aUDIOMAPS.
aUDIOMAPS. (Not songs).
Field recordings, collaged soundscapes.
Filtered, re-sampled, looped, re-configured and re-constructed.
aUDIOMAPS is often collaborative in the recording, remixing and performative stage.
Texts are ‘cut ups’, overheard conversations, ‘found' statements, declarations. Part manifesto at times.
Loops. Samples. Sequences. A whisper. A sense of place.
Post Industrial Funk.
“People tend to play in their comfort zone, so the best things are achieved in a state of surprise, actually.” Brian Eno.
“People ask me, 'Don't you ever run out of ideas?' Well, in the first place, I don't use ideas. Every time I have an idea, it's too limiting and usually turns out to be a disappointment. But I haven't run out of curiosity.”
Robert Rauschenberg.
“Helen you’d better learn to spell repetition if you’re going to review The Fall”.
Kevin Cummins to Helen Ward, NME, 1990.
‘What mistakes did you make last time?
Brian Eno / Peter Schmidt - Oblique Strategies.
Akai Desktop Samplers | Eight Track Porta-studio | Record Decks and Knackered Records | A Music Box | A Megaphone | Voice | Bass
FOUR TESTS FOR TESTING TIMES.
aUDIOMAPS. (RE-imagined).
BAD CHOREOGRAPHY
You get to that point sometimes where you need to take things back to basics.
Being able to work quickly. Spontaneously.
How much ‘awkward and clumsy’ can I choreograph?
How much ‘slapstick’?
No tricks here. No athleticism. The humour is dry.
Pathos wriggles just under the skin.
I’m conscious but my thoughts are blurred. Somewhere else.
Occupied. Swamped. At breaking point.
Sleep is the dead weight of concrete boots that take half the day to shake off.
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
Walking with a rhythm slowed and slurred by middle age
A creaking and clicking downsizing human frame.
I try to keep up…I try to keep up…
I heard the news today, oh boy.
Why. When. How did we get here?
“ I started playing around, and thought it would be quite interesting to get on them. I was thinking about how the plinths affected me; I tried to let the plinths determine where I put my foot or my arm. It became a pose work, an action that I did throughout the day. Somebody photographed me and I liked how that looked. People always think it’s lampooning Henry Moore, but I actually did that with a piece called Fallen Warrior, where I’m lying on the beach .”
Bruce McClean. Pose Work for Plinths 3.
“I think humour is used a lot of the time to keep people from getting too close. Humour side-steps and shifts the meaning.”
Bruce Nauman.
“If one more person tells me this is just like the old times, I swear I’ll jump out the window”.
Buster Keaton.
If I’m honest, I’m having fun with this. And why shouldn’t I?
Falling over | Lying face down | ‘Balancing acts’.
"If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there". Brian Clough.
X. Marks the Spot. 442. Artist, Black Balloon with White X.Four tactical options around the classic (pragmatic) formation.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT
TANDEM VIDEO DRAWING ONE.
Sticks and wire.
Remixed 2021.
DRAWING BOOK ONE.
Book made 2017.
Video recorded 2021.
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SCULPTURE AS DRAWING.
Paper, string, adhesive tape, detritus.
Variable dimensions. Date unknown.
SCULPTURE AS DRAWING.Process;
Line. Shape. Mark. Sequence. Collage. Layered. Action/Gesture. Press. Gravity. Weight. De-collage.
“Painting and sculpture (and drawing of course) are very archaic forms. It's the only thing left in our industrial society where an individual alone can make something with not just his own hands, but brains, imagination, heart maybe.” Philip Guston.
Drawing is absolutely integral to my studio practise. The process informs and underpins all my work. For me, drawing is not about representation, it’s more a gathering and ordering. Half seen, overlooked fragments, fleeting moments. It’s where marks, surfaces, shapes, lines and textures coalesce. Entirely process orientated and risky, it becomes a dialogue with the materials.
“To put down an ideogram of a table so that people will recognize it as a table is not the work of a painter, but to sense it for a moment as a magic carpet with a leg hanging down at each corner is the beginning of a painter's imagination.” Frank Auerbach.
These drawings are a consequence of walking through and out of the city, cycling up steep hills and past old factories. Periphery vision through the window of a speeding train. Late night motorway car journeys. Things at my feet, the sky above. The seen and vaguely remembered vistas and objects act as a catylist for an almost automatic way of working.
“Drawing is
the primal means of communication, which predates and embraces writing and
functions as a tool of conceptualisation parallel with language.” Deanna
Petherbridge, The Primacy of drawing.
The directness and immediacy of drawing is where I am at my most playful.
Mark-making, cutting, ripping, punching holes, slicing, embossing.
Often the images challenge the notion of what a drawing is or can be…
“A discourse between definition and
the unresolved, the systematic and chaotic, certainty and speculation.”
The Good Drawing, CCW Bright 7.
TAXONOMY OF MARKS / Remix DRAWING.
Marks on paper, mounted on foam board. Wooden shelves.
300cm X 240cm. 2024.
ARTIST WITH 10 METRE LINE. VERSION ONE AND TWO.
Stills from a performance for film. Artist, paper, mark, props.
Variable dimensions and duration. 2023.
DRAWING TESTS SET ONE.
Nine possibilities.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
Each panel – 10cm X 10cm.
2020.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 1.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
200 X 200cm.
2018.
DRAWING TESTS SET TWO.
Nine possibilities.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
Each panel – 10cm X 10cm.
2020.
BLACK DETRITUS DRAWING.
Found objects / detritus. String, wire,
cardboard, gloss paint, MDF.
200 X 200cm.
2017.
DRAWING TESTS SET THREE.
Nine possibilities.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink, monoprint and
detritus collage on paper.
Each panel – 10cm X 10cm.
2021.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 11.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink, photograms and
detritus collage on paper.
200 X 200cm.
2019.
TANDEM VIDEO DRAWING 2.
Paper.
Remixed 2021.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 2.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2018.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 3.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2018.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 4.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2017.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 5.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
260 X 220cm.
2017.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 6.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2017.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 7.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2017.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 8.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2017.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 9.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2016.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 10.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
130 X 110cm.
2016.
CONSTRUCT DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT 12.
Drawing, acrylic paint, ink and detritus collage
on paper.
50 X 50cm.
2019.
DRAWING BOOK TWO.
Book made 2017.
Video recorded 2021.
DRAIN COVER XX YELLOW KNOT 12X39X2 FLATTENED CHILDS CHAIR.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(110cm X 90cm approximately. 2025).
EEGGER WRIST FLICKER (WANKER) A ROSE RIGHT PLACE RED.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(110cm X 90cm approximately. 2025).
TK CHOICES CRUSHED FORMS TINY HOOD FOAM BUFFER.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(110cm X 90cm approximately. 2025).
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GANG OF FOUR. D30 120 ERASED 6 MASHING DEVICE X.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
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GANG OF FOUR. JAMAICA WP 6.5 BAR PUDDING POT 36 FOLDING.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
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Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
GANG OF FOUR. AIRFLOW CUK 2939/1 X DOTS DIAMOND WHITE.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
GANG OF FOUR. VJAA (INVERTED) FLORAL INSERT FRAGMENT.
Acrylic paint, varnish on various substrates with found forms and detritus.
(Approximately 120cm X 120cm. 2025).
THE HEAT IS ON MAX. FILTER USELESS RAGE. 4 SENTINELS TRIPTYCH.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish on canvas and various substrates with found forms and detritus. (346cm X 221cm. 2024).
“I began to feel that I could really learn, investigate, by losing a lot of what I knew.”
Phillip Guston.
Painting Not Painting? Sculpture Not Sculpture? Art Not Art?
Arranging ‘stuff’. Detritus. ‘More is More’ principle.
Then take it back / strip it down. Reduction…Then put it all back again. Repeat.
Keep it light. Keep it playful. Keep it almost throwaway.
Anathema to serious painting? What is serious painting?
“I pursue no objectives, no systems, no tendency; I have no program, no style, no direction.
I have no time for specialised concerns, working themes, or variations that lead to mastery.
I steer clear of definitions. I don’t know what I want. I am inconsistent, non-committal, passive;
I like the indefinite, the boundless; I like continual uncertainty.” Gerhard Richter.
Deconstructed. Pulled apart. Atomised. Intricate. Clumsy. Ugly / Beautiful.
On the edge of ‘not being art’.
Arte Povera. Anti Painting. Anti Sculpture. Hybrid. A Combine* in the rawest sense.
*“It is neither Art for Art, nor Art against Art. I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art.
Art has everything to do with life, but it has nothing to do with Art.”
Robert Rauschenberg.
Discarded, abandoned, overlooked, leftover. Stuff.
“When one is young and has experienced a good deal of rejection, you want to show everyone how tough you are.
Later you want to show how clever you are. Later still, you want to see how far you can push yourself.
And finally, you don’t give a f**k about anything, you just want to howl at the moon.” John Hoyland.
Tests. Always testing. What will this do… Can this go there…
Physical remnants of the city forced into new shapes, new contexts.
I am in a constant state of knowing and not knowing.
Tests. Testing. Keep testing.
Painting Not Painting.
Sculpture Not Sculpture.
Art Not Art.
Expanded practise...
Painting is not; ‘doing the right thing’.
Painting is not; designed to impress.
Painting is not; his or hers.
‘Painting is; a breath on a mirror, a footprint, grease on a towel, blood on a stone, damp wallpaper, torn advertising, meaningless graffiti, melting snow, dead leaves, weathered paint, broken windows, neglected gardens, a cry, a smile, a scream, defacement on defacement.’
John Hoyland.
ABACUS. X. METAL GRID. EMPIRE RIB LANDSCAPE WITH CAST FORMS.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish on canvas and plywood with various found forms and detritus.
(233cm X 233cm. 2023).
DROP-LEAF UPENDED WHITE X UNSEATED BAG STUMP DIAGRAM BREATH.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish, detritus collage and found objects on various substrates. (300cm X 199cm. 2023).
QUEEN INVERTED KING DOUBLE X THRONE. FRAGMENTS AND STUFF.
Found objects and detritus, acrylic and spray paint, varnish on various substrates.
(238cm X 156cm. 2023).
2ONE2FOURONE TRA LA LA LA LA.
Acrylic,household paint, spray paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas.
(250cm x 250cm. 2019).
TEXT FRAGMENTS YELLOW SCREE DISPERSED FORMS WITH SMALL SUITCASE & RESCUED FACTORY ENTRANCE BUZZER.
Acrylic, household, spray paint, varnish, cement on canvas, plywood, cardboard with various found forms and detritus.
(350cm X 213cm. 2024).
PALE GHOST (BHF) WITH DIAMONDS AND ERASED MEMORIES.
Acrylic, household
paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas, plywood and found substrates.
(340cm X 230cm. 2022).
BLIND SUMMIT. TRIPTYCH. BOUNDARIES, BORDERS,
STANDING FORMS.
Acrylic, household
paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas, plywood slate and found substrates.
(3.35cm X 1.67cm. 2020).
GHOST CROSSES GRID STITCH DIAMONDS DOTS ETC LANDSCAPE.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish, detritus collage and found objects on canvas, plywood, MDF and wrought iron work. (270cm X 167cm. 2022).
THE DIAMOND AS A LATE ADDITION TO THE LAY
OF THE LAND.
Acrylic, household paint, spray paint,
varnish, detritus collage, found objects on canvas, MDF and old notice board.
(215cm X 182cm. 2020).
ENCLOSURES, NUDGING FORMS, SEAMS, EMPIRE RIB 3167 REMIX.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish, detritus collage and found objects on canvas.
(320cm X 220cm.2021. Remixed 2023).
DPK T SQUARE SECTION LAND SEA AND SKY.
Acrylic, household paint,
spray paint, varnish, detritus collage and found objects on canvas and an old
office desktop.
(206cm x 161cm. 2020).
4 PANELS. ANTI CLOCKWISE LANDSCAPE /
FRAGMENTS AS CODE.
Acrylic, household and spray paint,
varnish, detritus collage on canvas, plywood and found substrate.
(300cm x 167cm. 2020).
GREY P40 3X’s.
Acrylic,
household paint, spray paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas and found
substrate.
(200cm x 150cm. 2018).
![SLATES AND CROSSES (250cm x 125cm)]()
SLATES AND CROSSES.
Acrylic,
household paint, spray paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas, OSB board and found
substrate.
(250cm x 125cm. 2018).
EARTH DECK MIXER. SHADOWS AND PULSES. 16 PINS AND VENT.
Acrylic, household and spray paint, varnish, detritus collage and found objects on canvas, plywood, MDF and found substrates.
(270cm x 240cm. 2022).
ES O EY P. 12 DOTS. 3 CROSSES. LANDSCAPE.
Acrylic,
household paint, spray paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas and found
substrate.
(240cm x 155cm. 2020).
PAYNES GREY VERTICAL DRAG YELLOW DOT.
Acrylic,
household paint, spray paint, varnish, detritus collage on canvas and found
substrate.
(250cm x 250cm. 2019).
SYSTEMS
ABSTRACT MEMORY.
Gif.
looped.
2018.
Systems. Sequences. Snapshots. Click Click Click.
The photograms suggested much more.
Rhythms. Beats. Sequences.
A conversation with a drummer was the catalyst to take things further.
Looking at the photogram sequences the response was to tap out beats, phrases, patterns…
‘These are percussive scores’ was the observation…
‘Drift’ was an audio response to three photograms which were seen as the initial ‘score’ to improvise and compose around field recordings and lo-fi sample loops.
Bear in mind that parts of the score may be devoid of direct musical relevance. Cornelius Cardew.
Snapshots. Snapshots. Click click click.
Motorways. Railways. Blur. Repetition. Sequences. Loops. Sequences. Loops.
The enemy of photography is the convention, the fixed rules of 'how to do.' The salvation of photography comes from the experiment.” Lazlo Moholy Nagy.
Maps, plans, birds-eye views. Drawings with light.
The darkroom as a creative space. A place of alchemy, surprises, celebrated mistakes.
A place where rules and discipline are in a fine balance with the element of chance.
“When I make a photograph I want it to be an
altogether new object, complete and self contained, whose basic conditions are
order - unlike the world of events and actions whose permanent condition is
change and disorder.” Aaron Siskind.
