Sea Changes III_Becalelis

The Geography of Silence

Angles and Degrees

You can tell by the angle of his mouth he's not happy.. Dan, sat at the printers, looking at the pages of a book we've designed, just hot off the press. On his right, the 'blue' proofs. On his left the 'purple' printed running pages. Not close enough, surely? The degree of magenta throughout is just too high.

Out of the 8 sections of the book – shown above, printed and folded but not bound – the first 3 are just patently too purple for us to handle. Publisher and printer are now in 'discussions' about who pays for the re-run. Print I tell'e, never, ever, simple.

Silence in Church please

On the campus of Exeter University last week I had 30 mins to wait until a meeting.. went into the Chapel.. and.. peace. Absolute peace. And total silence. And that wonderful feeling that you get in some spaces when your behavior changes, your senses heighten. I was woken and calmed at the same time.

Apart from the feel of the place there was such wonderful features: lettering in the brickwork, old glass bending and softening the light through the huge windows, wonderful rich red - blood red? - drapes and curtains. And there was so much symmetry and precise placement of objects, pictures etc. Made me think how much symmetry can play a part in Christian imagery and buildings; the cross, I suppose, being the most obvious example. More time in religious buildings me thinks.

For Jestonbury; For Henry; For Love!

Wallpaper Swan-dive

Sea Change II_Happy New Year!

Oh yes: Ben Folds

Funny what actually moves you.. you see lots of things and line up lots of thoughts for p.a, but been too busy, too distracted. And then this comes through from the ever-discerning Jestonbury, and I just know it has to go up, and it has to go up now.

I'm not sure exactly how many things it makes me feel but one of them is pure joy. I mean, Ben Folds, one of our heroes, someone who has followed us through our lives – or rather, someone who we've followed. The last time I saw him stand on something like this it was his piano and I was in Leicester DeMontfort Hall for a truly memorable gig. I can remember it well and it was 15 years ago. I've often thought if I had to take one artist to a desert Island with me, it would be him.

And here he is on some big, cheesy, American mainstream show..even with a 'Thank you America!' at the end. Extraordinary. And yet. And yet. It's glorious. It's glorious because it's Ben, because it's a cheesy show, because this is a song about taking drugs: 'You took a trip, and climbed a tree...'

How did this happen? It's like two worlds colliding. I guess he just revels in the act of song, in the joy of singing. And In that way he's perfect for a show about singing. And I don't want to hear anything about him doing it because of the big paycheck he gets. He's doing it for love. I'm a believer. Sing after me: I'm a believer!

love love love / bike bike bike

Rule #12
/ The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.

* * *

Just seen this on Oliver's [congratulations on Eli!] fine blog, originally from Velominati. Marvelous stuff. Rather timely as I've just given away one of my 5 bikes as I was running out of room. No excuse I know. Though I did enjoy leaving her in the middle of a square on a sunny day with a label saying 'please take me! please love me!' The next day she was gone. Let's hope she's happy.

Sea Change_I

It's not all bad news

I'll be darned. Looks like the Keystone XL oil pipeline won't be built after all. Wonderful to be reminded that these bloody awful things can be stopped. I say stopped but I can remember 10 years ago when they said Hinkely C Nuclear Power Station in Somerset wouldn't be built; this year, work on Hinkley C has started in earnest. Still, let's enjoy this for now. Been going on a long time and thousands involved in one way or another. Here and here to really be inspired and cheered.

Fine in so many ways

Made by Hand / No 1 The Distiller from Made by Hand on Vimeo.

Murmuration by Sophie Windsor Clive

Generally taking the piss

From Avaaz:

"It's unbelievable. The G20 -- the most powerful summit of world governments -- meets today to discuss the global economic crisis, and who is sponsoring the meeting? Banks and corporations! No wonder the site of the meeting -- the French city of Cannes -- is completely locked down to any ordinary citizens, while banks and large corporate CEOs have all access passes to tell our governments what to do.
Corporations and banks have captured our governments, winning vast bailouts after helping to create the crisis. Now they are buying their way into the very meeting that could decide the world's financial future. Together we can persuade summit President Nicolas Sarkozy to cancel the sponsorship -- let's build a massive public outcry that causes a media firestorm and forces Sarkozy to kick out the corporate sponsors and clean up the G20. Sign the petition here."

Is there a bigger, better or more realistic idea out there?

This nifty little film was doing the rounds over a year ago. It's about a tax on the financial sector that has the power to raise hundreds of billions every year globally. Back then it seemed an excellent idea and the group behind it an impressive outfit, but it also seemed unfathomable that it might be taken seriously. Bit like Adbusters going on about Occupying Wall St back in June.

Now, however, the UK government said they'd do it if everybody did it. I'm not sure whether it now feels a lot closer to happening or if those hollow words still results in it having no bloody chance? It's surely true that something is happening and there's a palpable feeling of change in the air. Umm.. is it change or just pissed off? Don't suppose my generation have felt anything like it before, especially on such a global scale or with such a wide-spread public involvement. Got to get a bit more involved..

Hear Today Gone Tomorrow

This seems like a marvelous affair in every way. GHOSTS OF GONE BIRDS are raising a creative army for conservation through a series of multimedia exhibitions and events that will breathe artistic life back into extinct birds species.

And it's got some artists involved who are nicely close to home. Tom Barwick - a lovely fella who is somehow involved in at least seven things all at once at any given time - also works at Plymouth University. That doesn't count as one of his seven things by the way. Above is his black and white drawing of the extinct ROBUST WHITE-EYE Zosterops strenuus. You can see the other 119 artists involved here.

Oh yes: Gordy

We've found a bicycle repair shop for the Small is Beautiful Project. Obviously a bike shop was a crucial addition to the growing collection of amazing establishments we're having the privilege of working with. This is the man who runs the place - well, this is the man who is the place - and his name is Gordy. Been a bike mechanic for over 50 years. Gordy's gone down as one of the most interesting people I've met, for all manner of reasons, and it seems I'm just in a long line of grateful customers and passers-by that have been charmed. Planning a return visit back soon to try and fully record what it is about him and his bike world that is so special.

Photograph by Steven Bond / University of Exeter © 2011

Feasible

You can't walk past this

43/93

And this is surprisingly illuminating.. a mixture of pie charts and graphs is not usually so helpful, especially when there's so many, but each of them are worth considering and I love the photographs interspersed to keep the human angle. Makes for some mad reading.

"The Way of doing business as we know it has to come to an end."

Well, Micheal Moore, that's quite a declaration. Quite a weird thing to think about, isn't it. The environmental cost of the current state of play was not touched upon alas, but this is still an interesting interview from BBC Newsnight to help fathom what's going on.

Oh yes: Nick Hand + Do Lectures + Boneshaker = marvelous

Nick Hand, at the DO lectures, talking about the wonder of cycling, the potential of photography and story telling, and the beauty and importance of traditional crafts. Whilst wearing a Boneshaker magazine t-shirt. It's like a birthday party with everyone you'd ever want all in one room. Thanks to Jestanbury for the nod to this little gem.

Damned Good Thing

Seems like things are hotting up.. all around the world. And London this weekend? Blimey. For ages I had been getting emails form Adbusters about this Occupy Wall Street malarkey and you hoped it would at least be noticed but you feared that it might fizzle. But fair play to them, they may just have started something..

"Let's treat this beautiful movement as if it is the most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is."
Naomi Klein

What you want your emails to include when you open your inbox on what was an average working day but now can't be, gloriously.

Oh yes: Beanshooter man makes my day

Pick off a quarter in mid-air? The evidence is here. Rufus Hussey, we salute you.

Part two take two

SiB: In another world

Makers, Menders and Materials Part Two, our exhibition from the Small is Beautiful? Project reaches Bridport in Dorset this week. Currently enjoying the town after putting the work up. And my, what a town! Compared to other towns in the south west this has so many more shiny people, well-designed things and positive energy going around. There's loads of small independent shops thriving for a start! Another world.

It's like a train journey: say if you have a seat facing the right way, with a table, on the sunny side of the train.. and compare that to standing up, near the luggage rack, in the bit of the train that bends and has a draught coming through the join of the carriages.. the same journey, essentially doing the same thing, moving through the landscape to a destination.. but blimey, how different those journeys would be eh? Living in a place like Bridgwater or living in a place like Bridport. Essentially the same thing but oh so oh so different. Small things; but many small things and they add up to a big difference I guess. Oh, and small things are beautiful, obviously, as we know.

Anyway, let's hope the good energy rubs off on the 'conversation' we're having at our private view tomorrow night.

–

Photograph by Steven Bond

Oh Yes: Ben Howard

Its been a funny old Summer, that's for sure. Luckily there's some good tunes around to provide a fine soundtrack. Here's one from Ben Howard, the Totnes boy who's gone from us watching him play to 5 people in Falmouth to hundreds of people at Latitude Festival et al. I've posted about him on p.a. before. Great to watch a friends rise; even better when you happen to love what they do.

And this video.. something about when you watch it, and you're thinking, yeh, this is all very nice, but it's all a bit, well, Totnes.. and then, whoosh, we're off into infectious fun that's hard to resist. Bloody marvellous.

And the words - even in the face of truly shit things - are good words to remember I guess. Always. Not sure if you can tell someone with cancer to keep their head up, but none-the-less, my mum has enjoyed this song and you can't enjoy too many songs, can you, so I'm going to put it in my pile of David's that are fighting the gigantic Goliath. So keep flying the flag fella, and we'll try and do the same.

A Language That Speaks the Truth

BBC radio.. what a resource, eh. Just happened to catch Something Understood on Radio 4 the other night before I drifted off.. and I need to listen to the whole thing again and basically make notes of the words, the songs, the poems. Which is apt, as it's all about that really.. speaking, writing, listening, the languages we use, abuse. It features Studs Terkel, the celebrated American broadcaster and oral historian and his thoughts on the way we use language to articulate our ideas about ourselves. Go here for 30 mins of marvellousness. Only got 6 days left mind...shame they do this but I guess if they keep everything for ever that doesn't work really does it.

Talking of which, I must listen to this programme about Mr Schumacher again...also a treat. Especially if you want to hear the most profound and simple explanation of why nuclear power is most certainly not the way forward. And you've got until 2099 to listen to this; that's better. Makes me think of the fact that the time frame in question when dealing with radioactive waste ranges from 10,000 to 1,000,000 years. How is that ok?

More worlds to go to and tools to get you there

When we had a Thompson Brothers, selling all the best type of tools money could buy, my Dad used to make concessions for a handful of 'foreign' manufacturers. It was unusual, but sometimes he would concede that a few things were made rather well by people who didn't happen to live on this particular island. Well one of those companies was Fiskars of Finland. They make knives, saws etc as you probably know.

Well, funny how things go, because two things have bought me round to Fiskars again. Firstly, when we first started the Small is Beautiful? project we were researching places, organisations etc that championed and practised traditional crafts, and found the Cooperative of Artisans, Designers and Artists in Fiskars. There's a good overview of what they're about here but needless to say they're right up our street.

And now, a fair while later, we're exploring the exhibitions and residences they have there. The image above is from their new show entitled Tools. It is 'the first major exhibition devoted to tools, their evolution and properties ever held in Finland'. How marvellous. What with friends of farion currently doing fine residencies elsewhere in the world, we're inspired to get away and make beautiful and useful things on other islands too. Finland and the Fiskars Village seems like a wonderful place to start.

A time of other worlds

Morning

First photograph of the day by me; second by Gabriella, my 6 year old niece. And yes, if you look closely in the top right hand corner, you will see the head of a fluffy yellow duck. Big old tent, plenty of room for all animals..