This Time In A Week...

This time in a week, I will be well on my way, in mid european airspace en route to Beijing! The time is nearly here and with every day, an excitement and growing nervousness as those ten days in Beijing will see much happen, from making new photographic works, to films and documentaries to, of course not forgetting, a book dummy! 

Knowing that while these days are flying by, our wonderful hand printer is busy producing enlargements of my edit, I just can't wait to see the changes that will have happened from the files I have been used to looking at over the past year and a half. At every stage this projects develops into a mysterious, organically living object as the control is so often removed and those wonderful mistakes, accidental happenings prove the driving force of our collaboration. 

Embassy, Printers, Tests

Friday saw a great day, many exciting conversations had and much more planned. My initial outing, a trip to the Chinese Embassy to put in my Visa application and I will be successfully collecting my passport next week with yet another Visa to added to my others. I can not wait to head to Beijing, the time just can't go quick enough, but then again with so much to do beforehand, lets not wish away the minutes just yet! 

Then onto a the wonderful Artful Dodgers printers in Hatton Gardens to see my first set of tests and what a lovely feeling to be back in a hand printers basement, seeing the spotting inks, the contact sheets and beautifully printed images pinned to the walls. It's been a while since I shot film and it was a true pleasure to get back my 120 negatives and that feeling, that anticipation is something that never fails to excite me, which is a good thing as I will be returning from Beijing with many films to develop.

Prepping continues and with my flight in less than 2 weeks time, much to organise and pack for, even a little surprise weather update with temperatures in the mid twenties, so lets hope for sunny skies and little smog! More to come soon...

Ruin Lust

Sunday saw a great trip to the Tate Britain to meet a fellow exhibition friend from New York and take in the wonders of the new show, "Ruin Lust" as well as some well earned Gin and Tonics, just perfect to compliment the sunny, spring weather that shone in through the doomed ceilings bar. 

If you haven't yet seen or heard much about this exhibition, it is surely a shame, as this exhibit is very wondrous indeed. The sheer list of artists exhibiting is enough to turn anyones Sunday into an extravaganza of delight as the likes of over 100 works are shown. From J.M.W Turner, John Constable, John Martin, John Stezaker, Jane and Louise Wilson, Tacita Dean, Keith Arnatt and many others show their passion to this theme.

It was truly a fabulous show to see, that both thrilled, educated and inspired as every room you entered a new investigation into the terminology. From Pleasure, to Bunker to Ruins In Reverse, a real insight into how artists of past and current centuries find such inspiration in such destruction. 

One of the highlights for me, was the dedicated Tacita Dean room, beautifully showing her Photogravures of the series. "The Russian Endings" and the film "Kodak" that was filmed in the one of the Kodak factories in France, documenting the demise of a medium through its own manufacture. I can never quite have enough of Dean's work, there is such an honesty, a passion and delicacy to her vision, her manner of working, I find it so inspiring and powerful. I am always left wanting more, but always feel privileged and honoured to have been given sight to see what is in front of her eyes.  

A must see exhibition, here are more details here: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/ruin-lust

Continuations...

As the days go by, the work continues and so many exciting stages are coming into play. As the edit is set, the printing commences in Beijing and many a test strip is being created, marking the process and commencing the finalisation of this wonderful collaboration. 

With 5,058.67 miles between us, my trip to Beijing can not come soon enough, the enlargements await my arrival and I with baited breath, and of course with the solutions that make this project what it is. This collaboration continues to exceed all expectations and ideas, offering us new gifts at every stage, I can not wait to the debut later this year, more to come soon...

500,000 Down To 75 Tests

So the time is marching on and I can't quite believe that it is March already and with so much more to come from these next few weeks, I can hardly await to see what is around each corner! And what better way to start this spring month than with the finalisation of the editing process, all 500,000 images looked through, edited down to a very small and concise edit of 75 photographs. 

From this wonderful edit, the creation starts, develops, with each image worked on and the resulting effects taking hold of the image in there wondrous, mystic and black magic ways. I continue to test the effects, looking for patterns and making observations on just how this solution controls the prints, the colours and the textures, but with every leap forward, a little tap on the shoulder remaining you of how organic processes control you! For me, this is what makes this project just so incredibly giving, it's a lesson in patience, in pausing and watching just how far the changes can go, before my nature takes control and I freeze the process.

Every step of the way, there are lessons learnt, taught and viewed with amazing, splendid results produced. It really does speak so much of Photography and in such a Post Photographic age, where we all watch, but do we really see and how much is lost.