBridge Studios and this is what it looked like. 

Since collecting my studio key I have managed to completely fill the space with lots of art stuff.

Boxes upon boxes have been filled and transported to their new home on the second floor of NewBridge Studios. They have then been moved around the room as I try to create more space and find logical positions for my possessions.

Yesterday I installed a set of shelves, which has helped clear a bit of floor space, 

and today I have managed to organise the space and get more on the walls.

Living Out Ideas – A Scratch Night Curatorial Studio at NewBridge Studios

Current artist in residence at NewBridge Studios, Gordon Douglas invited members of Curatorial Studio to The Newbridge Project to develop their upcoming publication ‘Living Out Ideas’ outside the familiar context of Scotland. Borrowing the performance terminology ‘the scratch night’, the group presented content, correspondences, references and concerns from previous discussions as well as new work devised for the event.



“Curatorial Studio is a peer-learning environment for fifteen early-career curators from across Scotland, conceived through conversations between Scottish Contemporary Art Network, the curator-led Framework programme, CCA Glasgow and the MLitt Curatorial Practice, Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow.

The aim is to create a supportive peer-learning environment for curators in the early stages of their career through a programme of weekend seminars and workshops focusing on specific areas of practice as well as public talks and events with international guests. Curatorial Studio encourages cooperative learning by bringing group discussion to the fore as a means of engaging with contemporary art theory and extending a network of support to those participating.

Curatorial Studio are: Frances Davis, Gordon Douglas, Cicely Farrer, Rachel Grant, Marcus Jack, Grace Johnston, Maria Lanko, Gemma Lawrence, Kirsteen Macdonald, Emmie McLuskey, Katherine Murphy, Rosie O’Grady, Frances Stacey, Shireen Taylor, Nick Thomas and Claire Walsh.”

It was a really interesting event, with Curatorial Studio performing and introducing a number of texts and films which was then followed by a discussion about the group and whether there is potential for a similar model based in the North East. Watch this space!

http://framework.parallellines.org.uk/curatorial-studio/