Ric Warren

Recent Prints

2010-05-24T20:28:00.003+01:00

Introduction to Water-based Screen-Printing Workshop

2010-03-16T14:35:00.004Z

5 colour separations of screen
Urban Zoning, Urban Zoning (Split), City Wall (Punctuating Separation)

Thanks to RSA Residencies for Scotland I have received funding from the Royal Scottish Academy and Scottish Arts Council, which will enable me to develop a body of print-based work at Edinburgh Printmakers Studio. In order to re-familiarise myself with the techniques of screen-printing and to induct me into the studio I have recently undertaken a weekend workshop in water-based screen-printing. This was an enjoyable weekend and I am enthusiastic about the possibilities of the medium, and utilising the skills and expertise of the studio staff.

With an interest in shifting socio-spatial boundaries within cities, I am currently building upon an investigation of the conceptual understanding, and the physical forms of the ‘temporary’ walls constructed around building sites. Within this process I have become interested in use of forward-slashes within the creation of 2D work. In addition to the aesthetic connection with the batons used in the creation of many construction-site hoardings, I am also interested in their grammatical usage. Similar to physical walls, forward-slashes are used within punctuation to indicate a separation of opposing ideas / alternatives. Taking inspiration from cartography, I am currently experimenting with such typography to create motifs upon grids in an attempt to reference division in physical space.

For the group workshop we were asked to produce a 5colour print and shown how to use the equipment and expose our images on to screens. Using a grid and a digital drawing of a construction-site hoarding I created 2 images (on one A2 Sheet), both involving the use of a forward slash motif. Having not considered the use of multiple layers, it was interesting to play around with this method and use a number of colours.

The grid is composed of five different sections, or zones, that when put together are very difficult to distinguish from one and other. This was intended as a reference to social zoning of physical urban space. The construction site hoarding was perhaps less successful, as this was only ever intended to be a single colour. That said, the workshop was about experimenting with new techniques and I feel that this has perhaps opened up new avenues for the future work I intend to produce.

My only criticism of Edinburgh Printmakers Studio is that the booking sheets for the use of screen-printing tables seems to be heavily booked and I am concerned that I will not get the opportunity to produce work as often as I would like.

City Wall (studio)

2009-08-16T15:21:00.000+01:00

work is underway for the CONSTRUCTS exhibition. Click Here for Details

Punctuating the City

2009-08-15T18:18:00.005+01:00

Forward Slash, Punctuation to separate opposites or alternatives.

"In critical theory, a binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of theoretical opposites. In structuralism, it is seen as a fundamental organizer of human philosophy, culture, and language. In post-structuralism, it is seen as one of several influential characteristics or tendencies of Western and Western-derived thought, and that typically, one of the two opposites assumes a role of dominance over the other. The categorization of binary oppositions is "often value-laden and ethnocentric", with an illusory order and superficial meaning." (From Wikipedia, Binary Opposition)

wealth/poverty growth/decay new/old

Dividing Space / Dividing Option

2009-08-15T17:53:00.004+01:00

From "Ethics and the visual arts" By Elaine A. King, Gail Levin
Richard Serra, Tilted Arc
Christo, Running Fence

Binary opposition of the urban landscape.

2009-08-15T15:18:00.001+01:00

View toward SECC from Clydebrae Studios in Govan.

City Walls.

2009-08-15T15:10:00.000+01:00

Rooftop Settlements (Hong Kong)

2009-04-13T20:18:00.000+01:00

New Studio (Clydebrae Studios, Govan)

2009-04-13T19:47:00.000+01:00

Demographic Shift

2009-03-01T10:04:00.000Z

"Venice, as a lived-in city, is dying. A population which peaked at 164,000 in 1931 is now hovering at around 60,000. Since about 20 million tourists pour in each year - 55,000 a day - it's a safe bet that most days there are now more tourists than locals in Venice. The number of locals has dropped 600 since we started counting last March and we are set to go under the psychological 60,000 barrier in May,"

-"Who now can stop the slow death of Venice?" The Observer 1 March 09

Stay Forever and Ever and Ever

2009-02-28T15:19:00.000Z

Group show at South London Gallery curated by Andrew Renton. Monika Sosnowska (floor, foreground), Georg Herold (cases), Maarten Baas (floor, left), Martin Boyce (hidden, left), Andreas Slominski (top of door frame and left on the back wall), Spartacus Chetwynd (floor, middle background), Tony Conrad (back wall, right), Michael Fullerton (plinth, right), Abraham Cruzvillegas (hangin, in background), Jeroen de Rijke/Willem de Rooij (midground, middle).

Monika Sosnowska

2009-02-28T15:00:00.000Z

The Revolution is Just Around the Corner

2009-02-28T14:50:00.001Z

street sign, Hollywood LA

Posted

2009-02-22T20:54:00.001Z

Upon Return, Upon Reflection.

2009-01-10T16:32:00.000Z

I have been very busy making work for the RSA New Contemporaries exhibition as well as for a small group show in Glasgow called ‘The Modern World’. The Work for RSA NC will consist of 30 models of watchtowers of varying heights installed like a settlement. The towers will be looking at each other to create a sort of panicked community. It is intended to be a reflection of power relations within urban space and also considers contemporary concerns surrounding surveillance. Although the work was conceived before my trip to Florence, I feel I understand the more after my visit and this had aided its development. It is also going to incorporate a text-based wall drawing that was conceived in Florence. This will read “SOCIETY OF CAPTIVES” and will also be the title of the installation.

For ‘The Modern World” I am making a piece of work that has been influenced by my research in Florence. I am constructing a cardboard model labyrinth that spells out “FEAR OF FREEDOM”. Rather than the walls being based on the city walls of Florence, like I initially proposed, I have adapted this idea to better suit the exhibition (it is now a more modernist structure). It is intended as a hypothetical “proposal for a prison court yard/town square” (this is also the title). After reading ‘Society of Captives: A Study of Maximum Security Prisons”, I am intentionally attempting to make the viewer consider the similarities of incarceration and contemporary urban life.

I am continuing to try and learn Italian and I am considering enrolling on an evening course once I have an income to fund it. Until then I have been listening to Italian radio whilst in my ‘studio’ (bedroom). This will be useful at least for visiting the Venice Biennale this summer.

I have been very fortunate to have spent two months in Florence and have so much time to think about and make work (or plans for work) without distractions. I think I may have become too comfortable with this lifestyle, and now the harsh reality of needing to get a full time job to fund my frivolous art practice is setting in. I am not sure how much longer I can live under the breadline. I also need to get a studio, as I want to start working on a bigger scale that is not possible in the bedroom of my freezing cold flat.

I am planning to have an exhibition at my friends’ gallery in their flat in March that will attempt to show the work I made in Florence and subsequent work that has been developed from it. I intend to make more small models of barricaded monuments, and if I can find/afford a studio and materials, I would also like to create one on a larger scale. I also think it could be nice to invite the other scholars to exhibit a small piece of work they have made in/since Florence (like a postcard show). I’m not sure how many of them would be interested in being involved in such grassroots activity, but feel it would be beneficial to show the breadth of work that has been influence by the city.

I had an amazing time in Florence, and I am extremely grateful to the RSA for granting me the opportunity. Being in Florence has made me aware that I may need to reconsider my artist statement and approach to research/ art making. This is perhaps because it was hard to present a future hypothesis for a city that is so reluctant to move forward. As a wise man once said, “Florence is not just in a valley, it’s in a hole”.

I am excited about the possibility of working on collaborations with Gwen in the future. As well as a new network of friends, the scholarship has also given me a great amount of new ideas for future work, and I am sure the experience will influence my practice for years to come. I am becoming more interested in making site/situation specific work, so would like to return to Florence to possibly extend my homeless façade project. This could also be adapted to other cities by making cardboard frontages that reflect the local architecture. For example, I could work on a series of Mackintosh inspired facades, although I am aware that approaching homeless people in Glasgow may not be quite as easy as it was in Florence.

Back in GlasGetto

2008-12-30T17:04:00.000Z

“My city's still breathing (but barely it's true) 

through buildings gone missing like teeth. 

The sidewalks are watching me think about you,

all sparkled with broken glass. 

I'm back with scars to show. 

Back with the streets I know. 

They never take me anywhere but here.”

(The Weakerthans - Left And Leaving)

Goodbye Renaissance, Hello modernity

2008-12-24T18:59:00.000Z

I am writing this entry on the aeroplane, having just said my goodbyes to Florence. I am sat next to a couple arguing and in front of a girl with a very annoying voice who has been giving a continuous dialogue at her boyfriend who occasionally responds with a grunt. I could do without my flight being audio described, especially by somebody who sounds like one of the railway children (I may have to resort to violence). The airhostess looks like she should be working in Morrison’s (It should be noted, that I myself have served time at Morrison’s and am therefore allowed to make such observations). I’m flying with Ryanair.

Last night we sedated the cat to test the tablets in preparation for her flight to the USA. Personally I think it would have been a good idea to have been running these tests for the last two months. This morning, after helping Alex tidy the flat (and tormenting a half-cut cat), I did a final victory lap of the city centre and picked up a few budget Christmas gifts. I got my train to Pisa a few hours before I needed to, so as I could go and see this tower that everyone has been talking about. I had foolishly forgotten how heavy my luggage was and hauled it across the city through crowds of Christmas shoppers. The leaning tower is at the opposite end of the city from the train station (poor urban planning if you ask me). It was worth the trek, although I was definitely more impressed with the main Duomo building than the leaning tower.

I have been rather pleased with my language skills over the last few days, as because I have not been around English speakers, I have spoken only Italian. To be fair, I have not had that many conversations, but have managed to get by with ‘shop talk’ and asking for/ giving directions. I definitely want to keep trying to learn Italian when I get back to Glasgow, I think this has been the closest I have come to understanding a language and it would be a shame to abandon what I’ve learnt so far. I got to a point that when I was in groups of Italian speakers, I could generally understand the conversation, but was not confident to contribute in Italian. Instead I would occasionally interject in English (as most also spoke English), which was often greeted with slight confusion- I think they though I was a spy. Now I’m on the aeroplane, everybody is speaking English I miss hearing Italian voices.

I went on my day trip to Lucca, which was nice. I was really impressed with the Façade of the Duomo, it’s very impressive and I think my favourite of all the cathedrals I have seen. I had been told that it was the best place to see well-preserved city walls (which it was), but I was also under the impression that it also had lots of old towers. It turns out that this is San Gimigiano, which is annoying, as I then did not have time to go visit. Instead I visited it virtually with the help of Google Earth and image search. I am interested in these medieval towers that from a distance make the cityscape look like a contemporary urban skyline. Each one is slightly bigger than the other as the families that built them were trying to claim the most dominance over the city. These sorts of power relations within urban forms are still very much ingrained within modern cities. This is partly what I intend to explore in the watchtower installation that I shall be making for the RSA New Contemporaries exhibition. Although this work was loosely conceived before I left for Florence (as the gallery needed a proposal), it has no doubt been reinforced during my time here.

I have already planned to re-visit Italy in the summer, when I will be going to see the Venice Biennale and catching up with friends in Florence. I will hopefully find time to visit San Gimigiano whilst I’m there. I think it will be great to see Florence in the summer time as I imagine it is quite different from the colder months. When I return to Glasgow in a few days (after visiting my folks) I need to start making the work for two upcoming exhibitions, which will no doubt take up most of my time. Once those are over, I’m looking forward to reflecting on my time in Florence, Consolidating my research and developing a new body of work. I’ve just been told to turn off my laptop as we being our decent into the UK.

Sono Solo

2008-12-22T05:24:00.000Z

“My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,

I have no one to meet 

And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.”

(Bob Dylan)

This week seems to have been spent saying goodbye to people as they slowly filter of out the city and back to their homelands. I feel like I have walked people to the bus station and waved them off on the Terravision bus countless times. I am now alone in the city for the couple of days before I myself board the infamous Terravision bus. It is an old cliché that it is not the merely the streets and buildings that constitute a city, but the people within it. My experience of the Florence could have been very different if I was not fortunate enough to have met the people I did. If I was here alone for the whole period, I think I would have become quickly bored with the city and my own company. Having already exhausted the museums, galleries and churches I spent the day wandering around the streets that are lined with shops that I can not afford (or have any desire) to enter. I feel I need a change of scenery and will be visiting the city of Lucca tomorrow.

I will truly miss the people I have formed connections with whilst I was here and I hope to stay in contact with the group of friends now re-scattered across the globe. Our early Christmas Sushi Dinner and farewell party was amazing; We all danced in a living room until 9 in the morning, accompanied by an ipod, the flashing of Christmas lights and a bottle of whisky.

Façade (Renaissance Man)

2008-12-19T00:21:00.000Z

The work consists of a frontage constructed from found cardboard and packing tape that has been installed upon a windowsill in which a homeless man named Hans lives. The text, “GRAZIE X L’AUTO”, translates as “THANKS FOR THE HELP”. This was already written on a sign that Hans had made for his donation box, and so was incorporated in to the work. The work was consciously constructed from these low value materials (that had been discarded by the city) as I wanted to play with the cliché of homeless people living in cardboard boxes by creating an elaborately decorated version. As well as referencing architecture traditionally associated with Florence, the details on the Façade of the structure was also influence by the elaborate frames of the renaissance paintings in the Uffizi Gallery. This acts as a sculptural frame that is intended to draw attention to the homeless man that it encloses.

The work was intended a social commentary and a critique of the distribution of wealth in the city. It is important that the structure is merely a façade and actually offers no practical shelter to its occupant. Like much of my sculptural work that is based on architecture, it takes the guise of a functional construction, yet is in fact useless. I am aware that the work could be seen as slightly exploitative or considered as a form of gentrification. In some senses this perception was intentional. It may be interpreted as an attempt to cover up the problem and make it less offensive to public consciousness, or in contrast, as means to highlight it. The work references the city’s architecture, and in doing so attempts to become part of it. Rather than trying to direct attention elsewhere, it tries to accept and identify the homeless man as an integral part of the city. The cardboard frontage borrows the aesthetics of urban forms associated with wealth and power contrasted with another aspect synonymous of all urban environments; poverty and desperation.

I think Hans liked his little installation - he seemed cheery enough. I removed it after a couple of days as I think it was getting in his way. He decided to keep the sign as a memento of the work. It seemed that he was playing up to the camera when I was documenting the work. Hans is a very nice man and very intellectual, he doesn’t really fit into the homeless stereotype. This said, when I stated to take photos, he whipped out a bottle of wine and started necking it from the bottle. It was almost as though he though that I wanted him to be a cliché, when in fact, the reason I chose to make the work for him was because he is not.

Things I've made and done

2008-12-14T00:00:00.000Z

I have now drawn every remaining city gates/ walls in Florence I’ve also being doing a lot of text-based drawings in my notebook. They were primarily doodles but I have begun to see their potential as serious works. To me they look like street plans or labyrinths and could be interesting if developed in to sculptural works. I’ve been thinking about making a model labyrinth that when viewed from above spells out ‘City Limits’ (or something like that), with the walls based on the old city walls in Florence. I will have to wait until I get back to Glasgow and get a studio as I don’t have the tools to make it here and would not be able to transport it back either.

I have begun work on a site-specific installation for Hans. It is going to take the form of a façade that references the traditional architecture of Florence, such as the city gates. I am constructing it from cardboard that I’ve collected from the streets, as I want to play with the cliché of homeless people living in cardboard boxes. It is my intention to construct an elaborate cardboard “house” for Hans. It is difficult not having a studio but the living room is quite large so I have been working on the floor. I do however have to deal with the cat that tends to launch itself upon anything I put on the ground.

Influence by the bricked up monument in the park and the covered states in the Uffizi, I have also drawn some designs for my own ‘edited monuments’. Some of these I have made into small models, which I would like to develop in to a larger series to exhibit when I return. They are also intended as mock-ups for full size works (when I return and get a studio) to be made from more substantial materials such as wood and bricks. I’d like to create a barricaded ‘monument’ that does not commemorate or celebrate anything, a shrine to nothing. Yet, still suggests that it does, or once did have a purpose. Material variations that insinuate a censored or an edited history, but notably, a not entirely destroyed history. A functionless structure made even more pointless -other than its ability to occupy space and provoke intrigue. A sculpture.

I went on a day trip to Siena with Gwen and Fenanda the other day as we were told it was beautiful. Unfortunately however, it was a very foggy day and a misty curtain hid its apparently spectacular views. When we arrived in the morning we could not even see the tops of the buildings. From what I could see the city is really pretty and it had a nice feel to it. It also had more young people and generally seemed trendier than Florence. There is a lot of amazing architecture and the Duomo is beautiful. The inside is striped with green and white marble. It reminded me of Nathan Coley’s work and a Tim Burton film set.

There are lots of statues of Romulus and Remus all across the city, which we initially found very confusing as we not only though this was the symbol of Rome, but had also used the first one we had seen (thinking there was only one) as a means of orientation. I have since found out that this is also the symbol of Siena, as according to the legend; when Romulus founded Rome and killed Remus, the son of Remus ran away and founded Siena. Although eventually we found our way out of the city I managed to loose my scarf in Siena (through circumstances I shall not detail). On the plus side I did buy a rather amazing shirt from a thrift shop for next to nothing. Loose a penny find a pound.

In Florence the German market has taken residence outside Santa Crotche, which with the lure of relatively cheap food and drink has transformed the area into a night-time hub. We have spent many an evening warming ourselves and lightening our wallets with mulled wine on the revolving carousel bar. I did regret buying a Wursel that looked much more appetising than it actually was- I’m sticking with pasta. My Italian is still pretty basic, but I am more confident to use it. I have also grown a moustache to make me look more convincing. I’m practically Italian.

Avoiding Stendhal Syndrome

2008-12-03T22:14:00.000Z

I think I have now completed my first lap of all the state museums and galleries (and churches), there was a lot to see, and I am thankful that I have been given the time to do it leisurely. If I was on holiday here for the week, it would be exhausting to attempt to fit it all in. Apparently there are several beds in the hospital that are set-aside for tourists suffering from Stendhal syndrome (also known as Florence Syndrome), which is caused by being exposed to too much art. Thankfully I’ve managed to evade this affliction.

I really enjoyed the Bargello Palace, which houses most of the sculptures in an amazing building. It is a former barracks and also a prison, which is interesting as it also known as Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People). The Academia has some half finished stone sculptures, which offered an insight into how they are made. To be honest, after seeing the replicas (and thousands of trinkets and prints) I was initially quite blasé about seeing the original statue of David, but it is undeniably amazing. I spent the best part of an hour with it thinking about how difficult it must have been to create. You can see the veins on his hands and not a trace of any of the process of its making. It’s also a lot bigger than I thought. I’m obviously not going to start carving figures out of stone, but there was something interesting about the scale, which could feed in to my future work.

I’ve revisited the Uffizi a few times, as I don’t feel I did it justice on my first visit. It was previously too busy to spend any time with the works as the rain had herded in flocks of bum-bag-clad American tourists. I was still more interested in the frames than the actual paintings, but this time made some sketches that I think may feed in to the work I want to develop for the homeless man on my street.

In the temporary exhibition space of the Uffizi, some of the figurative statues have been covered up. I presume this is because they are too big to move, but would also confuse the theme of the exhibition. A floor-to-ceiling box made from black fabric creates a silhouetted of the enclosed statue. Not only is this ascetically very interesting, but I also like this method of editing without actually removing- the curators are not attempting to deny that it is there, just direct attention elsewhere.

The top of Boboli Gardens offers fantastic views of both the city one way and the countryside to the other. I think that one of the really interesting things about Florence that makes it so different from most of cities I’ve visited is that there is very little urban sprawl. It seems to go straight from condensed mass of stone and terracotta to rolling green vineyards and huge ‘country’ manors. I think this is thanks to it geography, as Hans (the homeless guy on my street) says: “Florence is not just in a valley, it is in a hole”.

There is a film festival on at the moment and I have managed to catch some good documentaries and short films. My favourite of which was “la Route Naturale” (The Natural Route), which is a Spanish short film of an old man who has died and is living his life in reverse. It is beautiful and at points quite funny. His son get younger and stops been able to talk to him until the midwife finally takes him away. On the plus side the narrator’s wife becomes more attractive. My favourite quote (not exact) is: “I don’t understand my hobby of destroying things slowly. I like the war, it makes everything better and they build everything so fast”. Not all the films were great, and not all were subtitled in English. We went to see a trashy B-movie called “The Gay Bed & Breakfast of Terror” which was somewhere between genius and absolutely shit. It inspired a heated debate between Ivan and Gwen (whilst we were still sat inside the busy cinema) that was both fantastically entertaining and marginally embarrassing. This has become the general formula for most of our conversations; Ivan will try and force his (often ludicrous) opinions on Gwen, who will refuse to be persuaded (even when sometime he is right) whilst I find the whole nonsense hilarious (sometimes this will be nervous laugher) and Fernanda will look bemused.

When not going to the cinema or out for a meal, my friends and me are normally found hanging out in Santo Spirito Square on an evening. It is one of my favourite areas of town as it is lively and plays host to Florence’s young bohemians. Also, most tourists are reluctant to go there -perhaps due to the fact that it is also considered to be the place where most of Florence’s waifs and strays like to spend their evening. It is against Italian law to keep psychiatric patients in hospital over night, as it is believed that putting lots of mentally ill people together in a ward will only make them worse. Whilst I sort of understand this argument, I am not entirely convinced that allowing them to run loose in the streets is the best method to make their conditions improve either.

Meet Hans

2008-12-02T16:40:00.000Z

This is Hans, he lives in a windowsill on my street. I'm interested in developing some work to install in his abode.

He is from Germay but has spent most of his life in Italy.

He speaks 4 languages fluently and is working on the rest.

He can not eat hard foods as he has no teeth.

He likes to read newspapers and books that are donated to him.

He is my main source of world news.

He models for portrait classes at an art school.

He will soon be Father Christmas.

Cassa Dolce Cassa

2008-11-23T19:52:00.000Z

As previously mentioned, my Internet access is quite sporadic and went completely off the radar for the last week, hence no posts.

I now feel settled into the city; this has been aided by a group of friends I have met through Gwen. It’s great to have someone to discuss my research and visit exhibitions with- especially with someone as friendly as Gwen. The whole group of people I now regard as friends are amongst the nicest peoples I have met and are making my time here very enjoyable.

I have found that the famous sites of Florence are best seen at around 4am on retuning home from parties. The Ponte Vecchio looks much better with the jewellery shop shutters down, and without the barrage of tourists. I feel very safe in the city, mainly because my walks home are often via major attractions which all have security cars parked in front- I am no doubt becoming a familiar face to them.

As well as socialising I have been concentrating on my research- although in honesty, I regard the two things as being interrelated. From the outset I said it was my intention to try and understand “how the city functions as a contemporary urban space” and I feel I am getting closer to that. Currently I would suggest that, as far as youth culture (and contemporary art), it doesn’t function very well. For example, to go to a nightclub that is not tailored purely to Gucci-glad cocktail sippers or shot-dropping American tourists, you have to travel 20mins out of the city on a bus and hitch a ride back with some Moroccan that don’t have seats in the back of the car.

I think I have almost completed my lap of the major galleries and museums. It is great to see all the renaissance artworks, but in terms of researching for my own work, it is relatively uninspiring. In the Uffizi for example, I found myself being more interested the empty plastic cases where the paintings had been removed for restoration. Florence appears not to have a contemporary art scene. We went to the Strozzia CCC to see an exhibition called “Art, Value, Money” which automatically shot itself in the foot from taking any critical stance on the issue, as you have to pay to see it.

Being the major (if not only) contemporary gallery in Florence, I was quite disappointed with the show, it was very poorly installed and most of the work in it was arts council cast offs from the mid 90’s. Even ‘contemporary’ art in Florence is 10 years too late. However, I very much enjoyed Dan Perjovschi’s site-specific installation, which was not only a new work (an un-sellable), it very accurately described my own feelings about the city and it’s art scene.

I have pretty much abandoned my proposed research topic of the 1966 Floods, mainly because I want to move away from this theme within my work. I have however started to retrace some of my earlier interests in ideas surrounding access and functionless architecture. I have started to draw all the old city gates and walls, with the intention of using them to create a wall drawing of the entire city wall. I’ve also been drawing closed doors, as the huge wooden doors here are very impressive/oppressive. I’ve also been looking at a lot of towers, with the intention of designing my own ‘folly’ structure that references these building. I plan on visiting the city of Luca soon to see the towers there as well. However, the phallic associations of these types of structures are unavoidable and I’m unsure as to whether this is how I want my work to be understood. What with the thousands of statues of naked men and tall towers dotted about the city, Florence is literally full of cocks.

One of the most interesting things I have found so far is a bricked up monument in the main park. I’d like to find out what was originally inside the structure, and why it has been ‘edited’ rather than just removed. Although, I’m more interested in the fact that it is now essentially a monument to nothing, and a structure that is now even more functionless than when it was originally constructed. In the east of the city I also stumbled across a rather gritty and modernist plaza, which is next to some horrid brutalist architecture that I actually found quite refreshing- I think this could be an interesting site to create some work.

I was involved in a small and informal exhibition as part of a party organised by our friend Ivan, who had decided to take action on the fact that their aren’t any good club nights in Florence. The event was animal themed and so Gwen and myself made animal themed drawings, they could not be further from my work, and I shall not be showing them to the RSA. However, it was nice to be involved with something at a grass routes level and to draw for the sake of drawing. Gwen and myself plan on collaborating again, but on something a little more serious and more directed to our ‘proper’ work.

The weather is now beginning to feel like winter and I am finally getting some use out of the woolly hat that Jen knitted me. The Christmas lights are being put up around the city and I am looking forward to the big switch on- I plan on treating myself to a 6euro hot chocolate for the occasion and hoping to catch a glimpse of some unknown B list Italian celebrity pressing a huge button.

Edits

2008-11-15T14:48:00.000Z

Florence First Few Days- an overview.

2008-11-03T23:39:00.001Z

So, I quietly waved a fond farewell to Glasgow via a delicious meal, cooked by Jen and shared with the rest of my flatmates and close friends. Waking at some ungodly hour of the morning to brave the freezing weather and begin my Journey to Florence. The mean streets of Glasgow were the most sombre I’d ever seen them, only roused by the clonking my rather unpractical, yet stylish shoes. As I entered the departure lounge of Preswick Airport for the first time, it quickly became apparent that I had somewhat over-shot the amount of time I actually needed to be there before I flew. However, I managed to entertain myself (and the people sat behind me) by watching ‘I’m not there’ for the seventh time on my laptop. When I eventually got on the plane, the journey was swift and painless. Flying over Paris made me really want to go there someday soon- the haussmannised streets were perfectly clear through a huge gap in an otherwise unbroken blanket of clouds. After a short nap, I landed in Pisa – literally, it’s the closest I’ve seen an airport to a city. The weather was rainy, but not cold and I was beginning to regret dressing for Glasgow’s weather (long johns and all). The train from Pisa is cheap and fast, I arrived in Florence by midday. Unfortunately, I could not get in to my new flat until later that evening, as my flatmate was working. I’d forgotten to put the correct area code for her number in my phone and was panicking slightly that the whole thing was a scam. As I was carrying everything of any value that I possess (laptop, camera, ipod), I was also incredibly dubious of anyone who looked at my bags. Although, my first encounter with a local was a barman saying he liked my grandma’s beaten up old suitcase, asking; “where did you get that, the titanic?” (Admittedly it is pretty cool and somewhat deserving of attention).

I slowly made my way to the area my flat was in, stopping every few minutes to put down my bags and rest my feet. My first observation of Florence is that there is a distinct lack of public seating; presumably this is so you are forced to pay extortionate prices to sit and have a coffee (I have now found out that if you drink your coffee at the bar, it’s practically free). My second observation is that everybody seems to wear blue jeans.

Whist initially searching for my flat, I got the scale of my map completely wrong – after walking for half an hour down a seemingly endless winding street, I realised I had passed my street about twenty-eight minutes earlier. After retracing my steps, I found my flat and quickly found the closest bar (The Friends Bar). A pint cost me 4.50EURO, which s apparently normal – although I did get a ‘free’ bowl of crisps and used the Internet. I email my new flatmate Alex and arranged to meet her in the bar when she finished work. Three pints in, (with nothing eaten all day other than the few stale crisps) I was a little tipsy by the time she arrived. She seems to be a really nice girl and very friendly. She is a twenty-something American and has lived here for over a year and speaks Italian impressively well. She has a pretty packed schedule of working and studying, so is busy most of the time. She did however invite me to the cinema with her and a friend. We went to see ‘Tropic Thunder’ (as it was the only film in English)- it was universally agreed that it was a terrible movie, but the cinema itself was amazing. I didn’t have my camera, but want to go back and clandestinely photograph the ceiling –it’s an old theatre and has a huge stained-glass skylight that looks like an eye.

My flat is nice and in a great location, really close to the river, near the Ponte Vecchio – which is brilliant, because if (or more appropriately, when) I get lost, as long as I find the river it’s easy to navigate. My room is small and basic, but is all that I need (rather worryingly however, it is in the shape of a coffin). ‘We’ have a cat, who’s name I can not pronounce and seems to change daily, but apparently means ‘Little Potato’ – so I call her ‘Wee Tatty’. She is generally a nice cat, although when agitated she likes to bite feet- which is surprisingly painful for such a small animal.

I am yet to go to any museums or galleries, as I have been concentrating on trying to get a general feeling of the city and figure out how to get around. It’s a bit of a labyrinth, although The Duomo is a useful landmark to work from. It is an insanely impressive building, absolutely huge and ostentatious. I have got to the point that I prefer not to look at in when I walk past, as it is sometimes just too overwhelming.

I’ve not been eating out all that much, as its quite expensive and I don’t really want to sit in a restaurant on my own. The mini-markets are reasonably priced and have good fruit and veg- I bought an aubergine the size of my head, and have been eating it since I arrived. The biscuit sections of the shops are unusually vast- infinite selections of all shapes and sizes. Apparently Italians have them for breakfast, which seem odd, as I am yet to see a fat one. I am mainly surviving off bananas, tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and an unhealthy amount of coffee.

Florence is obviously a very affluent city, and the general demographic seems to be incredibly wealthy, composed mainly of designer glad Italians and young white Americans spending daddies money, contrasted with a handful of beggars in seemingly abject poverty. This makes social inequality seem incredibly stark; you either have so much you don’t know what to do with it, or absolutely nothing at all. Although, this is based on my observation within the city centre, and is perhaps not reflective of the wider city. Unsurprisingly there are thousands of tourists here, milling around every attraction, which, in a city that is practically full to bursting with historical art and architecture, means that walking around if often quite stressful. The other morning I was woken by a group of enthusiastic Japanese tourists photographing and filming a sign for public toilets, why, I can be sure, but they seemed incredibly entertained by it. It must have taken them the best part of an hour to get from one end of the tiny street to the other.

My grasp of Italian is somewhat lacklustre and needs some serious improvement. The owner of my local tobacconist (a regular port of call) says from now on he shall speak to me only in Italian so as I learn, which although daunting (and perhaps overly drastic), will hopefully prove useful. In most retail situation, although I know what to say, I suddenly loose confidence and just blurt out “parla inglese?” in a northern accent. On the occasions I do pluck up the courage to use my basic knowledge of the language and adopt a faux Italian accent, I don’t understand the reply and just look bemused. I really want to make the effort to learn, but am I finding it very difficult and beginning to think I lack the capacity to do so. – I blame dyslexia and state education.

In the few days I have been here, the weather has been varied from light rain, to storm, to bright and warm days. It’s never that cold but when it’s hot it feels like the height of summer – a stark contrast to the bitter cold I left in Glasgow.

My first couple of days were spent within my own company, whom I found not to be the most entertaining of travel companions nor a great conversationalist or navigator. Alex had gone away for the weekend, so after exhausting my conversation topics with the cat (who I think only understands Italian), I managed to get in contact with a few of the other people on the John Kinross Scholarship who were still in the city. The first to save me from insanity was Teresa who has been here for about a month and knows city quite well (she can also speak Italian). We get along well and have met up a few times. On Saturday we went to watch the sunset from a small town called Fiesole, just outside Florence, from which you get a great view over the city. Yesterday, I also met up with fellow scholars Gwen and Jan for lunch, both of whom seem to be well settled in the city.

As the bars are expensive and it is perfectly legal (yet, perhaps socially frowned upon) to drink in the street, Teresa and myself shared a bottle of cheap (but quite nice) wine on the Ponte Vecchio. It should be noted that we did use glasses and it was not as classless as it may sound (It was not like having a bottle of Buckfast at the Clyde). Later on, with my cheeks warmed with a red wine glow, I paraded my way to a party that Gewn had invited me to (In cannot be said that the return leg of the journey was quite as dignified). I was introduced to a great group of people, whom I hope to see more of in the coming weeks (especially as the other scholars will be leaving soon). It was nice to see how the city functions at this level and get a taste of youth culture in what is seemingly an overly traditional city.

Today was spent regretting opening the third bottle of wine and sheltering from the rain. Tomorrow I intend to begin my circuit of the museums and galleries, starting with the Uffizi, which will no doubt take most of the day. It is my intention to try and see all that needs to be seen before I begin to home in on my research. My Internet access is sparse and fleeting, I am literally ‘surfing the web’, hanging out of the window to catch the next wave of stolen Internet. So, as long as the wind keeps up, I shall eventually use this blog to organise my research and inspirations as and when they arise.

Ciao

Florence- coming soon

2008-10-13T11:25:00.000+01:00

Arno Flooding

2008-10-12T16:39:00.000+01:00

Vasari Corridor, Florence

2008-10-12T16:22:00.000+01:00

Image by Arnold Paul

"The West Corridor of the Gallery, heads towards the Arno and then, raised up by huge arches, follows the river as far as the Ponte Vecchio, which it crosses by passing on top of the shops. The meat market on the bridge was at this time trasferred elsewhere, so as not to offend the Grand Duke's sensitive nose with unpleasant smells on his walk, and replaced (from 1593) with the goldsmiths who continue to work there today. On the other side of the Arno, the corridor passes through the interior of the church of Santa Felicita, Down the tops of the houses and the gardens of the Guicciardini family until it finally reaches the Boboli gardens (one of the exits stands beside Buontalenti's Grotto) and the apartments in the Pitti Palace. "

Sylvie Reno- Reserves 2007

2008-10-12T14:42:00.000+01:00

The Art of Cardboard elegantly demonstrated by Sylvie Reno.

Folly

2008-10-11T15:39:00.000+01:00

Bramhope Memorial Tunnel - Kirkgate, Yorkshire