"I always liked the idea that words, which are supposed to be concrete, when spoken by a different person at a different time can have a completely different meaning."
Douglas Gordon
Language
I have been thinking a bit deeper recently about what i'm aiming to achieve from working with football language within my design work. I've realised that my ideas in this area are in fact fusing two of my interests. Football being the obvious interest, but also language. The construction of language has always interested me and some reading i've done recently has inspired me further. In a previous post i compared football chanting to poetry and having checked the definition of poetry i'm convinced it is.
poetry: "work in which a special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by use of a distinctive style and rhythm.
From this definition the parallels between chanting and poetry are stark. Chants are always sung with an intensity driven by passion and are always an expression of feelings or ideas. Often witty or humorous and serious in a way that poetry also is.
Mulling this over, I've realised that what i'm doing is taking an area of language which is sometimes derided and neglected and attempting to propel it into a form where it will be appreciated or at least noticed in the way poetry and other creative language is.
In addition I have also been reading about pragmatics and structural ambiguity, which has influenced my decision when choosing the first phrases I would 'commit to print.'
Therefore by stripping football chants of there context, their meaning and my intent becomes hidden. This is what I find interesting. The fact that they are still valuable phrases even with the context removed.
So if you have experienced these chants within their context as a football fan most likely will have, the meaning of the sentence will be clear. If you haven't you have to draw your own conclusion from the ambiguity of the words.
So to sum up I've been doing a lot of letter-pressing, which I love, i've been slightly limited in the outcome because of the facilities available to me, in terms of typeface selection and size, but im still pretty happy with the outcomes and certainly am determined to do more letterpress. Ive also been working on some more interesting football related idea's which i'll post soon, along with some of the printed posters.
poetry: "work in which a special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by use of a distinctive style and rhythm.
From this definition the parallels between chanting and poetry are stark. Chants are always sung with an intensity driven by passion and are always an expression of feelings or ideas. Often witty or humorous and serious in a way that poetry also is.
Mulling this over, I've realised that what i'm doing is taking an area of language which is sometimes derided and neglected and attempting to propel it into a form where it will be appreciated or at least noticed in the way poetry and other creative language is.
In addition I have also been reading about pragmatics and structural ambiguity, which has influenced my decision when choosing the first phrases I would 'commit to print.'
"The meaning of the sentence depends on an understanding of the context and the speaker's intent."
Therefore by stripping football chants of there context, their meaning and my intent becomes hidden. This is what I find interesting. The fact that they are still valuable phrases even with the context removed.
"Pragmatic awareness is regarded as one of the most challenging aspects of language learning, and comes only through experience."
So if you have experienced these chants within their context as a football fan most likely will have, the meaning of the sentence will be clear. If you haven't you have to draw your own conclusion from the ambiguity of the words.
So to sum up I've been doing a lot of letter-pressing, which I love, i've been slightly limited in the outcome because of the facilities available to me, in terms of typeface selection and size, but im still pretty happy with the outcomes and certainly am determined to do more letterpress. Ive also been working on some more interesting football related idea's which i'll post soon, along with some of the printed posters.
31/1/2011
Reverting to Type - Committed to Print
Last Friday with printmaking and football chants rattling round my brain, myself and young Jonathan went along to The Standpoint Gallery to check out 'Reverting to Type,' an exhibition dedicated solely to letterpress. It was a pretty inspiring exhibition, with some great work. Letterpress has a quality which i think lies in the craft, its certainly an outcome that just cannot be replicated with digital printing. One particular print that caught my eye, was the one above, 'Tutti Frutti,' by Hand & Eye Letterpress. The simplicity of the bold type, the colour and the flecked imperfections of the wooden type, caught my eye, and was certainly one of my favourite prints.
The exhibition has really inspired me to experiment with Letterpress. I want to fuse my ideas in relation to football and select texts to be letter-pressed. I find the thought of introducing the throw away almost trashy football chants and commentaries to the precise craft of letterpress and propelling them into an aesthetic form, where they will almost seem absurd. Within this absurdity lies the charm and allure of the idea.
24/1/2011
Shit Ground, No Fans
The narrative of football is rarely written down, of course you have your exceptions, namely Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. But on the whole the bits that make football special are often missed. There are endless historical records of football, every stat is recorded, every result written in black and white. Football is very definite in that sense, a game is played, one team wins the other loses, or its drawn, its fact, that will never change. There is also something quite reassuring about the game, you know that if you lose to your closest rivals this year, you've always got the return fixture next year. Get knocked out of the FA Cup, its ok, the 3rd round starts again in January. Its a perpetual merry go round and if you choose to jump on your pretty much on their for life.
It isn't so much the game that interests me, its the bits that happen off the pitch, the influence that this game has on peoples lives. Its the parts of football that are never written down, the relationships it creates, the anecdotes, songs and stories that are passed down through generations.
Football chants are one aspect of football that interests me. The first football match I ever saw, I only remember two things, how green the pitch was and the songs. I didn't watch much of the game I was just looking around at people chanting. The spontaneity and lyrical humour of the songs is what makes them valuable and the fact that they original and unique. They are poetry.
I'm interested in transferring the football chant into print. Looking at how removing a chant from its context effects its message. How will this text which is never usually effected into print be perceived?This humorous, intriguing and often undervalued material, I feel, will lead to interesting outcomes.
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It isn't so much the game that interests me, its the bits that happen off the pitch, the influence that this game has on peoples lives. Its the parts of football that are never written down, the relationships it creates, the anecdotes, songs and stories that are passed down through generations.
Football chants are one aspect of football that interests me. The first football match I ever saw, I only remember two things, how green the pitch was and the songs. I didn't watch much of the game I was just looking around at people chanting. The spontaneity and lyrical humour of the songs is what makes them valuable and the fact that they original and unique. They are poetry.
I'm interested in transferring the football chant into print. Looking at how removing a chant from its context effects its message. How will this text which is never usually effected into print be perceived?This humorous, intriguing and often undervalued material, I feel, will lead to interesting outcomes.
The lyrics I'll be working with...
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I've also been looking at text taken from football commentary. Which is essentially one man's view of an event that then come's to be recognised by thousands and millions as the means to identify with and connect to said event. Those instinctive words become etched in history. Rarely are they commited to print, but their lyrical power is unquestionable.
23/1/2011
Carved in Time
We had the final crit for the 100 Club brief yesterday and it went really well. Everyone reacted really positively to my carvings and everyone else had also produced some really interesting work. I produced two carvings, the first was the plaque quote which I touched on in the earlier post. Im really pleased with the outcome, im soo pleased I stuck with using wood as I feel the results are great aesthetically and also in reflecting my feelings on the 100 Club that I wanted to portray in my work.
The second was a piece made up of four carved and screwed wood blocks. These as a set aim to celebrate the 100 Club, this piece originally was also designed to be wall mounted. However, having finished this set of four they have become really tactile and interesting objects, so as a development I think I will make a bag for them to be stored in, so they become a set of wooden blocks for people to interact with and arrange how they wish.
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The second was a piece made up of four carved and screwed wood blocks. These as a set aim to celebrate the 100 Club, this piece originally was also designed to be wall mounted. However, having finished this set of four they have become really tactile and interesting objects, so as a development I think I will make a bag for them to be stored in, so they become a set of wooden blocks for people to interact with and arrange how they wish.
21/1/2011
In the Workshop...
Just a quick post on the progress of the wood carving, its proving to be a really fun process. I've managed to set myself up a nice little workshop and minus a few cut fingers everything is going swimmingly. Its actually becoming a quite symbolic process, every piece of wood I carve from the original solid piece is almost like a scratch or scuff on the 100 Club wall, floor and stage. Im sure the Club started off as a 'solid piece' but time has slowly chipped away at it leaving it how it is today, hopefully I can capture idea in my work.
My first carving that im working on is best described as a plaque designed to be mounted on the wall, I am aiming to highlight the dated charm of the club and touch on the fact that despite all its flaws and threat of closure it is still there.
My first carving that im working on is best described as a plaque designed to be mounted on the wall, I am aiming to highlight the dated charm of the club and touch on the fact that despite all its flaws and threat of closure it is still there.
"100 CLUB, BLEMISHED BUT NOT BROKEN"
16/1/2011
There's a crack in everything, thats how the light gets in...
Myself and Jonny popped into the 100 Club today and we both had to agree wandering around the place, taking photos, that there definitely is something about the place. You really can feel the history stained into the walls. To call the place tatty would be polite, but despite this you genuinely warm to the place. One of the most striking things is a thick black layer that has formed on the dance-floor, years of dirt, drink, and god knows what, trodden into a black film, its pretty disgusting and amazing in equal measure. I actually got pretty nostalgic on stage looking down at literally hundreds of scuffs, marks and pieces of tape, representative of all the amazing artists that have played the venue. Walking round the place today and taking photos really encouraged me with my idea, I feel like, if done well, my carvings can really capture the essence of the place. I took a lot of photos which I will sift through and post at some point, as some really do capture a little bit of the 100 Club magic.
I also spoke to Jeff Horton, the club manager for quite a bit, it was nice to know the place is in the hands of such a nice bloke, with a real passion for the place, apparently theres a sponsorship/partnership announcement coming up on Monday, so it seems the Club definitely does have a future for now and with Jeff in there I think its in good hands.
I also spoke to Jeff Horton, the club manager for quite a bit, it was nice to know the place is in the hands of such a nice bloke, with a real passion for the place, apparently theres a sponsorship/partnership announcement coming up on Monday, so it seems the Club definitely does have a future for now and with Jeff in there I think its in good hands.
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After exploring the 100 club I walked up to college to get some advice from the wood workshop.
I walked away with all this amazing wood, given to me by a nice chap in the workshop, Im really excited to get carving now.
14/1/2011
There's something about it...
So I had the interim crit today for the 100 Club brief, I presented one key concept that I proposed to explore in two different ways. I have stuck with the idea of 100 Club's 'dated charm' and 'imperfect beauty.' My first idea was based around producing a zine, that would either be a one off celebrating the club's imperfection or a more regular zine that would be published quarterly for example.
I presented some rough visuals based on my ideas about the venue, which made use of the anecdotes I had written about the club and the quotes I had collected
The reaction to the visuals was positive but everyone seemed to agree with my own assessment that a zine isn't such a valuable form of output and certainly doesn't have the edginess and originality it once did.
My second approach is rooted in my discovery of wabi-sabi the Japanese theory of imperfect beauty, since discovering this and its links to woodblock printing, I was keen to create wood block prints, but inspired by my experimentation with wood and the results I can achieve, I've abandoned the printing idea and have been carving directly into the wood. Therefore the carved wood becomes the final outcome, rather than just a mechanism to print from.
Wabi-sabi combined with the inspiration I have taken from the architecture of the club itself, particularly the dancefloor and the stage my outcome is going to be a series of carved would blocks. I intend to engrave the wood with messages inspired by the written material I have collected on the club, with the aim of expressing:
The history and heritage of the club and its charm which emanates from its dated and blemished architecture and hopefully my pieces will in some small way help to secure a future for the club, by highlighting some of the reasons the club cant die.
I presented some rough visuals based on my ideas about the venue, which made use of the anecdotes I had written about the club and the quotes I had collected
The reaction to the visuals was positive but everyone seemed to agree with my own assessment that a zine isn't such a valuable form of output and certainly doesn't have the edginess and originality it once did.
My second approach is rooted in my discovery of wabi-sabi the Japanese theory of imperfect beauty, since discovering this and its links to woodblock printing, I was keen to create wood block prints, but inspired by my experimentation with wood and the results I can achieve, I've abandoned the printing idea and have been carving directly into the wood. Therefore the carved wood becomes the final outcome, rather than just a mechanism to print from.
Wabi-sabi combined with the inspiration I have taken from the architecture of the club itself, particularly the dancefloor and the stage my outcome is going to be a series of carved would blocks. I intend to engrave the wood with messages inspired by the written material I have collected on the club, with the aim of expressing:
The history and heritage of the club and its charm which emanates from its dated and blemished architecture and hopefully my pieces will in some small way help to secure a future for the club, by highlighting some of the reasons the club cant die.
Initial experiment in carving and manipulating wood, inspired by the 100 club stage and dancefloor
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13/1/2011
wabi-sabi
The 100 club is unique, this is down to its age and its history, its value lies in its past. All of the artists to of played their have left their unique mark on the place, this history has been transferred to the venue physically in its imperfections.
"It always was a sweaty basement but, even by those standards, it is starting to look bad. There are broken chairs, the pictures need replacing and there are holes in the dance floor.
"It always was a sweaty basement but, even by those standards, it is starting to look bad. There are broken chairs, the pictures need replacing and there are holes in the dance floor.
Jeff Horton, 100 Club Manager
Having decided to base my project on the 100 clubs imperfections and 'dated charm' if you like i came across the Japanese world view called 'Wabi-Sabi.' Wabi-sabi can be described as the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional...
I definitely feel that the 100 Club has Wabi-Sabi, I've always been interested in the beauty of imperfections and how places and objects can develop a personality or soul, so I'm going to push this idea further. Having looked further into the idea of wabi-sabi Ive found that it is linked to the Japanese art of woodblock printing. Because of this and also my love of the iconic wooden stage and backdrop at the 100 club I have started to experiment with woodblock printing and am considering producing a series of woodblock prints as my final outcome.
RANDOM FLAWS AND IRREGULARITIES
The exquisite transient beauty to be found in all things impermanent
Wabi-Sabi is:
The cracks in the bark of trees that lets us know it is a mature and healthy tree.
The lines in a persons face that lets us know how much they have laughed, thought carefully and grimaced in their lifetime.
I definitely feel that the 100 Club has Wabi-Sabi, I've always been interested in the beauty of imperfections and how places and objects can develop a personality or soul, so I'm going to push this idea further. Having looked further into the idea of wabi-sabi Ive found that it is linked to the Japanese art of woodblock printing. Because of this and also my love of the iconic wooden stage and backdrop at the 100 club I have started to experiment with woodblock printing and am considering producing a series of woodblock prints as my final outcome.
RANDOM FLAWS AND IRREGULARITIES
The exquisite transient beauty to be found in all things impermanent
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There's a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
9/1/2011
100 Club
Having given the 100 club brief a lot of thought, I have come to a few conclusions. Firstly it seems that the brief has changed slightly, initially the purpose of the brief was to create, 'A graphic urban intervention to secure a future for London's legendary 100 Club,' owing to recent events (McCartney showing his ugly face) it seems that the 100 club has secured a future at least for the short term. This poses a question, how do you secure a future for a club, that seemingly already has one ? With this in mind I've started thinking along the lines, of raising awareness of the 100 club , and getting new people through the doors.
Through my research I have identified two areas which I believe represent the 100 Clubs true value. The first is obvious but undeniable, the musicians that have played there, make the place what it is, make it special. As a development of this I have been looking at the opinions of the musicians who have played there, here are a couple:
"I get a feeling from the walls and the chairs, they tell me of the things that've always been there."
Paul Weller
"keep the bunker open..."
Jonnny Borrell
The second area I would describe as the 100 club's imperfection. As a venue the 100 club has a list of faults as long as your arm, but ultimately the music is the glue that holds it all together, the result is a unique music driven venue. The 100 Club is like a favourite jumper or pair of shoes, broken and falling apart, but still your favourite, it has soul.
I realise atmosphere and soul are hard to quantify, but they are words we use regularly to describe something a bit special. I want to explore the beauty of the 100 club's imperfection.
Strangely when thinking about this brief so far I've found myself coming up with written rather than visual responses:
'The 100 Club is like a crackle on a record, the beauty lies within the imperfection.'
The Hundred Club - Reassuringly dated
The 100 Club, chipped glasses since 1942
Its like London's musical Time Capsule
100 Club - it gets better with age
They say you never realise what you have until its gone
I feel that these tag-lines/observations I've written about the club, are the foundations for what will develop into a visual piece, of which the form I've yet to decide.
I feel like this post is a little incoherent but I needed to get my thoughts down somewhere and this seemed the best place.
6/1/2011
Blog neglect
Blog has been neglected lately, its 2011, this will change.
I have been reading about wabi-sabi and human architecture, will post soon.
Happy New Year, its gonna be a big one !
I have been reading about wabi-sabi and human architecture, will post soon.
Happy New Year, its gonna be a big one !
4/1/2011