my public holiday morning...

definitely needed that fire engine to come help get a couple of people (facing bout a dozen police) off a roof

somewhere on there you can find evidence that I have started working on some assignments. *sigh*

Feeling slightly distracted. Have been for a while, trying to follow the news in the Middle East. Getting to terms as to what is going on in Japan. Following and supporting petitions against animal cruelty, ban on herbal medicine and more human rights issues. And now Bristol kicks off and behaves like  a bunch of spoilt, bored, provocative idiots. I understand the opposition to that tescos, to police violence, to the suppression of peaceful gatherings, to the censoring of public screening (to accusations of that being some "secret" meeting to organise the next riot), the squat I don't know much about, what I did see last week was also just a bunch of drunks being idiots, provoking police and vice versa. This isn't about "our streets" any more. Call that wedding today mass distraction, oh yeah, then look back to stokes croft. No one's achieving anything there apart from bad publicity for the area. (and me not getting on with my assignments.)

sleep deprived google analytic-ing.
tonnes of paper. figures.graphs. eye lids falling. maybe a snooze. then read a bit of the actual thing. then carry on.

do not disturb

first thoughts on the multi media production that took place in the Redcliffe Caves, Bristol, 12th April 2011 by Lisa Gaudion.

Six years in the city and I had never been to the Redcliffe Caves but always been curious as to what it would be like to be able to enter this near secret place. The timing was perfect, friends from the USA and Germany were staying and the flat mate and I wanted to show them as much of the city we come to love. No one I went with knew what to expect. The promise of an immersive experience directed by the audience’s presence, as advertised on a poster I saw at the Pervasive Media Studios Bristol inspired a vague idea – one that was completely inverted. We arrived at the caves after dark and were only able to enter one by one. A small circle of ten was then guided through the labyrinth of little caves by a silent guide. It started with a live performance of a violinist went on to beautiful projections of woodlands and waterfalls onto the caves. All along we listened to several people sharing their experiences of lucid dreams. The projection fitted the natural shape and atmosphere of the caves beautifully and accompanied the sometimes eerie stories. It was a meditative and inspiring experience, one that made me remember and rethink my own dreams and experiences and made us all think about how we relate the things we see in sleep to the "real" world. Should the two worlds be separated?

Our guide takes us to the bed room, a bed is erected with his alter ego sleeping projected onto it, when he finishes his theory on sleep he crawls under it, disappears into the projection of him.

One projection tries to make our presence relevant to the piece, to become part of it by filming our backs and simultaneously showing it back to us. This might have been the only part that left members of the audience puzzled as to what to do or where to look.

Overall, everyone seemed mesmerised by the experience and slightly speechless too. Some of what it brought up might be too personal for us to wanting to share and we are left confused as to how to relate to what we see when we sleep.

The location definitely made the production. It could be recreated in a gallery space but the feeling of entering a secret hidden location, a space usually inaccessible - that place truly reflected the subject. And, as in our case, drew people's attention to the project!

let's have one drink after work.

i met a man with a furry four legged mate called noodle.
he asked us to look after her.
he got himself a pint.
he was about to meet his ex to hand over noodle. (shared custody, you see)
could we have a look at the painting he made for her.
he loves her
he wants her back.
what do we think?
the painting was green-blue-turquois...sea-ish.
in the corner was a cartoon version of this


what did we think of it? He is trying to win her back, you know!
"Oh, the colours are really nice!"
We finished our scrumpy and quietly (stifling the giggles) left the scene.
how bizarre.

completely out of context but a story i had to share anyway. noodle.