Twitter Art Exhibit 2016

There’s a show on in New York at the moment over at the Trygve Lie Gallery on East 52nd that you really need to see to believe. It’s called the Twitter Art Exhibit and it is showing art from across the globe. All artists have a Twitter account and have donated their artworks to assist in raising funds for Foster Pride‘s Handmade Program. The idea is that these Twitter artists assist in promoting the show and spreading the word. The exhibition opened last week and has already raised $7000 through sales and is well on its way to meeting the target of $12000.

This is an amazing way to see and be seen. Everybody wins, even the artist. I knew when I entered this show that my tiny 6″ x 4″ postcard would be seen by thousands of people. it only cost me pennies to make and because it’s so light the postage was tiny. It’s a far cry from entering large framed pieces into New York shows but it makes the logistics a lot easier for me.

Meanwhile, viewers to the gallery can pick a piece they love and for a few dollars get to take it home there and then. They know that they’re supporting a great charity and they have the chance to get in contact with their selected artist to commission more works if they like the style.

At the heart of it all is the funds raised for Foster Pride which has been helping kids in care express themselves through mentoring and the arts since 1993. The Hand Made program teaches young people new skills which they can then use to create quality goods. You can see more on this on the Today Show article on Youtube. Click here!

So yeah, everyone wins. So you’re not in NYC at the moment? Then see what it’s all about over on Facebook… or Twitter! The exhibition runs until April 21st.

Picture courtesy of Twitter Art Exhibit. My artwork is the yellow and orange piece mid shot

Don’t buy my Art this Christmas

There’s a massive difference between need and want. A lot of holiday experiences are not at all what people need in their lives and are based on pure want.

A conversation with a mum of two and she’s telling me the hundreds of pounds of debt she’ll be getting into this Christmas to give her family “the best presents” she can. A lot of what she listed seemed to be throwaway items that will be forgotten by New Year, or expensive technological goods which are what her family “needs”. Meanwhile, buying art is very much a mysterious thing and definitely not on her list.

A different discussion with a friend who said he’d spent £110 on a mad night out in the pubs and clubs around town for a friend’s birthday. He seemed to think that the hangover he’d gained from it made it money well spent. I asked him whether he thought that the money could be better spent on buying some art instead and he said “Hell no!” Again, top on the celebrations list isn’t anything tangible.

It’s a strange society that means people will spend their money on a short lived drunken experience or a mountain of cheap throwaway goods rather than supporting a local craftsperson and getting a present with more longevity. Yes my art is a luxury item to most but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a worthwhile gift to get somebody. I have a shop. My prices are reasonable and cover my time and materials and not a lot else. I’m not sure who visits it and I haven’t had any sales yet. But nevertheless it’s there and it’s open 24 hours. Click here to have a look and please share if you know someone who would like my stuff. Someone who wants my stuff.

But then, what is the difference between want and need? I want your money and you want to have nice presents this Christmas, but what do either of us need? I have enough coming in through my education work to provide a roof over my head and food in my belly and that should be enough. Yes, I’d love for you to own one of my artworks and get pleasure from it but my world isn’t going to fall apart if you don’t.

There are many people out there who aren’t as lucky and who are struggling to get even the basics (food, housing, bills) sorted. If it’s a choice between buying my art or supporting a local homeless shelter this Christmas, I know which one I’d prefer you do. In fact screw it! Don’t buy my art! Instead click on one of the numerous links below and give to somebody who needs a roof over their head.

UK:  Shelter            Centrepoint          Crisis           The Wallich

USA: Homeless Shelters             NCH           Stand Up for Kids

 

Venez m’aider (2012)

Idea Formation

It’s always a challenge to start a new piece of work. Sometimes the shape takes form in my head long before I start cutting. Sometimes it’s more of an organic experience. With Robot in Disguise, it’s more of a hybrid of the two. I’ve known roughly where I’m going on the cuts but haven’t convinced myself of the overall shape and assembly.

Such is the nature of the Structured Chaos series of work. If there is too much structure in the preliminary ideas then that undermines the chaos, and vice versa.

Each artwork is informed by Ben‘s photograph but isn’t controlled by it since all the cuts I’m making are on the reverse of his pictures. Nevertheless I have ideas on architecture and machinery forming in my head whilst cutting Robot in Disguise. The very nature of the title I’ve been given means the shapes are far less natural and more technological in nature.

WE’re planning on this being more of a mixed media piece eventually although there are no concrete plans formed yet on the exact nature of this assemblage. Whilst these inaugural layers are being cut there is much discussion and debate.

‘Robot in Disguise’ work in progress Melanie Ezra and Ben Honebone

Protocol Shift

So here we go again, another Structured Chaos is evolving and we’ll be sharing the progress of this piece a little differently this time.

Usually I just share the view from the back of the artwork and reveal nothing of the front photograph until nearer completion. This is because I work only on the back of the photograph so until completion this is the only side which is of any relevance to me. As a result, most people believe this series consists of lots of white layers and are surprised to find out that I’m working with a photograph.

The photograph itself is the brain child of my partner Ben Honebone so as a shift in protocol we’ll be sharing excerpts of the progress on this work from his perspective. All pictures of emerging layers will slowly reveal the subject matter of his original source photograph.

This new artwork has the working title Robot in Disguise and I’m finding myself cutting shapes inspired by architecture and industry. There are also elements of agriculture towards the lower half of this picture. All these motifs are deliberate and refer directly to the subject matter of the photograph itself. Although I cut these shapes on the reverse of the picture I am always aware of Ben’s photograph in the back of my mind and the influence this is having on my responses.

Making Sense of Clydach

Another Thursday and another excellent little photography group in Graigfelen, Clydach. This time we were considering the landscape around the centre and getting in touch with how we feel on a day to day basis.

Often our local environment is overlooked as a place to relax and make sense of it all. We rush from one situation to another without giving ourselves time to relax. Sometimes the only time off we have is a structured holiday getting away from it all. Today we looked at how we can relax and enjoy what’s available locally and how to feel calm and happy even on a dull November day.

Ben

Annemarie

Andy

Ceinwen

Ceinwen

Ben

Ceinwen

Andy

Andy

Gemma

Ceinwen

Vicky

Andy

Annemarie

Annemarie

Annemarie

Andy

Gemma

Gemma

Ceinwen

Annemarie

Ceinwen

Gemma

Andy

Andy

Ceinwen

A Dylan Thomas Celebration

Today saw a special assembly at Dylan Thomas Community School. Here pupils from Year 8 shared their photographs which they had taken as part of my Bringing Gower Home project. We planned the assembly a few weeks ago so everybody was nervous about how well it would work on the day.

We packed into the school drama theatre and showed the photographs on the big cinema screen. They looked amazing and it was great to see the reactions on the faces of the audience. Each student only had ten seconds to say a little about their photograph which meant this assembly was fast paced and entertaining for everyone.

I would love to have taken more photographs (and video) of this special event but the law is very protective when it comes to photographing children (and rightly so). So here I have just a little sample of the students making some last minute revisions to their speeches.

Well done everyone!

I am organising, delivering, and supporting this project in collaboration with Gower Landscape Partnership (GLP) which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural Resources Wales, City and County of Swansea, and National Trust.

Bringing Gower Home to ASDES

Another Bringing Gower Home group braved the weather today at Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill. This time participants from ASDES enjoyed the Christmas Craft Fayre which is being held today and tomorrow.

ASDES are a not-for-profit community interest company who support people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in getting into employment. As well as a range of professional services ASDES looks at supporting their clients through confidence building activities. People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder often have complex needs which cannot always be addressed by conventional methods. By thinking more holistically ASDES successfully assist their service users in building up their confidence through a range of social and formal situations as a precursor to employment.

Today’s Bringing Gower Home workshop provided an ideal platform for this confidence building and explored alternative ways to express thoughts and ideas in an informal setting. Some of today’s participants had extensive knowledge of photography whilst others were complete beginners. The activities we did encouraged everyone to think less rigidly and more creatively about what they were experiencing at the Heritage Centre.

The results are absolutely stunning and wouldn’t look out of place in a tourist guide to Gower but to the participants they are far more personal and bring a sense of satisfaction beyond what you see here.

Maddison

Joshua

Corey

Ruairi

Rob

Alex

Artyom

Owen

I am organising, delivering, and supporting this project in collaboration with Gower Landscape Partnership (GLP) which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural Resources Wales, City and County of Swansea, and National Trust.

Bringing Gower Home to Parkmill

Today we were out on Gower again with a second wonderful group from WCADA’s Domino Therapeutic Recreation. This group explored the Gower Heritage Centre at Parkmill in the heart of Gower.

With the temperature dropping and a threat of winter weather it was exciting to see the participants embrace the history of the Heritage Centre.We also braced the elements to discover the neolithic burial chamber at Parc le Breos as well as Cat Hole Cave nearby.

This workshop is part of my Bringing Gower Home project which provides one day photography workshops for groups of up to 12 participants on the Gower. The day workshop explores themes on self-esteem and confidence building as well as technical skills with the camera.The workshop is then followed up with a projected display of the participants’ favourite photographs at a venue convenient to the participating organisation. For this group we’ll be combining their feedback event with the WCADA Christmas party in a few weeks time. Here we’ll celebrate the group’s achievements and share their experience with friends, family, and other WCADA service users.

Thanks to everyone who took part today. You guys are awesome!

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I am organising, delivering, and supporting this project in collaboration with Gower Landscape Partnership (GLP) which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural Resources Wales, City and County of Swansea, and National Trust.

Portraits of Clydach

It’s been raining sideways here. Every road seems to be a river and surface water is lying everywhere. The wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits of my talented class in Clydach this morning and they happily braved the elements to take these excellent self-portraits. The idea behind these is not to be technically perfect but to be expressive and to indicate mood.

A true selfie isn’t something  taken with a selfie stick and with a stereotypical ‘duck face’. A selfie is a way of expressing the self. It can indicate a complex history or a wish fulfilment just as it can show the body or the face. The self is an abstract rather than a physical entity so to catch a sense of the self through a photograph is no easy task.

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Annemarie

Ceinwen

Ben

Ceinwen

Ceinwen

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Chloe

Ben

Annemarie

Andy

Kelly

Annemarie

Kelly

Vicky

 

Believe in Unique

After quite a long break from our Structured Chaos series, Ben Honebone and I have negotiated and planned the next artwork.

It’s been a while because we both felt that something new needed to come to this series in order for it to continue to be productive. Any new artwork should not just regurgitate the format of previous artworks. It should consider the same philosophy and concept of previous artworks but not copy it.

Every piece in this collection should be unique and with purpose otherwise what’s the point? Sure the subject of the photograph is different but that isn’t enough for either of us. If I am to sit and cut a photograph for weeks at a time then the malaise that I felt whilst creating Cadillac will creep back and it will be hard to continue the series. The motivation between us as collaborative artists must not be allowed to falter if we are to continue to be a creative partnership.

This next chaos will be unique and different to anything we have attempted before.

A tiny hint of something to come