New Born Deer Video
I just stumbled across this beautiful video of a new born deer on a beach, and was in awe of the breathtaking camera skills and the delicate creature.
Birds Feeding Video
I have set up my video camera in the garden at various points over the last few days to capture footage of the birds. I’ve managed to collect clips of sparrows, blue tits and robins so far.
Carboot Treasures
My carboot find of the week was a TV security system, consisting of a mini monitor and a wireless video camera. Unsure if it was in working order, I haggled down to £4; sure enough, for the first hour of its new life, it displayed static fuzz with an occasional flicker from the camera. I felt a wash of relief when the image cleared up, filling the small screen with a worried picture of my own face as I prodded at the buttons. From then on it has worked fine, and I assumed it had gotten caught in the rain and needed to dry out a little. During the tentative time when it was unclear whether it worked or not, I looked online to see if there was a manual available, and discovered when bought new, these systems came with two cameras so the monitor can be switched to either channel. I immediately began to conjure up fox-related artworks which involved giving the viewer the choice of which live channel/video camera to watch.
I also retrieved an old atlas from a box of disintegrating books. It is bound by rusty stables, the front and back covers being long been torn off, which makes it difficult to tell how old it is, but I’ve managed to conclude that it must have been printed sometime between 1914 and 1921. The adverts for other educational books at the back (which are priced in shillings and pence) state that they were revised in 1914. Large portions of the map are described as being part of the ‘British Empire’, but I say 1922 because it also indicates that Ireland is also governed by the British government, and was wasn’t until 1921/22 that Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. The atlas smells dusty, like old newspapers that have been stored in attics, and there is a beautiful yellow tinge to the paper. It’s almost too beautiful to contemplate cutting up and creating envelopes and cards and covering lampshades and photo frames with, so I think I may scan some of the pages to use in future projects.
Fox Tracks
I’ve been thinking a lot about traces recently – the remains of a fire pit once a convoy has moved on, the crumpled shell of a bender tent and tyre tracks in the mud. Couple this with my vulpesmania and it can only lead to me donning shoes with fox paw print soles and trundling about in the forest in the early hours of the morning.
An idea for a documented performance, perhaps? Although, is vulpesmania even a word? It should be.
Ebay Scavenger Hunt
I am so deliciously happy with my ebay winnings this week. I got a collection of beautiful china tap tops that read ‘hot’ and cold’ and a brass tap for my installation. They should arrive soon, and possibly means I should be able to finish it by the end of this weekend, although I am hoping to find another three or four taps before then.
I also won a portable TV which I’ve had my eye on for over a week, which I am going to use in my studio installation to show the videos of my Childhood Field Studies installations.
