Thursday 29 July 2010

☼ how's your summer?

daydream under a tree:
coriander flowers will turn to seed:
purple buds ready to burst:
while bees buzz and busy and fly:

Monday 26 July 2010

❣ sew so

found these beautiful old wooden reels
in a charity shop:
I wonder what the large ones were for?
and a tin of 'buttons white':
at home, I made a roll for my silks:
 freeform embroidery is on my mind:
stitching without bitching:

Saturday 24 July 2010

⸖ taking part

our town has been a buzz of art by the sea:
artside gave us collaborations and
installations: 
performance and participation:

we met up with Jane Sealy to add our part to her
choose a colour and a hook:
six chain, form a loop:
2 double crochet into each stitch:
continue and chat:
Jane patiently helped new learners:
try finger knitting she said:
even Libbie had a left-handed go:
I'm already hooked:
organic forms united:

Tuesday 20 July 2010

☼♆ dig it

a visit to Nicola's allotment in Coggeshall:
she loves to grow her own:
we love to raid help:







you can't beat pick your own:

Monday 19 July 2010

❤♡♥ summerloving

yesterday we made our annual visit to
at victoria park, london:
plenty of footwork:
welcome the return of the fabulous
a touch of downtown dereliction 
with fabulous dressing up!
the sun shined on:
you could learn to hula:
play bingo:
whizz down the helterskelter:
eat and drink:
mmmm churros and 
oh yeah:
not forgetting the bands!
Silver Columns, New Young Pony Club &
Cut Copy had real energy:
Chromeo were funktastic:
we danced and sang
at the front of the Gaymers stage:
then hot footed to the Main stage ....
and after a delay ....
Grace Jones will see you now:
alas we couldn't quite see her:
but that amazing voice we could hear:
a new costume for every song:
eat your heart out Gaga:

Tuesday 13 July 2010

₪₪ watching them

I've not heard the new Prince album yet:
it was given away for free with the Daily Mirror this weekend:
reports are mixed:
there's something about the purple man that's compelling:
his charm, musical seduction, self-assuredness:

Libbie and I have been watching the last ever series of
Big Brother on Channel 4:
it too is fascinating and we are strangely drawn to their self-absorbed personalities:
at first:
then we learn what they're really like:
what drives these people to put themselves into the BB house:
to be scrutinised and watched by thousands?

they are dependant on others for admiration:
inside the house and outside from the viewers:
these self-lovers make an impression on us:
look good, sound confident, charming:
hang on.... {grabs dictionary}

narcissism: noun    excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance. extreme selfishness,     with grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterising a personality type
in real life, we come into contact with such characters:scratch the surface and all becomes clear:we find them out and move along: who needs arrogant, self-absorbed, exploitative reality show players, friends or lovers?but do they learn?behaving selfishly or arrogantly seems to bring them a warped admiration:they love it, as long as they're being listened to:the wise step aside:the narcissist goes to seek out new worshippers:
real narcissists don't see this cycle:they're too wrapped up in the new congregation:and if you pointed it out they wouldn't see it:
but life without them wouldn't be so colourful:in this media rich world they are everywhere:your social circle, family, work:get used to them?as long as we enjoy them when we want:and switch off when we don't:




Monday 5 July 2010

---- needle and thread

what did ladies do before television?
they got creative:
knitting, sewing, crochet, darning and embroidery:
I learned to sew at school:
we tackled knitting {I was rubbish}
I watched my Mama crochet and picked it up:
now embroidery ....
a little gingham needlecase, with a blanket stitched edge,
made at junior school:
do children learn such things anymore?

on my Summer holiday I want to create
a freeform embroidery:
fabric, silks and needles will take up little
room and weight in my suitcase:
Trudi {my late mother-in-law} was a prolific
embroiderer:
her twin sister Lottie was too:
their pieces are beautiful:
all sewn on the best German cotton:
with colour changing silks:


and divinely muted colours:
they made cloths for each other:
 table mats with applique
and the tiniest tiniest neatest stitches:
real inspiration:

{if anyone knows how to remove ancient food stains 
from such delicacies, please tell}

Sunday 4 July 2010

⸬ now it feels and it should be

a new show at the Tap:
now it feels as it should be:


a large green cube vibrates:
 the sounds of place:
this place, your place:

the superb Vibe Cube, 
allows us to feel the sounds donated by anyone, everyone:
without visual reference, the vibrations of the cube
expand sensory imaginings:
we loved the feeling of sounds from near our home:
another sound from the winch room:
robotic sculptures by Mark Davey:
moving lights arc and scrape as we look up:
around the rim, we crane to see:
while a ghostly shape moves up and down:
light is usually a beacon:
here it disturbs and unnerves:
at first these lights by Eva Rudlinger 
shine like stars:
she told me it's a map of dense light pollution,
as seen from the sky above:
from a satellite that fuels the need for information:
'piss poorly' by Edward Morris:
yellow shapes and intricate biro lines:
feel the tension in that thin channel:
dark repetitive lines & shadow:
'hyperchondria'#3 {detail}
those niggling
pains like evil eyes:
blood red ink and pen in spiky swathe:
as we talk and look, Ann Harvey performs:
her mask breathes as she draws on the walls:
face hidden, a small light shining:
our pick of the show:
a moment in time, captured in graphite:
drawn and isolated:
no context, no background:
just white paper:
floating or falling?
suspended in time:
things are not quite as they should be:

go see > until 23rd July