Saturday 15 October 2011

Bimonthlies 7, 7 October 2011


And so it came to pass that on the Seventh of October our collective descended on the Reading Room & Chapel in Wellingore for an evening of artists' presentations and interventions which encompassed Beacon Bimonthlies Seven. A fabulous and illuminating time was had by all.
I am James Phaily, a  BA Fine Art student at The University of Lincoln. I keep a blog to record my development as a visual artist, have a look http://james-phaily.blogspot.com/
The audience at Bimonthlies 7
The evening began with an inspiring presentation from artist 
The artist took us on a journey through his career since graduating from his BA in Fine Art at The University of Lincoln in 2007. Steven focussed on the exhibitions he has participated in since leaving art college, such as his first professional exhibition which completely sold out and the exhibition Fresh 2 in Nottingham during 2008, which led to him being awarded “best in show.” In 2008, the artist was also awarded the Derby Open which led to subsequent exhibitions at the Derby City Museum and Art gallery, Leicester City Gallery and Nottingham Castle. In 2009 Steven was awarded funding from Arts Council England to produce work for the Derby City show. Steven also enthusiastically told us about his Studio practice and painting technique. He sometimes works on a painting for up to six months. Steven works from hundreds of photographs from the city to create energetic works such as “Structural Tranquillity” (2010) and sublime constructions of technique and form such as “Lego Brick Bollard” (2009). One thing is for certain, Steve  Ingman knows about paint and applies it with meaning and understanding.

The artist's more recent work takes the form of photo-realistic arboreal landscapes influenced by the scenery surrounding the village of Misson on the border of Nottinghamshire where Steven grew up. In these works Ingman is interested in the application of paint and depth of colour such as his 2010 piece Golden Bark. Steven Ingman is also co-ordinator of a studio space for ten artists in Nottingham entitled 3rd Space Studios, which has enabled him to have a studio space to work in and to be part of a community of artists working in Nottingham.

And so now to the labour-intensive, beautifully executed work of 
The artist treated us to a wonderful talk on her work. First, she explained her nervousness about public speaking and invited the audience to put specially made bags on our heads, which we dutifully did, creating a slightly eerie atmosphere.
The audience wearing Sophie Cullinan's bags on their heads
Sophie's art career began with the desire to work with her own feelings of identity as a new mother after working previously for Granada TV Studios for eight years. Sophie worked for Granada following her graduation from Edinburgh University with a degree in embroidery. 

Sophie Cullinan always brings a lot of humour to her concepts and creations and likes to invoke audience participation and interaction. Her work is arguably a reaction to the stereotypes that women fall into when they become housewives and mothers. Cullinan uses the discarded and unwanted to achieve this goal.  Sophie told us how through her art she reclaims her identity from the traditional symbols of the modern women and subverts this in an ironic and amusing way. One can only encounter a recent piece such as Worn (2010), "which takes a feminine symbol of a multi-faceted archetypal woman and challenges society's structural expectations and clichés," to understand that Cullinan is challenging our perceptions of the modern woman in a humorous and interactive way. This theme is also apparent in the 2005 piece, Trophy Wife, which had the amusing premise of being a collection of housewife of the year trophies. Sophie’s latest project has been workshops with children. In these workshops it would not be unusual to see a large totem created by each child in the group or a flock of paper doves spiralling around a light for International Peace Day. A variation on the peace dove theme was also created to accompany the Picasso exhibition at Tate Liverpool. Sophie has also created a field of Spring Flowers made of found materials which was harvested by its makers.

At the end of her talk she invited us to create our perfect women...that were edible, so we could eat them or allow the artist to take them with her to create her next body of work
The Perfect women
Everyone took a break and were urged to take time to look at Ellie Harrison's Early Warning Sign, being hosted outside the Beacon headquarters pre touring. Created for Artsadmin’s Two Degrees festival, these signs utilise the brazen marketing techniques of capitalism, not as a tool to sell us more, but as a tool to simply remind us of the consequences of our consumption. In the interests of her new mantra ‘reduce, reuse, recycle your art’, Ellie Harrison is now facilitator of a lifelong project to tour the four signs to different public locations, so they can continue to ‘promote’ their cause. The 2012 host venues will be Site Gallery in SheffieldDundee Contemporary Arts and the CCAand Trongate 103in Glasgow.

Ellie Harrison's Early Warning Sign
Also in front of the Chapel, was a new exhibit by Danica Maier in the Postmethodists' Broadcaster exhibition venue. This is the final exhibition in Landscape vs. Land-Scape a year long curated programme with a focus on Landscape. The Postmethodists are a group of Lincolnshire based artists living and working in converted chapels.
Danica Maier's Cunnycrag, The Broadcaster
in conversation with Beacon’s Nicola Streeten, was the last artist of the evening and it is safe to say she did not disappoint. Sheinman cannot remember a time when she did not want to be an artist and sees herself as a painter whose work more often than not morphs into the three-dimensional. Sally spent her early career working as an artist on Wall Street, but after relocating to the United Kingdom her concepts and creativity have really made waves. The artist's work is distinctly interactive and uses the consumer of her art as co-contributor and source of inspiration. This could arguably be seen in Sheinman’s first slide which was of a piece in a gallery of 2000 two-sided little paintings. Unusually, those who came to see the exhibition were invited to title the work. Her project Days, also began from an interesting start point. The artist created a painting every day and a statement to accompany it. Unfortunately the opening of the exhibition was marred by the tragedy of nine/eleven and the passing away of Sally’s mother.
Sally Sheinman, left, in conversation with Nicola Streeten
I Wish, is probably one of Sally Sheinman’s most iconic pieces, taking as its basis the opportunity for the public to share their clandestine wishes. This project is ongoing and has an internet presence on the artist’s website. Sheinman was also very pleased to have been interviewed about the exhibition on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. This idea was echoed later when the artist set up a booth in a hospital where patients were invited to share anonymous comments on their hospital experience and life in general. 

Sally Sheinman is enamoured with the art of writing and finds it aesthetically fulfilling. The artist’s current project, Let's Celebrate is a new piece of work centred on an exhibition of 250 exquisitely painted sculptures that has toured around five National Trust properties around the country. Through this work the artist hopes to connect with the idea of celebration particularly in conjunction with England’s hosting of the 2012 Olympics.

Sally also finished with an invitation to the audience to participate in the creation of a new piece of work. 
She instructed us to write on small pieces of gold paper what makes us unique.

And so another bimonthly drew to a close and we all remarked on what a great time we had had. Please join us again on 2 December for another cornucopia of artistic endeavour at Bimonthlies 8

James Phaily-October 2011.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Bimonthlies 6


Photo: Tom Cretney

























I am Sally Plowman and this Bimonthly was, in my opinion, one of the most varied and most interesting ones ever... Well, out of the four I have been to...
It started off as usual, with the flow of drinks, and the winter, I mean, summer breeze blowing in through the door as people spilled in from the cobbled streets of Wellingore. Within the next hour, we were being handed Poundland umbrellas and ushered out of the door, dog in tow, to attend the first arty instalment of the night.

A walk by Alison Lloyd
Contemporary Art of Walking
The walk begins Photo: John Plowman
So, as I was saying, we plodded along through the lazy village until the group reached the village hall, and through the menacing drizzle, we were handed an information pack, with maps and, err.. information... 

Alison Lloyd gives out information packs Photo: John Plowman

















...before continuing through the little playground and along the top of an overgrown field into a woodland. Stopping again, I took a moment to look around and realise just how magical places like these are. It was completely silent, and the only thing that broke it was the solemn dripping of the now subsided rain from the leaves, until Alison Lloyd gathered us together and read a poem about trespassing by John Clare, before we walked down onto private land. (Don't worry, we had permission!)

The Woodland Photo: Sally Plowman



















After lifting the dog over a fence, we wandered down through another field, around a motionless lake and stopped again, to discuss some pictures in the pack. Squinting into the sun as we wandered back along the ridge in the middle of a field, it was hard to forget I wasn't in a postcard watching the sunset, and thanking my lucky stars the rain had completely gone.

Walking through the field Photo: Sally Plowman



















We eventually found ourselves back at the Chapel, helping ourselves to a delicious rice salad and settling down for the next presentation.

Bruce Asbestos
VARIATIONS : Public Talk 2011
Bruce Asbestos' presentation Photo: John Plowman



When I say presentation, it really was more of an unrehearsed performance- from unsuspecting members of the audience! Created by Bruce Asbestos, a Nottingham based artist and curator, who had prepared this  presentation about his artistic practice without being part of it. It was all conducted through audience participation. Audience members were invited, via a projected text instruction, to take directions from a script. 
Audience Member 1 Photo: Nicola Streeten
There were about ten or eleven people who volunteered to read from the script, which the whole audience also received, in order to join in at the appropriate moments. It was a really clever way of keeping everyone's interest, whilst conveying information and, with a few slip ups on the readers' part, keeping everyone entertained. It was also a very successful way of explaining his artistic practice.
Bruce Asbestos, audience participation Photo: John Plowman

 2SALLY4TH
Sally Lemsford and Sally Newham
Cycling in search of
Sally Newham and Sally Lemsford Photo: John Plowman


















Two Derbyshire based artists and curators talked to us about a collaborative project they have been working on. In search of what? Of "truth"but looking for truth through fantasies and fabrications. 
Their introductory presentation told us about their ambition to make the world a better place by telling, and getting the public involved in telling, little stories, and making up fantasies about ordinary objects. A little sweetener to the whole night was a package each of us received, containing two sweets... or "Bishop's Canning"... yum! The only trouble was that one of them broke part of my braces off... You have to pay the price for good things...they also brought some homemade "Stitchcomb Pie" for later.
The mobile museum Photo: John Plowman

























They enjoyed the things and stories they collected whilst they travelled around talking to the public, so they had the idea of creating their mobile museum which they are planning to take to isolated areas. They unpacked the flat pack museum from a trailer which they are planning to take around Derbyshire, pulled by a bicycle, spreading happiness to anywhere they step foot... or wheel...They showed us round the portable museum of curiosities, which was empty at this stage. Then they told us to find something in our pockets or bags, and, working with our neighbours, to write a fantasy story about it on a small brown label they gave each of us. At the end, when all of them were given in, we were served with some homemade "Stitchcomb Pie" and everyone's stories were read out, revealing some funny and abstract narratives!
Audience response to the mobile museum Photo: John Plowman


















A response was invited from the audience and there were a number of questions asked, prompting animated discussion.
Aah... another day done, bring on Beacon Bimonthly Seven!
Photo: Sally Plowman


























Monday 30 May 2011

Beacon Bimonthlies 5

BB5 built on the success of its predecessors in bringing a night of thought provoking art-entertainment and soup to a large crowd of Lincolnshire based art glitterati.
Written and photographed by Daniel Warren (@danfwarren), artist and writer.

Georgina Barney

Georgina Barney talked about her experiences as an artist since leaving Ruskin in 2006. She works in the rural environment with an emphasis on drawing and writing.


Georgina Barney gives her talk

Georgina started by showing some of her early works. They were playful, sculptural drawings. One featured lengths of elastic material pinning down tree branches; in another she suspended a black ball in mid air, which cast the shadow of a full stop on a pristine lawn. They filled and explored green space, rather than the white of gallery interiors.

I think a lot of my practice has been about connecting my experiences in rural areas, sometimes with those areas and sometimes trying to bring it back to a contemporary art discourse.

From making physical interventions her emphasis seemed to change to a more immersive practice, looking for ways to interact with the rural environment and its inhabitants. Georgina started working on her uncle’s farm and went on to travel the length and breadth of the island volunteering at different farms. She documented this journey on her website www.gbfarming.co.uk. It has photos, drawings and a thoughtfully written account of her travels.  It makes you realise that the remoteness of many farms is not only geographical, their methods are also unknown to most people.

Map showing Georgina's Journey

From her first exhibition she has been involved in the discussion around her work, engaging with her audience directly. Working with others seems to be integral to Georgina’s practice whether it's with the Arts Council, agricultural bodies, farmers or art audience. She asks questions in person and in her work, then shares her experiences.

Georgina organised a residency in an agricultural college where she saw the skills of the trade being taught to young people. Many artists look at other crafts and revere them, attracted by the discipline of a day's work with a clear objective and conclusion.

I became very fascinated by the experiences of students at an agricultural college…their experience in a rural place and the education they were having…the promise of their going into the world to produce food rather than art.

Georgina seems to reverse the process, she commits to her practice and rolls her sleeves up in the same way a farm labourer would. She goes out to work as a farmer, but makes art rather than food.

‘20/5/2011’ by Alan Armstrong and Amelia Beavis-Harrison

Amelia and Alan are a duo interested in the conventions of public performance; they explore discomfort and participation by performing to arbitrary yet playful rules.

Alan has just starting to read from his long scroll of facts
The performance was an ‘on this day’ widget. Alan paced the room and read a list of facts related to the date, while Amelia used props to silently give them a visual. We were told about kings, queens, celebrities and musicians.



The research was unashamedly copied and pasted from Google and Wikipedia, but it was still interesting.  After all, inaccurate and biased research is not exclusive to the Internet. Despite Alan’s thinly veiled ignorance on each subject he still seemed believable. The act of sitting and listening to someone who stands and reads from paper seems to encourage trust.

Amelia dressed the audience like medieval child soldiers and adorned them with newspaper hats. Balloons were released and kicked around. I wanted to pop one but it seemed unnecessarily violent. Later Amelia set off a collection of party poppers worthy of a helicopter gunship. At one point Alan talked about the rock band Kiss, and some people had their faces painted in vaudeville fashion. The required participation showed the audience to be reserved but accepting.

While they worked as a team, Amelia and Alan both clearly addressed their own agendas. Amelia tested the audience with physical interaction while Alan played on the conventions of public speaking and being spoken to in public.


Like Google there was no filter for taste and the audience was subjected to a clip, raw from YouTube, of Cher performing ‘If I could turn back time’. Cher’s sexual confidence and lack of clothing was a marked difference to Amelia and Alan.  Amelia was measured and silent. Alan was stuttering, ungainly, bespectacled and funny, like an art school Steven Merchant.

Dale Fearnley

The Collector is a short film by Dale Fearnley, it documented a house where every room was clad wall to wall with boxes, display cases and shelves. They were filled with china sets, toy motorbikes, vinyl, and radios, anything cheap and collectable.

The screening of The Collector
The film worked its way around the collection methodically, surveying the objects. The film was narrated by the collector, the man to whom the collection belongs. His kind and good-humoured voice, eccentric and self-deprecating accompanied the filming of the objects.

The film steadily led through one door after another, beckoning the viewer further into the house. The voice, without physical presence, added to the sense that the house was imbued with the character of the collector.

After ascending the stairs the camera panned between rooms, disorientating the viewer in the maze of detritus. There were more stacks of things suffocating the walls. In close up you could look at something and find it interesting, but in its entirety the collection was scary.

For the collector there was no mess or disorder, to him everything was carefully catalogued and displayed. He could find a specific LP in seconds or pluck a specific motorcycle handbook from hundreds. From the outside the collection had got out of control and now seemed to own the collector, like a friendly Norman Bates.

For me the success of the film was the tension between the character of the collector and the overwhelming size of the collection, between the pleasure of hoarding and the weight of excess, between the mystique of the eccentric and the pressure of social conformity.

The one clear room in the house was the guest room. If the house was like a human subconscious, filled with nostalgia, neurosis and quirks the one room which looked ‘normal’ was the one left for interaction with others, and for self-awareness.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Beacon Bimonthlies 4

Simon Withers: Speaking in Tongues
















With the aromas of homemade soup and friendly chatter filling the Reading Room Chapel, it was clear to the large party of art followers that the fourth Beacon bimonthly was going to be as riveting as ever.
For the second time this year, founders of the Beacon organisation; Nicola Streeten and John Plowman, opened the doors of their home for a relaxed evening of artists' presentations, discussions and one diverse live art performance.
I am Laura Mahony, a final year student on the fine art BA course at The University of Lincoln. I have a particular interest in performance art.

Michael Sanders shows the audience objects such as bits of tail fins 
from pave-way laster guided bombs.

















Opening the bimonthly event was Lincolnshire based artist Michael Sanders, winner of the 2011 ‘Opem’ exhibition at the Collection Gallery, Lincoln. Sanders, dressed in a flamboyant tailor- made suit, courtesy of Trevor Lewis, a Lincolnshire dressmaker, began his presentation of his politically influenced work.


Showing the audience objects such as tail fins of pave-way laser guided bombs, Sanders explained his fascination with the mechanical technology behind nuclear development. “Who sits down and designs this stuff?” he asked the audience. A question that he often asks himself, regarding the money that is pumped into such items that can lead to devastating effects, yet puts food on the table for the designers and engineers.



His ideas surrounding the absurdity of nuclear technology were reflected in a comment left on Sanders' website by an engineer turned radio producer, who had worked at the MOD for ten years in the run up to the cold war. Read out by Nicola Streeten, the writer, Simon Evans, explained the ‘dehumanization’ he witnessed whilst working alongside people making and creating such potentially dangerous materials; and the haunting recognition Sanders' photography illuminates of such a place. The work comes close to walking around the desolate and uninviting eastern parts of post-war Berlin, that whisper of austerity starring out at you from behind every windowpane.

As the sound of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ began playing, the audience relaxed into a wave of giggles as Sanders proclaimed, “If I was a sculptor, but then again, no.”

Black and white slides of his 1987 ‘razor wire chair’ were shown, influenced by a trip to the ‘Green Common’ in Molesworth and seeing the razor wire there. Evoking something of Mona Hatoum’s uneasy ‘furniture-esq’ sculpture, the barriers of what is normally conceived as a functional object were obscured into that of a dangerous threat. Drawing connotations of normality, familiarity and job skills, vs. the creation of hazarderous bombs and nuclear missiles. Again he asked the audience “who sits down and designs razor wire?”

Revealing he has been employed as a metal worker for the past twenty years, Sanders explained how this has also influenced his practice as an artist. On being asked to make a pharmaceutical air mill that grinds powder like a ‘dyson vacuum cleaner,’ it was disclosed to him that the mill was for British nuclear fuel. Keeping the drawings of the object, Sanders decided to build similar components from them for an installation exhibition piece in Hackney, a way of re-appropriating the technology and turning it back on itself.

Of course, having such a specialist interest, Sander’s work requires travelling and a certain amount of wilfulness. An excursion led him to Aldermaston, Berkshire, for a CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) demo, where the ‘atomic weapons research establishment’ resides. Desperate to gain a few photographs of the building after being told by a police officer this was absolutely forbidden, Sander’s decided to do so anyway through a gap in the fence.

Although such astuteness can pay off, it is not always the case, leaving him to the wonders of his imagination to create what could be ‘behind that fence.’ With this in mind he has made his own version of what could be a glass protector in the case of nuclear war, with the use of numerous telephone directories. He exclaimed that, “the amount of pages that would burn would reflect the strength of the bomb.”

Concluding his adventures as a ‘cold war tourist,’ Sander’s spoke about a previous exhibition, ‘RUIN,’ and its lead up to the ‘OPEM’ art prize. RUIN, exhibited at the Kruglack Gallery, MiraCosta College, Oceanside; came as part of a collaboration with fellow artist Walter Cotten. The 2008 project examined the damages caused to an ancient Babylonian world heritage site, by military forces. Highlighting the effect of damage caused to archaeological sites, RUIN aimed to emphasize the fact that nuclear power plants may not be able to be protected 10,000 years from now. Monumental marking schemes to deter the intrusion of nuclear waste disposal sites are being proposed. What Sanders questions is the likeliness of this being effective, in regards to a time duration that is impossible to comprehend.

The ‘Sand Bag Memorial’ was created for RUIN using material sourced locally in Oceanside. The sandbags took on similarities of the mud bricks of Babylon and the local adobe bricks. Structuring the monument from connotations of the seven-tiered Mayan temples, Babylonian structures and modern military bunkers, the piece attempted to install a sense of permanence within a historic and monumental context. This piece was put forward for the OPEM exhibition, inevitably winning the show's prize.

The audience during the interlude
















Thomas Cuthbertson playing live music














After an interlude with live music from art student Thomas Cuthbertson and helpings of soup and bread, the congregation settled down for a live performance by Simon Withers.

Simon Withers: Speaking in Tongues
















Walking towards a huge slab of wet clay lying on the floor, Withers, dressed head to toe in black bent to scoop a wad of it up.
Simon Withers: Speaking in Tongues

















‘THWACK. THWACK. TWHACK. Thwackthwacktwack. THWACK.’


Sounds of clay hitting the wall of the chapel echoed around the high ceiling. It was questionable what was more shocking, the intensity of the clay hitting the wall, or the fact that the it was enveloping the walls of somebody’s home. The throws mediated between strong, forceful and vigorous and quick, sharp, gentle beats. Withers paced himself with the air of a drummer wanting to keep up the dissonant melody he was creating, until the last morsel of clay hit the wall.
Simon Withers: Speaking in Tongues













Lasting no more than ten minutes, Withers silently turned and walked away. The audience seated around the area, watched the clay splattered-wall. It represented something close to a large pile of horse manure, as it slowly began to plop onto the floor.


Withers once again entered the room, this time to an encore of clapping, and a series of questions regarding his work. Wanting to know more about the performance, the audience became inquisitive regarding the relationship between the clay and the action of throwing, and the theory behind such an event. Withers explained that the main body of his work and this piece, ‘Speaking in Tongues,’ does not necessarily concern any major theoretical or philosophical values. The aim of the work is simply to indulge in the visual context of what is being displayed. An exploration of aesthetics and sounds are discovered not just by the audience, but also by the artist. Although performance is not always the core subject of Withers’ practice, it is what the work in question ‘feels’ like that determines the body of its outcome. ‘Speaking in Tongues’ required a certain amount of control regarding the relationship between the artist, action and material element. Timing was a vital part of the performance, not wanting to cut it short or drag it on into the evening. The balance between being sparring with the clay and using excess amounts of it gave the piece a sense of calm, juxtaposed with the sudden thuds of it hitting the wall, bundled with an air of nervous energy and the question of ‘what will happen next?’

Simon Withers answers questions 
from the audience

















Drawing connotations of abstract expressionism, Withers explained that his work aims simply to move the clay from one area to another, without the main physicality of his being literally moving it as a whole.  His relationship with clay derives from previous experiences at university. Using it to create objects, but preferring the material pre-fired and unglazed. His fascination with that raw material continues after his performance/sculptures, keeping the remains as they are, rather than forcing them to become another art piece of their own.

As of yet, he is still feeling his way around the performative side of his practice, working out the parameters and boundaries between himself and the audience, yet keeping that strong sense of robust and coy energy flowing. Almost like painting his own star constellations, the clay is subjected to movement by the hands of the artist, the creator, who controls the direction it will be dispersed in. the title of the piece reflects Withers' own feelings on the language of art. The search of finding justification for every stroke of paint on a canvas, or, in this case, every handful of clay thrown at the wall, can often claim dominance in the art world over the actual work in question. The necessity of written language to explain a practice that aims to communicate visual seems a little absurd. Although questioning art is not wrong, does it make sense to read about work before even seeing it? The predetermined explanation of an art piece can cause impaired judgment and a biased view based on another’s evaluation, rather than the clear observation of the individual.

Edward Crumpton talking about his work













Listening to Edward Crumpton talk about his work and inspirations gave the whimsical notion of cosy bedtime story. Graduating from the University of Lincoln in 2008, the Devonshire based artist draws influences from artists such as Richard Long, Anslem Kiefer and the use of vivid colour from the post –impressionist movement. Crumpton, nestled in an armchair, began by revisiting some of his past explorations of the British and American landscape.

During 2009, the adventurous artist began his voyage to the States, setting the diligent task of completing four drawings every six hours for the entirety of his 60 day stay. Using A4 paper divided up into quarters, he drew relentlessly at 3am, 9am, 9pm and 3pm. Travelling from Boston to Chicago and Memphis to New Mexico, Crumpton devoured the landscape around him. He began to explore aspects of the Surrealists experimentation by means of drawing, via the unconscious mind, due to sleep deprivation and forcing himself to work.  Crumpton’s descriptive re-encounters illustrated his determination as a ‘walking artist,’ sleeping next to abandoned mine shafts and bathing his sore feet in warm natural springs, in order to create a visual documentation of his journey.  The way in which he portrayed the Grand Canyon with its ‘luminous colours’ with ‘vivid brown and red ochre’s’ hints at the poetic depiction revealed in the 240 drawings he made in America.

Moving on to his next walk, ‘The Two Moors Way Walk,’ Crumpton explained the process in which he goes about creating work on the move. The 100 mile walk, going between Exmoor and Dartmoor, saw him complete one sketch every mile he went. Endeavouring such a task in the name of art compiles tremendous determination. Carrying a home made brief case consisting of paper, nibs, pens and sketches; completing 12-15 drawings a day. As the slideshow of his work rolled, he recited the poem ‘Dartmoor' by Samuel Wills;


Never a lovelier scene my eye has viewed
Than Dartmoor—that romantic solitude :
There mountain torrents rush through rock strewed glens,
A hundred springs gush up from secret dens ;
There, rock-piled slopes with rugged chasms yawn,
As if by thunderbolts asunder sawn ;
There, busy bees their soothing lullaby
Hum in the spiral foxglove's speckled eye :
The breeze the purple heath-bloom moves in turn

Excerpt from ‘Dartmoor’ Samuel Wills
       
Continuing his examination of Dartmoor, he read out an extract from the ‘Art of Richard Long: Complete Works.’ Using a strong west-country accent, he played out the role of a rambler asking Richard Long a parade of questions regarding his whereabouts in the woods and his reason for making a ‘living from walking.’ The ‘illusionary’ play ended with the artist explaining all questions with the simple answer ‘because I’m an artist;’ resulting in the rambler exclaiming, ‘well, that explains it then!’  Despite the humour, the re-enactment exemplified the hostility and suspicion artists can come across outside their studio spaces.

Concluding his talk, Crumpton went on to discuss his next line of work. He will be completing the ‘Mariners Way Walk,’ a journey which sailors in the 15th and 16th century carried out in order to get between the ports of Biddiford and Dartmouth. Once being the main importers of tobacco, the sea-men would carry out this journey in order to make a wage. In a commemoration to such an enormous walk, Crumpton will make a ‘passage house’ from rope, the structure of which comes from the traditional architecture of a house in Dartmoor. One house includes the famous walk right through it, a sign of respect for walks in past eras. Considering the historical context of the piece, he will be tying a sailors knot in the rope for every step he takes. Calculating the walk to around 140,000 steps, he will strategically tally his steps as he goes and create the sculpture in his Devonshire based studio. Listening to him talk ignited the passion and love for art I adhere to. The way in which he goes about not just his work, but his life style demonstrates his excitement for the subject.

As the air of inspiration could be felt around the room, Paul Stewart, University of Lincoln student and founder of the ‘Alternative Art College’ (AAC) shared a quick explanation of his protest-come-project. The ‘alternative’ school aims to share the freedom of knowledge in opposition to the rising cost of tuition fees. The school offers free lectures based and work shops, organized by the third year student, and involving not just art students, but lectures across the institution. Meeting every week in the homes of other participants including Toni Hankinson and Ross Cummings. 

The Beacon Bimonthlies 4 event was a study trip for The Alternative Art College. The event was filmed by Paul Stewart for inclusion in the ACC events archives.


Beacon from Paul Stewart on Vimeo.

Many thanks to guests and attendees at the Bimonthlies 4 and to partners below, who have made this programme of events possible.