Back to Basics
As part of the Hotbed Press 20 x 20 I created a very simple print. The thing with using the Adana hand press is that every print I produced was different. Lots of happy accidents.
Letterpress Print, 2011
Archived entries for Exhibition
Welcome to the Real World – Project Space Leeds
Back in the heady days at the end of Summer I was part of a 3 group show at PSL. It was an interesting experience for many reasons. It’s always interesting to see how groups come together and wether they have a common motivation or driver. I was shown as part of the Art House , and curated by Victoria Lucas. The other groups were Rogue Studios, Manchester and a group from Goldsmiths, London. I was really pleased with how WTTRW looked and worked.
I wanted to make something site specific. I took into account the canal which PSL fronts onto and the redevelopment of the nearby area. The past glories of the economic engine and the hopes for the future. The aspect of PSL is such that the sun tracks around it through the day. The two glass walls have an angular confluence which i wanted to make use of. The terms Viscious and Virtuous came to mind. The circularity of the economy, where we are now in its cycle. How inhumane and unjust the world can sometimes seem. So I devised the circular words so that they can be read from the outside but the shadows cast on the floor can be read the correct way round from the inside. The tracking of the sun changes the Viscious Circle into a Virtuous Circle.
I had never worked with vinyl before, and as can be seen I have adopted it for my last 3 projects. I really like its crispness and versatility. This is a cmplete departure for me because I would never have classified myself an artist concerned with an exquisite finish, always happy to have the process marks visible in the work if that occurs.
The photos below are courtesy of PSL.
British Institute for Human Rights
In the lsr few months I have been involved in a project with Arcadea and BIHR on a pilot project trying to encourage people to use the arts to exercise their human rights. As a result of the work undertaken the project had an exhibition at the International Centre for Life. When I was living in Denmark Rosa Luxemburg was very popular amongst the left wing greens – not that I could ever be as eloquent as Rosa so I went for keeping it simple.
When thinking about making these new works I wanted to emphasise that our human rights came about by people challenging the inequalities they witnessed, refusing to accept the status quo they found unacceptable no matter how difficult that was for them personally. I also wanted to aknowledge the personal responsibility we all have to uphold these rights, I was moved by Rosa Luxemburg, who said ‘Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.’ Essentially we need to be pro-active, empowered to maintain and assert these rights
Salisbury Arts Centre
In December I went to Salisbury Arts Centre to do a talk with Gini and Juan from The View From Here exhibition. It’s strange going to an exhibition where you have work never having seen it. Usually you are there to over see the installation and know how it looks, make a decision about being happy with it, having tweaked, designed, redesigned the show. This time due to budgetary and time constraints I hadn’t had the opportunity to go and install, I had come up with concepts and sent my instructions and intentions to the curator of the show. Then i had sent redesigns and these were passed on in best ‘chinese whispers’ style. Whilst the execution of the text is low-fi I was happy with the hats.
Initially i had sent text to be placed over the stained glass windows of the old church – a new trinity – Ruminate, Gestate, Initiate. Hoever the ambient light just made the text as it was in situ just not workable. The text was moved onto the columns in the cafe.
Salisbury Arts Centre
I have been asked to respond to the exhibition ‘The View from Here’ at Salisbury Arts Centre This is what they say about my work.
Aidan Moesby works mostly with text. Its physical manifestation is as important as the words themselves, made into objects or created fleetingly for site-specific installations; isolated words and short phrases draw you up short, engage you in a dialogue, interrogate their context and throw you back on your own resources. Here he will be making a new work as a commissioned response to the other artists’ work and the setting of Salisbury Arts Centre, scattered words moving the viewer through the space physically, visually and psychologically, and in some indirect way substituting (perhaps usurping) the absent aural and written content of delGado and Bruch’s conceptual postcards
The Book Apothecary
As part of Durham Book Festival I am taking part in the Book Apothecary the travelling museum of Artists’ Books. I have made an assortment of books for the theme of the ffirst exhibition - ‘category’. The books are housed in an old suitcase four artists are exhibitiong Theresa Easton, Yvette Hawkins and Stevie Ronnie. The suitcases have modified by Nick James.
The adapted suitcase housing the ‘Nostalgia’ Collection
Detail of ‘Compulsions and Rituals – The Little Book Of The Kept
Compulsions and Rituals
As part of my DCA Engage Everyone Residency I am looking for compulsions and rituals to contribute towards an art work. I am seeking the C’s from OCD and rituals with obsession. Your contributions will be anonymised. I am attempting to normalise certain aspects of Mental Health. For example – Man locks door leaving house. - It’s a pefectly ‘normal’ everyday behaviour. However for some it can be a compulsion and represent a significant impairment to daily life. It goes without saying we are all somewhere on the continuum of good and bad mental health. We all have good and bad days. If you have a compulsion or ritual you would like to contribute please email textartist@yahoo.com thankyou. An example is given below – again this is ‘compulsion light’
The Art House Exhibition
So Wednesday the 28th was the opening of my exhibition. It is tentatively called Everytime I’m in a queue I always imagine what I’m going to say about a hundred times’. This exhibition is part retrospective part new work – site specific or made especialy for the show, The title is taken from a new work regarding my new fictional newspaper which I am working on for my Engage Everyone residency at Dundee Contemporary Arts. This time it is more of an intervention.
As part of the opening – and I must admit it was unlike any I had been too – not the traditional private view. The Art Walk was so people were moving from venue to venue. People also tended to cut through the foyer – which is where many of the works are – and go straight to the studios. At 7 i did the now de rigeur artist talk. This was fine – there were even a few faces in the audience i didn’t recognise. One of the questions asked was if i am moving to be producer cleaner- crisper work – referencing my recent foray into vinyl. I am enjoying playing with text and vinyl, but i remain of the view that i will produce work which fits the location, space or word the best. I still like being able to see the marks of the process which contributed to the execution of the work. My two new vinyl pieces are in the lift and main corridor of the art house.
Continuing my theme of communication, dialogue and the view that the more connected we are the more disconnected we become – the whole digital/social media diaspora then I am showing ‘Solitary’ in a paired down version without any additional text on the nature of lonliness.
There is always that element of how the work is going to breathe on its’ own. I think there is a good mix or old and new, things in the gallery space and thos site specific and installational elements. I guess that’s my work done on it, I’ve done all I can. Now I am waiting to hear the feedback, see what people think.
Art on the Road – Installing at The Art House Wakefield
Phew! Last week I was back up to Dundee Contemporary Arts for the Engage Everyone Residency after the PSL opening. This week sees me down at Wakefield to install my solo show at the ArtHouse. This is a mixture of old work, new work and work which I will create over the next two days – subtle text interventionss around the building. It’s fantastic being this busy – especially considering the paucity of work in the first six months of the year – but i really wish there was time to really breathe in each thing i am doing and really savour the taste. But i guess that is the nature of being freelance in these uncertain times. Feast or famine.
When I got this show it was a beacon in the darkness, a raft of hope to cling on to – if nothing else i have a show in october. But then things have grown around it and now i am left with only 2 days to make work – or 31 hours to be precise till the opening. That includes the install and the imagining and execution of new work. Why do i put myself under such pressure. I know I am not alone in that tho’.
I am learning how to be ‘on the road’ – maybe i should lift Jack from the bookshelf for some company. It’s another town, another room – trying to have some sense of belonging in this dislocation. Meanwhile even here i am trying to maintain other projects in other places when i really need my head and heart and focus to be here. I am left pondering about the nature of art on the road – how do you work, maintain a life at home, have some sense of normalcy when away, some meaningful human contact, a place to collapse and recharge….?
Peering Sideways
Exhibition Openings – now there’s a mixed bag of ‘stuff’ if ever there was. One of the most ephemeral temporary works I have ever made - fleetingly appeared at the Peering Sideways opening on Friday 9th of september. The piece – Draft – was one I had struggled with. I was happy with the idea, concept etc but not the execution. Then I reworked it – it ended up being made of sawdust from the install. So fine was the text and so minimal was the piece that within 10 minutes it had been obliterated. A young girl on a scooter rode through it – i liked that – subtlely adding to it – but the photographer documenting the exhibition maybe should have been more aware – he was the first of many. I can’t really attribute blame. Or Fault. I had been talking to Phil from PSL about maintaining it and how close to sweep to it. We laughed later about the futility of the conversation. I had made an ephemeral piece – just it wasn’t supposed to be ‘THAT’ ephemeral. So yes I was little dissapointed, upset, angry it didn’t make it through the opening evening. I have to let it go. As i have to let a few other things go from the evening too. The word had been ‘Draft’ perhaps i should have made it ‘Respect’.
