29/07/2009 by James.

Here’s a couple of images from new, larger, map-based pieces that I’m working on. I’m still exploring the relationship between a sensing body and the wider environment of which it is a part, the experience of moving through such an environment, and how to document/share that experience or at least point to it in some way.

These latest larger pieces, although still very much in development, seem to begin to hint at something more too… something beyond the usual fragments of experience that I explore and express in my work, towards a larger, more cohesive picture of that experience - something spiritual and beyond human scale.

I also went to an exhibition at the Winchester Discovery Centre this week, an installation by artist Andrew Carnie using projection onto hanging gauze or muslin, with the imagery projected alternately from both sides, through layers of the hanging fabric. Although very different in approach, there’s something about these two that links them, the focus on bodily and creative experience, and the representation of the figure as if floating in space, surrounded, held and lifted.

exhibition info here… http://www3.hants.gov.uk/wdc/city-space.htm

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23/07/2009 by James.

I will be showing Pieces of the Puzzle (below) at the Open View Exhibition in Bath from Sat 19th to Sat 26th September at The Bath Artists Studios Gallery, The Old Malthouse, Comfortable Place, Upper Bristol Rd, BA1 3AJ.

For a map see -  www.bathartistsstudios.co.uk/contactfind-us.html

The exhibition is a selling group-exhibition organised by BANA, the Bath Area Network for Artists, and will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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21/07/2009 by James.

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20/07/2009 by James.

This is how my work for the MenCap show and fundraising auction is turning out - a bit different from a lot of my work with more paint and colour, although I’ve tried to let the materials ’speak’ for themselves through sanding/scraping and stitching, rather than allowing this celebration of my nephew and my relationship with him in his early years, to go down a primary-coloured-child kind of route.

Things are quiet for me at the moment, which is nice… proposals and quotes are in, schools are closing, and I’ve got one exhibition on now (Evolver in Dorchester) and two more coming up - the BANA show in Bath in September (www.bana-arts.co.uk) and this one, for which I should have a little more info soon.

Gives me chance to do the exploring, reading and making that I’ve been aching to spend more time on. Just need some sunshine now…

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14/07/2009 by James.

There is such a wealth of life and beauty all around me at this time of year… insects flying and crawling on every surface, plants growing up and exposing flowers; the details in the landscape that mix, meet and flow.

Sometimes its enough to notice things, to pay attention to the amazingly intricate world that we depend on, to watch and wonder - to me that is as much of being an artist as any making, paid work or exhibition.

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12/07/2009 by James.

I had a lovely wander along the Kennet & Avon Canal today… a quieter stretch where the sides are think with reeds and not so many people seem to know about.

I took some photos on my phone, watched the fish, listened to the warblers calling from the reeds, and did a bit of detective work trying to work out if otters have been visiting the area. And as always in my explorations, my dog Moshi was there with me, pointing out the animal tracks through the long grass and keeping me company as I walk, think and record what I find. (In case you’re wondering, it’s Moshi in the last post, looking out to sea)

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12/07/2009 by James.

I went and saw my work in the Evolver Prize exhibition in Dorchester on Friday. It still moves me to see my work on show, especially when it’s been away from ‘home’ for a while, and I’ve got that distance back so I can see it again with fresh eyes. When I saw it I felt a boost, a reassurance that what I’m trying to instill in my work, a soulfulness, a balance, and a sensitivity to materials, is all in there, that I am being true to the experience of being a sensing, connected part of the world in which I find myself.

And then we went to the beach and sat on the pebbles, watching the rain clouds coming in over the sea.

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08/07/2009 by James.

There seems to be a real rythym to my work -switching from studio based practice to school work and, as at the moment, going to meetings, writing proposals, advising and planning professional development sessions.

I am working as an evaluator on a couple of projects at the moment, both in the early stages, one an inter-schools art, music and drama project for Marlborough Secondary School Students, and the other a Synchronised Swimming meets Contemporry Dance Aqua Show with an emphasis on inclusion and access. Alongside those I am planning a couple of weeks of sessions with the Lancaster University Pre-School, supporting staff to support children to lead their own learning within the local outdoor space, and am also preparing to run a session on working in schools and pre-schools on a new postgrad course at UWE in Bristol.

So thats why there’s not many images or children’s stories on here at the moment… but its also a very exciting time - a time when I am translating my passion for creative exploration and learning into a slightly different area of work. I am still focusing on interconnection and the ecology of communities, through seeking to empower others. I am still learning from dialogue and relationship, but this time I’m doing it through working in partnership with other artists and professionals, looking at the bigger picture of their practice and using my own experiences to support them to grow and develop - to create and deliver socially engaged work that is more valuable, more inclusive and more sustainable.

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03/07/2009 by James.

giving twitter a bit of a go if you fancy looking me up… jamesaldridge4

and if you wonder why… so did I but I thought I’d try it and see. Let me know if you’re on there too.

image from British Museum

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03/07/2009 by James.

I was in London again this week, looking at an MA at The Institute of Education, and while I was there I called into The British Museum. I love the way that a museum can re-inspire me with an object from the past or another culture.This time I was soon excited again at the thought of getting going with my wearable pieces, adapted from clothing and adorned with finds, words and images from my walks and travels.

In parallel with this other body related work, I’ve also started work on the Mencap commission, a piece of work that will be included in the ‘Dia de los Muertos’ exhibition I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog. I’m creating a celebration of my nephew Albert who died a few years ago, working onto a shirt with images and objects linked with Albert’s life; my memories of and relationship with him.

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