Chair work?

Yesterday's first attempt at many people stood on a chair...

On this particular chair, three people seemed easy enough, four was more of a challenge. It's obvious that a more solid chair would be useful. 
I don't know which is more interesting, to many people failing to stand on the chair or fewer people sharing the small space for a longer duration. Only one way to find out...

Air France - Benjamin Millepied & Virginie Caussin

Springs

As I was leaving the studio today I happened to notice that my table is on springs... This looks remarkably like the kind of mischief that either of my friends, Martha or Peter, might have gotten up to last year on their intermedia undergrad. Of all the desks in all the studios it wound up being in mine... a rather nice serendipity I thought. 

New year, new studio

Day one back in the studio... I don't have neighbours yet, that'll happen tomorrow. Glad to be back. As you can see from the image I've thrown some posters up from last semester just to break up the empty and hopefully to give the new first year an idea of what I've been doing...
Hopefully these blogs will get more interesting again soon but in the mean time this is a quote that I started the course with this time last year. I thought I'd post it again just in case it's still useful...

Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige’s wall there was this one: “Matters of great concern should be treated lightly.” Master Ittei commented, “Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.”

(Hagakure, 1709 – 1716.)

A quick note on the merger so far...

A slight thematic aside for this blog maybe but I can't help making a few notes on the recent "merger" of ECA with UoE... I don't intend to spend huge amounts of my time seething about it but noting down initial feelings may be useful at some point, who knows...


It's first of all worth considering the term "merger." This is not a merger, it is and has always been a take over. That is how it feels at least.


Returning to ECA this semester to find cheaply made UoE banners hung in ever conceivable location was a little disheartening. I had hoped that the university may have had the grace to allow ECA to hold on to at least a sense of Independence. Given that at every meeting, interview, polling session and focus group I attended, (& I attended quite a few,) this was considered a key issue. UoE is a completely different type of institution with different attitudes towards teaching and to its students, and so it should be, but when a small institution is suddenly consumed by a much larger one the smaller institution could be forgiven for being nervous about how its practices and nuances are going to be maintained or supported, if at all.


Even the muffins are branded UoE. There is no doubt in anybodies mind that they are now part of the university. Whether this brings with it more benefits than problems is still yet to be seen but in terms of making the students (& staff) feel uneasy I think we're off to a good start.


Here's hoping things get better.

Public school Workshop 3

An auto-appropriated text:
Festivals, Events & Street Performance.
A performance of exciting taiko rhythms, dynamic choreography & high energy, brought to you from the Mygen Taiko Dojo. The UK's centre for Taiko drumming, based in central Scotland.
Taiko drumming is a centuries old folk art, a festival music originally from Japan.
At the Dojo, we train & develop the future star players of Taiko, as well as open workshops for the public.
We also have a professional touring group based at the Mugen Taiko Dojo. 
See overleaf.

Todays thoughts...

I'm looking forward to the Bill Bollinger show coming to the Fruitmarket this Autumn...

There's something familiar about the attempts to stand a telegraph pole on end...


I've also been thinking about Warhol's screen tests... failure to pose...