Word of Mouth - Not My Type - The world of fonts on BBC Radio 4

The episode of BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth programme on Monday 23rd April was titled 'Not My Type' and focused on the world of fonts. Some of the questions asked include: How do fonts change the meaning of a message? What was Comic Sans invented for? Why was Obama's first election campaign so typographically bold? And which font would make you buy one chocolate bar over another?

Michael Rosen was joined by graphic designer, author and the font of all knowledge when it comes to fonts, Sarah Hyndman, to discuss the psychology of typefaces.

Sarah is the author of 3 books, including 'Why Fonts Matter' and 'How to Draw Type and Influence people'. She is also the founder of the Type Tasting studio, which aims to change the way we think and talk about typography through interactive and sensory experiences.

Hyndman talked about the link between fonts and taste. She reported that anything in a round font, especially if it is in red, makes you think that it is going to be sweet. Conversely, a jaggered font is associated with food and drink that are bitter or sour.

She also talked about some of the fun tests that can be done through her website. For example, viewers are shown 9 small paragraphs, each one with a different font. and are then asked which one they would date, which one they would choose as a friend, and which one they would ditch. All these decisions were based on choice of font. She then goes on to explain what characteristics each of the fonts suggest. Very interesting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09z4k9v

DEEP ADAPTATION: rethinking our relationships to each other and the planet

Deep Adaptation at The NewBridge Project is "an ongoing programme of commissions, talks, screenings, workshops and events exploring how current social, political, civic and economic issues can be understood in relation to climate change.

In thinking about climate futures, The NewBridge Project has been engaging with the work of Jem Bendell who has begun to explore the need for Deep Adaptation.

The Deep Adaptation approach involves the following:

Relinquishment – people and communities letting go of certain assets, behaviors and beliefs where retaining them could make matters worse

Resilience – people and communities better coping with disruptions

Restoration – rediscovering forgotten attitudes and approaches to life, such as increased community-level productivity and support

The NewBridge Project is embarking on a process of collective learning to deepen understanding through conversation, action and creativity.

Artists and activists based at The NewBridge Project are keen to move these ideas forward, and are asking questions about necessary changes that are required on an individual and local, as well as a national and global, level. The group are aware that it isn’t only about what obligations we have, but also our capacities to act – in this programme, responsibility is rethought as “response-ability”.

Alongside a programme of events, Deep Adaptation presents work by artists Rhona Foster, Alex Lockwood, Chad McCail and Lucien Anderson and David Lisser who are working in collaborative ways to explore these ideas within Newcastle and Gateshead. 

The intention is that the exhibition acts as a public space for people to respond to, and reflect on ideas of deep adaptation, producing a collaborative response to issues surrounding climate change."

Exhibition: Saturday 14 April – Saturday 26 May
Events: Wednesday 11 April – Saturday 19 May

For more information please visit

https://thenewbridgeproject.com/events/deep-adaptation/

THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER - posters and flyers arrived

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market - Saturday 21 April, 11am-6pm

Look at the beautiful selection of publications that can be found on the Newcastle University table at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market. Open until 6pm today.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market events, performances and activities

There is a great line-up of activities to join in with, performances to watch and talks to attend at today's BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market. 

11.00-16.00
Foundation Press, Level 1
Visit Foundation Press throughout the day to see their work and chat about UNBOUND, an ongoing series of print performances developed specifically for bookshops and book fairs. UNBOUND uses Risograph printing to explore imagery and ideas in an artist’s work; they are currently working with artist Giles Bailey and CIRCA. This print event will culminate in a live performance at 16.00.

12.00-17.00
One Day Residency | Women Artists of the North East Library, Level 2 BALTIC Library
The Women Artists of the North East Library will spend a day researching BALTIC Library’s collection and archive, focusing on records of exhibitions and projects by women artists associated with the North East. This one day residency will form a collection which will be added to BALTIC Library’s online reading list, as well as informing the groups current research.

12.30
Tour of BALTIC Library & Archive, Level 2
Explore BALTIC’s Library and Archive with BALTIC Producer (Documentation, Library & Archive) Gary Malkin, with a special artist books ‘show and tell’.

13.30
Tour of Sofia Stevi Exhibition, Ground Floor
Join an exhibition tour of Sofia Stevi’s first exhibition in a public institution turning forty winks into a decade, with particular focus on Stevi’s handmade artists’ books.

14.00
Artist Talk | Artists’ Book Club (ABC), Level 1 Studio
Artists’ Book Club (ABC) is a cross-disciplinary forum for makers of artists’ books and ephemera, founded at UWE in 2009. It provides an opportunity to get together for critical and constructive dialogue; to contextualise work, explore ideas and to develop creative practice. ABC coordinators Cathey Webb and Gen Harrison will be give a talk on Artists’ Book Club.

15.00
Artist Talk | Peter J Evans, Level 1 Studio
Peter J Evans’ practice explores interactions and how things intertwine, on both a macro and micro scale, working across mediums and often in collaboration. In this short presentation Evans will discuss multiples, editions, collaborations and a recent journey into crowdfunding.

16.00
Live Performance | Foundation Press, Level 1

16.30
Artist Talk | Ashington District Star, Level 1 Studio
The Ashington District Star is a 24-page photographic journal/newspaper, founded in 2014. The newspaper team will be giving an insight into their brand of community-led publishing, working together as a collaborative editorial team and creating a contemporary publication inspired by working class heritage and cultural history.

Publications for sale at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday

These are some of the publications I will be selling at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday. 

My work will be on the Newcastle University table.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market - Saturday 21 April, 11am-6pm

I've been getting my publications ready to take to BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday. There will be over 50 artists, bookmakers, small press publishers, printmakers, artist’s groups and zine makers selling their work. My publications will be on the Newcastle University table. 

This is one of the publications that I will be selling.

This expanded version of the annual Artists' Book Market is a great opportunity to meet artists and browse a wide range of affordable artworks. 

Artist-led activities and performances will also accompany this special one-day event.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market will include:

Artists' Book Club (ABC)
Andrea Allan
Ashington District Star
Kristyna Baczynski
BBB Books Collective
Mark Beechill
Guy Bigland
Shona Branigan
Hugh Bryden
Nancy Campbell
Jessie Churchill
Katy Cole
Nicola Connor
Corridor8
Daniel Dale
Mike Davidson
Theresa Easton
Peter J Evans
Francis Fitzgerald
Ross Frew
Natalie Frost
Peter and Frances Grant
Greyscale Poetry Zine and SUBS magazine
John Harrison
Alexander Hetherington
Ella Holder
Rachael House
Jawbone Jawbone
Nicola Maxwell
Newbridge Books
Newcastle University - this is where you will find my publications
Northumberland College
Northumbria University
Pete Kennedy
Paper Jam Comics Collective
Pathetic Babies
Shinyoung Park
Synchronise Witches Press
Tamsin Rees
Kathryn Robertson
Chloe Spicer
Stichill Marigold Press
Jacqueline Thomas
Debra Thompson
Transition Editions
Sarah Tulloch
University Centre Farnborough
Andy Walton / Swirl
Andrew Waugh
Ellen Welsh
Eileen White
Women Artists of the North East Library
Lydia Wysocki

For more information please visit

http://baltic.art/whats-on/artists-market

Sculpture Placement Group Curators' Talk - Sculpture Showroom, Gi 2018 @GiFestival

Join Sculpture Placement Group for a talk about Sculpture Showroom at Glasgow Sculpture Studios on Sunday 6th May at 3pm. 

Sculpture Placement Group will lead a walk round their newest project Sculpture Showroom, an adoption service for sculptures, seeking to match works of art with new guardians. Participants will be able to learn more about the works included in the exhibition and the wider adoption scheme that includes 95 works, all of which are available for adoption.

The talk will take place on Sunday 6th May at 3pm and will last for around 1hr. Places are free of charge, but places are limited so please book your place using this Eventbrite link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sculpture-showroom-curators-tour-tickets-44668794567

Sculpture Showroom takes place at Glasgow Sculpture Studios, The Whisky Bond, 2 Dawson Road, Glasgow, G4 9SS

Sculpture Placement Group hosts Artists and Adoptors Speed Dating Event at Glasgow Sculpture Studios

Sculpture Placement Group would like to invite you to take part in their Artists and Adopters Speed Dating event on Thursday 26th April, 6-8pm at Glasgow Sculpture Studios, The Whisky Bond, 2 Dawson Road, Glasgow, G4 9SS.



This event accompanies Sculpture Showroom, an adoption service for sculptures, seeking to match works of art with new guardians. It will bring together artists and prospective adopters to meet, talk about sculptures offered for adoption, spaces that may be available for the display of works, new audiences for the work and to perhaps even start the adoption process. The event will use a ‘speed dating’ format to allow participants to meet and learn about many different sculptures and organisations/groups in the one evening.

Places are free of charge, but places are limited so please book your place using Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artists-and-adopters-speed-dating-event-artists-tickets-45172778998

Cameraless film animation frames

Themselves Here Together at The Word

Preview: Thursday 10 May, 4-7pm

Performance at 6pm

Exhibition open: Sunday 13 May - Thursday 21 June 2018

Join artist Helen Shaddock as she incorporates video, sound and performance in her latest exhibition, Themselves Here Together – part of Voices: Within and Without.

Helen uses her personal experience of mental illness to inform her work and seeks to immerse the audience in multi-layered psychological and physical situations.

Themselves Here Together will be on exhibit in StoryWorld from Sunday 13 May to Thursday 21 June.

Please note: the exhibition will be on display at the following times:

• Monday – Thursday: 4–6.30pm
• Sundays: 1–4pm

ABOUT HELEN SHADDOCK

Helen Shaddock’s audio visual installation is the culmination of a project funded by the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts in which she is has worked with other voice hearers, artists, researchers, academics and Mental Health organisations to investigate visual and auditory hallucinations.

Opening of Sculpture Showroom, 21st April 3-5pm at Glasgow Sculpture Studios

I am pleased to be contributing to Sculpture Showroom, an adoption service for sculptures, seeking to match works of art with new guardians. The project is conceived and curated by Sculpture Placement Group (SPG), a new organisation seeking to prolong the lifespan of sculptural works.

For Sculpture Showroom, SPG have worked with artists to identify sculptural works in long-term storage with no current future that they are happy to offer for adoption by community groups and other organisations. Sculpture Showroom will bring sculptural joy into people’s daily lives and will test a new model for circulating artworks, increasing access to art ownership and alleviating artists of the pressures of storage and space. Let’s give work hidden in storage a new life!

When looking through the catalogue I realised how many of the artworks are stored by members of the artist's family. From my Granny's garage to the attic of Miriam Mallalieu's ex-boyfriend, artwork is being stored, and indeed hidden, in all kinds of 'empty' space.

Sculpture Showroom will act as a pilot for SPG’s ongoing sculpture adoption scheme and is launched as part of Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2018. There are 95 works by 54 artists currently offered for adoption and these are presented within a catalogue and exhibition. All works included are available for adoption during the festival and beyond. 

The catalogue includes: Alex Allan, Beth Shapeero, Tom Alan, Daisy Richardson, Jennifer Wicks, Laura Aldridge & Anna Mayer, Laura Aldridge, Tessa Lynch, Victoria Evans, Cate Newton, Catalina Barroso-Luque, Helen Shaddock, Tim Sandys, Louise Gibson, Allison and Bray, Thom Rees, Beagles & Ramsay, Oona Wilkinson, Craig Coulthard, Nick Evans, Louise Barrington, Graham Fagen, James McLardy, Ally Wallace, Raymond Strachan, Zsofia Jakab, Marcin Krupa, Alys Owen, Littlewhitehead, Elaine Allison, Arieh Frosh, Janie Nicoll, Joseph Buckley, Jolanta Dolewska, Elke Finkenauer, David Sherry, Laura Buttons, Oliver Braid, WeiKeong Tan, Lada Wilson, Mary Redmond, Rachel Barron, Andrew Lacon, Emma Pratt, Felix Welch, Corrie Thomson, Rae-Yen Song, Kevin Andrew Morris, Ellie Harrison, Graeme Durant, Leontios Toumpouris, Hannah Imlach, Kate V Robertson, Toby Paterson, Rachel Lowther, Ilana Halperin and Jock Mooney. 

The exhibition includes: Laura Aldridge, Beagles and Ramsay, Mary Redmond, Andrew Lacon, Rachel Lowther, Nick Evans, Felix Welch and Littlewhitehead.

Sculpture Showroom will run from 20th April - 7th May at Glasgow Sculpture Studios, The Whisky Bond, 2 Dawson Road, Glasgow, G4 9SS.

For more information please visit https://sculptureplacementgroup.org.uk/

Writing for the page and writing to be read aloud

Last night's BBC Radio 4 Front Row programme examined the difference between writing for the page and writing to be read aloud. This is something I have thought about when deciding whether a work is a spoken word piece or if it is to exist on a page to be read. It is also a topic I have discussed with my colleague Jennifer Richards with whom I am organising an event to debate such issues.

Audible is launching three new podcasts featuring original short stories written exclusively for audio. Ben Okri, Booker prize-winning writer of The Famished Road, and bestselling author of Chocolat, Joanne Harris have both written new short stories for Audible. They discuss the particular challenges and joys of writing to be read aloud, and consider the impact of the increasing availability of audio content on the popularity of short-form fiction.





Ben Okri explains that he tends to write with more intensity and clarity when writing for the ear.

He believes that the ear and imagination are more closely linked than imagination and words on a page. When Okri writes, he uses his inner ear to listen to the words internally. However, Joanne Harris reads her writing aloud as she writes. Everything she writes is for the ear and everything is supposed to come off the page.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09y6z5p

The Drone Ensemble in Infinity Pitch, an exhibition by Pester & Rossi at The BALTIC

The Drone Ensemble were invited by the collaborative duo Pester & Rossi to host an experimental sound workshop for young gallery visitors during the Infinity Pitch exhibition at The BALTIC.

Pester & Rossi are asking visitors to make, break and re-make the rules of play. BALTIC’s largest gallery space has up to eight live action stations with activities where you can watch, listen, explore, improvise and play along with a number of enormous colourful inflatables.

We had planned a simple workshop structure that involved making megaphones for the children to use to mimic the sounds of the instruments. To make the megaphones we had prepared templates that could be used to trace the outline that was to be cut out of coloured card. Pester & Rossi have supplied rolls of coloured electrical tape for gallery visitors to use to transform the walls and floor of the gallery. This tape was also used to form and decorate the megaphones. The Drone Ensemble would perform a number of times throughout the duration of the workshop, following a score projected onto the walls and getting the children to participate at specific times. However, once we entered the space we soon realised that we would need to reassess our plans due to the existing noise levels, the nature of the space and the sheer number of children who desperately wanted to have a go at playing the instruments.

After setting up the instruments and observing how the space was being used, we had a group conflab and prepared our plan of action. Each of us was responsible for one type of instrument, and we were to demonstrate how to play the instrument. We encouraged the children (and adults) to try playing the instruments, and guided them as they did so.

I was very impressed by the children's abilities to learn how to play a new instrument, particularly the friction drums.

The gongs were extremely popular, and we were able to involve lots of the kids playing the gongs at once as we performed a number of gong parades around the gallery. Pester & Rossi have made a selection of costumes for visitors to wear, and so we encouraged the children to dress up in these. Armed with a gong in one hand, a beater in the other, and dressed in an array of brightly coloured red, green, yellow and blue outfits, we paraded around the gallery in single file making a rather colossal sound. 

The children enjoyed making the megaphones, and this activity was easy to manage as the instructions were very simple and did not require many materials or guidance. This meant that we could concentrate on playing the instruments with the children.

The workshop was a big success and Pester & Rossi were pleased with our contribution and response to their exhibition. We were exhausted afterwards, but would certainly consider doing more workshops in the future.

Double-Talk - A radio programme about dialogue

This BBC Radio 4 programme explores the art of the dialogue, in philosophy and law, in religion, psychoanalysis and the arts.

"Dialogue is a special kind of exchange. At its most simple, between two voices A and B back and forth, one speaks as the other listens and vice versa. Both parties change from the experience. It's an ancient model for how we should communicate, debate, speak, listen and think.

Built around a series of conversations, this programme explores the two-voice dialogue across different spheres - its foundations in the ancient world and in law, in religious thought and modern psychoanalysis, in philosophy and fiction, in drama and comedy and even in music. Dialogue as competition and exchange, as the art of listening as well as speaking, a form of equity or even disguise.



The very earliest dialogues were rowdy and competitive, each voice trying to gain mastery over the other with one judged the winner - in ancient Sumerian writing summer debates with winter, copper takes on silver, fish against bird. These dialogues, all about prosecution and defence, became a foundation for legal argument. But dialogue can be used to describe something more pacific, an approach to understanding and agreement. In Western philosophy, the dialogue was the great revealer of truth - most famously the Socratic dialogues of Plato, which lay down the principles of reason through opposition and exchange.

When it works, the dialogue is a learning process, transforming both participants in the process.

But when two voices are put in dialogue, face to face, is truth and understanding always the outcome? Dialogue can also be a measure of silence, a space where parties conceal as much as they reveal - a way for authors to disguise their own voice by writing for two, sometimes in order to print radical ideas or reveal secrets without taking direct ownership of them, from Galileo to Oscar Wilde.

Contributors include curator Irving Finkel and Helena Kennedy QC; philosopher Simon Critchley and literary scholar Hugh Haughton; singer Catherine Bott and jazz bassist Alec Dankworth; comedy writer John Finnemore and playwright Tristan Bernays; psychotherapist Adam Phillips and Giles Fraser, priest of St Mary's Newington in London."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09w05zh

Projecting cameraless film animations

After splicing my different film strips to form loops, I then used the 16mm projector to view them. Here are a few stills from one of my film loops.

Projecting cameraless animations

After splicing my different film strips to form loops, I then used the 16mm projector to view them. Here are a few stills from one of my film loops (black film and coloured cross hatching).