ARTISTS TALKING

# 61 [15 February 2007]

Video
I am going to have a little moan. You would never expect a plumber or an electrician to work for nothing yet somehow artists, especially if you work digitally, are asked to work for nothing on the grounds that "it will only take a few minutes...all we want is a 5 /6 minute video."
Yes, after much prevarification I agreed to do one for a friend ( who shall remain anonymous) to go with her upcoming exhibition.

Because you cant see anything - its all done digitally inside a computer- there is little understanding amongst the non-computer literate of the complexity of the work.
The promise that the work would arrive already in a form to put straight into the computer i.e. still images on CD and video cassette ready to be edited proved still-born.
so, please spare a thought for us poor video artists before you ask us to "knock up" a quick video to go with your exhibition.

# 60 [15 February 2007]

Have just heard that The Wellcome Trust want to archive my daily weblog on Craig-y-nos. (www.craig-y-nos.blogspsot.com ) This is good news and makes up for the nasty comments appearing on the BBCMidWales website(www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/abercraf/pages/annshaw.shtml

# 59 [15 February 2007]

Another 26 photos arrived on email this morning , thank goodness for Broadband, but it still took ages to download.
Well I had hoped my e-book would be inter-active - and its certainly being that - but had not expected it to be inter-generational. All these photos that are flowing in ( 72 yesterday on CD) are being sent by children and grandchildren who are suddenly discovering the "hidden life" of their elders, a history they never suspected.

# 58 [11 February 2007]

Phew! I had no idea what I had started when I began to research a book on a piece of missing Welsh history. . The stories from the former child patients are rolling in and its a struggle to put all this into some kind of order. Have still got 8 hours of audio to edit. The stories range from the bizarre - midnight feasts on the castle roof- to Dickensian - children forcefed food. For many their experiences, usually running into years, had a profound effect on them for they were isolated physically from the rest of the world ( remote Welsh castle) and from their parents ( visiting allowed once a month).I am keeping a weblog about the research(www.craig-y-nos.blogspot.com)

# 57 [8 February 2007]

And still the photos and emails come rolling in...however this afternoon met up with Caroline - we havent met since we were 10 years of age- and she has offered to help with the book. It's an offer I can't refuse. With nearly 80 people waiting to be interviewed we are seriously wondering if there is some money around to help.

# 56 [5 February 2007]

Research

Just submerged in research for my book. Had not expected the public response that I got-  81 people -wanting to contribute. Only a few are on email so most of the work is going to have to be done on the telephone with some "live" interviews. I have a weblog up about it (http://www.craig-y-nos.blogspot.com) but because it deals with older people I suspect that not many are accessing it. However, I am trying to put at least one story up on it every day.

Some of the stories coming out are Dickensian: child forced to eat cabbage until he vomited; children living out on open balconies and covered in snow; parents allowed to visit once a month; children tied to beds. Yet there are also good times -the camaraderie of children suffering together against adult world.

Some have never spoken about their experiences before. Many talk about their "lost childhood" in this remote castle in mid-Wales used as a TB sanatorium.

Got an email from The Changing Room gallery in Stirling. They are launching a 24 hour virtual museum and are asking for some info from those of us who have had work there.

It seems ages since I have done any video work...

# 55 [2 February 2007]

The electronic book.
Well, this may or may not change the way we read in future and its just been launched in America. I am of course talking about Sony's PRS-500, an electronic book smaller than a paperback containing 18 books.
Victor Keegan of the Guardian reviewed it. He says he found it easy to read and the print size could be increased to 200%.His final comment is:"The key thing is, it makes reading on a screen pleasurable. That is saying something."

# 54 [2 February 2007]

A new Scottish based video sharing site is on the internet. It looks like YouTube. (www.scotvid.com)Michelle Kasprzak, Programme Director of New Media Scotland, www.mediascot.org sent me an e-mail about it.( wish I could make these f....links work on my Apple!)

# 53 [2 February 2007]

Collected tickets today from the Glasgow Film Theatre for Martin Creed 's talk. Tickets are going fast.

# 52 [31 January 2007]

Martin Creed, Turner Prize winner of the "lights on lights off" fame/notoriety, will be speaking on Feb.23 at the Glasgow School of Art Friday event. This is likely to be hugely popular and they have issued a notice saying that while the event is free it is ticketed and these must be got in advance.