Everything In It's Right Place. RADIOHEAD in Manchester

As imperfect as I know my life is, everything seemed perfect that night.
Prior to this important event I concluded it would be better for everyone if I didn't think about it at all. The blend of excitement and nerves convinced me I would more than likely fall to my knees and weep at the thought of seeing RADIOHEAD (I now feel I can only refer to them in capital letters) I was not only afraid of a public breakdown to the likes of High and Dry and No Surprises (luckily they were left of the setlist meaning I was more emotionally stable than anticipated) however I was mainly terrified of not believing the concert was real, after a traumatic out-of-body experience with The Cure that left me in 9 month disbelief.  Non the less this 'don't think about it till it's happening' approach proved very successful and resulted in one of the best nights I've ever known.

What I'm about to say next I barely believe, I feel Robert (and Jarvis and the Paul's) will somehow know, I almost feel I've been unfaithful but it just has to be said - Radiohead was the best gig of my entire life. I don't think I've ever felt the way I felt in that arena, or the way I still feel post-gig, and I don't want to ever stop feeling like this. The entire gig was otherworldly, I forgot anyone or anything else existed but the music Radiohead were playing and the feeling of joy and freedom it brought me. I'm aware this isn't making me sound very sane but it's difficult to convey how much seeing Radiohead live has awakened me to the power and intensity of their music. I've only been listening to them since 2010 and although I straightaway knew their sound was something special and entirely their own, I would sometimes forget that I liked them. It's not been till during and after the gig that I've truly been taken by them - I am there now.

The concert itself (not just my feelings about it) was spectacular. An excellent blend of hits, new stuff and album tracks as well as beautifully enchanting and haunting songs like Give Up The Ghost, Pyramid Song and The Daily Mail but also aggressive, gripping songs such as Myxomatosis, Feral and of course the magnificent Paranoid Android. An unforgettable, special moment for me was the magical In Rainbows homage of Nude, Weird Fishes/Apreggi and the blissful Reckoner. In Rainbows is and always has been from the first listen. one of my 3 favourite albums of all time. Something about the dreamlike fragility of that album instantly formed a personal connection with me that has only grown with each listen, so to hear songs from it live felt like a blessing, one I can't explain.

Undoubtedly I think the best moment for me has to be the end. The mystical and exceedingly poignant Everything In It's Right Place merging seamlessly into the pounding and incredible Idioteque. Never had the lyrics"This is really happening" been so appropriate. These final songs were somehow able to encapsulate the overwhelming strength and perfection of the entire gig as I was left feeling enriched, wholesome and very, very lucky. Overall I think Radiohead have illuminated all that is beautiful in my life.

Bolam Lake fun

 

 

 

I never really spend much time in college due to their increasing encouragement of coffee breaks and early finishes. Alas with my spare time I choose to go otter spotting and swan watching with my mum - like a true 18 year old student would. This most recent trip to Bolam Lake was possibly one of my most enjoyable experiences there, after the many yeti hunting adventures of my childhood of course. I seem to have also been taking a lot of photos of swan's recently, as these recent blog posts prove.

 

 

“I will do anything for you
  I won't lie
  I won’t fight
  I won’t do anything”

This is a quote from a greedy kid on the bus who sat on his mum and rolled on the floor cause she wouldn't buy him a toy, poor lady.

If we lived together
as one,
always side by side.
Would my smell become yours,
and yours mine?

Light

I love this morning

The air

The windows

The dying rain.

I love this morning.

Water

Water's a very interesting thing to photograph cause in a moment it can look completely different. Something as simple as sunlight can completely change the colour of water from deep blue to sparkling black and movement within the water can define the mood of an image. With this contrast in mind, after a confusing debarcle with teacher Elaine, I chose the last three pictures for my final piece as they are my favourites and I love the depth in the water shots. I positioned the swan in the centre of the card, so it was mirrored by water.  

Sky

Nature

Just as I had decided that college was pants and that I was OK with that, we started photography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was exploring traces of natural elements, with focus on nature, water and light, so I took myself of on a walk in the sunshine and met some nice ducks and talked to some men about fish and had a lovely day. These aren't all the images and I feel uncomfortable putting the chosen ones in the same post as they look all uncorrelated and disorganised, so I'm just splitting them up across the blog, hope you like :) 

Clouds race birds across the sky.

Up here I am just a part of the city.

Liverpudlian Gallivanting

 

Me and my mum went on an adventure to Liverpool and it was very enjoyable. Some snazzy menus in a docks restaurant had us deeply discussing who we would go on a meal with - I chose Anthony Keidis as I feel we would get on very well and indulge in falafel burgers and deep, crazy life discussions then go dancing to hip hop and ramble in the countryside or something spectacular like that. We also spent some glorious time in the Tate gallery, where I think I had my favourite 'art moment' seeing real proper pieces by Lucian Freud, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Philip Treacy and most importantly, Eduardo Paolozzi. My Goodness, it was amazing! There were so many incredible pieces by some of my favourite artists, I left feeling all lucky and inspired and joyful. After wandering round in the lovely sun and trying to listen to as many beautiful Liverpudlian accents as we could, we then went to what I'd been looking forward to most; Antony Gormley's Another Place. It was even more wonderful than I expected, I completely love him.

What I love most about these sculptures is the familiarity of the human build, we recognise the structure of a body and react to it intimately, the way we would a human - hand holding, hugging, piggybacks. I'm not saying you go and jump on anyone in the street just cause they're a human man, but I mean in terms of exploring the sculpture. Through creating a shape we are all aware of, our experience with the art piece is more personal as we are seeing something we know become reinterpreted and exposed to the environment humans live in, not just a studio or an exhibition hall. Outdoors the sculptures coexist with living men in the world they know, bringing art inescapably into the public.

 

Kaleidoscopicness

Kaleidoscope's are all well and good till you have to draw them. Don't get me wrong they are very very cool, we just need a short break from each other after this textiles work. I've started an art foundation course you see and did Kaleidoscope type patterns for my final prints, it was fun and all but fairly messy - I somehow managed to get paint on my feet. Non-the-less, here's what I came up with...

    

 

Chairs and shadows and that

 

Newcastle adventures

Bye bye Bay

Don't know if I can handle re-creating this in Heaton, the wallpaper's too nice.

This bed longs for you.

The absence of your skin,

Leaving its covers dry.

It’s springs brittle

And it’s pillow crying.

This bed dreams of a past

In which you were present.

This bed yearns to hold you.

To wrap you in its fixtures.

To soothe you with sweet dreams

And goodnight kisses

Anticipation (extract)

The peculiar taste of salt lingers on my lips, though you are no longer here. I dream of our time in the garden as if it were a year ago. Lying beneath kisses from you and the sun, stepping-stones along my arm. Your eyes peering at me from above the grass. I can still here your voice as if it were mine.

There is no one in the metro station

It is eerily beautiful

The late golden sun illuminates the platform like royalty

Bird song and dog barks ring in the calming bask of evening

Midgis dance together above the ticket bin

The day begins to sleep but it’s animals are only waking up

Beauty can be found in the most unexpected places

I love Heaton life!

Moving house has made me a shadow of my former self. I am creatively, emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. BUT after a ridiculous month of bubble wrapping, dusting and bruising, at 2 o'clock in the early hours of last Friday morning; the move was completed. Me, mum and Tabby said goodbye to many memories of life spent in Whitley Bay and eloped up to Heaton in a car full of plant pots. I'm now learning to use the bus, fainting unexpectedly in ceramics classes and enjoying the long-awaited Neighbours marathon. The cat's settled which is all that matters, happiness seems to make her fur softer as well. She is my life inspiration. But anyway, the new place has a spy hole on the door! eeeh, Heaton has and is everything, I love my new home.