élan

my brother's coffee machine

2012-03-11T19:11:00.000Z

So, my brother, William Ireland has built a working coffee machine at home. He and his girlfriend want to open a coffee shop. He built a functioning coffee machine from parts from the internet, making a lot of the internal brass work from scratch. I had some photos of it before it was finished. On top of this, the two of them have started roasting their own direct trade coffee in a popcorn maker and grinding it at home. They gave me a bag of it for my birthday. I am pretty blown away by the effort of all of this.

2nd of march at old st mary's

2012-03-09T18:41:00.006Z

Last Friday, we put on a gig and art show at St Mary's Old Church in Stoke Newington, London, with Rob St John, Frozy and Tiger & Panda & Ox. It was a great evening and we were very grateful for everyone who played and attended and helped. We were especially grateful to John Field and St Mary's Art. If you are looking to put on an evening of music or anything, they only take a percentage of the door and run a bar for you and are generally helpful and encouraging. You can contact them here. Also, worth mentioning was Steve Brett, who came all the way from Bristol to play with Rob and also did the door while we played.

a wonderful drawing of the evening by Lizzie Stewart

this photo may have beent aken by olly watson

rob st john

frozy

kino residence: encyclopedia review

2012-02-24T10:00:00.004Z

In 2012, as part of my artist residency at Café Kino in Stokes Croft in Bristol, I spent five days in the basement of the café, at a table with two chairs, on the stage, attempting to ‘write down everything I knew from memory’. I called this a ‘performance’ and called the performance ‘encyclopedia’. It took place from 9AM to 5PM each day between Monday the 13^th and Friday the 17^th of February. I stopped for a half hour lunch break each day, and took regular pauses from writing to avoid repetitive strain injury and eyestrain. The entire performance took five days and I spent a total of 37.5 hours writing and produced 120 pages of writing on lined A4 recycled paper as a result.

There was a chalk board behind me that said ‘ENCYCLOPEDIA 5 DAY PERFORMANCE’ and ‘MAKE AN ILLUSTRATION’. People could come and view this performance and could make illustrations for what I had written about that day, while sitting opposite me on the stage. They were instructed to 1. choose a category for the day’s stack of papers 2. make an illustration for that category 3. sign their name 4. attach their illustration to the page it was taken from using the paperclips provided.

Now that I’ve finished and I’ve had a chance to think about the project, it seems to me that it splits into three separate parts:

1. The idea

This was a very simple idea and I think it can be enjoyable in its own right. The idea to ‘write down everything I knew from memory’ was written down in a press release and was part of a lecture I held at Café Kino on the evening of Sunday the 12^th of February, the night before I
started the performance. The idea included a rough outline of how I would go about this performance and the reasons for why I wanted to do it.

I said that I wanted to set an impossible task and that, on one level, the ridiculousness of it might be entertaining enough for people to enjoy. I also said that this was not a stuntman-style endurance test and that it was not about what I did know but rather what I thought I knew, what I didn’t know and whether, all alone on the stage, I could really ‘know’ anything. Finally I said that my favourite part of art was the artfulness that people can put into everyday tasks. I was thinking also about crafts people who would spend their entire lives at single task, making their performance of that task fluid and ‘artful’. It was probably watching the BBC programme Imagine about Grayson Perry that made me think of this.

I also have a habit of telling stories as facts, which I have no references for. I think most people do this. I think that it is not always understood how academic language preserves its credibility through the inclusion of references so that at least there might be explanations as to where facts came from even if they prove to be ultimately incorrect. ‘Educational’ television has a habit of informing without any reference as to where the information they are giving us came from. That is why what I have done is art and not academia. I rely only on my flawed memory and to trust what I tell you would make you a bigger fool than even me.

2. The performance

This was the practical side of the bold claim of the press release. How would I now go about a task designed to fail? I had said in the press release that, between the hours of 9AM and 5PM, I would be under ‘exam conditions’. I slackened this rule to allow myself to answer questions from people who came to see me and used my judgement as to when to stop them from telling me something that I might use to ‘cheat’. This felt more in keeping with what I hope was a humanistic performance in which people were encouraged to participate. I also decided that each day would constitute a separate exam and while I would not allow myself to look things up or ‘revise’ in between days, I was allowed to absorb information as I would naturally, so long as I never went back and corrected a previous day’s writing. It was these practical considerations that separated the performance from the idea.

I chose to write by hand so that spelling mistakes would also occur. There was a great thing I was noticing about how the credibility of some authoritative piece of writing could be destroyed all of a sudden by a spelling error or a jarringly wrong fact, even if what came before and after was completely correct. This was something I wanted to preserve. This idea starts with the title ‘encyclopedia’, which I had spelled using the American spelling rather than the English, inconsistently with the spelling of everything else. The final outcome of this performance will be typed, so as to introduce typos, as well as to communicate greater authority to the reader, which they will then be asked to question.

My approach in writing was to start with a topic and let what I wrote about it inform what I would write about next. I expected to get stuck often, but this system actually worked really well. If I found myself heading in a circle, I would simply change the subject. I intend to alphabetise the results, but I was given a brilliant Idea by Sarah Kate to include an index of topics in chronological order as well, so that the subject associations could be seen.

The basement location was perfect for my purposes. I was slightly isolated but people had access and many even came down especially to talk to me and do a drawing. I was also keen not to get in the way of customers or the café staff trying to do their jobs. The stage also acted as kind of framing device, indicating a performance and not just someone sitting and writing (even though this was really what it was).

By the end of the week, I found I was genuinely trying to write things as if I were explaining them to someone from another planet. I also found that I was questioning the nature of knowledge. ‘The war in Iraq does not exist’ said Jean Baudrillard and what I guess he meant was that if you do not witness something with your eyes, but are only informed about it or shown pictures of it, you cannot prove that it is real. Even your eyes could lie to you I suppose. By the end of the week I was wondering how I could prove that it ever happened. I could have faked the photos, could have bribed ‘witnesses’, could have fabricated the writing making it all contrived and not really the result of a ‘stream of consciousness’ performance at all. I took a photo of my watch on the workstation but I could easily have changed the times. This, I think is the result of the performance. A questioning of what real ‘knowledge’ is and how you do something that it is not possible to do. It seems to be the desire of the human brain to try and distinguish black from white when there is only grey.

3.The Document

Over the course of 2012, I will type up and alphabetise what I have written, scanning in illustrations and leaving spelling mistakes uncorrected. This should be a simple process. I will mark the day on which each category was written and, as stated before, I will include a chronological index of subjects. This will be printed and bound into a one off (plus archive copy) book, which will be displayed in an exhibition at the end of 2012, along with all the other things produced as a result of the year’s residency.

In Sunday the 12^th’s lecture, I talked about the evolution of the alphabet from carving to scripture to printed type and how many idiosyncrasies of the chiselled letter were taken on into handwriting and handwriting into moveable type. It is my intention to preserve the mistakes of my handwritten document in digital type.

Before I proposed this project, I researched for a while to make sure it had not been done before. I couldn’t find anything but being such a simple idea. It is quite possible that someone else has done something similar in the past. What makes this idea unique was the specific way that I have gone about it. The decisions I made along the way made the project mine in a way that the original simple idea never could truly be.

giacomo on the kindle

2012-02-23T10:00:00.000Z

Look! My friend Giacomo Lee wrote a novel called Red Trick and asked me to design the cover and it has just been published for e-reader. Way to go Giac!

grizzly and the bears

2012-02-22T10:00:00.002Z

Grizzly and the Bears formed in 2005 and we played shows around Bristol and Reading until about 2007. We made an album called Poppit Sands and then were on hiatus for years as we weren't really able to get together that often any more. Now we are recording some new songs on about four dates spread out over a year. The photos above are from the second, and most recent, 'secret recording date'. It is really nice to play music together again and we have been really pleased with the recordings so far. It's also a nice opportunity to come and hang out with our pal Philip Dodd!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://politerecords.bandcamp.com/album/poppit-sands"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Poppit Sands by Grizzly &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; the Bears&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

our previous album

kino residency: encyclopedia photos

2012-02-21T10:00:00.002Z

Between Monday the 13th and Friday the 17th of February, I sat in the basement of Cafe Kino and attempted to write down 'everything I know' from memory between the hours of 9am and 5pm, taking half an hour lunch break. I have posted the press release for this previously. People were able to come and watch and to contribute to the process by adding illustrations. I was extremely happy with how the performance went and will be writing more about it soon, as it grew into something more interesting than the original press release suggests with the practicality of organising this impossible task. Thanks again to all at Kino and everyone who came to visit, put me up, or made an illustration.

'performance area'

illustrator (left) performer (right)

the finished article (120 pages)

kino residency: a lecture about language

2012-02-20T11:13:00.008Z

design by Michal William, photo by Frances Dixon

On the evening of Sunday the 12th of February, I held the first event of my residency in the basement of Cafe Kino. This was an introductory lecture about language with some information about me and the 'encyclopedia' performance that I was going to be carrying out in the basement for the week starting the day after this event. After I'd done my lecture, there was music from Will Newsome (Wig Smith) and Matt Loveridge (MXLX). Thanks a lot to Will and Matt, who were both incredible and played better than I ever could have hoped. And thanks a lot everyone who made it along. I will be typing up a transcript of the lecture to go with the final product (book) of 'encyclopedia'.

Will Newsome (Wig Smith)

Matt Loveridge (MXLX)

music & pictures: st mary's old church

2012-02-01T11:34:00.007Z

Friday 2nd March 2012 at St Mary's Old Church

R O B S T J O H N
he sings beautiful folk songs in a rich and booming voice. his latest album, weald, was released on song, by toad records, who also released a split 7” between rob and ian humberstone. rob is bringing a full band and will be amazing!

F R O Z Y
dreamy pop songs with guitar and drums and occasionally more. charming subject matter and a homemade quality you can dance to if you feel like it. Their most recent album, pulling daisies, was released on tri-lingual records.

T I G E R & P A N D A & O X
a bunch of polite records bozos. with instruments like keyboards, guitars, drum machines and accordions, tiger & panda & ox change their music every time they play or record, which is why they always sound like they’re still learning their songs. this will be the date they start selling their new cd, "flickin' the 'v's".

P L U S A R T S H O W !
there will be all kinds of pictures and stuff hanging about in St Mary's beautiful old church.

£ 5 E N T R Y

kino residency: encyclopedia press release

2012-01-25T17:11:00.004Z

Hello, my name is Henry Ireland and what I am doing is writing an encyclopedia of things I know off by heart. I will sit in the basement of Cafe Kino between the hours of 9am and 5pm from monday the 13th to friday the 17th of February under exam conditions and attempt to write everything I know onto A4 sheets of lined recycled paper. I will take a 30 minute lunch break and will look away from the page every 15 minutes in order to prevent eye strain and repetitive strain injury to my wrist. You can contribute to this project by adding an illustration. There will be an illustrator’s seat with full instructions.

I’m doing this for a few reasons. Firstly, I’m interested in the ways in which we choose to store information, like the difference between oral and written histories, finding a compromise between flexibility, accuracy and longevity. I’m also curious about what I actually know, what I’ve mis-remembered, where the holes in my knowledge are largest and what things I associate with each other. Finally I’m doing this because I spend about 7.5 hours a day reading at my usual job. I thought it would be interesting to reverse this and spend 7.5 hours a day putting out information rather than taking it in.

The writing of this encyclopedia is a performance and when it is finished, I will take it home, type it up, alphabetise it and present it in an exhibition at the end of this year, bound with your illustrations.

kino residency: event 1

2012-01-25T16:26:00.009Z

I have organised my first event at Cafe Kino to take place between Sunday the 12th of February and Friday the 17th. The main event is a five day performance called encyclopedia. On the Sunday before this performance begins, I will be giving an explanation and lecture about language and communication, followed by performances by MXLX and Wig Smith:

MXLX is the most recent incarnation of Matt Loveridge. Matt’s experimental, often loop and noise-laden, compositions are eclectic and often highly ambitious. He plays guitar in Beak> and bass in Yoshy! Recently he released a three part piano drone piece under his own name on Stitch-Stitch Records. It was called ‘Atworth’, named after Atworth church in Wiltshire, where it was recorded. Each composition he creates contains an inventiveness, originality and thoughtfulness that gives them all a truly unique beauty, sometimes in stark contrast to the brutal sounds that go into their construction. Matt has will be playing an acoustic piece of work, making use of improvised chanting.

Wig Smith is the solo moniker of kora player Will Newsome. Will is perhaps best known as one half of The Hand. He plays a variety of folk instruments, his songs are collections of stories and often contain little known facts and pieces of folklore. His first solo album, entitled ‘A Means of Escape through a Hedge’ was released in April 2010. Will is playing at Kino again on Friday the 17th, supporting Vialka. This gig just happens to coincide with the completion of the encyclopaedia performance. Will is going to to link his two performances, giving a pleasing symmetry to the whole thing!

flickin' the 'v's

2012-01-19T17:37:00.003Z

Spent most of my free time over the last week printing this artwork for the next tiger & panda & ox ep, flickin' the 'v's. I'm pretty pleased with how they look now and I think they will be ready to buy around the 2nd of march when we are playing at Old St Mary's. The nets for this packaging are recycled card and they came from a company called eco-craft ltd. I have Steve Brett to thank for telling me about this company. As well as being excited about the artwork, we listened to a rough mix I had made of the songs the other day and were pleasantly surprised. I'm looking forward to finishing this project!

foggy photo

2012-01-07T22:09:00.003Z

I took a photo of the barbican in the fog before christmas. This is taken from where we live. I have some other foggy photos rattling around.

william ireland

2012-01-02T14:43:00.005Z

This year, my brother Will said that he would be 'making' his Christmas present to me. I had no idea that what he was making me (with some help from my dad) was this incredible music box. It has four sound effects that play on a loop, whose tempo can be controlled and plays a tone that can be altered with a stylus on the pad he made out of an old palm pilot he found on ebay. It is one of the most amazing things anyone has ever given me and I thought it deserved to be seen on here.

artist in residence: cafe kino

2011-12-28T18:22:00.013Z

image from here

I'm really proud and excited to say that I have been asked to be artist in residence for 2012 at Bristol's Cafe Kino. Kino is a not-for-profit workers' co-op, owned and operated by its workers and run, in part, by volunteers. I love playing at Cafe Kino and have great respect for the principles by which they operate. They serve delicious vegan/vegetarian food and serve as an affordable arts and music space for their local community. I can't wait to contribute to this great place!

The main part of my residency will consist of the organization of a series of varied events over the course of the year. I'm pretty nervous because I want to do a good job but I'm also so excited!

in bristol

2011-11-27T14:10:00.004Z

If you are in Bristol on Thursday the 8th of December, you should go to this:

rob st john

ian humberstone

rozi plain

Thursday 8th December 2011
7:30pm
£4 entry
Cafe Kino, 108 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RU

I done the poster!

records

2011-11-03T12:12:00.003Z

This will be a page of a book of prints that I'm hoping to get done in time to submit to a competition run by the Bookartbook Shop.

by the roads and the fields

2011-11-01T16:39:00.032Z

image from here

I went to the post office the other day and the parcel waiting for me was an LP of By The Roads And The Fields by Crescent. Crescent are a Bristol band, formed in the early nineties and By The Roads And The Fields was released on Fat Cat Records in 2003, their fourth album. I was very excited to take it home and listen to it and as I was doing so, I was reminded of the ideas about lo-fi that I used to write about. It occurred to be that I hadn’t gone in much depth into the idea of lo-fi in relation to music and that this record would serve as a great example.

I have one other of Crecent’s albums: Little Waves, and what is great about the artwork of both is that they include, in the notes, details of how each song was recorded and from where samples and field recordings were sourced (For Example: “New Leaves – Recorded in my old room with the windows open, you can hear the swallows (maybe swifts) flying past in the break half way through”). This demonstrates the awareness the band have of the role the recording technique plays in the outcome and overall atmosphere of the record made.

Outside of the lo-fi music scene, the general wisdom is that recording technology should serve as a means to capture as clearly as possible and with optimum audio fidelity, the sound of the performer. Studios are designed to mute all external noise from the recording space and digital recording technology has removed the idiosyncrasies and perceived flaws of the old analogue recording systems. Lo-fi, as I have stated in previous articles, deals in the rediscovery of these defunct technologies and the use of these idiosyncrasies as contributors to the atmosphere and aesthetic of the outcome.

Recording with tape is wonderful because you are able to introduce analogue compression by pushing recording volumes into the red. The result of this is a distortion of the sound rather than clipping of the sound waves, as would occur in digital recording. Recording on tape also introduces more background noise into the recording. This could be perceived as a flaw, but could also be interpreted as a dimension of the recording itself, creating the sensation of a physical space, ideal for minimalist playing styles. The sound of silence itself on tape could be considered "interesting".

Other great records that make use of the characteristics of recording on tape in Bristol alone include Headfall’s Stars Don’t Shine To Noise and Fránçois’ Les Anciennes Falaises. Both of these even make apparent features of the warping of tape. A Copycat tape loop is also used on Stars Don’t Shine To Noise and By The Roads The Fields, with a unique outcome on each. Albums by I Know I Have No Colla r include recordings made of instruments played down walkie-talkies and Field Recordings by My Two Toms has a song recorded half way up Mount Snowdon.

The point is that throughout By The Roads And The Fields, the audio quality of certain instruments or sounds is deliberately degraded or manipulated in order to alter the overall atmosphere of the recording. The Outcome is a unique, rich and occasionally mysterious sound that bears listening to again and again.

the old fire station

2011-10-23T15:09:00.007+01:00

The Old Fire Station art centre will be opening in Oxford next Saturday and I'm very proud to say that they will be stocking some of my work in their shop. The Old Fire Station is a multipurpose art centre working along side Crisis, offering art courses and workshops to homeless people. I am really pleased to have been asked to sell my work at this place and help support this homeless charity as it is something I care a whole lot about.

For those who still check this blog regularly, I'm sorry the posts have been so sparse. It's been a hectic few months. I will have a few projects getting finished soon and will hopefully be posting a little more regularly. Last night was our Oxjam performance and we had a great time, with thanks to a whole lot of great friends who came along and spent the evening with us.

oxjam bristol takeover

2011-09-26T11:55:00.004+01:00

Tiger & Panda & Ox have been asked to play at Cafe Kino 7pm on Saturday the 22nd of October as part of the Oxjam Bristol Takeover. As well as us, there will be loads of great bands and performers. Tickets are £6 if you buy early and go up to £8 later. All the proceeds go to charity. We are very excited about playing at this event and have been practicing hard. Bristol is still my favourite place to play music and Cafe Kino is one of the best places in Bristol!

There's also a Facebook event for this.

away

2011-09-08T17:19:00.003+01:00

I'm going to be in Europe and away from the computer until the 23rd of September. See you in a couple of weeks.

e17 art trail

2011-09-02T11:07:00.004+01:00

Last night, I went to Black Horse Road Studios for the preview of their stop on the E17 Art Trail. There were some great performances and sculptures, including sculptures by Turnhurst.

They had also produced the above publication to sell alongside their show. The theme of the publication was the relationship artists and craftspeople have with their working and living environments. I got to contribute the above spread, which I was happy to do because the publication over all looks great.

the diskery/spillers/banquet

2011-08-24T14:38:00.004+01:00

Over the last few months I've been visiting some wonderful old independent record stores, dropping off copies of our record. Sadly, our time at Rough Trade East is finished, but I'm pleased and proud to have these great stores stocking our record.

the original Spillers, image from here

Spillers Records is the world's oldest independent record store and is now located in the Morgan Arcade in Cardiff.

image from here

Banquet Records in Kingston are friendly and eclectic and also promote a whole load of shows in Kingston, South London

video from here

The Diskery on Bromsgrove Street in Birmingham is a fantastic store, stuffed with vinyl. Most of its staff have worked there for over forty years and are all friendly and knowledgeable.

help out independent record labels

2011-08-17T21:21:00.002+01:00

I don't normally do announcements of this kind but I just noticed on this statistics thing that the number of people who read this blog on a monthly basis was a little higher than I thought, so I thought this might be a good place to post this information that is related to the kind of thing I usually write about.

It's not a new story by now, but in case you didn't know, PIAS, the UK's largest distributor of independent music had it's stock destroyed in a fire last Monday.

I know there are a lot of other ways that you could help this situation and that there are a whole lot of other issues related to what happened last week that demand people's attention first, but this is a good way to help a lot of independent record labels, who, since you're reading this blog, I assume must be close to your area of interest.

basically, if you're music shopping, have a look at the lists compiled on the excellent Quietus page, or Nialler 9. They are lists of the labels and artists affected by this fire. As you can see, I am talking about this a little late, but I figured, since I have an audience, it might be a good thing to promote. Happy shopping!

tiger & panda in progress

2011-08-15T23:53:00.003+01:00

these are some very rough test prints of some new tiger & panda lino-cuts for use in possible future projects.

OX LINO COMING SOON!

deer in progress

2011-08-03T11:50:00.004+01:00

A lino-cut I'm working on for the aforementioned book about working in art galleries. kind of looking for an excuse to try some gold leaf with it.

things

2011-08-01T16:49:00.004+01:00

It's been a while since I last wrote on here because it's been a while since I last had something new to talk about. I just got done working at a long and busy exhibition and I'm getting back to some of my own work.

I've been asked to contribute a piece of work to a publication by Black Horse Road Studio, on the subject of working/living spaces. I've started making collections (as above) of my items from my work space and things from my surrounding living space, which feed into the work I make. I'm hoping this will turn into something more, wherein the objects bear some connection, but at the moment I'm just enjoying composing disparate objects into one board.

The above is inspired partly by a painting by Miro and by the collections of Camilla Engman, though I'm hoping that they will become more my own after a bit more experimenting. It may not look like this at all by the end.

Recently, the instrumental 'scout hut' from Tiger & Panda's Dowry 10" was played on Edinburgh Man Podcast # 65, which I recommend in general.

rough trade/sister ray

2011-05-23T14:36:00.001+01:00

The Dowry 10" will be stocked at Rough Trade East for the next two months. You can buy it from the shop or from their online store. Thought I'd better mention this because of the time limit on the record's availability from this store.

Dowry is now also stocked in Soho's Sister Ray. They carry a couple of records which I will be topping up from time to time. It is a lovely shop with a huge range of stuff and worth a visit.

Over the next few weeks, I will be trying to put Dowry in a few more shops, hopefully outside of North London and hopefully. including Scotland, Southern Ireland and Wales.

dowry EP launch

2011-05-10T23:01:00.007+01:00

The Dowry EP by Tiger & Panda is now available to buy. You can buy it here on 10" (including free download code) or as a digital download in any format.

Dowry was written as a performance of two medleys in 2009 on Dowry Parade in Bristol. It was performed at the scout hut in the same year. We had always intended for it to run together and wanted to document it, so in 2011, Phil Dodd recorded us performing it at his house on Hermitage Street in Cheltenham. He did a great job.

The music and artwork for Dowry are a collection of things from the time surrounding our year living together on Dowry Parade. It is deliberately simple and stark in places and the two sides of the record have distinctively different atmospheres.

Olly and I have been making music together since we were seventeen. This is something we have been working toward since then and I'm so glad we did it the way we have. The cost of the production of this record was £830 but you can do it for much cheaper if you print your own artwork. you can get 250 7"s for about £450 plus VAT from DMS ltd and hand draw a cover onto paper if you want (we did this with CDs with our friends when we were in school and it was lots of fun). We decided to get our artwork printed up nice so it cost extra.

I was able to do this because my Grandma, before she died, discovered some money she didn't know she had. She and my Grandpa decided to give it to my brother and me and told us to do what we liked with it. I had just put it away and saved it but then my Grandma died earlier this year. We had recorded the songs by then but had not decided what to do with them. I decided that a constructive thing to do with the money was to make something I was proud of and that would last, and that is why I have dedicated this record to my Grandma.

We haven't put thank yous in the liner notes because we didn't want to miss anybody out, but I would like to thank Phil Dodd in particular for endless help and support, Frances and Steph for help with everything, including folding and writing out download codes, all at Stitch-Stitch and especially Steve Brett, Steve and Jo, Annie and Will and our mums and dads for coming to watch us, Headfall and Local Kid records, Cafe Kino, and Betty Morris, for letting us book the scout hut for shows.

work force

2011-05-10T22:50:00.003+01:00

An evening of cutting and folding.

Thanks Steph and Frances for helping us out.

dowry arrives

2011-05-09T21:15:00.007+01:00

The 10" record of Tiger & Panda's Dowry EP arrived today, and it looks beautiful. I am proud as punch. Above, me and Olly share a high five in celebration.

We got the record cut and printed at DMS ltd. in Plymouth who were helpful and nice.

We are hoping to officially release Dowry this Wednesday and I will make a blog post with portfolio/catalogue shots when we do so.

secret gallery installation idea

2011-05-09T18:24:00.008+01:00

I work in an art gallery an an invigilator. One thing I am sure of is that many art gallery invigilators are also artists. While working on an upcoming project about working in art galleries, I had this idea.

It occurred to me that most artists who work as invigilators would love to have their work displayed in the galleries they work at. But, in the case of most, this is not going to happen. Unless you find an ingenious way to display your work surreptitiously, working it into your everyday routine. For most invigilators, the main part of their work routine is reading. So here you go:

create your composition to fit the dimensions of the book you are currently reading, then fold around the existing cover of the book.

Here is my design. It is a lino-cut, and I have turned the spine of the book into a brick wall to add some structure (not a pun... Well, maybe) to it.

Pictures of my piece 'installed' in galleries soon!

shop restock and overhall

2011-05-06T15:06:00.002+01:00

To coincide with getting into doing markets again, I have restocked my folksy shop and made it look a little nicer. Pleased with how it's looking now, nice and full, with a nice banner.

off to market

2011-05-06T13:36:00.002+01:00

It's the first day of my month of Saturday stalls at the designers/makers market tomorrow in the triangle in Hackney, London. The market has been running for six weeks already and has had great reviews.

Worth a look if you haven't been already. Come and say hello if you're around.

libros mutantes

2011-05-03T18:35:00.002+01:00

photos from here

On Thursday the 27th of April, Libros Mutantes held a self-publishing fair at La Casa Encendida in Madrid in Spain, and my mini-story 5 years set adrift was exhibited (somewhere) in it.

I love the look of the space and it was nice of them to ask me to take part.

dowry day (saturday 16th apr)

2011-04-28T11:03:00.004+01:00

brimstone moth (photo: phil dodd)

rob st john (photo: phil dodd)

left to right: tiger, panda, ox (photo: phil dodd)

thanks Steve, George, Aaron, Mike, Roxanne, Rob and Cafe Kino

poly styrene

2011-04-26T16:09:00.002+01:00

A true legend

getting ready for market

2011-04-26T16:00:00.004+01:00

Today I have been getting stuff ready for the upcoming markets.

I have also been listening to Germ Free Adolescents by X-Ray Spex in memory of Poly Styrene.

She is one of my biggest heroes and I was so sad and surprised to learn of her death.

message 43 symposium

2011-04-06T20:27:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I went to Plymouth for a symposium, organised by Message, a research group including several of my former tutors at the University of Plymouth. It was an excellent day filled with exciting talks and two brilliant exhibitions.

The theme for the day was 'text + image = message ^n', the power of combining text and image in visual communication.

Speakers

Rob Mason – Illustrator and senior lecturer
Norwich University College of the Arts

David Pearson – Designer
David Pearson Design

Rebecca Pohancanek – Curator
The Art of Lost Words

Graham Rawle – Writer, collage artist and lecturer
University of Brighton

Lizzie Ridout – Designer and lecturer
University of Plymouth

Professor Brian Webb – Designer
Webb and Webb, London

The day was organised by Esther Dudley and Lizzie Ridout.

dowry ep launch party

2011-03-31T19:49:00.003+01:00

Tiger & Panda and possibly Ox are playing in Bristol on the 16th of April to celebrate the launch of the Dowry 10". I'm still not entirely sure if we'll have the record finished in time but it should still be a lovely time. I have not been to Kino's new location before so I'm excited to see it. I'm also looking forward to hearing Rob St John and Brimstone Moth!

Thanks Steve for organising the show!

bound: 3 more short stories

2011-03-12T12:45:00.003Z

3 more short stories are also ready for designers/makers in May!

food-chain no. 2

2011-03-12T12:36:00.002Z

The second food-chain zine is done. I will make it available in time for the designers/makers market in May.

I'm pleased now that we have two of these zines, but I think once we've done a third zine, maybe we should think about changing the form. food-chain no. 4 should be a bit special.

3 more short stories

2011-02-28T16:00:00.006Z

Have been making covers for three new short stories that will be for sale at the designers/makers markets in May.

this is the kit: treehouse

2011-02-20T21:41:00.000Z

lovely

designers/makers

2011-02-10T11:10:00.006Z

Designers/Makers Market is an art market occurring every Saturday from the first of April in the Triangle, Warburton Road, London E8 3RH.

I will be holding stalls on four consecutive Saturdays in May: 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th.

Alongside some new editions of my usual zines and prints, I will also be selling the new upcoming 10" EP by tiger & panda, about which more later. I will try to have a little listening station available.

intern

2011-02-03T12:24:00.006Z

official intern photo

On Tuesday Feb 1st, my brother Will came and interned for me for the day. He helped carry equipment and photographed the production of some patches for the upcoming prism tote bags. Thanks Will!

generation snes

2011-01-19T10:15:00.005Z

Our excellent friends Jo Fernandes and Steve Daoud sent us some wonderful mail art. They have created a band called 'generation snes' and made us this one-of-a-kind EP.

Thanks Steve and Jo. I can't stop listening to it!

dowry

2011-01-16T20:54:00.004Z

Last week, Olly Watson and I went to Cheltenham to be recorded as Tiger & Panda by our friend Phil Dodd for an EP called Dowry, which we are hoping to press onto vinyl 10" some time this year.

It was lots of fun setting stuff up and recording in the area between their living room and kitchen and we were very pleased with what was recorded. Phil is a master.

Thanks very much Phil and Tish for having us. It was the best weekend.

wabi-sabi

2011-01-07T12:28:00.008Z

I was kindly given a copy of Leonard Koren's book about Wabi-Sabi by Frances' parents for xmas.

Wabi-Sabi is a combination of two Japanese words: Wabi, meaning roughly 'the misery of living alone in nature' and Sabi, meaning 'chill', 'lean, 'withered'. While Wabi refers to the spiritual and the subjective, Sabi refers to the physical, material, and objective. The term roughly translates as 'stark beauty' but there is no true English translation. The examples here, I have taken from Koren's definition in his book, which I recommend. Otherwise, there are good overviews here and here.

I only knew a bit from the internet, and this book is really helpful. I was originally interested in it because it seemed to be outlining aesthetic principles that I had identified with and tried to write about. I called a lot of what I've been making 'modernist' but there were a lot of places where my work did not correspond with that idea, not that I want to make work that is definitively anything.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Wabi-Sabi this year, and maybe doing some more writing after I've finished reading.

prism vol.1 issue.3

2011-01-05T12:20:00.005Z

A nice end to the last year was the completion of vol. 1 of Rosa Tyrhurst's prism zine. All three issues are soon to be available together with a special prism vol. 1 tote bag.

In issue. 3 each contributor seeks feedback from their chosen artist for the work they created in issue. 2. For vol. 2 the contributors from vol.1 must nominate their successors. I think I have an idea who I'll be nominating...

something to remember from last year

2011-01-05T12:07:00.003Z

great art is not a lesson but a reminder

love this

2010-11-08T09:51:00.001Z

aeroplanes and chicken

2010-10-07T11:59:00.002+01:00

In November, Bob Notley is exhibiting his artwork at the Gateway Gallery in Luton. I am really looking forward to this. Should be fantastic!

tiger & panda & ox

2010-10-06T19:31:00.003+01:00

tiger & panda will be playing with our good friend David at this event at the Good Ship in Kilburn tomorrow night (7th). We had to put some songs up on the internet for it so here they are. I'm pretty excited about it. we have practiced quite hard!

ffotogallery book arts fayre oct 2010

2010-10-06T19:27:00.004+01:00

I will have a stall at this market on Saturday the 9th of October. Just getting things ready now...

pebble/cigar

2010-10-06T19:20:00.004+01:00

Pebble and Cigar are two new books I have finished in time for Saturday's Book Art Fayre. They are experiments in photography and collection making. I'm hoping to make more like them.

1:12 perfect world at hauser & wirth

2010-09-24T12:00:00.003+01:00

the original perfect world at deichtorhallen

Last night was the opening of Hauser & Wirth's posthumous exhibition of the scale model of Jason Rhoades Perfect World (originally exhibited in 1999). The exhibition will run until the 18th of December in Hauser & Wirth's Piccadilly gallery.

The original sculpture was an expansive, ever growing world made from polished aluminium and wooden triangular segments. Rhoades made this model to give those who missed the original exhibition a chance to see it, as well as to allow himself to view it in it's entirity. Elements of the model have been exhibited many times in the last decade but this is the first time that all components will appear together.

even my mum can make a book

2010-09-21T21:39:00.004+01:00

(mine is the yellow one bottom left) images from here

This month, two of my zines (village pub cinema and food chain #1) are being exhibited in Istanbul for even my mum can make a book. The exhibtion is running until the 15th of October. The pictures look amazing. Wish I could have been there!

o & a

2010-09-06T21:50:00.004+01:00

I went for a walk on Primrose Hill the other day. I like taking photos of buildings the peer into the parks in London. Here are a couple of photo collages, demonstrating the escape of discarded letters from abbreviated words (a project from a couple of years ago) into the ionosphere.

chicken & spice

2010-08-26T14:28:00.005+01:00

On Sunday I went to Luton and made a book with Bob and his girlfriend Charlotte. we walked around taking photos then we turned our favourite elements into lino cuts, mono prints and screen prints. We made four copies. I think it is a lovely book.

jars

2010-08-21T15:30:00.003+01:00

I made these for something rather exciting and potentially never ending. The colours are nicer printed.

what a nice time

2010-07-24T20:31:00.001+01:00

Well, it's a good weekend so far.

weekend

2010-07-12T19:50:00.003+01:00

A good weekend. Only a few photos of Saturday.

On Friday, Tiger & Panda played a show ate the Good Ship in Kilburn. Then on Saturday, I went to Bristol to hold my stall at the Checkout No. 4 Art Market at central reservation. My Two Toms Played and I saw plenty of good pals throughout the day. Then on Sunday there was a fun day with rounders and a barbecue and also the album launch party of the New My Two Toms album.

Tiger & Panda

2010-07-03T21:47:00.004+01:00

photo by Bisi Wakeham

Tiger & Panda are performing at the Good Ship in Kiburn on Friday the 10th of July. There are lots of other bands playing too and it is £5 to get in.

This is the night before I go to Bristol to hold my stall at Checkout No. 4 so it will be a fun weekend!

the final checkout

2010-06-21T20:44:00.003+01:00

So I'm going to have a stall at this, hosted by these guys on Saturday the 10th of July in Stokes Croft. It is the last in a series of four art markets they have held. I went to one a couple of weeks ago and it was full of wonderful stuff, so I'm very excited. If you're around, you should come.

Also, sorry for not posting anything for such a long time. I have got to a stage in my project where I can take a break and do some more of this kind opf thing for a bit. I will try and update regularly for the next few months.

corners of my house #2

2010-06-20T12:13:00.004+01:00

I think I must have been thinking of Dusty Corners by Gilbert and George when I arranged these photos like this. Just some practicing for a photo project.

corners of my house

2010-06-20T12:00:00.006+01:00

just an update

2010-05-17T10:27:00.003+01:00

Sorry it's been such a long time. I have been working more than usual and trying to finish my slightly longer term project. The main update that I can give is that The Object & Eternity is now out of print. I recently sold the last few copies. There are a couple left in distros like the LPP site and in the Bookartbookshop, but I have decided that, for now at least, I have finished printing. The book was selected to be part of the No-isbn artist book exhibition starting in Leipzig, and it got some nice reviews from buyers.

Also, we're in the process of compiling Polite Records Vol. 3, which will have a special theme this time. If you're interested in being involved, please contact me at henryireland.design@gmail.com.

Also Rosa Tyhurst's Prism Vol. 1 Issue. 3 is nearing completion. As far as I know, it will be a special bumper issue, marking the completion of volume. 1 of Prism.

Also, if anybody who checks this blog (I'm fairly sure it's just people I know personally) lives between London and Birmingham, Bermingham and Cardiff, or Cardiff and London, would you be interested in coming on a trip with me to pick up some sculptures? I've got to do a kind of triangle this coming friday and would rather not drive and navigate the whole thing on my own.

i will never stop loving this

2010-04-30T13:26:00.002+01:00

No matter how many times I hear it. No matter how many crappy clubs play it.

work in progress and 'message'

2010-04-21T16:49:00.004+01:00

So, recently I have been working the cover for vol. 1 issue. 3 of prism. But also, I learned from Art Sparklets about a brilliant research group called message. It is a side project made up of my old tutors at the University of Plymouth. The subject matter is 'messages' in all forms and deals with the message in graphic communication. I'm hoping to go to Plymouth and see their next show, whenever it is.

book art fayre and prism vol 1. issue 2

2010-04-18T20:04:00.007+01:00

This Saturday was the Ffotogallery Book Art Fayre. It was a really lovely day, and also the release day for Vol.1 Issue. 2 of Prism zine, conceived by Rosa Tyhurst. I had a very nice day, met some very nice people and went for a very nice walk with Steve and Jo. I think I'll probably be giving the book fairs a rest for a while, while I'm working on a bigger project than usual. There will be other stuff going on before that, however, so there should be plenty to blog.

i will have a stall

2010-04-06T16:14:00.004+01:00

Saturday 17th of April, Ffotogallery, Turner House, Cardiff

See you there!

hallo aus berlin project #1

2010-03-29T11:53:00.003+01:00

cigar with cigar print

scratch card print

cigar print repeat

I've done a little work of a project using things that i brought back from Berlin. My intention is to make a project inspired by, but not about the location. So hopefully by the final outcome, this won't look like a travel project.

I was particularly pleased with the way that the cigar lino print gained lots of incidental black marks. Quite true to the way a burnt cigar behaves when you try and transport it.

I'm going to try and include as much of the process of this project on the internet at possible as i think the process may end up being the most interesting part.

berlin

2010-03-22T10:12:00.003Z

I haven't been on the internet this week because I've been in Berlin having a wonderful time. There will be more on this to come I'm sure. While I was away, I got an email from no-isbn telling me that my book had been chosen to be displayed at the exhibition on saturday the 20th of march. so who knows what happened there...

finishing the cover for prism 2

2010-03-05T15:55:00.002Z

starting on the cover for prism 2

2010-03-04T18:11:00.003Z

Today I visited the British Museum. Then I came home and started work on my contribution to issue 2 of Rosa Tyhurst's Prism. I also made a start on the cover artwork. Here it is at the very start.

stour space designers market

2010-02-28T15:49:00.003Z

photo from here, taken by Anthony Finch

My stall at the Stour Space Market.

prism

2010-02-27T19:50:00.003Z

Issue 1 of Prism, a zine project by Rosa Tyhurst is now finished and ready. Prism is an ongoing project in which, ten contributors choose an artist each. In issue 1 their task is to state their chosen artist along with a drawing of, and piece of writing about said artist.

I am one of the contributors to this publication and my chosen artist was Henri Michaux. I also designed the front cover and helped out with some typographic elements. I picked up a stack of the zines yesterday and they look really lovely. They should be popping up soon here and there.

the brits

2010-02-16T21:18:00.002Z

So I figured that, what with it being the Brit Awards tonight, I'd post this video of The KLF's final performance (alongside Extreme Noise Terror) and departure from the music industry. Possibly the only good thing to come of the Brit Awards. Enjoy.

in the post

2010-02-16T16:36:00.004Z

Look at this amazing linoprint that Bob Notley sent me in the post. I love it so much, I framed it. Thanks Bob!

food-chain #1

2010-02-10T19:14:00.002Z

So, food-chain no.1 is finished in time for the designers market and I'm actually pretty pleased with it. I couldn't quite get hold of the paper stock I wanted but it still looks quite nice actually. It contains essays by me and Olly Watson as well as a few extra bits and pieces.

Little Paper Planes

2010-02-08T18:03:00.001Z

San Francisco based Little Paper Planes are now stocking my work on their online store. I sent them a few copies of The Object & Eternity and Village Pub Cinema. I will soon be adding a menu bar of distros where my work can be purchased.

Also, I will be holding a stall at the Stour Space Designers Market, on the 27th of February. Copies of Food Chain #1 and Rosa Tyhurst's project should hopefully be ready to sell by then.

Coming up soon, I'll be doing a photography project that is exclusive to this blog. It will be nice to make a post that isn't just an update.

5 years finished

2010-02-07T11:08:00.006Z

Finished the first batch of 5 Years Set Adrift. They're up on the Folksy store now and I dropped a few into the Book Art Book Shop. They come with a download code inside, which can be used to access a free song on the newly created Polite Records Band Camp.

5 years set adrift

2010-01-29T15:26:00.004Z

So, I've nearly finished 5 Years Set Adrift, which is the follow up to Village Pub Cinema. Inside will be a code to download a secret song! I'm pretty excited about this part. Hopefully after this I will make something a little bigger.

Apart from that, I have a made a contribution to a project by Rosa Tyhurst. Hopefully I'll get to contribute more to it as well but I'm not going to say anything about it yet, because it is secret!

long week

2010-01-14T19:09:00.006Z

Felix Frith's wall at the New Contemporaries exhibition in November

It has been a long week already, but I wanted to include some work that wasn't mine, so I've uploaded an image from an exhibition I attended last year that included the work of Felix Frith. Now I'm going to write a short list what's been happening this week.

I created a Folksy Shop. I'll add it to this page as a link shortly.

I contacted San Francisco based Art seller Little Paper Planes who have requested copies of The Object & Eternity and Village Pub Cinema to sell on their website. I sent them off today.

Olly and I visited our friend David to play some music and we formed a band, provisionally named 'Uncool'.

Tiger & Panda recorded a demo of a new EP to send to Phil Dodd, of Polite Records and the Boiler Room Brewery Blog. He will be recording us on the 30th and 31st of January for a 7" that will hopefully be ready by Autumn.

more cafe royal!

2010-01-09T16:44:00.003Z

Look at all the zines that came in the post from cafe royal. Thanks David and Beverley. They are wonderful!

donlon books

2010-01-09T15:51:00.005Z

image from bokship

I dropped a few copies of village pub cinema in to donlon books in broadway market today. It's a great bookshop filled with stuff I wanted to buy. The lady who took my books was really enthusiastic and friendly. She was recommending all kinds of people who's work I might like.

Other than that, I've started selling stuff here as well.

new year

2010-01-06T15:43:00.005Z

As this photo indicates, I had hoped to make this post on the first but our internet has been broken so it's a little late. I had a long holiday and am looking forward to doing lots more projects, blogging and research this year as well as some shows perhaps. The last thing I did before I left was the Doodlebar Christmas Market, which I enjoyed and sold some stuff at. hopefully I will do a few more of those kinds of thing this year. In the meantime, I have set up an Etsy and a Folksy account to sell work from. I'll update when there are some items for sale.

Next pending project: the first Food-Chain Zine

Happy New Year

cafe royal

2009-12-08T20:49:00.002Z

This nice, thick envelope was waiting in the post today. I happen to know that it's Frances' Mum and Dad's Christmas present to me so I'm holding off from opening it. I would like to say thank you in advance to them though.

Cafe Royal

three short stories

2009-11-24T10:57:00.005Z

cover for henry paul's divorce

cover for cassie

cover for the long horizon

Some mock ups of the covers of my three short stories. I'm getting them ready to sell at the Chrimboodle Market at the doodle bar. Just some simple black and white designs on colored paper.

Also, I'll be selling The Object and Eternity for the first time as well as some polite records stuff, some mini-zines and hopefully some calendars.

the object & eternity

2009-11-16T23:34:00.005Z

The first copy is finally finished. There are lots of things I need to improve before I print more but I'm happy enough with it to send it off to no-isbn tomorrow. For more photos see my flickr.

printing day

2009-11-16T17:50:00.002Z

Just waiting for one side to dry. Also, recently visited Ed Ruscha Exhibition, Turner Prize 2009 and New Contemporaries (about which more later).

the fruits of an afternoon's lino-cutting

2009-11-15T17:45:00.000Z

These are the last of the lino-cuts I needed to make for the object and eternity. They're the sharpest I've made so far. The essay if finished and foot-noted and ready for print. Tomorrow will be a combination of digitally printing the text and manually illustrating each page with the 9 seperate carvings I've made. I'm very excited right now.

i have written off the day

2009-11-04T17:08:00.002Z

Today has pretty much gone entirely wrong but at least I managed to have a walk in green park before the rain started. Oh well. Get another go tomorrow and going back to Bristol on Friday. It'll be alright...

some drawings of animals

2009-11-01T22:51:00.003Z

I am not an illustrator...

no-isbn

2009-10-22T14:35:00.001+01:00

lino cut for the front cover of my artist book

I've finally started work on my artist book for no-isbn. I've chosen the title the object and eternity. It's a little pretentious maybe but the subject matter will be fairly academic so I think it's fair enough. This Dissertation will form the basis of a series of exhibitions i'll hopefully be holding in the new year.

book art bookshop

2009-10-15T19:13:00.010+01:00

image from focusbalancecreate

I finally visited the Book Art Bookshop and had a proper look. It's wonderful in there and the lady who runs it is lovely. I dropped off a few copies of village pub cinema, about which she commented 'now this is the kind of thing that sells'. That made me blush. So you can buy my work there for £3 a go.

royal festival hall

2009-10-15T13:00:00.007+01:00

While a was looking for photos in my portfolio to add to my new flickr thing, I found some really old work that I kind of still liked.

royal

festival

hall

It's a display type I made in celebration of the Royal Festival Hall. I made it by burning away a stencil of a classical typeface so that something new emerged. This was a tribute to the way in which the new, modern Southbank centre emerged from the destruction of the Southbank during the second world war. The typeface was called tonic, I believe, as in 'a tonic for the the nation'. I just thought I'd post it since I've been talking about that bit of the world a lot recently

village pub cinema

2009-10-13T10:25:00.001+01:00

I made this lino-cut story about I dream I had. It's the most I've lino cut all in one go and turned out ok. I'll definitely do more.

thinking about the Tate Modern

2009-10-09T11:23:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine was telling me about Lo-Fi architecture and how he’d like to learn more about it. The outline he gave was that it has to do with the re-interpretation of an existing space that has had a previous function. This made me think of a few things: Lo-Fi culture in general, John Ruskin and the Tate Modern.

the turbine room of the tate from david's world

When I visit the Tate modern, I am struck by the beauty of the shell of this old power station. Something about the fact that it is made of brick and is at the same time so enormous makes it extremely powerful, even aw inspiring. This enormous, utilitarian structure is perfect to hang the new glass fittings and pure, white art gallery walls, seemingly just squatting in the huge space.

Then I think of Ruskin’s criticism of these old factory buildings: De-humanising, impersonal, vulgar affronts to art and architecture. Ruskin’s architectural philosophy valued the natural growth of structures as they adapted to fulfill their latest requirements. He heartily disapproved of the Victorian building practise of hastily fabricating the grandest structure possible, always looking ahead at the next rung on the ladder, without ever glancing back at what has been left behind. This Attitude, I believe, is in agreement with the Lo-Fi philosophy.

brer rabbit block print by willam morris, from here

Lo-Fi is a combination of the use of any available resources to create (among other things) art, film and music that is accessible and attainable to all and the deliberate use of low-tech solutions to creative problems. The latter principle is, in many ways, a protest against the exclusivity of cutting edge software and technology. However, it is also, in its own right, a celebration and appreciation – a ‘rediscovery’ if you like - of the technologies humanity has developed and discarded in the name of progress. It is a re-humanising of formerly impersonal tools of industry.

This is why the Tate is so beautiful. It is a perfect example of Lo-Fi architecture. What was once a faceless, uncaring, industrial monolith has been reincarnated as a housing of art and culture. It is a celebration of humanity, rather than a destroyer of it. In agreement with Ruskin’s arguments, this building, though at the time it had seemed ready made for its ultimate purpose, has grown into a new structure. One I think he would have been most pleased with.

calendar for sale

2009-10-08T18:10:00.000+01:00

image from here

If you're in Brick Lane any time soon, how about dropping into the eastside bookshop and buying one of my hand-printed calendars? They are 630x1050 and rrp for £35. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks they'll be in a few other bookshops.