The Palace

Donnie's Debut

2006-09-16T11:42:00.000+01:00

Here he is. This picture was taken shortly after I got home, so he was only a few weeks old. He's now grown into a fat Eastern European playboy.

Autumn Strikes Again!

2006-09-16T11:37:00.000+01:00

Nothing too memorable to report. Everyone in the house is suffering from a hangover this morning, although Steven seems to combatting his by listening to the Beatles. Last night, everyone was poor and stayed in, so to commisserate with one another, we pooled resources and shipped a few bottles of red wine in. With the Ipod securely plugged in, KW showed off his breakdance skills and at midnight, there was a loud round of singing for Orion's birthday. It's the big 2-9.

Donnie the hamster has settled into the house nicely after a period of accidently being set loose in the wild while I was away in Greece. Now that he's had a taste of the real world, he spends little time in his cardboard toilet paper rolls and hamster wheel, and more often than not, I find him up on the roof of his clubhouse, holding on to the bars of his cage and looking wistfully out. Don't worry - I make sure he gets a near-daily run around in his ball, which satisfies his thirst for exploration.

My coffee's getting cold and I feel like climbing back into bed. I hope that there's a burst of creativity. The sun needs to come out and remind us to be hopeful !

Recent evictions

2006-08-19T16:26:00.000+01:00

Haha. Only kidding. Pablo left in August - he's somewhere in Wales. Meanwhile, Sandra from Madrid has moved into his old room. She's an actress and friends with Orion & Nadege - who recently spent 3 weeks in Marseille and have now returned looking tanned, refreshed and bearing a big hunk of meat.

Steven has experienced several layers of joy, Grant got a first, and Harry spent quite a few weeks parked up in his mom's VW van in our driveway. The artist formerly known as Eddie Sveder* has been in and out - he's been on the festival circuit, and we're informed that he'll be out for another 2 weeks touring.

The newest addition to the house is Donnie, my hamster. He's rad.
----------------------------------------------------
* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

ProtoPLAY: "Deconstruction/Reconstruction" pictures

2006-06-27T20:44:00.000+01:00

Here are a few - I'm sure there'll be a million more on the protoPLAY site, or somewhere...

This Is The Modern World

2006-06-08T13:42:00.000+01:00

Steven was slaving away this morning in his room on the final touches for the protoPLAY poster for the Fringe when he suddenly shouted, "I wish I was in the Jam!"

Here is his dream realised.

DECONSTRUCTION/RECONSTRUCTION @ The Fringe

2006-06-07T08:53:00.000+01:00

DECONSTRUCTION/RECONSTRUCTION

1st June , 2006

We have been exploring the concepts of evolutive displays, cultural recycling and the live development of work within the frame of art events since October 2004.
Building on our work with transdisciplinary process-based live events, we propose Deconstruction/ Reconstruction, a 96 hour experimental Live Art event from the 19th to the 22nd of June 2006, in partnership with Brighton Fringe Arts Production, and set in The Basement.

The concept for this project is to live, work and sleep in The Basement for 4 days and 5 nights, and to deconstruct and reconstruct pre-existing works from the individual artists involved and to create new work from them collaboratively.

The idea for Deconstruction/Reconstruction is to create an organic live-art installation that constantly shifts and develops in its form. Throughout the event, the space will gradually transform, as new works and new performances are produced collaboratively.

The discussions that arise from the engagement and reinterpretation of each other’s work will be framed within the event space, and feed into following day’s activities. This will also be accessible to the audience, via live video feed to the entrance lobby window and via video recordings and transcripts to be displayed in the exhibition space.

Deconstruction followed by reconstruction in a new order or with new elements, creates links between the old and the new and a new understanding of the whole. The event itself, as well the individual experiments within it, will also follow this structure, creating connections between the works and between different practices and practitioners. These connections call into question whether, the work is mutating, being transcribed, translated, or recycled. The intensity of living and working together for this time will, we hope, create a blurring of identity leading to a dissolution of authorship. protoPLAY stress the process over a particular end result, during which, raw creative energy is captured within the frame of an art event.

http://protoplay.net/

Lunch & the Irish Buddha of Surburbia

2006-06-04T17:05:00.000+01:00

Here are pictures of the lovely lunch Orion and Nadege prepared for everyone. As well as the housemates sitting at the table, we also had three guests: Orion's mom & Nadege's two friends from Marseille. Salad, tortellini, pesto pasta, wine & water. In the bottom picture, you can see Orion's mom filming.

Buddha - found Steve sitting outside on some pallets. Thought he really was meditating until I saw him put his cigarette in his mouth and smile. It was beautiful sunny morning. Sigh. Wish we had more like that.

Last night, we had about 6 guests stay over. Lots of Grant's mates came down as well for the University of Brighton degree show preview. Both Harry & Grant won prizes and it was a bubbly afternoon that saw all of us wrecked as we drank our way into the evening. You can see how hungover everyone is by the grumpy expressions on people's faces. I wasn't that bad, touch wood.

Saw This & Thought Of You

2006-06-01T23:38:00.000+01:00

When I was in the States over Christmas, I stumbled upon a magazine called "Found". The concept was simple. Get people to find things in the street or wherever and send them to you. The collection of notes, photographs, drawings etc are collated into a zine, along with the editors comments and drawings. It's genius and I wish I'd thought of it first. Here's my offerings.

Exhibit 1 "Sausage Thief"
I woke up the other morning, opened the fridge, and found someone had eaten half of one of my leftover sausages. There were only 2 in the bowel. Jesus, someone must have been desperate. I was more amused than annoyed, hence the sign. A few days later, responses started to come up.

Exhibit 2 "Best Friends Part 1"
Essex-boy found these two photographs on the bus home one night. It looks like the girls had a falling out or something.

Exhibit 3 "Best Friends Part 2"

ProtoPLAY: "We Know Where To Find You" - Permanent Gallery 20/5/06

2006-05-22T20:04:00.000+01:00

ProtoPLAY
"We Know Where To Find You" - Permanent Gallery 20/5/06

Scene of the crime: 20 Bedford Place, just off Western Road

Here are pictures from the performance on Saturday night, Brighton. The merry pranksters ruled the streets, causing havoc and jolting passer-byers from their evening slumber.

People &stuff.

PS. The project developed a life of its own shortly after 10pm when it leapt out of their hands and ran down the streets of Brighton all itself.

New member requests

2006-03-09T13:50:00.000Z

Former housemates have been requesting to join. Aisha, who's just gotten back from Puerto Rico, and Eva, who's jetting off to Barcelona today.

Shed update: it's almost finished! Outside walls are up and windows staring out.

Recent projects: Pablo's been recording sound in everyone's room and taking pics. Nadege and Orion dressed Rick up in some strange hermaphrodite outfit and have taken him to Portland Road to take pictures. I've been working on my 2nd novel, discussing ideas with people in the house and writing by hand in my notebook for most of it. Steven's working on his script.

Mark has returned and is parked next to the house for a few days.

The dishwashing habits of others has been a HOT TOPIC.

5 in & the Shed

2006-02-27T14:22:00.000Z

It looks like Orion will be finished with his shed today or tomorrow.
Working tirelessly in the same flannel shirt, lumberjack coat and
track suit bottoms, Orion may just beat the freezing cold (-8 C)
that's hitting the south coast later this week.
Philosopher-turned-construction site worker, Orion is busy these days
hammering and swigging cans of beer instead of writing out the next
performance art piece on the back of an envelope.

Shed-envy hit the Palace a few weeks ago, when Orion was thinking
about his final year art degree project and spied Grant beavering away
in his shed from the conservatory when the proverbial eureka moment
struck: he could build himself a shed. So he and housemates Pablo and
Grant hired a van for the day and went to a place where they were able
to get free wood. Orion also nabbed some windows and doors including
one with a cat flap, and started sketching the design. Orion's project
is about reconstructing new objects from old objects and he's been
documenting the process as he goes along.

For several days, we were hit with spring rains, and Orion strung a
large blue tarp over the driveway so he could work, working until the
late hours pulling nails out of the old wood. He and a friend pushed
an abandoned car that had been left next to Grant's shed and Steve
sawed a tree branch overhanging the potential building space. I'm not
sure if Orion has washed over the period, and we see him working late,
under the bright gaze of spotlights.

Blue paint went on the outside boards. This morning there was a floor,
and this afternoon there are walls. Once finished, Orion will then
commence to use his shed to work on his art creations. All will be
revealed this June.

Katie's gone for a run, Grant's working on a film and sculpture, I'm
researching job leads online, and Nadege is working in her room.
Ference has yet to make a re-appearance since his journey to London.
The house is clean and strangely quiet. Actually, the house being
clean is probably the stranger of the two.

Amy

The Estonians invade again!

2006-02-25T16:46:00.000Z

16th Jan 06: Tonal(Non-grata) and his girlfriend Riley came over from Estonia and stayed for the week. We got very drunk that night.

Tech Tags: January 2006 Estonia Non-Grata Nadege Orion

Katie in the kitchen in a mid-winter pose

2006-02-25T16:43:00.001Z

6th Feb 06: Katie also starts to lose the plot and befriends celery.

Tech Tags: February 2006 Katie

Radio City

2006-02-25T16:43:00.000Z

Grant's radio wires. Who says we're not connected?

Tech Tags: Grant radio

Grant in the kitchen

2006-02-25T16:41:00.000Z

6th Feb 06: Grant starts to lose the plot. and begins sniffing household items.

Tech Tags: Grant February 2006 kitchen

Dickie's 26th birthday at the Druids

2006-02-25T16:39:00.000Z

Dickie enjoying his cigar and a table full of drinks. (3 Feb 06)

Tech Tags: Dickie Birthday February 2006 Druids

Dickie's 26th birthday at the Druids Pt2

2006-02-25T16:38:00.000Z

Drinks at the Druids with the Colchester gang on 3rd Feb 06.
Dickie birthday Druids February 2006 Sue

Opening the birthday present

2006-02-25T16:36:00.000Z

Dickie's birthday celebrations at the house on 4th February 06.

Tech Tags: Dickie Birthday February 2006 kitchen

Preparing for showtime

2006-02-25T16:35:00.000Z

Valentine's day 06: Grant set up part of his degree show in the conservatory. TVs, cameras, blue stuff on the screen. A work in progress.

Tech Tags: Grant art February 2006 conservatory

Katie's experiment into fast food

2006-02-25T15:28:00.000Z

. Katie's been sprouting lentils and she's recently purchased a small aerator with shelves so she can sprout loads. So far the experiment is going well.

Tech Tags: Katie sprouts 2006 kitchen macriobiotics

Compost signage

2006-02-25T15:27:00.000Z

There was a lot of confusion in the house this spring about why we had a colander filled with old avocados and egg shells. Our compost container in the back garden is nearly full and people are making plans to grow a vegetable patch and use up all of that manure. Thank god! Sign complements of Ference.

Tech Tags: compost 2006 kitchen sign

Big Brother

2006-02-25T15:26:00.000Z

Never missing the action here. No one is sure who put the sign up. Recent report that the tv is nowhere to be found !

Tech Tags: tv sign 2006

The house mascot!

2006-02-25T15:25:00.000Z

This was one of Jes's creations, which now resides in the conservatory.

Tech Tags: art conservatory Jes 2006

Visitor to Number 52

2006-02-25T15:23:00.000Z

One of the visitors we had during February. He came when Mark, a friend of Ference's, stayed with us for a week on his return from France. A frisky little fellow.

Tech Tags: dog visitor February Mark 2006

2006-02-25T15:04:00.000Z

KW needs no introductions. Just check out the Source and you'll see him there.

2006-02-25T15:00:00.000Z

New addition this winter: Steve. As well as being a songwriter/artist, he's got the knowledge on how to build stuff. Here, he'd just finished making his bed with an amazing storage capacity underneath.

2006-02-25T14:53:00.000Z

Grant and his favorite red jumper (16/1/06)

2006-02-25T14:46:00.000Z

The birthday girl pretending to be a rabbit. We're still not sure what's on her head.

2006-02-25T14:45:00.001Z

Rick is pretending we're not really there.

2006-02-25T14:45:00.000Z

The lovely Katie is reading a card sent from her family.

2006-02-25T14:43:00.001Z

Orion will tell you your future...just ask.

2006-02-25T14:43:00.000Z

Nadege enjoying a fruitful conversation while sipping Chardonnay made from the grapes growing on the other side of Chris Eubank's house.

2006-02-25T14:42:00.000Z

The audience for Katie's performance: opening birthday gifts.

2006-02-25T14:39:00.000Z

Nadege and Dickie sitting under a giant green banana leaf.