Butcher phase comes to completion...

This is always an evocative time of year as it reminds me of being in Berlin. the chill of outside and the orange light of indoors and the hope of Obama being elected.... a mirroring of experience.

On Sunday we took down the exhibition, I wasn't looking forward to it, but the event was extremely practical and not an emotional wrench....we took the work down in three hours whilst listening to radio 4 ramblings and radio 6 excitings. That episode is now complete, it feels good. We have work to re-exhibit. We have a live-show format. We have one set of experiences to work from. Next move to take the work and ourselves on a journey....back to Berlin. we have grown into artists who make work. As musicians one is channelled into 'chasing'. No more chasing, because the chasing leads not nothing at all. Chasing shadows. Nope, now is for being authentic, sharing ideas, making worlds for folks to visit and having fun.

Third week of exhibition...

The launch events were tantalising... both the War Memorial and Horse Hospital events were a stunning experience for us and the audience, genuinely so ( apart from some crying children).
A real feat of energy, stamina, holding our nerve and being there.
Sustaining the momentum is more of an uncomfortable ride.... there is so much more to see and feel and listen to, but one doesn't want to keep hounding ones' friends and colleagues.... now we are really learning how to hold our nerve....
But swimming in the sea of a newly launched product is bewildering, we did a fantastic dive into launchdom, now we are swimming in the dive pool, here's a plan.... hop out, then into the long distance pool and show some real strength.....
Next stop Berlin..... come and slap our wet arses and give us a towel whip before we leave, one more chance to join our world at the Horse Hospital London on Thursday 1st Nov.....7.30pm, £6.50 or write to us, tell us things, request a pass and get in free! See you there

The Wire: Adventures In Sound And Music: Article

The Wire: Adventures In Sound And Music: Article

Two weeks to go

It will be difficult to remember the intensity of these last few weeks and indeed the coming 14 days. each day consists of many different tasks finishing at midnight either screen-printing, doing risk assessments, making lists. Sal and I walk against the tide to Stew on a Friday night, dressed for cold and dirt, ready for the business of book building. The previous two weeks were full of panic attacks, waking up with your heart thumping with a list of things not done, not even considered. Sal has been prescribed a paper bag to breathe into to calm herself down, by the doctor. I spend a lot of time talking myself down and being kind to my brain and accepting kindness from others, my friends and colleagues have shown support and willingness to help that has been beyond what I thought possible. Ask, it's worth it, it takes you into a realm of interaction that is great. Is this enjoyable? Well, it is uncomfortable. I have moments of rising fear, but also excitement. I want this to be brilliant, to make others feel something. To be able to put on an other-worldly show.... to invite folk in and play sounds that will make their heads feel something good/scared/thrilled/ step out of yourself be somewhere else, even though you are close to home. escape only really happens in your head. Therefore the potential for escape is always.

Time to think

There is so much to do and I'm busy doing it rather than saying what I have done. Equally I want to log what I'm doing because I wont remember once it is complete. Yesterday I worked 9-5, had an inspiring meeting with Butcher Roz, went to Stew did 80 silkscreen prints. On the way home I dropped into the arts centre to meet up with Bradley to do a temporary events notice (TEN)for our Norwich launch. Today I am trying to leave the house in order to do more screen prints before Sal arrives at 12.30pm. Today we have to get the private view invites out. Tomorrow is a sticking day, I have gathered several friends together and we stick book pages together. I buy lunch and a thank-you booze after. We go into a world of 'flow'. Our conversations are unique because silence falls easily. We don't try and fill the gap because our attention goes to our sticking. It has been nick named the sweatshop....but it is far from it....it's the relax and strengthen friendships....

One fold a day

So now I am thinking that I want to do one fold a day.
That could involve 140 passes times 4 through the photocopier.

First though it's paper chopping and flattening and cutting to size.

Ahoy there land in the distance..

RepetitionRepetitionRepetition

Today I cut paper, 300 sheets or there abouts.
I printed 2 different pages from Book 1.
I took the prints to Ecoprint to chop to size.

I had to measure each of the 300 pages because I had not lined them up to an edge but used the central line-up. This took a long time.

Each day I doubt I will be able to print the entire set of books for mid-September, just because it is physically impossible.

I have perhaps 15000 pages to print.
I have 64 days til Sept 9th. (excluding next week which I am away for...resting)
So, on average 234 pages to print a day.
The most of one page I have to print is 140.
So, if I aim to print 2 full sets of pages a day, that seems a little easier.

I know this is boring to read, but it is making things easier in my mind!
Here is a Butcher picture to lighten the content.