TRAVELCARD - TEMPLE of RANDOM

30/07/2010 12:44

Created a few new editions, encompassing a different direction, it would be better if you could actually view them. I say this because I've not uploaded them to the site. Decided to wait until a future exhibition, location undecided.

Blackberry 8700g, bought on ebay for a fifth of a ton. For experimental purposes, namely the facility to check web based email when I'm not stuck in front of the PC and I like the retro look of this model. Faulty navigation interface was the reason behind the reasonable price, so a teardown was required. Repaired thumbwheel, cracked and unlocked it for all but one network. Updated the operating system, installed Opera-mini browser, developed and installed some holographic wallpapers (might up them to the BB store sooner or later) and replaced the complete enclosure for a fresh new one. 2.5G not 3G though, surfing is quicker than I expected (faster than on my old 3G phone), It's a useful tool, like a pocket PC. It's good, tough (because of the assumed comfortable position; fallen asleep, dropped it on to my face and out of bed a couple of times). Addictive.

04/06/2010 20:31

Created out of chance this painting (was wandering). Kensington Palace. In an exclusive area, sitting amongst the various properties nearby, Kensington Gardens is probably the Worlds most expensive street.

The Palace was constructed in the 17th century, in the then rural village of Kensington and known as Nottingham House; where the Earl of Nottingham resided. Visit and find out more. Not much else to say about the location; except for the fact that it is a nice area, if you can avoid the machine guns further down the way. Heckler and Koch MP5's I think they were. Definitely. When I was confronted with these a while ago (unarmed apart from camera and phone, had to point this out), wasn’t aware, concerning some of the previous facts that I mentioned earlier and due to being under the influence, thought it was a fine idea to walk up and take some snaps of this very smart street; at night, without flash. Which attracted some attention.

11/05/2010 20:11

My latest work. Temple plinth cascades. An effort to translate and capture one of my elusive dreams. On waking, actively holding onto the perceived scenes in my mind, then sketched out quickly to a 99p notepad.

Anyway, what you see here. I wanted to recreate this idyllic scene, a picturesque one; charged with an obvious danger. Turbulent water flowing directly between the pillars below, on which the Temple sits. Light rain showers advancing steadily across the jungle landscape in the distance, mingling with the rising condensation, powered by the still strong early evening sunlight. All working together, driving the ceaseless flow of the waterfalls.  

Click to enlarge.

08/05/2010 21:07

Nothing much to ramble on about today. I've been sitting in front on my screen since the early hours. Working on some new digital paintings. Up early - too alert, I'd sleep well if I would return to my vices, but then the lethargy gets a hold. Here's some wallpapers courtesy of Arte-fact.co.uk; click the images below to access them.

26/04/2010 14:44

**Private message. "hang-gliding?". Laugh! But that's not quite what I meant. Consultancy services are available. End of private message.**

Airborne fats from years of fried food; finally saw to my old PC. Smothering the motherboard with a thin, viscous insulating layer, putting a hold on whatever productivity that was in motion at the time. 

Replaced the server, partitions intact (luckily avoiding dynamic ones), stripped out the old drivers. Now dual booting Windows 2000 and 2003 server operating systems. I prefer 2000 server. Problem is, due to w2k not being supported anymore, leading to it being a more common occurrence of having to hack installer packages to run some of the newer stuff, hence the dual boot.

Next: An insightful day. For the sake of peace and irrelevance; the drunks in Trafalgar square were better off tolerated, as far as I was concerned. 

I felt genuinely peaceful, the clarity of the sky was unusual (probably down to the flight ban). The jets were reclaiming the skies overhead, which was piercing blue and cloudless, carved up by newly laid contrails, brilliant starshine, brighter than normal; with a crisp clean breeze shifting around. Too cool in the shade. 

Definitely not circumstances that would call for griping of any kind, from anyone. Due to regular exercise and a much lower alcohol intake. 
I was having to concentrate on my coordination after just one pint of London Pride. Nothing but an acceptable level of decorum though. 
Probably will slip back into the old routine a few weeks from now. I can see a nice bottle of red doing the trick. 
Attracting the paperwork? With reference to the photo. I guess it depends on how you are perceived in public. If you like to shower or bathe regularly and wear clean clothes; you can have your drink and avoid being noticed. There was an obvious reason for this scene; purely a superficial one though.

Right: Police & PCSO's in London. Ticketing and confiscating booze.

04/04/2010 14:31

It should be the height of good table manners to haul out a crate of something a bit different to make a good impression. Right now, I am talking about Zeeburg Tripel - from the Brouwerij Zeeburg in Amsterdam. From whom, two much appreciated samples were delivered.

On opening, the aroma that rises from the bottle, lets you know that it is indeed a 'real' beer. 
There is a strange or maybe obvious hint that it was carefully developed to maintain the essence of a nostalgic home grown brew. It is not crisp, golden brown and pin bright in appearance as would be the normal expectation, but that could be down to me not allowing enough time for it to settle.
Sampling, the taste has a small amount of sweetness; which reminded me of honey mead, containing a hit of citrus that makes itself noticed mid palate, with a tangy flavour, reminiscent of lime. This could be down to my supping gear; since I am not a regular beer drinker. It has a completely unique taste and texture from what I would usually favour.

Apart from that. At 7.8%, this unfiltered beer packs a serious wallop. An intense, powerful alcoholic high shows itself not long after attacking your first bottle; two thirds down (was enough for me), producing a strong feeling of glowing merriness. Yup, doesn't take that much to have you grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Speaking of which, It is almost the right time of year; I think it would be a good idea to jump over to Amsterdam, sit by a canal under a parasol; in good company, table laden with beverages, in the sunshine with a gentle breeze wafting around, piercing blue sky; speckled with white clouds - you get the picture....Seek it. You won't be dissapointed.

17/03/2010 18:09

Somewhere just off of Edgware Road, around the corner from Oxford street. On entry, the waiter pounced immediately. The Lebanese Abu Ali restaurant from outside; offers a daunting view, shack-like in appearance, so it wasn't a surprise to find that this restaurant seemed to be host to only a minimal amount of customers, at the time; in comparison to other eateries nearby.

It was a good find. Everything cooked from scratch, fresh salad, so there is a wait. When you flip through the menu, disregard any mental images that may be conjured up as a result. For example, two diced lamb kebab skewers, seasoned with herbs, roasted onions, peppers etc; sounds grand, only the reality was two diced lamb kebabs on tooth picks. Don't let that put you off, the cuisine was of a high standard and as such, cannot be ignored.  

Would I go back there again?  Yeah, I suppose so. Possibly. 
Flip a coin first.
Right: I've yet to try the pipes. The smoke had the aroma of fruits.

07/03/2010 04:11

Greenwich observatory. Fantastic panorama. For years, when I woke up in East London, had an unrestricted view of the observatory from the North side of the Thames, until the Leylandii flourished  - Left: Uphill pathway - Greenwich park.

No snaps of lunch. I did get something at the following coordinates. See it on Google Earth 3D ( Layers, Geographic Web with Panoramio enabled ) : 51° 28' 33.88" N 0° 0' 8.34" W.

 Link: http://www.panoramio.com/kml/?user=4243205

Toying with kookyness; where ordinary, accepable views are held with a determined grip, unless proven to an absolute degree concerning whatever particular topic in view. 
Leaning towards the following point will require an amount of flexibility. To expect and believe in the results is a difficult task. 

Delving below restrictive views, inciting the subliminal aspects; consciousness and other related states, are not susceptible to scientific measurement, beyond electrical sensing. Would the extent of non-spatial volume be a suitably convenient term? For example, seemingly exactly opposite to material charateristics and yet obviously integrated with the physical body (anti-matter?).  Experimenting with certain audio range frequencies (between 5 and 600Hz - I forgot the name of the technique), using Psycle synthesizer software and a couple of virtual instruments. Hoping to induce a relaxed, meditative state, while interpolating a constant frequency with an effective natural backing of some sort. I will (eventually) release an MP3 with instructions. I have listened to other recordings that have had an effect, soothing the mind, clearing the imagination; memorable lucid events can be triggered. Difficult to prove. It could be purely coincidental, maybe not.

01/03/2010 11:33

At the moment, pondering over artwork and it's ability to stir subjective interpretation. Logical connections leading to conclusions that are not in some cases, based on the facts of the matter in view. I captured; what I supposed was 20th century history, the remains of several buildings due for demolition. Those sites as they were, no longer exist. An acquaintance interpreted the work, took great offence and associated the image as an insult unto himself. Due to the fact (in his mind) that It was somehow underhand concerning it's meaning; purely because of the selected location, that was deemed to be interesting as far as I am concerned. The scale of regeneration in East London, makes it necessary to capture some aspects that would otherwise (if ignored) be consigned to a lasting condition of regretfulness. And I imagine that most would want to avoid that emotion, including myself.

A bit of a wait since last posting, reasons being related to certain activities that I will talk about later. In the near future. This blog is based on a mish-mash of thoughts and realities and not intended to be offensive (I try to be light-hearted) since; this is supposed to be my personal scratch pad and not driven at all by company marketing.

19/02/2009 12:28

It has been a while since the last update.

I have been working on a fresh new style for the website. After being held up by the flu at the latter part of 2008 and at the beginning of 2009, I decided to get on with it. Thought that the previous design wasn't user friendly enough. I hope that the differences are noticed. 

More soon.

06/10/2008 12:59

An assumption of the frequency. The reality of it all is equal to a couple of times per year, I haven't got the time since I have been working on the gallery, of which a new section is now open - *End of private message*.

For those who often boast of themselves as being "realistic", there is a consistent answer, some may attribute this line of thought to common sense. I believe something real is attributed to 3-dimensional matter, any object, life in general. Having said that, I also believe in the intangible aspects which make up a composite existence.
Being persistent in portraying your own ideas is seen as a negative trait at times, I am not sure why. To excess maybe, but what is too much? 

I think we are driven to view our own consciousness as being primary and the experiences of others are simply ideas to be abstracted through your own comprehension, limited by a variable margin. I am empathetic, although biased in favour of my own. I'd say that this is a common direction. (At this moment, if you are wondering, a deliberate examination of what is obvious, rather than what you would expect me to write). It is a necessary process of consciousness; varied across people, from the cold or unaffected to the warm and loving, but usually an unequal interpretation of events; occasionally there is something beyond the superficial and positive interaction is achieved. Without this necessity, an argument would not be feasible. There would be no point. So. The universe appears to be meshed together by a foundation of opposition, on every level. Symmetry in other words.  The image represents a lucid dreaming experience that I was lucky enough to remember. Flying, looking back at my feet, the clouds and the horizon.

05/09/2008 16:41

Having been occupied with various demands lately, I did take time out to visit a location that I know very well, but no longer reside near to. The very popular Green Street, which is a World famous location apparently; If that is the case, for what exactly?

Whoever wants to visit the area for sightseeing pleasures, at present you will not be disappointed, especially after absorbing the architecture of Queens Market into memory, which is a critical reflection on the locality as a whole, misleading to a certain degree. 

Even so, this is where vision and ambition are colliding, within the boundaries of a particular borough called Newham, meaning the 2012 Olympics, which is now set for London East. Maybe Green Street E7 will become the ornament, an integral part of the whole event? 
Exaggeration aside, It is possible. Green Street has an interesting atmosphere and is enjoyable when the weather is right. 

People from all of the nations on Earth seem to be there, no, are definitely there; in fact I think Newham itself is possibly the most diverse place on the planet, therefore it would benefit from further expansion, adding even more variety and new cuisine to try out.
The Himalaya is a restaurant that I frequent. You can't miss it. Above the entrance there's some kind of tattered green canopy (don't be put off), under this some fast food and sweets are sold outside, enter and you will find an excellent selection on the menu; such as spicy roasted chicken, tandoori chicken, lamb kebabs, roti etc, etc.

Right: Tandoori fish, Kashmiri chicken curry and rice.

Highly pleasing to look at and eat. I have got to add that the seating might be damaged in some way, don't panic, that is normal.

*Update* Seating upgraded. Avoid the lettuce salad.

22/08/2008 20:22

I just felt like it. I was going to say it, the impulse that you get, but fail to utter the notion that becomes apparent in your mind, that is subdued, due to the other side of you dismissing the ridiculous idea that you could be right. Coincidence is a phenomenon which most people experience, from catching the bus immediately after arriving at a bus stop to winning the lottery. 

Having witnessed very striking coincidences, it would be easy to dismiss such experiences as chance. I seek meaning in the coincidence, since logic, which is not the only factor driving existence, because (in my opinion) prior to 'anything' logic also was a void concept; without consciousness, logic cannot reside. Using logic of course. The level at which our society sits, simply toys with the whole idea, or do we? 
Not sure, in fact I am sure that anything abstract is usually met with titters or a blank face; various other distractions have a higher priority. Coincidence is limited merely by the level of its respectability, even though it is believed by some that the universe in its entirety is just a coincidence, if not then logic slams open another idea contrary to the expected one. Yes, yes I'd like to hear more content on my local talk radio station, rather than late night quizzes. G & Tipple. After taking a generous swig of what appeared to be a Gin and Tonic mixer,

the tube doors opened abruptly.  Positioned exactly on opposite sides of the carriage doors; camera already powered up, she behaved as if caught out for a guilty action that I had the authority to reprimand her over. 
Just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Probably needed to come down after having gone through a lengthy interview for a major retail chain or something, somewhere. 

Obviously, the drinking ban currently in force on the underground, was not in place at the time that this photograph was taken (2006), located not far from Portobello Road market - W10.

Not sure how effective the ban is; I would assume that on arrival at the ticket barrier, preloaded with booze, the likelihood of having back up supplies stowed away somewhere none too obvious, is more than probable.

15/08/2008 03:00

Nothing of interest at the moment, unless you want to read about the ever present oddities concerning Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox reading code differently, the latter doing what it says on the tin.
New gallery coming soon.

07/08/2008 17:47

The increasing rise in popularity of 21st century art. Many people are now realising that contemporary art is well worth taking a second look at and moving away from simply following traditional art, seeking an alternative view, which may yield a captivating proposition that was previously not thought of. Anyway, back on track...It does not have the atmosphere large town, more like a small city in need of redevelopment. The office workers exit their various towers (consisting of various examples of architecture dating back from the 1960's I imagine) to hang out at various well established haunts during the lunch hour. This example here taught me that most people are actually interesting to observe, without any encouragement I grabbed the shot, somewhere called Croydon in Greater London. I often wonder, although at first glance it may seen obvious, what precisely is the issue here then?

27/07/2008 21:59 

Motivated by a new platform (for selected emerging artists) called Beck’s Canvas, which is a joint effort between London's Royal College of Art (RCA) and the German brewery, Becks. The RCA requested that their graduates and students provide material based on the theme of individuality, a jury of RCA artists selected the winners, who will now soon influence the future image of the Beck's beer marketing campaign as well as becoming an addition to the labels art gallery and highly regarded artistic connection. 

From the 1st of August until the end of year, Beck’s beer bottles will be suited with the artwork of the following four artists: Charlotte Bracegirdle, Tom Price, Simon Cunningham and Rita Ikonen, which will be seen by millions as part of a summer television advertising thrust for Beck’s, which will convey the “Different by Choice” message. The advertising focuses on objects, places and people who have achieved success by setting their own 'no rules' agenda.

Beck’s has supported contemporary British art for twenty years and has prior to this event urged artists such as Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, George & Gilbert, Jake & Dinos Chapman and Rachel Whiteread to create label artwork for limited edition bottles. Beck’s Canvas is one of the largest public art commissions I know of - 27 million bottles will be produced.

We were invited by James Fell of onlinefire.co.uk, for the unveiling of the exclusive label artwork at the Royal College of Art. The spontaneity of the art created was satisfying. 

Charlotte Bracegirdle's work - emotionally engaging due to the contradictive aspect, a desire to be invisible. A solution into solving the watchful critics. Rita Ikonen - A display of corrupted spatial hallucination, confronting the viewer with a play of contrasts. Simon Cunningham's avian/mammalian exhibit possessed intricate detail, a unique transformation and Tom Price - An expressive concept that breaks through a series of thresholds both literally and metaphorically. A striking visual, a profile transfixed by a possibly burdensome inheritance. 
An unexpectedly intense exhibition, as if caught in a vortex of their collective dreams.

Overall it was a fine night, which was added to by a dash of drama further down the road in SW7.

Charlotte Bracegirdle, Tom Price, Simon Cunningham and Rita Ikonen (click  here for artworks).