I have been working on disk 3 of 4. This is the first layer over 6 layers of gesso, cool weather today allowing a good application time if paint dries too fast it becomes tacky and unworkable.

An excerpt from my dissertation came to mind.

This culture of use implies a profound transformation of the status of the work of art: going beyond its traditional role as a receptacle of artist’s vision, it now functions as an active agent, a musical score, an unfolding scenario, a framework that possesses autonomy and materiality to varying degrees, its form able to oscillate from a simple idea to sculpture or canvas (Bourriaud, 2002, p. 20).

I always enjoy and can be unplifted by a day painting such as today, everything went well and I am very pleased with the colour. Time to order paint.

Bourriaud, N. (Ed.). (2009). Altermodern. Tate Triennial. London: Tate Publishing.

Belcher, R. (2009). Painting, Exile and Return (The New Frontiers of Modernity) Unpublished MFA dissertation. Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, Auckland, New Zealand.

TV Stack and mundane purchasing details

I have started sourcing and purchasing old TV's for the Project, I found two today for $50.00 from a (probably Romanian) guy from TK (Te Karaka), I phoned and he had it in his car. Its a good TV and I will get the other one on Monday when he brings it into town. I have found a way of showing one film across many screens and I am thinking of the block wall in the gallery that is really industrial with a stack of screens showing the film.

I have started the soundtrack which has gone very well so far and is a very haunting piece, I am using a couple of really big speakers that I will put on trolleys for the sound which will run with the film this time.

Project #10 is still Project #10 and I think it will stay that way for the remainder of the program ... as all the work ties in and is continuing to develop. So I have four TV's already and will aim for twelve to tie in with the Deck Stack. Numbers have always been an important factor in this project, I chose twelve decks spontaneously in discussion with Noel in Auckland and it turned out to be so significant with the resulting deck show, so I have maintained the symbolic numerical aspects with all more recent pieces whether it be choosing colour variants or numbers in any way.

I really like the process of sourcing and buying things in this way for the project, interaction with people by phone or mail or text becomes part of the process and the cast off items are cool. When Project #10 started I remeber being interested in the collecting of the decks in the same way. TV's are more local in terms of it not being so practical to ship them around the country but I have found out how much more expensive they are to buy from second hand dealers for obvious reasons.

Watch this space

Projects

Things ticking along always with the big dealine looming and so much more to do. I am starting to work on sound today and have decided that it would be great to make a soundtrack for the film just to take it to the next level. I think its important to combine the sound and vision into one piece. Im looking at a stack of tv's and speakers on trolleys, the film will simultaneously show on the tv's and the sound will be quietly amplified. I would like to paint the trolleys.

The deck stack is having lights ... I have organised for possible strip or led lights to be shining from inside each deck in the stack. An electrician is doing the work for me so should be very interesting to see then illuminated ... two things the different coloured plastic of the lids and the turning records inside should have an impact on the colour of the light.

Painted disks coming along well nearly finished the second one now, the increasing heat in the studio has caused problems with materials think Im going to have to use oils for the last two.

This work has been a success the boards are very pleasing as objects in themselves even before the paint goes on and just get better. The wheels are great ... the piece freely rotates.

The paint has maintained its sheen and intensity even when dry.

Project #10 Disks on wheels

Work has been progressing well, determined to use acrylic for these large works it is always a dissapointment when the quality of the paint changes in the drying process. Oil paint maintains its integrity and detail right through to dry. The plastic nature of acrylic paint is more pronounced, craters and bubbles in the surface are unique to this material. The quality is just different and capturing the paint wet photographically is certainly advantagous. The top image is one I am using in my catalogue. I am attaching wheels to these large works to be displayed on the floor. The height of each work will be determined by the wheel size.