Critical Meet

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3 Cities Critical Arts Festival Sunday 17th September 2006 Derby Time Table 12pm : Group Crits* 2.30pm :Lunch 3:15pm : Lecture 4:30pm : Break 5:00 : Seminar 6:00 : Drinks,Food+Chat 7:00 : Band/Performances * sign up required - please see www.criticalmeet.co.uk for more information or email criticalmeet@yahoo.co.uk Lecturer Sean Hawkridge, The Royal Standard Seminar Panelists George Harris, Independent photographer Corey Mwamba, musician and composer Jerry Hope, Dust Collectors Group Crit Facilitator graft Band/Performances include: One Toy Soldier BET4 MOTION - Synaesthesia + Little Courage TILL LATE Come along! If art discussion isn't your thing, be there at 7 for pints and bands. For more information visit: www.criticalmeet.co.uk

what i have been doing and will be.............................

Well its been a busy few weeks, but not that busy... Did a wedding shoot in london a few weekends ago... I don't advertise myself for this kind of work but I do it on a word of mouth basis and for friends and those connected...

Working on a group exhibition for November - Groundswell Two....

Did some photography for Derby Dance Centre documenting a dress rehearsal...


as well as djing at my brothers birthday which took place on a boat / Cornwall in June ...

need to get some images sorted out ... my new work is reflecting the regeneration of Derby ...

but I am still wanting to go back to photograph more of the Polish Camp before its demolished...

Will be speaking at Critical Meet within the Victoria Inn / Derby this year... a meeting of minds and thoughts of people involved with the arts / music / etc.... Sunday 17 September see their website for details.


Next exhibition will be in August at the Lord Napier pub in Derby... its part of a group of shows organised by Andy Sugars under the title of 'Pictures in the Pub', not quite sure what I am going to show yet, but the first night will be on first Monday in August, and following through the whole month.Come along and have a look.... the last two have gone well... these things are worth supporting becouse they can build...

anyway more news soon... but one more thing............

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sad news this week with the passing of Syd Barrett, the one and only true member of Pink Floyd... he's the one who came up with the name in the first place... Theres alot of people out there making statements so I'll end it there... goodbye Syd... hope things are better where ever you are now...
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the last week

Since Wednesday of last week I have been south west in Devon. I went there for a break, but also to photograph an abandoned site, a post WW2 Refugee Camp. I have already got some of the images developed and they look great.

It took two days and one night to photograph and I have yet to decide what to do with the images.
I will wait until the rest of the films are developed til I decide.

This was one of those things you have to do where you get the images first and decide later. The space was discovered by a friend whom asked me to come down to photograph it before it gets demolished.

Once I have all the images I will put some up on my website as a working project.

Here is one for now... taken in the entertainment hall area.

something I just found over weekend

Robert Franks - Pull My Daisy (1959) - narrated by Jack Kerouac

some information here

a comparative text

Looking for artists deadline ASAP...

Hi

Well I am in the process of looking for fellow artists whom wish to be involved with an up coming exhibition now within its idea stage... but relates to a previous exhibition Groundswell in 2003.
The second part intends and relates to transformations with urban space and other spaces and will be organised as a fringe event relating to the Derby city wide photography exhibition Format06 in September.

I intend the fringe aspect to not just involve photography but to incorporate film / painting / sound and other art forms maybe performance aspects...

Anyone that is interested please get in touch with me by either leaving a comment to this posting or you can e-mail me at georgeharrisphoto@gmail.com ...

I'm looking to get some answers within the month.... the deadline has now shifted from 10 April....
I want to get an idea whom might be interested...
Thankyou

The Dust Collectors MySpace

The Dust Collectors have now got a my space account ... its been up and running for several days now... I was asked by Jerry to up load some of their tunes they are now online ...

Check it out... this is a temporary stop gap til they get their website up and running...

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My News.............

I will be speaking at the Futures in Creative Industries Fair and Conference
between 11.05 - 1225 at the University of Derby. The whole event takes place on
Friday 31st March 8.30am - 5.30pm at the Keddleston Road Campus.

take a look

My workshop comes under the title of Routes into Photography... in workshop two

in brief 'basically what is it like starting out as an artist / photographer...' in the cold wide world...


The exhibition Visceral Place / part one is happening on 26 March 6.30pm (opening) - 8 April at Wax Bar - Nottingham.... with a slim chance the Dust Collectors might perform on the opening night... i'll keep you posted....

Just working on stuff .... to come out soon.... as a part two to the above show...

A Visceral Place

This is a new exhibition of a disection of older works which will lead into a new series of photographs which I am currently working on.

Works included will be from Islands, Avenue, The Waiting Room and a varied selection from the Confluence commission....

The exhibition starts on Sunday 26 March with an opening night at 6.30pm and is up
until around 8 April. At the Wax Bar in Nottingham which is opposite the Broadway Cinema.

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The Men Without Eyes film went very well.on Sunday at the Trigger event at Metro..
with great reactions to the event and turn out...
Jon Sansworth did a fantastic job in creating the film with The Dust Collectors...
I look forward to more... in which there will be...

great radio online

Just found out about this Dutch based
internet radio show Another Nice Mess
Eclectic choice of The Most Adventurous New Underground -on DFM
just checked the times of show and its every tuesday at 19.00 -21.00
its a show dj'd by Marcelle van Hoof, a friend of John Peel

They have played 'the Dust Collectors' track Jack Cannonball... recently...

great tracks from lofi electro to 'The Beat' Too Nice to Talk Too...

seems I'm now listening live to another show just as good more ambient

well everyone's probably heard it already and I'm behind with the news.... but I just wanted to say you should listen to it...

Here's another picture from the up and coming Dust Collectors film.... its a still straight from the film by Jon Samsworth...

Trigger event

print off the above for a reminder



A week from now will be the next Trigger event its now at the Metro Cinema in Derby for one
night on Sunday 5 March 06 ... 6.30 - 10pm £2 in advance from Q-Gallery or £3 on the door.

The Dust Collectors are playing with a film thats been and being made by Jon Samsworth... in collaboration with the band as well as a dancer Rinkeh

I've been doing a bit in the film as a Man Without Eyes... along with other Men without Eyes...

after seeing some of the footage its going to be great... Here's some photos (above and below)
I took of one of the scenes...

deep dark drone

walking through the last remaining landscape to see the sole of your feet... soundtrack to wonder over could have been composed by john barry... no fears piano shifts through a deep dark drone with lifting strings on the other end... the splinters through you, the sound that goes away... panoramic shifts... too a jingle jangle morning, crying in to floating crisis moments movements in the deep dark drone.... moving on and up into the heals, past efforts of glorious shame...

Things I Like and Love over the last year

I got into Lost ... mystery and suspense gets me....

went to see a great movie The Beat that my Heart Skipped at the Metro.in Derby .. Its about a gangster come piano player whom wants rid of his gangster traits... and the film plays on this double life throughout... Oh yeah and its French...


The Loft reformed and played at the Social in Nottingham a group of us went it was great...

Jeffery Lewis concert at the Social in Nottingham as well as Circulus at the same venue different day...

Great indie night at the Rescue Rooms Nottingham playing everything from C86 onwards

Moustache Festival in Derby... odd events odd places odd times fabulous week...

Bathysphere Commission for my photography... in Nanoplex

getting used to being in the 40 year bracket.... its great...

Format photography festival in Derby...
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Broadcast - Tender Buttons an lp that is growing on me everytime i play it...

dancing and performing with Concertina Turner

Concertina Turner live and direct to the general public

hearing the Dust Collectors on radio one

establishing new friendships with various people including the Moustache Gang

Joan as Police Woman / Kris Drever live at the Flowerpot Derby

Watching Everything Is Iluminated this year, but it came out last year... a fantastic movie

Christmas Eve in Nottingham, everything was closed but a few places still enjoyable...
witnessing a fight at Flares in Nottingham same night to the soundtrack of 'You lost that Loving feeling' by the Rightious Brothers... :-) you couldn't have timed it any better... amusing and sad at the same time

spending the rest of christmas in Nottingham til day after boxing day

Dancing.... soul, funk and rock n roll.....


and a few more things...when i remember them

A New Year

The New Year has begun... will be making applications for exhibition opportunities... the second leg of the Symbiosis project Natures Glory Fancy's Child will be taking place in which I will be photographing the studio sessions...

New ideas for a project are stirring in the brain... anyone no where I can find and buy some astro turf...?

Other projects ... collaborations are being talked about and one of these has been started at end of last year...

I dropped out of the Project Y project at the end of last year.... doesn't seem anything new has gone on their site of late... perhaps its not happening... My reasons were time clashes with some London excursions I had to make...

more news to follow when and where it happens....

my second performance with Concertina Turner

Well the white gloved man appeared yet again will he never seize... a cool night at Vida Bar Ponce Christmas Party... it is now the day after and Im getting my books together for a meeting later...

more news at some point.... and merry christmas to anyone that reads this blog....

Time for positive Infriltration and disruption

I have felt Derby to be my second home if not the only one ... I came here in 1999 from Cornwall to study Photography at the University and stayed, felt at home, met some good people and friends.

Creatively and personally it has been a good place to be. A vibrant creative community...

I felt the city had a village feel inside its city status, but it seems that the powers that be want to make it bland and look like another glasshouse for mediapiles/bland office and exclusive flats for those that can afford it. This in turn will eventually bland out creativity...

Looking at a picture outside St Werburghs Church advertising its redevelopment...the cartoon people looked so bored that the plastic glass interior of the redesign melded into bland abandon of exclusive piped muzak designer food stuffs with an olive on the side.

To top it all Derby City Scape or


are planning to knock down a music venue that has kept things rolling with the musical underground except of course the likes of nights like Hunting for Teeth at Susumi and Ponce nights etc .

The venue which is The Victoria Inn next to the station is going to go... for more info and sign the petition against such an act go to the site

People need to think about what is going on ... do we need another bar club that pumps out lame house music or a great venue for live music...

Go to Jyoti Mishra's page about the above as well ...


I'm not against change and fully in favour of it in some cases, including the new Quad arts complex which is very necessary for the city...

but to make changes which in the end become just another bland city centre is the potential of what is happening in the city of Derby. Glass / pale brick complexes that have no soul. I hope not. To erradicate your heritage is to pull out your heart. Would you?

Nanoplex back in Derby

Hi all,

the Nanoplex cinema in a caravan is back in Derby on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 05

in Market Square, I'll be working at on the Sunday between 11am and 3pm and these times apply to Saturday as well. if anyone one wishes to come, have a look at the films being shown including Confluence the one that myself and Candice Moule were involved with. You can also ask me questions about my work or just have a chat.

You can also check out the interview I recently did for Left Lion in Nottingham.

The Nanoplex also appeared at the Trigger event at Q Gallery on Monday 5 December, it was a very good event with several performances and films / art works.

New Things

Since my last posting I've been working on several projects, beginnings of ones and more commercial practices with other artists work.

Had a show of work at the last Banks Mill Open Studios in Derby, where I got a room to myself.

It was compact, but worked in a way... where I also showed some video pieces that are rarely shown. People seemed interested, but these events are peculiar beasts... (see pictures above)

Made two trips to London over last two months to document areas of London for Corey Mwamba - Symbiosis Ensemble project documenting areas of Ignatius Sancho's life in UK.

These will be used as part of a cd package as yet to be done.

I also recently performed with Concertina Turner at a benefit gig for the Padley Centre in Derby ... reading passages from a book of impostors as bingo calls... its fired me up to such things again. The gig took place at the First Floor Club Derby on Sunday 4th December 05.












It was also the night of a very very good if not best performance by The Dust Collectors...
with added brass section.

Accessing the Moustache Week

dr dangerous

madam alsashia and dalmatia and the amazing stunt dogs

the moustache gang with Andy Jupp great dj

















comfortism

the instigators - Vic / Ruth /Claire , three fabulous moustache people

all the above photographs from the Opening Night at The Late Bar in Derby

Well the Moustache festival has now finished for now, I mean for now becouse it will happen again.
I sort of became the official moustache festival photographer without intention. It has been a great and mad week of events including some unprogrammed randomness.

I shall be putting some photographs online soon once I have sorted them out and accessed them...

here are a few for now... and link to their website

Melbourne Arts Festival Derbyshire

This coming Saturday and Sunday the 17 and 18 of September I shall be showing some of my work as part of the Melbourne Arts Festival.

I will be at The Grange - Packhorse Road - Melbourne - Derbyshire between 10am and 5pm on both days (approx becouse I'm travelling in by bus on both days)... I have been placed in one of the rooms with an artist called Julian Broadhurst.

I'm showing a mixture of works.... as yet not disclosed, but you can guess if you wish...

On further note I've just got involved with a project called Project Y

This involves a number of photographers and people that will be venturing to as it goes so far Denby Dale to photograph the place...

Go to the link to blog for updates...

Moustache Festival Derby a fine week of events

Moustache Festival website

this is a week of programmed and random events

throughout the fine city of Derby... UK

Monday 26 September - Sunday 2 October 2005

Its going to be great and marvalous...

check their website for details

I'm photographically documenting some of it ...

The Quad Building

Well here is another thing that seems to drive the people of Derby mad a new Arts Centre.

Personally I think its going to be a great enhancement to the city. As a building its going to hold key points in Derby's Arts community Q-Arts / Metro Cinema and Creative Industries within a central location. A place for meeting as well as collaboration.

At the moment the arts community is fractured throughout the city I feel this new centre will bring it together and stronger.

I hope they don't normalise the look and it turns into just another building. Somehow I don't think so... I hope not ... we'll see....

As an artist/photographer myself its a very important step in providing needed facilities that are also needed in the city of Derby outside of the University including dark room and workshop space as well as computer suites I think.

The link on this section will take you to the site where you can also look at the plans of Quad.