OK, I really mean it this time…I’m going to start blogging regularly again.
At, least 3 times a week.
Definitely, this time.
Honest
11
Nov 09
Oh dear, still not blogging
Hmm, seems I’ve failed to keep to the commitment I made in my last post to blog at least once a week.
Let’s start again shall we?
17
Oct 09
Wow, I haven’t blogged for ages!
For some reason (probably laziness) I haven’t blogged for ages.
But I resolve to try harder in future. At least one blog post a week. Honest
18
Aug 09
What I did (on another day of) my holidays. More culture innit
For the past few years we’ve taken a day out from relaxing by the pool to head into Arles for the annual Les Rencontres photography festival.
From July till September the city hosts exhibitions across the city in art galleries, churches, official buildings and in the disused former railway works, the Parc de Ateliers.
The huge former ateliers or workshops, named after their former uses (Atelier de Mechanique, Atelier des Forges, etc.) are left pretty much as they were with temporary exhibition spaces built inside. Or in the case of one now roofless building, turned into an open-air cafe.
Each year a guest curator helps to select and commission the artists and works to be included in the festival. This year’s guest curator is Nan Goldin, one of my favourite photographers, whose ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ is being presented in a slideshow in one of the disused railway office buildings.
As well as some of her other work, the exhibitions also include a selection from her own photography collection and shows by her invited guests. My personal favourites include Marina Berio’s drawings of negatives large scale in charcoal, Lisa Ross‘ images photos of Uighur holy sites in northern China, and Antione D’Agata’s sometimes explicit Agonie series.
As well as the Nan Goldin curated exhibitions, the festival also includes a large number of other shows. Highlights for me include a retrospective of Willy Ronis and the work of the nominees for this year’s Discovery Award, including Olivier Metzger’s brooding nocturnal images, Yang Yongliang’s twist on traditional Chinese landscape paintings, and Moira Ricci’s moving series of photographs of her late mother, into which she has carefully inserted her own image, looking at her mother.
Les Rencontres d’Arles runs until 13 September
15
Aug 09
What I did on (one day of) my holidays. A little bit of wildlife and a little bit of culture
On the way to see some wildlife in the Camargue this morning, we stumbled across Chateau d’Avignon (always nice to get a bit of chateau action in on a trip to France. Don’t be fooled by the name though. it’s not in Avignon. or even near to it).
Unfortunately it was closed for re-building work. But…
Instead of just closing up the house, the gardens and outbuildings have been used for an open air art exhibition. Using mostly the same materials and tools as for the rebuilding work, the artists have created specially commissioned sculptures and installations.
There were some really witty and interesting pieces and it was a really great surprise to come across the exhibition in a place I’d least expected it. Though it was great to travel into the Camargue and see wild white horses, pink flamingos and black bulls, being a bit of a culture vulture this was a real highlight of the day for me.
If you’re in the area (It’s near Aigues-Mortes on the edge of the Camargue) over the summer, it’s well worth a visit (it’s free). It’s not mentioned on the Chateau’s website, but the nice lady on the gate said it’s open until the autumn.
31
Jul 09
Some people I follow on Twitter who you might like to follow too. no pressure though
@51m0n
@abeeken
@adebradley
@AlastairReid
@alncl
@benjibrum
@Blatter
@bongbot
@brianhoadley
@brumfailcamp
@carriebish
@ChimeraX
@ChrisUnitt
@colalife
@corbysays
@cosmicgirlie
@cosmodaddy
@danielatkinson
@danosirra
@danslee
@davebriggs
@davidwilcox
@digitalmaverick
@dizzel
@dominiccampbell
@DougCoupland
@Dr_Black
@draml
@E11ie5
@felix_cohen
@gavinwray
@hadleybeeman
@helenewilliams
@helenmilner
@hubmum
@ingridk
@j0nhyde
@jeremygould
@jkerrstevens
@johnlsheridan
@jonhickman
@JustinGriggs
@KerryMP
@laurahyde
@leebryant
@LeonieWatson
@lesteph
@LittleLaura
@Liz_Azyan
@lowcarbondiary
@martinxo
@mlyons
@neilfranklin
@neillyneil
@owenblacker
@paul_clarke
@PaulEvans1
@paulhenderson
@pauloCanning
@peeebeee
@peteashton
@pezholio
@podnosh
@rugebarb
@sarahlay
@scrumph
@sharonodea
@simond
@simoneverest
@Stephen_Cross
@stevebridger
@stuartparker
@suw
@technicalfault
@the_anke
@ThePickards
@theplayethic
@thoroughlygood
@timdavies
@tom_watson
@Zombie_Claire
Because I’m too lazy to get my act together & take part in #followfriday on Twitter, here a suggested list of just a very few of the people I follow who you may care to follow too.
I was going to add the reasons I follow each person, but due to the aforementioned laziness and being generally exhausted by swineflu, I haven’t bothered. Suffice to say, they all either informed, insightful, funny, clever, epic visionaries, just bloody lovely, or all all of those things. Anyway, don’t take my word for it, give them a follow (or at least check their recent tweets)
Here they are in alphabetical order (which seems fairest. don’t want to get into rankings and all that malarky. and sorry to anyone who isn’t on the list – it’s just a representative sample, nothing personal):
- @abeeken
- @AlistairReid
- @alncl
- @benjibrum
- @bongbot (technically not a person, but makes me smile on the hour, every hour)
- @brumfailcamp (also not a person. a good idea though)
- @catnip
- @ChimeraX
- @ChrisUnitt
- @colalife (another non-person. but a campaign to help save lives in a really simple way)
- @corbysays
- @cosmicgirlie
- @cosmodaddy
- @danielatkinson
- @danosirra
- @danslee
- @davebriggs
- @davidwilcox
- @digitalmaverick
- @dizzel
- @dominiccampbell
- @DougCoupland (only ‘celeb’ on the list)
- @Dr_Black
- @draml
- @E11ie5
- @felix_cohen
- @gavinwray
- @gabysslave
- @hadleybeeman
- @helenewilliams
- @helenmilner
- @hubmum
- @ingridk
- @j0nhyde
- @jeremygould
- @jkerrstevens
- @jonhickman
- @JustinGriggs
- @KerryMP
- @laurahyde
- @leebryant
- @LeonieWatson
- @lesteph
- @LittleLaura
- @Liz_Azyan
- @lowcarbondiary
- @Lucy_T
- @martinxo
- @mlyons
- @neilfranklin
- @neillyneil
- @owenblacker
- @paul_clarke
- @Paul0Evans1
- @paulhenderson
- @pauloCanning
- @peeebeee
- @peteashton
- @pezholio
- @podnosh
- @sarahlay
- @scrumph
- @sharonodea
- @simond
- @simoneverest
- @Stephen_Cross
- @stevebridger
- @stuartparker
- @suw
- @technicalfault
- @the_anke
- @ThePickards
- @thoroughlygood
- @TimCooperUK
- @timdavies
- @tom_watson
- @Zombie_Claire
21
Jul 09
LocalGovCamp is coming to Cheltenham!
Following the success of Dave Brigg’s LocalGovCamp in Birmingham, it’s great to see other LocalGovCamps springing up in other parts of the country, starting with Bristol, Lincoln and most excitingly for me (being lazy) in Cheltenham.
Jon Hyde is organising a LocalGovCamp focusing on project and programme management, which I think will be a really interesting progression from the original LocalGovCamp. He’s set up a ning group where you can find out more and get involved.
I’m hoping to find out more about how agile techniques can be applied to project management. But then again, being an unconference I could end up doing something else completely, which is actually the best thing about unconferences (in my humble opinion. which is probably not that humble)
I’m also looking forward to meeting up with some great people and hearing about all the great stuff they’re doing (and stealing all their ideas. to pass off as my own obviously)
And (inspired by FAILCamp, which I’m really looking forward to) I hope there’ll be an opportunity to talk about how not to do it and learn from some examples of project and programme management FAILs (I think I may have a few examples I’ll be able to share. or quite a lot)
So well done to Jon for picking up the LocalCampGov gauntlet - see you there!
20
Jul 09
Post 4th plinth, the come down (sorry, bad pun)
Well, it’s taken me some time to get my head around my plinth experience (was kind of dazed after an hour up there. severals pints of beer afterwards probably didn’t help either).
I wanted to throw just few thoughts and reflections down here, but first a big thank you to everyone who sent me encouraging messages & tweets of support, and who checked out ColaLife’s website, started following @colalife on Twitter or became a fan of ColaLife on Facebook.
The Artichoke team were very welcoming & brilliant at calming my nerves before I went up, so thank you to them too. Everyone who came along to represent or support Colalife also deserves a big thank you, for working hard to make sure people in Trafalgar Square could find out more about the campaign.
So, the experience of being on the plinth:
- I don’t normally mind heights, but something about standing on a narrow strip of concrete, 8m up, in the wind, can trigger vertigo
- I am, as I said in my last post, shy. Standing on a plinth in Trafalgar Sq, being live streamed on the web, did not change this. in any way. but I am glad I managed to get up there – an achievement for me, as my instinct when I got there was to run away very fast. and I hate running
- I can’t multitask (tweet & talk at the same time) but I can talk nonsense. I hope I got in enough info about Colalife. & didn’t swear too much
- an hour is a long time & towards the end I did get bored. of the sound of my own voice mostly
- I think the project is art, even if my own contribution wasn’t particularly artistic. but feel free to think differently. after all, life would be boring if we all agreed on everything
I might add some more here later. or I might not.
11
Jul 09
ColaLife Twittermob! Trafalgar Sq 3pm 17/7
Well, my slot on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square for the One&Other project is looming. And despite my huge ego, I’m getting a bit nervous (because I’m shy really. no, really, I am. really, really)
But I have a great cause to represent in ColaLife, a campaign to get Coca-Cola to open up its distribution channels in developing countries to save lives.
I’ll be taking the giant ColaLife aidpod up on the plinth with me to help promote the ColaLife campaign, but…
…I WANT YOUR HELP!!!!!
We want to make as big a splash as possible so we’re organising a ColaLife Twittermob – we want to fill Trafalgar Square! So please come along, wear something red if you can and show your support (oh, and help take some of the attention off me)
On the ColaLife website there’s some things you can do to show your support in person or online. Tell everyone you know!
Follow @colalife on Twitter to keep up-to-date with what’s happening
Hope to see you all there – 3pm Friday 17th July!
03
Jul 09
I’m a work of art. almost
I’ve been selected to take part in the One and Other project, which means I’ll be standing on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for an hour on 17 July (well, I might sit for a bit – an hour’s a long time to stand. and I’m getting on a bit)
As I hadn’t expected to get a place, I hadn’t given much thought to what I’d do while I’m standing up there.
I entered the draw because I was already a fan of using the 4th plinth for temporary artworks, and Antony Gormley’s project sounded intriguing. And an ego as big as mine couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become art
But, as I mentioned, I had no plans for what to do if I was selected. Luckily, twitter came to the rescue! @lowcarbondiary (Tracey Todhunter of LCCN) suggested:
“you could pose with a #colalife pod ….”
A bleedin’ great idea. I already knew of ColaLife through @51m0n (Simon Berry) so I got in touch with him, and we’re hoping that I’ll be able to take a giant ColaLife aidpod onto the plinth with me (it’s currently in the reception at NESTA).
It would be great if we could use this opportunity to get as much coverage of ColaLife as possible. I haven’t been able to work out the details with Simon yet, but if you’re interested in coming along, and helping to spread the word, why not:
- tweet me: @russelltanner
- email me: russell (at) rtanner (dot) co (dot) uk