There is some fantastic artwork on display along the corridors at work this month.
One piece that I particularly like is a detailed painting of a cow which has been placed upon a flat green background. A tremendous amount of time must of gone into painting the cow and this is contrasted by the simple wash of colour around it which serves to grab your attention as you meander on by. The vibrancy of the colours used really makes the piece stand out from the rest of the artwork on display, which must be said, is also of a very high quality.
I stopped to look at the prices of the work on display and as I had suspected, Id be looking at around £700 to purchase one of the pieces. £700 for a beautiful piece of work, but for something that I have no connection with other than it pleasing my eye.
Also, if the artist is unfortunate enough to end up dead and enough people decide that the picture looks nice, the price will go up again and again until we have a piece of art now priced out of reach of the average consumer and so costing publicly funded galleries millions to hang on their walls. The cost would of course be justified by art critics and the like declaring that for us to lose this piece of art would be a crime to the public.
I struggle to understand sometimes why artists can justify such large amounts for their work.
I am fully aware of the amount of time and passion that goes into producing a piece of art. I understand that for a 'professional' artist there are costs of material, studio rent etc to take into account as well, but still, how can you place such immense value on an image that serves no purpose other than an aesthetic one?
On the flip side of this there is the music industry where an artists music can now be purchased for a mere 79 pence as a download. The value of a piece of music is near non existent due to the wide availability of it across budget formats. Could a musician demand thousands of pounds for a single, exclusive pressing of vinyl?
I believe musicians need to rethink how they make their music available. We need to rethink the value we place on our work before we remove value altogether. Similarly, I'm starting to think that the visual art world needs to do the same, otherwise perhaps it is in danger of pricing itself out of the reach of its potential customers.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Monday, 24 November 2008
open mic
i put the mild success of the pen and quills open mic night down to the fact that it was free (and everyones afraid of the credit crunch) and that it was one of the only places in taunton that was hosting regular live music.
i presumed that in bigger towns and cities that actually had live music venues, the need for open mic nights wouldnt really exist. why would you want to sit in a grubby pub, listening to the same old sub quality cover versions, when original bands and artists are playing in the local union bar, supporting touring acts.
it would seem though that my presumptions were wrong, which is good.
a trip to exeter on friday night for a rum latte would reveal that the open mic night is a popular feature on a students calender. a few emails to friends in other cities reveals the same story, bath, exeter, bristol, all host several open mic nights.
perhaps its the intimacy of an open mic night. the artists are there, drinking on the same level as you. they play their set and then rejoin you at the bar. perhaps the divide between artists and audience is destroyed making those that attend feel that they are actually involved in the night, even if they dont perform.
perhaps, especially where competition for a space on the bill is high, the lure of a bill that constantly shifts between musical genres, abilities and style is what brings people to the nights. not one single person can dictate musically where the night will start and where it will end. new performers will emerge every week and regular faces will attempt new ideas not yet polished enough for a proper show.
whatever the reason, it is extremely reassuring to know that the south wests music scene appears to not entirely revolve around what is coming from afar and what is printed in the national music press. there is still a stage for, and a demand for local, informal music performance.
i presumed that in bigger towns and cities that actually had live music venues, the need for open mic nights wouldnt really exist. why would you want to sit in a grubby pub, listening to the same old sub quality cover versions, when original bands and artists are playing in the local union bar, supporting touring acts.
it would seem though that my presumptions were wrong, which is good.
a trip to exeter on friday night for a rum latte would reveal that the open mic night is a popular feature on a students calender. a few emails to friends in other cities reveals the same story, bath, exeter, bristol, all host several open mic nights.
perhaps its the intimacy of an open mic night. the artists are there, drinking on the same level as you. they play their set and then rejoin you at the bar. perhaps the divide between artists and audience is destroyed making those that attend feel that they are actually involved in the night, even if they dont perform.
perhaps, especially where competition for a space on the bill is high, the lure of a bill that constantly shifts between musical genres, abilities and style is what brings people to the nights. not one single person can dictate musically where the night will start and where it will end. new performers will emerge every week and regular faces will attempt new ideas not yet polished enough for a proper show.
whatever the reason, it is extremely reassuring to know that the south wests music scene appears to not entirely revolve around what is coming from afar and what is printed in the national music press. there is still a stage for, and a demand for local, informal music performance.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Monday, 17 November 2008
the weekend
the weekend just gone was particularly busy and particularly tiring. this is a good thing though, theres nothing i hate more then the feeling that iv wasted time.
friday night was a pretty standard friday night. when you work all week, friday night is the time to blow off some steam - its the official start to the weekend. the mistake is to go so wild that saturday is then lost to a hangover, however, to spend a friday night not drinking and not staying out late in town with friends would be equally as wasteful in my opinion.
after spending some more time on my mix-tape we headed into town for a chinese meal to celebrate my grans birthday. 82 years old! and shes still so fit and healthy. whilst in the plough me and trish decided that her growing up in the country was probably to thank and that people who grew up in towns and cities were probably less healthy.
friday night was also when we welcomed our friend back from his navy training. i cant really explain why but for some reason the night left me with a new found respect for those serving in the forces.
i felt really ill friday night, probably because i drank too much lager.
saturday morning i forced myself out of bed and eased myself into the day with a coffee before starting work cleaning my scooter. i wondered why it was that no matter what food i ate from tuckers, my burps the next day would always taste the same. i did a tiny bit more work on the mix-tape before heading into town for a ride about on the scooter and to get some vital supplies for the coming months.
saturday night was a pretty weird one. we all met in the plough to say a fond farewell to our mate chris who is soon leaving for india. i was driving so perhaps didnt get into the atmosphere of the night as well as the others, but found myself wondering why i would celebrate my friend leaving for what is going to be a very very long time. id gone from welcoming someone home the previous night to saying goodbye the next and it didnt exactly put me in a great mood, although i do wish him all the best and i hope everything goes great for him.
sunday was an early start as i was going on another scooter ride with me dad and his mate barry. we didnt go far but i loved every inch of it on those quiet country roads. we spent most of the morning discussing scooters, motorcycle driving tests, scooter fashion and books about scooters or adventures. i drank two cappuccinos.
sunday afternoon was spent finishing the mix tape so that i could deliver it to chris before he left for india. martin popped over to keep me company whilst i had the exciting job of bouncing the mix down into single audio files. i was sure there was a reason why i shouldnt bounce the files as aiff but i couldnt think what it was so i simply went ahead and did it. as i tried to burn the cd i discovered that format wasnt accepted by my cd burning software so i had to go through the whole process again. it took a good few hours of watching progress bars slowly move across the screen. it was especially annoying as the welsh bird from catatonia was standing in on bbc 6 music and her music taste is awful.
after a busy weekend, sunday evening was spent with my headphones on, listening to new order, doing some of those things i didnt really want to do but had to before work on monday. ironing, tidying, shaving.
the weekend was a sensory and emotional overload so for the next few weeks im taking some time out for myself to concentrate on the simple things close to home. im looking forward to the chance for my health and wallet to recover, to spend some time with trish and my friends and to sit back and listen to some music and read.
friday night was a pretty standard friday night. when you work all week, friday night is the time to blow off some steam - its the official start to the weekend. the mistake is to go so wild that saturday is then lost to a hangover, however, to spend a friday night not drinking and not staying out late in town with friends would be equally as wasteful in my opinion.
after spending some more time on my mix-tape we headed into town for a chinese meal to celebrate my grans birthday. 82 years old! and shes still so fit and healthy. whilst in the plough me and trish decided that her growing up in the country was probably to thank and that people who grew up in towns and cities were probably less healthy.
friday night was also when we welcomed our friend back from his navy training. i cant really explain why but for some reason the night left me with a new found respect for those serving in the forces.
i felt really ill friday night, probably because i drank too much lager.
saturday morning i forced myself out of bed and eased myself into the day with a coffee before starting work cleaning my scooter. i wondered why it was that no matter what food i ate from tuckers, my burps the next day would always taste the same. i did a tiny bit more work on the mix-tape before heading into town for a ride about on the scooter and to get some vital supplies for the coming months.
saturday night was a pretty weird one. we all met in the plough to say a fond farewell to our mate chris who is soon leaving for india. i was driving so perhaps didnt get into the atmosphere of the night as well as the others, but found myself wondering why i would celebrate my friend leaving for what is going to be a very very long time. id gone from welcoming someone home the previous night to saying goodbye the next and it didnt exactly put me in a great mood, although i do wish him all the best and i hope everything goes great for him.
i was feeling pretty overwhelmed in town so i left and had a really nice ride home on the scoot where i watched the omen and had a beer.
sunday was an early start as i was going on another scooter ride with me dad and his mate barry. we didnt go far but i loved every inch of it on those quiet country roads. we spent most of the morning discussing scooters, motorcycle driving tests, scooter fashion and books about scooters or adventures. i drank two cappuccinos.
sunday afternoon was spent finishing the mix tape so that i could deliver it to chris before he left for india. martin popped over to keep me company whilst i had the exciting job of bouncing the mix down into single audio files. i was sure there was a reason why i shouldnt bounce the files as aiff but i couldnt think what it was so i simply went ahead and did it. as i tried to burn the cd i discovered that format wasnt accepted by my cd burning software so i had to go through the whole process again. it took a good few hours of watching progress bars slowly move across the screen. it was especially annoying as the welsh bird from catatonia was standing in on bbc 6 music and her music taste is awful.
after a busy weekend, sunday evening was spent with my headphones on, listening to new order, doing some of those things i didnt really want to do but had to before work on monday. ironing, tidying, shaving.
the weekend was a sensory and emotional overload so for the next few weeks im taking some time out for myself to concentrate on the simple things close to home. im looking forward to the chance for my health and wallet to recover, to spend some time with trish and my friends and to sit back and listen to some music and read.
Friday, 14 November 2008
mix-tape-mix-tape-mix-tape
following on from my last blog, i have decided to put together a mix-tape of my work to date. i call it a mix-tape, its actually a cd but thats just a minor detail in my opinion.
the mix consists of 10 tracks, all from my catalogue, and will be presented with 'sleeve notes' explaining what each track is and why i have chosen to include it in the mix.
i feel the need to stress one point about this mix-tape. it is not an album! this is not me presenting a finished, complete, professional collection of my best work.
the mix-tape is a collection of music that demonstrates my development as a producer. there is something in every track that has inspired and motivated me to continue working and ideas from one piece will have been developed into another.
i have not omitted any track because the bass sounds too mushy, but have included it because the synths sound great, or i like the percussion break.
the mix-tape will be produced in small runs - about 5 to begin with - and if you would like one, just ask.
the mix consists of 10 tracks, all from my catalogue, and will be presented with 'sleeve notes' explaining what each track is and why i have chosen to include it in the mix.
i feel the need to stress one point about this mix-tape. it is not an album! this is not me presenting a finished, complete, professional collection of my best work.
the mix-tape is a collection of music that demonstrates my development as a producer. there is something in every track that has inspired and motivated me to continue working and ideas from one piece will have been developed into another.
i have not omitted any track because the bass sounds too mushy, but have included it because the synths sound great, or i like the percussion break.
the mix-tape will be produced in small runs - about 5 to begin with - and if you would like one, just ask.
Monday, 10 November 2008
unofficial channels today
i am currently midway through reading an article in the wire magazine which is exploring the unofficial channels, predominantly underground music, reaches us through. by unofficial we are talking about acts not signed to record labels, releasing music and getting air play, or acts from years ago whose music is not being published anymore so is near impossible to find.
the article highlights the perhaps obsessive and greedy nature of record collectors, seeking rare vinyl not for love of music but for the desire of owning something nobody else has. i can imagine this is very similar with art collectors.
the article also has a 'rose tinted spectacles' aspect, talking about early rave and drum and bass tapes where fans have recorded the pirate radio shows blasting out of their home hifis. infringing on copyright? yes. but those records being played couldnt be found in the shops, there were no online record shops doing home delivery back then.
these crude home tapings were what fueled the scene and were shared amongst friends and distributed across the country, perhaps even the world, by fans desperate to consume this new music and wanting to share it with the growing community.
the obvious one of course has to be the internet. myspace/last fm/youtube all allow users to post music/video, network and for others to download the work (if the artists wishes of course). a quick search will reveal there are thousands of these sites across the net.
podcasts are a great way for people to broadcast music, images and thoughts for users to subscribe and regularly download and listen to.
even our official channels now cover a wider audience/range of tastes then ever before, perhaps removing the need for these underground networks of musical distribution.
im not sure how long its been since i came across an unsigned, underground artists through one of these unofficial, un-moderated channels. how long since iv actually trawled through these sites looking for fresh, exciting new music and not just looking for youtube videos of talking heads tracks that i probably have on cd somewhere anyway.
perhaps with so many channels, overflowing with new music to be discovered, weve lost the desire for it. we dont have to go and expose ourselves to new music - its constantly being exposed to us. and although the internet has made the world smaller and made the possibilities for communication endless, its ease of use and its speed has perhaps removed the hunger from communities.
or has it removed the community altogether? the community is no longer your mates in the pub. it doesnt include the local record shop guy or the djs at your local club. the community now is whoever will listen from anywhere in the world. why build a community in a town in somerset when you can just as easily build one in london or new york, all from your own home?
im not going to say we should abandon technology, or that technology has destroyed modern society. that would be hypocritical since i am currently posting this in a blog, but perhaps we need to force ourselves to allow space in our lives for our community. perhaps instead of keeping in touch with someone via email, pop round and see them. instead of me posting a link to a new track on the internet, burn it to cd and give it to the people i want to hear it.
those who know me - look out for a mix-tape of my work on its way to you soon
the article highlights the perhaps obsessive and greedy nature of record collectors, seeking rare vinyl not for love of music but for the desire of owning something nobody else has. i can imagine this is very similar with art collectors.
the article also has a 'rose tinted spectacles' aspect, talking about early rave and drum and bass tapes where fans have recorded the pirate radio shows blasting out of their home hifis. infringing on copyright? yes. but those records being played couldnt be found in the shops, there were no online record shops doing home delivery back then.
these crude home tapings were what fueled the scene and were shared amongst friends and distributed across the country, perhaps even the world, by fans desperate to consume this new music and wanting to share it with the growing community.
and this is pretty much the subject of the article. community and a hunger for new music that cannot wait for an official release, doesnt care about sonic perfection or owning something rare.
the big question on my mind today is - what unofficial channels are we using now? how are artists sharing/broadcasting/distributing their work with communities today?the obvious one of course has to be the internet. myspace/last fm/youtube all allow users to post music/video, network and for others to download the work (if the artists wishes of course). a quick search will reveal there are thousands of these sites across the net.
podcasts are a great way for people to broadcast music, images and thoughts for users to subscribe and regularly download and listen to.
even our official channels now cover a wider audience/range of tastes then ever before, perhaps removing the need for these underground networks of musical distribution.
im not sure how long its been since i came across an unsigned, underground artists through one of these unofficial, un-moderated channels. how long since iv actually trawled through these sites looking for fresh, exciting new music and not just looking for youtube videos of talking heads tracks that i probably have on cd somewhere anyway.
perhaps with so many channels, overflowing with new music to be discovered, weve lost the desire for it. we dont have to go and expose ourselves to new music - its constantly being exposed to us. and although the internet has made the world smaller and made the possibilities for communication endless, its ease of use and its speed has perhaps removed the hunger from communities.
or has it removed the community altogether? the community is no longer your mates in the pub. it doesnt include the local record shop guy or the djs at your local club. the community now is whoever will listen from anywhere in the world. why build a community in a town in somerset when you can just as easily build one in london or new york, all from your own home?
im not going to say we should abandon technology, or that technology has destroyed modern society. that would be hypocritical since i am currently posting this in a blog, but perhaps we need to force ourselves to allow space in our lives for our community. perhaps instead of keeping in touch with someone via email, pop round and see them. instead of me posting a link to a new track on the internet, burn it to cd and give it to the people i want to hear it.
those who know me - look out for a mix-tape of my work on its way to you soon
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
lets push things forward
not sure why but that line from a streets song has always stuck in my memory.
all around me everyday people are complaining. this includes myself. im constantly unhappy with how things around me are going.
its really starting to get me down - i feel as if im in a whirlpool of negativity and self pity.
ive decided that from now on, if your not happy with something, no mater what, challenge it. challenge everything, every little decision that you dont like. its the only way you can change anything.
ok - weve identified a problem - now lets push things forward.
so how am i going to be the one to push things forward? i would really like to try and change the cultural ambiance of taunton. id like to see more people picking up instruments and writing music, more people capturing taunton and somerset through photography and film, highlighting issues they think need to be looked at. id like to see people paying to see musicians perform, paying to visit exhibitions. id like to pick up the gazzette and read something written that actually informs me, challenges me and isnt dumbed down or tided up or simply incorrect - robert miles few column inches are a strong step in the right direction.
as members of the butterscotch world collective, we have an incredible amount of intelligence, passion and ability at our disposal, not to mention our physical resources.
but what are we actually doing to push things forward?
what am i doing to push things forward?
all around me everyday people are complaining. this includes myself. im constantly unhappy with how things around me are going.
its really starting to get me down - i feel as if im in a whirlpool of negativity and self pity.
ive decided that from now on, if your not happy with something, no mater what, challenge it. challenge everything, every little decision that you dont like. its the only way you can change anything.
ok - weve identified a problem - now lets push things forward.
so how am i going to be the one to push things forward? i would really like to try and change the cultural ambiance of taunton. id like to see more people picking up instruments and writing music, more people capturing taunton and somerset through photography and film, highlighting issues they think need to be looked at. id like to see people paying to see musicians perform, paying to visit exhibitions. id like to pick up the gazzette and read something written that actually informs me, challenges me and isnt dumbed down or tided up or simply incorrect - robert miles few column inches are a strong step in the right direction.
as members of the butterscotch world collective, we have an incredible amount of intelligence, passion and ability at our disposal, not to mention our physical resources.
but what are we actually doing to push things forward?
what am i doing to push things forward?
Monday, 3 November 2008
photography
i think im going to devote some more time to photography. just try and keep the batteries charged up and take the camera out with me more often.
i got some brilliant pictures yesterday and really enjoyed having the camera in my hand, forgetting about everything but what i was seeing through the view finder.
i need to post more photos - i need to print more photos.
i think using a digital camera slows me down as theres this horrible stage of editing after the shoot. they all get loaded into the laptop as raw images, then they should emerge the other side, out of the printer, as crisp, absorbing, colourful pictures. but they dont. they stay sat on my hard-drive as i spend weeks, months even, tweaking them, undoing the tweaks and never being truly satisfied with the results.
today - i promise to stop this.
i got some brilliant pictures yesterday and really enjoyed having the camera in my hand, forgetting about everything but what i was seeing through the view finder.
i need to post more photos - i need to print more photos.
i think using a digital camera slows me down as theres this horrible stage of editing after the shoot. they all get loaded into the laptop as raw images, then they should emerge the other side, out of the printer, as crisp, absorbing, colourful pictures. but they dont. they stay sat on my hard-drive as i spend weeks, months even, tweaking them, undoing the tweaks and never being truly satisfied with the results.
today - i promise to stop this.
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