JONAS

I have now watched all of the episodes of JONAS that exsist in the world. 

This concerns me greatly.

Workshops

I decided to 'take it easy' this mid semester break, and am now in the process of semi-regretting it. I have an english essay to write, a review of a show to do, and seriously don't feel like doing any of it. Instead, I have wisely invested my time in watching episodes of the Jonas Brothers show on youtube. Sensible decision.

I complain, but at least today I have decided on what essay question to do, and what exhibition I'm going to write on. Tomorrow I have to go and hang our 'Traces' exhibition which should be interesting. I have seen two of the finished paintings, one of the photographs. It's definitely been a learning experience, for sure there are more sucessful ways to organise this thing, but it's a bit late to change around now. 

I had a workshop yesterday for sculpture. Graham talked nonstop for pretty much an hour, as Jack says, he looks like he belongs in Lord of the Rings, he is somewhat gnome-like. Then Nick, who looks like a lizard (his eyes are set really far back and he does lots of lip-licking) talked. All of the technicians at Elam are a bit quirky, Darren, who is awesome, makes pinhole camera frisbees and has long westie hair. Douglas, who is practically incomprehensible with a hilarious accent. He isn't there anymore though. I hadn't really been round all the workshops before, and there is SO MUCH YOU CAN DO! apart from the more standard wood and metal shops, they have a foundry, kilns for both pottery and glass, places to do resin work and spray painting. Plus people who know what they are doing in all those areas, in a fine art way, as opposed to bog-standard industrial. I'm really enjoying using metal so far in sculpture, so maybe I'll be able to make some cool stuff in the second half of the semester.

Here's to you, Mr Robinson

So, I've almost completed my first week of the sculpture part of my course. To be perfectly honest, it's significantly harder than I thought it would be. Our brief is 'Making Connections'

We are not meant to be

• biographical

• narrative

• conceptual

• surrealist

• political

what does that leave you with? Literally just putting a pile of old junk together. But it is definitely harder than it looks. Anything else is apparently MUCH to complex for us lowly first years.

Anyway, my tutor for sculpture is my favourite I've had this year. His name is Peter Robinson, and he has awesome Cruella de Vil look going on with his hair. He likes me 'cos I talk.

This is true of most teachers. Except perhaps Ms Feist. But she is a bitter feminist who I purposly tried to piss off so I won't worry too much about that. 

Peter Robinson is actually also an awesome artist, he's kind of a big deal. Recently he's been making these chains out of polystyrene

like so. 

The stuff I am doing at the moment involves gladwrap and rusty metal, with the occasional spiderweb. I'll be sure to keep you updated

Gallery Visits

Auckland has ALOT of galleries. I have lived here pretty much my entire life, and not really realised this until this year, when by the advent of starting elam, I got vaguely art aware and whatnot. So today was basically spent traipsing around various galleries. One exhibition that was on consisted of three tents and mounds of bark. As my friend said, I just don't get it. Even with my new art awareness, sometimes it just seems like people make stuff purely to be weird and confusing. Which may of course be the point. Much like around elam, where I frequently have to ask of a mound of stuff/pile of wood etc is a work or just a mound of stuff. stress.

Speaking of, there was a thing on the news the other night about a pile of packing winning a 15, 000 art prize. Some people were on the news complaining about it. It's just a pile of rubbish! the claimed. I must say, I felt very superior in understanding why it was more than just a pile of rubbish. Cos now I'm art aware and all that

Mr Collins reasons for Marrying

I seriously dislike those boxes that ask you to copy out the distorted word. So they can tell you aren't a robot or whatever. I feel like they are insulting/assaulting my intelligence. Probably because I frequently get them wrong. I can, in fact, read. Despite what you choose to tell me, annoying little box.

Now that's all out of the way, I plan, as the lovely Mr Collins put it so eloquently, so state my reasons for marrying. Or blogging. Pretty much the same thing.

1. I always wanted to keep a diary, but was too much of a slack panda. I have a good memory for names, faces and song lyrics, but other stuff not so much. I did quite well in Europe last year, where I filled almost an entire teal notebook with a orange bird on the front. That was more because I used it to talk to myself, as I was alone the vast majority of the time, and being antisocial in general I wasn't really up for chatting to random types on the train

2. I have harboured vague ambitions for some time now of some career form involving writing. Not something so highbrow as the novel, but maybe scriptwriting? the aformented teal notebook was mostly filled with a screenplay that was fairly terrible. However, as with most things in life, practise is needed. A blog seems like a good place for that.

S