06/12/2010 by James.

From December 2010 I will no longer be adding to this blog but will be blogging from a new site at -

www.jamesaldridge-artist/blog

You can continue to visit here for information on past projects, but please update your bookmarks or sign up for email updates to keep up to date with my new blog.

Both my website addresses will remain the same -

http://www.jamesaldridge-artist.co.uk

http://www.creative-ecology.co.uk

Posted in Art & Disabiltiy, other art, Museums & Galleries, Learning/Teaching, College Lake Residency, events, environmental issues, Blogroll, 5x5x5=creativity, me & my work, projects, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

17/11/2010 by James.

Yesterday saw the launch of the four installations at College lake, and a great morning it was too. Lovely to be able to share our finished work after beavering away on it these past few months.

I thought I’d add some images of the other three artists’ work here now that I’ve had a chance to see it first hand. Before I start, here’s a nice photo of the four of us outside one of the hides -

First up is Martin Prothero -

‘Martin Prothero is an artist exploring our human relationship with the natural world. He does this by totally immersing himself in a place: living in one location to fully experience it as an integral part of the natural ecology, not as a human visitor’

These slightly blurry images don’t really do the work justice, but hopefully give an idea of what Martin has installed in his hides - glass plates which have been covered in carbon and then left for animals to walk across and leave their marks - beautiful.

This one is patterned with hundreds of little mouse prints

Insect and Badger Prints

Lynda Cornwell’s work (www.lyndacornwell.co.uk) at College Lake explores the way that birds see, using paintings of ultraviolet markings to show details that are not normally visible to the human eye, and prismatic film on the hide’s windows that illuminate these markings with rainbows.

The rainbows also followed me out of the hide and onto the nettles outside when I  opened the door - I think Lynda’s research and the resulting installation is a really interesting example of art/science crossover.

And the last of the other three artists is Stu McLellan (www.stumclellan.co.uk) -

“I’m a painter, illustrator and creative workshop leader, with a whole lot of other experience in between, including therapeutic horticulture, stints in offices and warehouses, on an organic farm, volunteering in an ecohome and sitting in a toll booth between England and Wales - some of which were opportunities for doodling on an unprecedented scale. “

Stu’s installation uses hand drawn imagery in a graphic novel style to explore the past, present and future of the reserve, adding detail, visual interest and humour to the inside and outside of the hide.

Outside… and inside

 I love these little details

And then there is me, I’ve put plenty of images of my work in progress as the project went along, but here’s some of it in situ and being interacted with by everyone at the launch event.

I’m sure you’ve got the message by now, its a lovely mix of work, responding to the same environment in very different ways.

And apparently its not going to stop there either. Alistair from Outdoor Culture, who put the project together, is going to be working with a photographer and a poet to create a publication from their creative response to the reserve, so keep an eye out for that too - www.outdoorculture.com

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19/10/2010 by James.

I’ve been busy creating small ‘vitrines’ from old suitcases recently, as part of my installation at College Lake along with three other artists commissioned by Outdoor Culture.

I’m going to be installing the work at the start of November, alongside large map-based panels that are currently at the framers and which were inspired by migratory birds, so not long to wait until the installations are open to the public!

Here’s a few photos of work in progress to give you a taster, combining archive photographs of the lake’s industrial past as a working quarry, images of wildlife found on-site, and found objects relevant to the reserve.

They are still a bit rough, and need a bit of working on, but I think they are progressing nicely.

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18/10/2010 by James.

I’ll be showing two pieces at BANA’s (Bath Area Network for Artists) New View group exhibition next month, Field and Snail, both framed mixed-media work, and both for sale.

New View will run from Friday 29th October to Saturday 6th November, and is open from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

The show will be held at Bath Artists Studios Gallery, see here for how to get there.

Posted in Museums & Galleries, events, me & my work, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

10/02/2010 by James.

Please share the following information with any 14 to 19 yr olds you know of in the Stonehenge/Salisbury/surrounding areas, who may be interested in this exciting opportunity to advise English Heritage on the development of the new Visitor Centre and learning/outreach programmes.

Thank you!

STONEHENGE YOUNG PEOPLE’S PANEL

WHAT?

English Heritage at Stonehenge needs the options of young people to decide how to make their new Visitor Centre an interesting and fun place to visit in the future.

WHO?

Young people from 14-19 years old, who are interested in design, archaeology, or the environment, in sharing their opinions and having something different on their CV.

HOW?

We want to hold on Open Meeting, and four Young People’s Panel sessions, based at Salisbury Museum, with visits to Stonehenge and other local venues.

Open Meeting:

The open meeting will give you a chance to see artists’ impressions of the new Visitor Centre, handle artefacts, explore the Museum and give ideas on what needs to happen next. If you decide to become part of the panel you can sign up for that here too.

Panel Sessions:

At each session there will be a different theme and content – such as meeting the architects, designing interactive exhibits, and exploring how we can make facilities more environmentally sustainable.

The Young People’s Panel is free. Local transport costs will be paid and refreshments will be provided for all of the four panel sessions.

WHEN?

Open Meeting:

Saturday 13^th February at Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum, Cathedral Close, Salisbury, 10.30am to 12.30pm (just turn up, no need to book).

Panel Sessions:

Saturday 27^th February, 20^th March, 17^th April, 8^th May at Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum, 10.15am to 12.45pm (sign up for your place at the Open Meeting).

It is hoped that the panel sessions will continue after this initial project.

For more information please contact James Aldridge:

Email: info@creative-ecology.co.uk Telephone: 07931 407 186

Posted in Learning/Teaching, Museums & Galleries, events, environmental issues, projects | Print | No Comments »

23/10/2009 by James.

I’ve just dropped off Wonder in Salisbury. Its one of the drawings onto maps that I did earlier this year, and is going to be shown as part of this open entry drawing exhibition at Salisbury Arts Centre from 2nd November to 12 December.

The exhibition is open Tuesday to Friday 9.30 to 5.00 p.m. and Saturdays 9.30 to 4.00 p.m.

I’ve just been having a look at the work of the other artists involved online, there’s 22 of us altogether from across the country, with a real mix of styles and approaches.

For more info and how to find it go to - www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/visualarts.aspx

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15/10/2009 by James.

I’m doing some teaching as a visiting lecturer on this course. Its ideal for anyone looking to get into working in a participatory way in the arts. Here’s some more info from UWE and a link to the course pages…

 Graduate Certificate in Participatory Arts and Media Professional Practice

Earlier this year UWE launched new accredited continuing professional development courses aimed at arts graduates or those working in any art form with groups in education, healthcare or the community sectors.

Apply now! For the second module in Participatory Arts: Methods and Approaches -
Open for applications on the 19th October and closing on the 20th November 2009.

Each twelve week course is designed to fit around the practitioners’ lives and work, participants can take three modules in any order over the three years to obtain the Certificate, or take just one or two of the modules for their own personal development.

We’ve even found a way for you to get up to 50% off the price this year!
find out more at -

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/sca/courses/community_cpd.shtml?mxmroi=14861901/2237193/false

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14/10/2009 by James.

Yesterday myself and Laura, the education officer from Salisbury Museum, ran the last of these creative family learning sessions at Kiwi School.

As you might know by now, we have been exploring the Stonehenge landscape and its ancient and military history and using mark-making to document and reflect on our experiences.

On this last session, Laura talked to the families about the beaker pots that are sometimes found in the barrows linked with Stonehenge, and we explored outside to find our own tools to make marks into clay.

We also got messy with acrylic paints, exploring the sensory qualities of the paint, mixing colour, and drawing on the last few sessions to create work inspired by Stonehenge and its surroundings.

Its been a great project to run with the Museum, and brilliant to see so many of the mums (as well as their children) get fired up by experimenting freely with creative materials, and learning about this ancient site almost on their doorstep.

In January we’ll be putting up an exhibition at the Museum, sharing images and artwork from across the project, showing how the creative activities, the artefacts provided by the museum and the National Trust, and the visits to the landscape itself, have all come together to support each family to gain something different from the project and its free, responsive approach.

Keep an eye on the museum website for more information on the exhibition, due to run from January to March 2010…. www.salisburymuseum.org.uk

 ( sunset through the stones by Daisy )

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03/10/2009 by James.

Just a quick one to confirm that the venue for this exhibition is the Proud Camden Gallery, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 8AH

A few people were unsure where it was happening. For more information on the exhibition please see the exhibition website - www.mencap.org.uk/dayofthedead

For information on the venue see - www.proudcamden.com

Hope that helps!

Posted in Museums & Galleries, events, me & my work | Print | No Comments »

16/09/2009 by James.

Here are some links to information on the other artists involved, and associated cultural events running alongside the exhibition and fundraising auction, for which I was invited to make a piece of work.

General info on the Mencap Website 

On Matthew Williamson’s contribution in the Pink Paper

Albert’s Shirt (detail) - my piece for Dia de los Muertos

Posted in events, me & my work | Print | 1 Comment »