I was reading through the 1000 rss feeds I’d accumulate since Reading Festival and I stumbled across this post about doing work for mates. It’s all too true. So many times I’m asked by friends to do ‘a quick logo’ or a poster design, usually with little time until it has to be complete. This is why now, even with friends and family, I go through the same process I would do with everyone else.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
B-VAC Flash Art Mob
The State of McArt
I was finishing off some artwork when I came across a clipping from a newspaper I picked up on my travels in America. After a bit of researching I found out it was an article written by from the California Herald. Here’s an extract:
It’s painfully obvious it’s not about talent anymore, in the one place an individual could take refuge, in art and music. It’s about effortless attempts of self validation through promotion. This is now branching out though, into a national phenomena. Thanks to media and reality shows like American Idol, easy-to-use computer graphics, widely available electronics equipment replicating instruments that could fool even the most trained of ears and build- your-own webpage online communities like myspace, we’re nothing more than the time we spend typing or what our image invokes. Notoriety has never been more desirable or promising.
The rest of the article can be read here.
One thing that’s stood out to me a lot recently is that a lot of art that I see isn’t really driven by it being fun. It’s all about the CV and exposure and whatnot. OK, so I’m not totally innocent, but a lot of the work I do with other people is because it’s fun. The CV can wait.
Good artists make good art, not great CV’s
CECI at Roam The Rows Festival
Last weekend I was in Chester with CECI to perform at the Roam The Rows Festival.
I’ve been to Chester before and it really is the quaintest town I’ve ever been to. I really like how it’s modern yet has a historical feel to it.
This is the first time I’ve performed to an audience that isn’t exclusively arty and the first time I’ve ever done some sort of street performance. My main concern was that the public would just walk by uninterested. However, when there’s a guy with a massive balloon on his back it’s hard not to be interested! It was all very well received and everyone who experienced the art piece enjoyed it, even if it did leave their hair a bit static at the end (hence the sexy hair nets).
I have another street performance this weekend with B-VAC, but more on that soon.