ARTISTS TALKING

# 20 [21 July 2008]

I had a day off yesterday and went to visit a couple of friends who are holidaying nearby. We went for short walks, ate and drank well and talked about shows and stuff. They are starting a residency at Wysing Arts early next year and will be taking a new baby and 3 year old with them (and I get stressed when I have two small shows in the same month). When I got home I'd had a very enthusiastic email from some young artists setting up a new online art mag called Refutation. They want to commission me to make some new work for the first issue in response to the statement { The failures of the ‘human condition’ VS the computer/digital } The deadline is mid September and as usual I haven't a clue what to do, or even what the statement means. But despite being wildly cynical, I haven't got where I am today by saying no to anything. 

# 19 [18 July 2008]

I spoke to Eric yesterday mentioning my uncertainty about what to show in Leicester. Apparently he's exactly the same with his work, but we decided on the Automatic films (which was what I thought in the first place) So I am relaxed about that now.

I seem to be running lots of things in parallel at the moment. Months ago I promised to put on a show in the gallery space at Asylum studios. I put it up today using the space to try out a hang of the work from Bedford. Actually I only put up half a show as there were still remnants of other work in the gallery. It reminded me that I need to think about framing, the best way to present books and that I have too much stuff. I am also finally compiling a list of random addresses to send the " Alex Pearl is not in the Antarctic" postcards to. I'm using the post office's postcode finder It only lets me find 15 a day but I am keen to become a junk mailer so I soldier on. I am still staring at the stars and have just bought some black 16mm film on ebay to put little holes in. Finally, well not really finally but I want to avoid appearing like a nutcase, I've also been making some photos using postcards of interiors and a home-made illuminated viewer. Unlike everything else I haven't a clue why I'm making these things or where they will go.

Oh and I'm making a new protest film for a show in Stratford in September.

Strangely I'm doing a lot of sitting around playing on the internet.

# 18 [17 July 2008]

The Studio Voltaire show is turning out to be one of those lovely exhibitions where I don't have to worry about anything. Its a group show so I don't have to be the centre of attention. Linder and Michael Bracewell (the selectors) are hanging the show so I only had to post them a dvd. All I have to do (I hope) is take full advantage of the bar at the opening. 

Leicester though, is still weighing on my mind, I've been going through all the permutations today. Watching dvds and hating them all. So much so I'm re-editing a couple of them as I write.

By the way, the drive to Cornwall at the weekend was uneventful apart from the odd motorway maniac but I arrived to find the proprietors of the Salt Gallery in the throes of a slight malaise. Their application to Zoo had been unsuccessful and they were struggling financially. We discussed the credit crunch and the inevitable end of the world before I retired to my B&B for a restless night.

# 17 [10 July 2008]

I continue to download an image everyday from the British Antarctic Survey sit, trace it and upload a copy to my blog

www.notantarctic.blogspot.com

where they remain largely unlooked at. I am really beginning to enjoy the futility of the whole thing. The tracing, however, is beginning to drag. I usually avoid those sorts of projects which improve endless repetitive work, its really not me.

I'm finally off to Cornwall on Saturday to retrieve my show, at least I'll be able to use the tvs to have a look at the films for Leicester. Otherwise it seems a bit sad, Truthfully I'd much prefer if it could all just be chucked in a skip and I could start afresh. Not because I didn't like it I just fancy a violent break.

Enough of self destructive navel gazing, I got an enquiry from the librarians of The Conversational library the other day asking if the Bedwyr Williams catalogue had reached a final resting place. I sent them a picture and a little message

Hi there

Bedwyr now resides in a semi permanent  pile on my bookshelf. I have been thinking of organising my arty books but as you can see it has not happened yet. I have looked at it again and was only yesterday talking to a friend who had met him at her private view at the new Ceri Hand gallery in Liverpool where he was performing as a the Welsh Bard. Her husband (also a Williams and therefore related) spent much of the evening talking about ex girlfriends and growing up in Wales.

All the best

Alex

 The "her" in question is Hayley Lock she's batty but in a good way.

Aargh just got an email, I've got into the Studio Voltaire members show (I'm not really a member but I thought I'd give it a punt) Happily I think it clashes with the Leicester show.

# 16 [7 July 2008]

I've been lazy with my 'pictures of the day' from the antarctic. So much so that I have a backlog of about 12 to trace. Its just a matter of will power and other distractions. I'm still undecided what to show in my impromptu solo in Leicester. I have to come up with three videos and possibly some stuff to go on a wall. At the moment I am swinging wildly between 3 Automatic Films made between 2005 & 2008 and some c-type prints. 3 films from my Bedford residency (although I was kind of saving them for next april) and some record sleeve/porthole collages. 3 stargazer films (although I only have two at the moment) and some c-type prints from the stargazer sculptures. I need to decide quickly and get the prints/film made. Or I could just show the little deaths again as I will be picking them up from Hayle next week at a diesel busting cost of £140. Or three magic tricks, or some Sings/Songs/Operas.

# 15 [5 July 2008]

I'm just back from London. I had to go to the Foundling Museum to retrieve some equipment that I thought had been lost when RSVP was on

( http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/si... )

I dutifully dug out my granny trolley and went to pick up the projector stand, blankets and 2m projector screen that, until a few weeks ago, had remained hidden in a cellar. The train journey there was spent wedged into the non-too salubrious armpit of a rather enthusiastic Maiden fan off to see his heroes play. He was posing for pictures taken by his girlfriend with great enthusiasm.

Before going to the museum I popped into the Truman brewery on Brick lane to catch the degree shows. It was a pleasantly "bunged up" mixture of stuff. There were two great large scale line drawings of Lego street scenes and a beautiful video of a cocktail umbrella in the rain. Then I breezed past Rokeby to see Bettina Buck's Flexing Brown which was surprisingly monumental and looked great. 

Its quite hard to handle a trolley and a two metre projector screen on the underground.

Waiting at home were my "not in the antarctic" postcards ready for distribution. I'm torn between posting them to the usual people on my mailing list or just to random addresses across the country, I'm attracted to the latter.

# 14 [30 June 2008]

I am going to whine about things quietening down more often. My grant is on its way, I've got a show in Leicester and I got another email today asking me to make a protest film for another show in September. Given that I promised to do a show at our studio at Bentwaters (to kickstart the exhibition space) I am beginning to worry that I might be over committing myself again. At the moment I'm trying to decide what to show in Leicester. I've got at least four options but I think I'd like to show three of the automatic films

http://rotagavin.blogspot.com/2005/12/automatic-fi...

as I've never shown them as a group before, but I've also been thinking about showing my magic trick films as a group and then there are the new Stargazing films though I'm not sure how they will turn out yet and I was saving them for another show in march next year. 

Sometime last year I did a talk about career development. I said then that I wanted to start being more selective about what I apply for, but I still just send stuff off to almost every show I think I could get into.

I've applied for some other things and I am now hoping for a few rejections (only joking I crave approval as much as the next artist)

# 13 [27 June 2008]

Hurray I am to get more money- this is a huge relief as things were about to get a bit sticky. My solo at the Salt Gallery came down yesterday and I was beginning to wonder how I could afford to go and collect the work. With diesel and accommodation I am looking at a minimum of £180. Stupidly I didn't even think about dismantling costs. I was thinking of suggesting they bin it but three of the tvs were borrowed from Bury St Edmunds Gallery. Anyway it should all be ok now as long as the amateur scaffolders working on the roof don't knock the chimney down and my new bike remains unstolen. 

I have also become obsessed with a website called statcounter which I use to track visits to my various websites and blogs. Any downturn in visits causes great despondency and mysterious visitors from New York or even Hull ignite false hopes of opportunity. One such visitor (Eric Rosoman) using Leicester City council's server did contact me last night offering me a solo show in August. Persistence of Vision is a series of shows featuring artists working in film & animation, Rachel Cattle & Steve Richards are on at the moment. Four weeks with three screens and a non-compulsory wall to fill with anything I like. I hate making decisions.

By the way I met Eric at the private view of RSVP last September, he mentioned a show then but I was very drunk. 

# 12 [23 June 2008]

I've been living on the edge of nervous collapse. Three months ago I sent in a letter and a tour schedule to the Arts Council to get the second installment of my development grant. I was honestly beginning to think that I had become a cutback and that I was about to be named and shamed.

Anyway, this morning I got an email from Jane Bhoyroo saying: where the sodding hell is your tour schedule, it was due in months ago!! Actually she didn't say that, she was very polite. My letter had gone astray. Needless to say, I had hand filled in a pdf last time so I had no copy of the hundreds of galleries clamoring to have my work.

I've just finished re fabricating it and begun to think about the things I said I'd do that have 'gone on the back burner' A limited edition viewmaster, that bloody mentoring, and a trip to the Bahamas. The first I had no idea what images to do (I'm now thinking about some stars); the second I had arranged but run out of cash; and the third is a lie. 

# 11 [20 June 2008]

Spent the day in the studio fiddling with slide viewers , tracing photographs and filming my celestial machine, actually a bit of wood with some holes drilled in it. I'm supposed to be going to the Whitstable Bienniale tomorrow but I am overcome with lethargy and don't fancy the 5am start. Apart from all the video work I really want to see That's Entertainment at Transition-By-the-Sea mostly because it has work by Cathie Pilkington in it. Many years ago we went to the same college in Northwich, I had a secret crush on her.