A new exhibition opens at the Greenhouse organised by the Film, Writers and Poets Sub-Committee of the new Guernsey Arts Commission, of locally sourced literature and film.

Poetry and Prose readings will be scheduled throughout the evening of Thursday 26th June between 5.30pm - 7.30pm. As well as the readings there will two short films (arranged by CinéGuernsey) designed to transport you through the power of film into a poetic world.

Exhibition runs until 17th July, exhibited poetry will change weekly.

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“With the help of a GPS device and DHL, I have drawn a self portrait on our planet. My pen was a briefcase containing the GPS device, being sent around the world. The paths the briefcase took around the globe became the strokes of the drawing.”
Eric Nordenankar - Biggest drawing in the World

An exhibition which explores art in the public realm, considering its breadth, range and positive social and cultural impacts upon the community. As part of the Guernsey Arts Commission’s mandate to raise the profile and provision of Public Art in the island, this exhibition considers the possible adoption of Public Art in Guernsey. With examples from leading British sculptor Antony Gormley, and also examples from around the globe in the accompanying exhibition publication. This exhibition stands to challenge your percenptions of what Public Art can be and what it can achieve.

The exhibition runs from 11th April  - 19th June 2008.

Visit the Greenhouse website

Accompanying Lectures - free admission:
Alastair Snow:
Former Senior Public Art Officer for Bristol City Council now working as an independent advisor will give a lecture on the importance of art within the community.
Tuesday 15th April, 7.00pm - 8.30pm at Frossard Theatre, Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, Candie Gardens.

Antony Gormley:
Leading contemporary Birtish Sculptor.
Friday 18th April, 7.30pm - 8.30pm at the Performing Arts Centre.
To attend this lecture please register at info@orchardevents.com or contact Fiona Murray on 240600.
This lecture is sponsored by HSBC Private Bank.

Way back in 2000 Sodaplay was let free to roam the internet. I remember seeing and being amazed by all Java the creations that people had made; wire-frame, mechanical/organic constructs that ‘walked’ by way of perpetual motion. Anyone could create their own creature, adding limbs, movement and changing the psychics, it was fun and playful as well as educational.

However as the years past I forgot all about Sodaplay until I saw the Kinetic Sculptures called “Strandbeests” (Beach Creatures) by Dutch artist, Theo Jansen. They are Sodaplay creations in the wild, large skeletal works powered by the wind. Beautifully engineered their wings flap and legs scuttle, as they walk across sandy beaches, traversing both the wet sand near the shore and the softer dry sand higher up.

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This may be a couple of years old now but it’s still a great piece of animation. It was created by Alan Becker in 2006 and has now been updated with smoother graphics.

Click on the image, or the following link to view the animation, then click play and sit back and enjoy a piece of creative brilliance.

Animator vs. Animation

Alan has created version 2 of the animation which can be seen on his DeviantArt website: alanbecker.deviantart.com

Whilst at the Bristol Artists Book Event in 2007 at the Arnolfini I stumbled (not literally) across a very nice lady and her very nice typewriter. This was the illustrator Nadine Faye James, She was creating these amazing typed portraits. No photo was required, I sat for a couple of minutes and my letter-head was created.

I am incredibly happy with my portrait and its surprisingly cheap cost, a fantastic £1. It came in a little brown envelope which, also included a card with the text ‘Available for Weddings and Bar Mitzvahs’. So if you would like to add a bit of illustration and fun to your big day get in contact with Nadine Faye James.

Nadine is working as an illustrator and her clients include Random House, Bloomsbury and The Guardian. I recently saw a write up on her in Januarys Grafik magazine which was the review of the year issue, so I’m sure she is doing all the right things.

Have you ever wanted to record your dreams? Or have a cool little humanoid robot? Then the Sleep Waking robot by Fernando Orellana and Brendan Burns is for you. Amazing to watch, I love the precise yet elegant movement, which is remenisant of a mime artist, or contemporary dancer, and the little bench it has to sit on adds a nice human quality. Currently it doesn’t play back accurate representations of  dreams but it still has a dreamlike quality to the movement, not something you expect from a robot. Be sure to watch the video below.

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Yesterday I launched the new International Artist In Residence website. It was designed along with Eric Snell, the director of the programme. Eric is a former tutor of mine as I used to attend the Grange House Art & Design college of which the IAIRP is part. He approached me asking if I would be able to make the new site for them, I agreed, and after much planning, and the selection of difference ideas and designs we came up with a solution we were both happy with.

The website helps to bring attention to the programme which gives a unique opportunity to students in the island by allowing them to see artists at work in the studio. Read more

The Readerswives Collective have just moved into their new headquarters, The Centrefold Gallery. To celebrate they are putting on a two week exhibition called ‘Paperview - the more you buy the more you see’. The work on display is from many great local artists including Choobi, Ster, Rostone, Decal, Melon, Kitten Soft and Vinyl Matt.

All the framed pieces on display are selling at a drop down bargain price of ten earth pounds. As each piece is brought and taken down a collaborative wall painting is revealed like a reverse jigsaw. Read more

Jersey based artist Jason Butler is currently exhibiting in Guernsey at ‘The Gallery’ in Mansell Street.

The work on show at ‘The Gallery’ comprises of portraits, both commissioned and private and the ongoing body of work, ‘Outsiders’. A number of drawings will hang along side a large number of paintings.

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