Mania

A manic week, I think I've only slept for one night of it. Today's performance was, back when it started, a little performance of some sort of make Carol Finch's launch interesting. Then I decided to do a 5 track Marius Fate performance, including the first live performance of The Trees. Then, Deb reminded me that if she were to read then I should really play too, as half of Fall in Green, so that split the evening into two, 15 minute sections, and involved a costume change, my 20Kg digital piano, Korg synth and two mics. Then I bought a cheap projector a few days ago, and decided to make videos for every track we, and Marius, performed. Stopping the show to play with projector menus isn't an option, so the most efficient way is to make a video for every track, although this means 26 videos (if you include the 'gap' videos between the tracks).

Then I decided that the projector needs a stand, so, at 4pm yesterday after a day in the Macc Art Lounge, cut a base platform from wood, and drilled some 4mm holes into it to screw into the projector base, then fitted it to my Cayer tripod quick release plate, allowing me to use the tripod as a projector stand. It's not perfect, as the two plates that come with the Cayer are annoyingly different, but it's much better to use than putting the projector on the floor. I've just ordered a new 3M lead for it.

And today, I need to memories the lyrics to 5 songs, and memorise the piano music to 7 Fall in Green tracks, before leaving at 5pm to set up the 800W PA system, 150W mic amp, two synths, projector, and everything else, and all for the glory of art and to make the best show I can. As the first use of the projector, it will be a useful field test of new equipment and procedures.

Now, to rehearse and piano practice. Less than three hours to go. This week has been too much and I'm verging on an unhelpful mania. I can't wait to enter a quieter week next week, although my plans for December are ambitious.

Projections, Rehearsal, Existence

Manically busy day today, have made 14 new videos to accompany each of our pieces for the Saturday event, including videos for my Marius Fate songs. Some of these have backing music or sound effects built. Many are relatively simple loops or film clips, the only thing I have time for, not much time for special effects or artistic editing or synchronisation; but they will certainly add to the show. I really need to make some sort of projector viewing platform that I can attach to my camera tripod, but I won't have time until after the performance.

Managed a 45 minute break to gulp down some food before continuing and then a full technical rehearsal at 3pm. All seems to work but the USB still did a few unexpected things; the order of the files was not as expected (the order was but the first one in the list was no the first). I'm also getting some hum from the projector audio cable (definitely not the projector's fault, it hums even when not connected). The cable is too thin, too unshielded. 1/4 inch jack cables seem better and more solid, but spindly 3.5mm cables are a bit rubbish, yet so many devices now use the tiny connection. I might find an adaptor to use with the thicker cables.

Awake a lot of the night with panicky nightmares. I became acutely aware that we are part of a network of humans, a network of friends, to make a nation, a network of countries, a network of planets, stars, galaxies; but also that we are composite beings, made from cells that form a network of tiny animals that make us, that cells are composites of organelles, and they are made from molecules, made from atoms, and subatomic particles. We appear to be individuals but are merely part of this train of information storage and organisation, from tiny to massive, a sort of quantised existence of a broad flow, the ocean of existence. Our cells could be seen as quantised particles, and we could, as particles adrift in society, phasing in and out of existence relative to social contact.

Top Projector Tips

Projector experiments today. I have Yaber Y30 projector (also known as a Yaber 5500, supposedly the lumen rating, but it's not 5500 lumen, closer to 1500, which is still pretty bright for the vastly cheaper cost and reliability compared to a similarly capable Canon projector).

This info might be useful to contemporary projector owners as a lot of the menus and such seem to be the same across these cheap Chinese projectors. This applies to USB use. Obviously, everything is simple with a HDMI or other live video input, but the USB input can be very powerful and reliable if used in the right way. Why bring a laptop when a stick will do?

1. Will show images, videos, text, or play audio files, but only one of each type; it won't skip from a video to a still for example.
2. Stills will pause for a few seconds (on my projector this time can't be specified and is about 5 seconds) and then move on with a random transition. This is pretty useless, as a slideshow that skips on command would be more useful for presentations. The best option is not to use stills at all and make a video of the still image.
3. Video files are read, mostly, in copy-over order, and this is the order that the videos play. The filename is not relevant. Windows often (for years) copies over the last file in a selected list, then the others in alphabetical order (or any old order), so don't just drag and drop and hope that the order will be correct. The way to do it is take a blank AND newly formatted USB stick and copy your video files over one at a time in the order you want them to play. I tried this with a blank but not formatted USB stick and it STILL put the first file copied last in the list. With a formatted stick, the order was exactly as copied.
4. At the end of playing it will skip to the next video automatically; again annoying and useless. One way round this is to create a blank and silent video and interleave it between your videos, then the skip button will skip to the next one.
5. Videos can't be made to loop (unless you just play one, in which case it will keep looping whether you want it to or not).

Admin

Awake for most for the night with stomach pain, but used the time to make detailed Christmas present plans. I seem to spend too long promoting or planning rather than doing. It's easy to slip into or obsess about trivialities. Tomorrow; rehearsals for Carol Finch's book launch on Saturday. As Fall in Green we will perform 15 minutes or so of new material from Deb's Wilkommen Zum Rattenfanger Theater, and I will need to do a costume an equipment change to perform as Marius Fate too. A lot of work. I'll convince myself that this is how Rick Wakeman must have felt when touring in his heyday.

In December I must try to charge into new art.

Euston Book Signing

Long day. Left at 10am for the train, which was ten minutes late. Arrived in Euston at about 1pm and set up our table. Nicole, the Virgin Team Leader, was really nice and helpful, and come to think of it, most of my experiences of ever doing things, as an artist, with Virgin Trains has been really good, with friendly, supporting, and efficient staff.

The stall looked as good as it had before, with better signage, but it was difficult to engage with the passengers who were often busy, rushing, generally prone to ignoring stalls, but we (well, mostly Deb) spoke to several nice peripatetic aficionados of art, writing, poetry. Deb sold two Testing the Delicates and a Rattenfanger, and a joint Fall in Green CD. I sold a copy of Songs of Life, and metaphorically kicked myself for making a mistake on the sub totals; a calculator would be useful.

Bought some food and left, the train again ten minutes late. Overall we lost money on our 370-mile round trip, but we were warm and met some nice people; although I generally didn't say much. Perhaps I'm a little out of practice at human interaction these days, feeling often at the moment like I did in 2007 or so when Andrew Williams was my only friend, by email or pen. Art must be in phases, in, out. Each has advantages and disadvantages. I find I'm often happier the more I withdraw and the less I interact with people, although we have different moods, different personalities that become dominant. Perhaps, I hypothesized recently, our cells club together to form different creatures, each talking to another; the voices in our heads must necessarily be one fraction of our self communicating with another.

When The Time Is Done, Euston Signing

Yesterday was a spare day between two busy days. I decided to plan the next live ArtSwarm event a bit, some ideas for Felines, practice guitar, and record a song and make a video for the next ArtSwarm programme which is very probably the end of the show itself. I needed to do more. I'm anxious to create and finish work as soon as possible. I have, at least, a plan for Burn of God. I can't allow myself to rest, sleep, stagnate.

Here's a clip from my ArtSwarm video, When The Time Is Done:

When the time is done
and the world is only shadows
the echoes of our actions, our lives and loves
live on

When the time is done
we continue through our impact
we can never be erased
for we are part of all things

Only Andrew Williams has submitted anything for ArtSwarm so far, and it seems that ArtSwarm has gradually wound down. Over the run, one or two people had submitted one video once, people who stumbled across the programme perhaps, or saw my call in the Arts News newsletter, but they didn't seem to want to send more, or really get involved with the show. Is making an interactive show not really possible? Perhaps this is the limit of creativity.

Perhaps the idea will resurrect one day, it is a worthy successor to ArtsLab on RedShift, and always more popular, but that was partly because of the way RedShift did things; ArtsLab was for a long time the most popular show on the station because the format included so many people, and even if only the contributors listened that would break a few records. The RedShift producers always seemed to dodge the question when asked how many people listen, the actual answer was usually nobody at all, and when I was there the majority of the station's full-time output had less than ten listeners. I learned that the station didn't exist for the listeners, or to produce good programmes, it was there as a community scheme for the presenters who wanted to play their favourite records. In learning to present live radio and becoming part of that family, my experiences at the station were valuable, enjoyable, and life transforming. Everyone there was there because they were doing something they loved, and every person and experience I've had with RedShift has been positive.

Off to London today to sign books in the Virgin 1st Class Passenger Lounge in Euston Station. I'll be showing off a painting, and a poem by Martin Elder from the Write Out Loud poetry group, the biggest poetry collective in Britain and perhaps the world! This makes the event a spectacle. So, this little stall can be a participatory art show in itself.

ArtSwarm First Time

A busy Saturday, all spent preparing for the live ArtSwarm event, First Time. I always fear that not many people will come, but there are always a few people who come who weren't expected, and always a few who don't come for whatever reason. Three performers pulled out, two of which I expected and one who let me know shortly before. This is an inevitable consequence of organising any participatory event, whether unpaid and voluntary or paid. I try to make performers feel welcome and that they should want to perform or try something. I rarely ask people to perform because most of the will and desire should come from the performers. Myself, I have a 'show must go on' attitude and I don't think I've ever cancelled an appointment or gig or appearance or event of any sort (but then, even at my senior school I had a 100% attendance record for all 5 years, attending even when ill).

But when organising anything, one or two missing acts are inevitable. I aim to be forgiving of such things, especially for things like ArtSwarm where performers might well do something next time anyway and where the atmosphere is ersatz, experimental, fun; but I still want to treat the audience respectfully and the performers professionally. Special guests who promise to be there up to the last minute, but don't turn up, insult everyone and had better be dying and unable to apologise for it!

This didn't happen on Saturday though, there were no special guests and the whole night was easy and relaxed. It's amazing how different each of these nights are. I sometimes struggle, as I did with ArtsLab, with the balance of fun and entertaining versus serious and artistic. I made another post about the fun being serious, and indeed, every expression is still art. This time, perhaps due to the shorter span, I felt the need to be more entertaining. I did struggle with the topic, First Time, too.

My first, very silly, song was about Neil Armstrong, sang to a simple backing track with a few live synth elements. Alice Smith supplied an image to project, and Nick Ferenczi kindy brought his projector for this (I hate borrowing or relying on other people's equipment! I need to test and check everything and know the tech inside and out, this is a lesson from the two years of Mash events; with technology, rehearse and try everything). Alice's piece involved her talking to her younger self. Maggie sang a few songs, as did Nick, and we had poems from several people. I read random words from first lines of books.

Highlights for me: Nick sang a song which was more like a prose poem, and used the guitar to make sound effects more than actually play. It had a punk-like feeling. Deborah had a silent disco in the dark. All of the lights were switched off and, in silence, the audience stood up and danced. We could make out each others silhouettes, but not faces. It created a strange feeling, communal and intimate and yet distant and free too.

There was enough time left to just chat for 45 minutes or so, something I rarely get time for. It made me appreciate the meeting aspect of the nights, which were an important part of some of the Mash nights, all of the parts in between the performances. Perhaps the acts could be inside the group more, like a 'happening' or spontaneous show. This is another balance between a staged, rehearsed performance, and an improvised, loose performance. Loose implies interactive, which normally feels better for the audience, but is less controllable, and less reliable; a bad audience might ruin the show, or at least transform it. Anyway, with ArtSwarm, the acts can choose what to do; anything goes.

Eleven people came in the end, plus Deb and I, too few to pay for the hall so I subsidised the costs a bit. I had decided that I would stop hosting these when this happened, but I nearly broke even, and also feel that this is an important thing for local arts, and (more selfishly) that I'm still learning and want to do more. A lot of local groups and meetings seem to have stopped or paused this month, so I think I should push on, and after the dark winter months, perhaps the events will grow again. Next time I will have a projector of my own for acts to make use of, another reason why I thought I'll organise another show.

I got home at 11pm, tired out after lugging around the heavy equipment. A sleepless night of shivers and exhaustion, I need to find a way to eat and drink enough during these nights; I assume this is the problem. I was up early this morning to take the freezing box of bus to Macclesfield for a day as a volunteer shopkeeper in the Macc Art Lounge. A few sales today (not mine) on a busy Treacle Market day, but not exceptionally busy in the lounge according to John.

Art sales are difficult now it seems. It seems that people buy these things for decoration, no regard to the artist or artistic development or knowledge. Is this due to the mechanisation of creation? Is this ignorance about the arts? Is this always, has this always been, the case with contemporaneous art? Hindsight creates masters, not current knowledge. I'm more confident than ever of my artistic path, busy, inspired, more skilled, full of new ideas, goals, targets.

I must get Burn of God finished. It's dragging on and is difficult.

Macc Lounge, Wave-Field

A long day in the Macc Art Lounge today, a very cold and quiet day, with 10-20 visitors or so, which is a typical Thursday. Spoke to a few people and the artists. The creative output and choices were in hanging some new abstract paintings. Almost all of the paintings in the shop are abstract or landscape, this is what sells in a commercial setting like this. People are broadly looking for decoration of the right quality and price, the artist, and the investment in the art itself, is a secondary factor.

Returned home and went to the first evening of Wave-Field, some musical see-saws in the Lyceum Square. These are fun, they are simply see-saws which light up when used and play sounds. It appears to have been thought up as a clever idea, with no artistic value or comment; the creator is (apparently) an architect with little interest in art itself. This is interesting in a field where hyperbole and all sorts of nonsense is written about art. Of course, this writing is important. No writing about the artistic content does not mean the art is meaningless.

There are many things Wave-Field could be about in an artistic sense; the saws, in a row, made me think of digital sound waveforms, and this was reinforced by the strange electronic sounds. The installation is sold as an interactive social experience for strangers or friends, but well, every and any see-saw is that. It made me think that a plain see-saw could have been called an art installation a few hundred years ago. Ultimately though, any creation always reflects the personality and emotions of the creator (or group of creators, a group can have a personality and emotion); so even the coldest and most technical construction can be touching and 'be art'.

This is a strange creation. It's steel and plastic and LED lights; as steely as something from a 90s Star-Trek series, or a Paul Verhoeven film. The sounds are curious digital squalks and squelches like a robot's belchy intestinal sounds. The writing speaks of social interaction, but it feels strangely alien, something like Marvin the robot (he wasn't an android) from the BBC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Perhaps, Wave-Field is about alienation, a seeking to connect with humanity in a digital world. Perhaps the see-saws are bones or nerves of hope.

There is probably an element of this being the result of a new type of art that is not there to satisfy the artist, or to touch an individual, but crafted for a strange amalgam of public service, practical entertainment, spectacle. Perhaps this process is the alienating force, but Wave-Field is not a warm beast, it's a buckled, silvery conduit for communication, a clonky, imperfect, social medium.