I had my second meeting with Áine Philips this week. I want to write out the notes I took as again it was a very revealing talk. For me. All the reasons I'd hoped to speak with her are validated, as she perfectly understands why I want to make the work and she doesn't question its validity, or more specifically she doesn't question the worthiness [...]

I visited the offices of Clare Haven, https://clarehaven.ie/ this morning, with Paul Corey. Brief is to produce a walk through immersive experience of domestic violence. Using top floor of their office space. Siobhan the manager has a big vision and talks very eloquently about the chaos of domestic violence she wants people to experience when accessing the space. She mentioned making, among others: A court [...]

I edited the film I took of my performance idea keep smiling. It works ok as a starting point. I'd like to do it again against a black background with a black vest on, for a strong visual effect. https://youtu.be/Xjsxyv1O9JI I edited it down to 5 mins something. I had about 12 mins of footage. It was made easier to edit as I had to [...]

I got to try recording some film around my happy face idea yesterday. Paul, photographer, was good enough to allow me to use his studio. I had an hour, 9-10am, partly as that was what my day allowed and also as I didn't want to be in there too long. I filmed it myself, so as not to within distance of Paul and to maintain [...]

I have been thinking for a while now about an idea for a performance based around smiley face paint, but in a threatening kind of slightly off way. Manic, sick, dangerous smiley. I tried some face paint this evening at the studio. It as not how I had pictured it, I couldn't decide whether to do paint in a perfectly round, realistic smiley or cover [...]

I had been trying to get access to this quarry for approximately 2 month before finally succeeding. I had to go through the auctioneer company whose name was on the gate, who passed me on to Roadstone, who, after verifying my insurance details and my intentions, passed me on to Brian, manager of the quarry. Brian is manager of Whelans plus a number of other [...]

I recently got myself in to a knot over the fact that I am literally unable to make the work I want to make right now. Given covid, lockdown, 5k max journey, social distancing, yada yada. I can't legitimately ask anyone to help me, I cant access the venue I want to make it in, I can't.. and the self-centred moaning continues :) Obviously if [...]

Think. Prepare. Turn up. Event. Outcome. Using art actions to disrupt the everyday Introduction: The title of my essay refers to the steps I follow to make a piece of live art.  I think about what I am going to do. I prepare and rehearse the action I intend to make.  I turn up at the place where I intend to make the action.  Event. [...]

These cards were printed by the daughter of one of the ladies I visited for Eggs & Butter project research, Kay. She liked the drawing I did of her hens so they got it printed into cards for her. Im glad she got this extra bonus, so to speak, from the experience. I was in the studio the last few days a couple of times, [...]

It's been nearly a month since I posted here, and I can defend this lapse through what did happen while I did not post. I moved house, which was the usual relentless never-ending shifting of boxes and bags of stuff. And which took the best part of 3 weeks. Anyway that's the main reason for the not posting and apart from that, Christmas, which normally [...]