the wahnbriefe

ÜBERSONG

2011-11-24T18:18:00.001Z

The three of us were invited to attend and document the launch of ÜBERSONG last night at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.

Chapter Arts centre plays host to ÜBERSONG, a one-night event where the audience are invited on stage to sing their favourite song, regardless of their vocal ability.

The event aims to get people out of their comfort zone and perform in front of an audience. Choosing a song and taking to the stage can be a daunting yet reflective experience. “It’s something that makes us aware of how we live and shows us how songs can be linked to our identity.” said organiser Yvonne Buchheim. “ÜBERSONG is also about expectations and what happens when we don’t perform to the high standard we set ourselves.”

(via alt.cardiff)

As well as this, the night showcased a selection of video art pieces and also launched the book of Yvonne Buchheim's Song Archive Project. It was a brilliant and surreal night. At times hilarious, touching, and thought-provoking, and a very good excuse just to let your hair down.

The premise of the night seemed simple enough - get on stage, sing a song of your choice unaccompanied, feel better about yourself - but it was a long way away from your average go at kareoke. As the book highlights, a lot more goes into the choosing of a song than you might think. Without peer pressure, the influence of alcohol, or really any consequences whatsoever, what song would you choose to sing given the opportunity?

Artist Simon Whitehead sang Heaven by the Talking Heads, explaining it was a song he most associated with his teenage years. One audience member sang the Irish national anthem, another a tradition Welsh folk song. The Feral Choir asked the audience to write lyrics for them and then interpreted them in a free-jazz vocal explosion. Some sang funny songs, other sang songs with their own personal anecdotal introductions,...

It was a night of all sorts, but made me think particularly of a comment I had read on The Guardian early yesterday morning. A music teacher at Eton criticised the X Factor, saying it inspired a generation of aspirational singers wanting to be famous, but missing out on the sheer joy of singing; singing as an expression of happiness (or sadness, if that's your bag)...

He should tell that to those at ÜBERSONG.

Star Projector II

2011-11-23T00:54:00.001Z

Still playing. Novelty's not worn off yet. You should go and have a look at Sara's photos too, made using our star projector. They're awesome.

Hereford

2011-11-19T22:31:00.001Z

Tea, Cake and Pasta Bake

2011-11-19T21:44:00.001Z

So we went round to see Jack and Jason the other night for some tea, cake and pasta bake. Lots of chatting, a surprising amount of dancing, more playing with Jason's colourful possessions.

We also met Laney, a third year photography student who is at LCC who was spending the week as Jason's intern. She's lovely.

Jason told us a very exciting bit of news. He sent my original crazy light video to a Mr Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet), whose song Circling is used as the backing track for the little 40-second loop. He apparently loved it and thought we were wearing "laser suits". That made my week.

NOTE #1 - In the final picture it's worth noting Jason asked Mike: "What are you doing with that rope?" To which Mike replied: "I'm a V.I.P." A one-man V.I.P. area. Genius.

NOTE #2 - The proposed kitten interview came after watching this adorable video.

Star Projector

2011-11-14T23:52:00.001Z

So we bought our own ...

Skyrim

2011-11-13T12:46:00.000Z

Nothing else was gonna happen this weekend, and you just know that thousands did the same.

Le Pub Light Show

2011-11-09T18:35:00.000Z

We threw an idea round yesterday that maybe people could submit work every month for a slideshow during the intervals at Le Pub, or do something to that effect.

Last night we played our little crazy light show video on a loop. If anyone as anything they'd like to show during the intervals for the next Le Pub nights, get in touch!

Le Pub - November

2011-11-09T17:46:00.000Z

Great Le Pub presentation evening last night. The second one of the year and we had a great attendance, as well as a really nice atmosphere. Just how every month should be. Well done, also, to Harry, Johan, Denise and Thijs for presenting! You guys are awesome!

Look out for the updated poster around uni soon which will have the date for the next Le Pub, and the final one before the Christmas break. We've already got a few spaces booked already, but if you want to present talk to Michael Fitzsimmons, Jack Martin or Ewan Paton.

Jason's Toys

2011-11-09T00:16:00.004Z

Every time we visit Jason he's got some strange, mind-blowing thing to show us and play with. That's pretty evident from his website alone: http://www.thedailynice.com/. Early today we went round to play. Gonna be sad when he moves.

Marlborough Road - Slow Violence as Neglect

2011-11-05T03:00:00.000Z

It's been a long time since I posted anything about collages, photo montages, my uni work, etc. and I'm going to continue not posting anything that is a work in progress, because that's not what this blog is for.

However, I feel like sharing ...

This is Marlborough Road in Maindee, Newport. The collage / montage stuff has been flushed. It's not working. I've delved into video a bit, which is working a lot better, and I've focused it all around Marlborough Road.

In 2007 there was an enormous fire here that started at the Limebright Joinery. It destroyed the workshop and fourteen houses - nine completely, six were gutted. Five years on and local residents have battled with the council to clear the site. It's overgrown and apparently used as a makeshift drug den. It's an eye-sore. Going there to film and photograph, I've been approached and told to go away, as well as furiously told about the history of the site and all the local people have been through. There's a dangerous mixture of shame and anger amongst all the residents.

Beyond that, the street sums up entirely, in my opinion, what Rob Nixon described as 'Slow Violence' in his book Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor:

"Violence is customarily conceived as an event or action that is immediate in time, explosive and spectacular in space, and as erupting into instant sensational visibility. We need, I believe, to engage a different kind of violence, a violence that is neither spectacular nor instantaneous, but rather incremental and accretive, its calamitous repercussions playing out across a range of temporal scales [...] We urgently need to rethink - politically, imaginatively, and theoretically - what I call 'slow violence': a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed destruction that is dispersed across time and space, an attritional violence that is typically not viewed as violence at all."

What initially started as a commentary on the summer riots has become about something that runs much deeper. I wanted to argue that over the summer, most focussed on the spectacle that was the burning buildings and overturned cars but ignored any underlying cause. They blamed opportunistic thugs and the "feral" under-classes, but didn't consider what may have led up to the events. The death of Mark Duggan was just the straw that broke the camel's back. What about weeks, months, years before that? Leaders of local activist groups said that every time there was a death in police custody they marched to the station. They did that many times over many years with nothing done. Some people had had enough.

In the aftermath of the Marlborough Road fire, residents felt abandoned and there is a deep resentment within the community towards the council and the police that creates a very uneasy atmosphere. Something I had first thought about after the summer riots. Maindee has a large working-class population, many of which are from an Asian-Muslim background or are students. It's an area for the minorities, and they've been abandoned to their fate and their surroundings. Marlborough Road is not unique to Newport or to the UK. It's merely the perfect snapshot of what affects so many nationwide. There are countless communities that also feel disenfranchised and ignored and have done for many, many years.

This is "slow violence" as neglect. Eventually something's going to break.

Newport Food Festival

2011-11-05T02:27:00.001Z

Michael's Dioramas (Part II)

2011-11-05T02:25:00.003Z

He Watches Over Us

2011-11-05T02:25:00.001Z

Happy Hallowe'en!

2011-11-01T10:27:00.002Z

The Studio

2011-11-01T00:25:00.000Z

Image 001

2011-10-28T19:28:00.002+01:00

Today I've been getting to grips with my new Canon 5D. My trusty Olympus E-510 has done me good over the past few years, but I've been due for an upgrade. It arrived so early that spent the morning in bed randomly photographing my room and getting the hang of it. Then I fell asleep with it on my stomach.

An unusual Saturday.

Large Format

2011-10-25T18:57:00.003+01:00

Jens Lekman - The Thekla, Bristol

2011-10-25T18:43:00.001+01:00

I love Jens Lekman. His last album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, is (in my opinion) one of only a handful of flawless albums to come out in the first decade of the 2000s. I can't fault it. At all.

So, going to Bristol to see him play on a club boat - the Thekla - was pretty awesome. He only played a few dates (three I think) in the UK this time round, but there doesn't seem to be a bad review of a single night and judging by the one we attended I can only agree with what they say. Seeing him was special. This review of his London show from the Guardian sums it up pretty well.

Jens promised the crowd that after the show he wanted to meet everybody and serenade each person individually. I don't know if he managed that - though I hear he did play a few songs for people after - but I did managed to get my copy of Night Falls Over Kortedala signed 'Yours Truly, Jens Lekman' by the man himself. Perfect.

Also: prolific YouTuber, knappafire, filmed every song (expect the first one) and they look / sound great! Been reliving the gig a lot since they went up online, although our perspectives have now meshed in my mind. He's also in a few of my photos, I think. His little compact camera pops up on the right hand side of a few frames.

The Adventure Ark Library

2011-10-25T18:23:00.000+01:00

We've amassed quite a number of art and photography books between us here at Grafton Road ... and the number is growing.

Homelessness Starter Kit

2011-10-25T18:22:00.004+01:00

Consisting of a mattress and a potato, obviously ...

Assorted Adventures

2011-10-25T18:22:00.003+01:00

A selection of photos from the a very busy past two or three weeks.

Je pense donc je suis, putes!

2011-10-24T18:13:00.002+01:00

Descartes is surely turning in his grave...

It Lives

2011-10-21T13:32:00.001+01:00

The Cathedral Park

2011-10-21T13:31:00.002+01:00

I'm in two minds about this place. It's a very surreal park. With burnt out bins and graffiti, it's home to a pretty great view over Newport and the Newport Cathedral is directly behind it.

It's football pitch might be lined with graves, which is a little off putting...

Untitled

2011-10-21T13:30:00.003+01:00