Letter to housemate

Dear Alana,

I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on Friday 27^th May 2011, I know I said it was Thursday, but I am in holiday mode and days just tend to blend into one. I know we have never got on and there has been tension between us since day one, the cause of which I have never been able to establish.

You made it clear that you do not believe my version of events, what I told you is the truth and is entirely plausible. I did consider telling you about the exploding robots, the cake and the YMCA tribute act – but this would have clearly been a lie.

After consuming much alcohol my friend Nicola who becomes narcoleptic when under the influence of alcohol, went upstairs to use the bathroom, two minutes later my other friend Lola came upstairs to use the bathroom too. Walking up the stairs Laura saw Nicola sprawled out on your bed, after prodding and poking Laura managed to awake Nicola and swiftly brought her back downstairs.

I would just like to point out that the way you have dealt with this matter hasn’t been as I expected. If the roles had been reversed and this had happened to me, I would have the capacity to accept that this was an accident that will never be repeated. I would also be grown-up enough to draw a line under it and move on.

If as you put it, trust has been breached and privacy invaded, I can kind of agree. Although it is not my responsibility to escort females to the bathroom, however much I would enjoy that, it isn’t likely to happen. I would like to think that that in this past 7 months you have come to realise that I am not a bad chap, if a little quiet and awkward. Even though I spend 99.9% of the time in my bedroom, I like living here and I am still adjusting to living independently.

I am honest, trustworthy and I also respect people’s privacy. I understand that this is a shared-house, and my reasons for living here are because there are NO halls of residence or student accommodation in Dewsbury. My friends all live at home, get on with their parents and have it comfortable in their present circumstances.

I’m not going to continue to worry about what will or will not happen as a result of this accident, because it is that, an accident. If you want to continue to ignore my existence I couldn’t really care to be honest, but it would be nice if we could be civil towards each other.

Stay beautiful,

Your Hero,

Adam

Three colours red

Things taken with my picture box

Xenophobia =/= Ignorance

Ota Benga and the Worlds Fair

1904

Although nowadays we would consider the exhibition and exploitation of humans in a socially accepted way to be wholly inappropriate, in 1904 it was considered a form of entertainment at the Saint Louis World's Fair. Although there were many exhibits on show at this event I feel that the most shocking and disgraceful was the Human Zoo. After the Spanish-American War the United States gained new territory, such as Guam, the Philippines and Peurto Rico – in order to show their ‘achievements’ they took the people from their homeland in order to place them on display in Human Zoos.

Ota Benga with an orangutan named Dohong at the Bronx Zoo in 1906

These exhibitions were designed to make people think that the white race was superior; many of the world’s leading scientists swore by the anthropologist Alfred Cort Haddon’s theory when he said that, "on the whole, the white race has progressed beyond the black race." People left the World’s Fair fascinated by these ‘uncivilised savages’ as they were initially described - it’s hardly giving them the respect, equality and civil rights that the human beings deserve.

I was first aware of the World’s Fair after seeing a documentary telling of the poignant story of the Batwa pygmy Ota Benga and his struggle to secure his own independence and identity within the western world. His harrowing tale is both upsetting and fascinating, from being born in the Belgian Congo he was brought into the public eye and described as being a savage and a primitive human, when in actual fact he was friendly, kind, peaceful and gentle - if anything he was more of a human than the people exhibiting him were.

The lessons we have learned throughout history have taught us that no good has ever come from any of this pseudo-research, just more reasons to oppress and persecute others. We are all human and we all express the same feelings and emotions, therefore we all deserve to be treated equally without fitting into the stereotypical categories that the society we live in has created.

A Christmas Memory

Adam Barsby

People think I’m nosey, I disagree. I just have a keen interest in people and maybe this translates as a bad thing, I consider my work to be very people-orientated. I am influenced by the world around me and what is happening in that world. Celebrities and scandals don’t do it for me I’m afraid; but things that are closer to home, things that are more REAL.

Another artist for whom I have gathered a love is Adam Barsby, his paintings look to be actual moving scenes, from a distance. His portfolio is very varied; it consists of some Dali-esque pieces and some pieces that resemble Paul Klee’s style of work. I personally much prefer his ‘observational’ paintings, things that look like they have taken place. His way of painting is very delicate and neat, his landscapes are stunning and a joy to look at. The characters that he portrays are all individuals and have their own unique personality and purpose. The trees are not all in focus – it is very true to life and what you yourself would expect to see if you were stood in the same position observing people having fun on a snowy day.

Looking at this the feeling I get is a slight chill, the kind you would feel on a cold brisk morning; looking at people enjoying the weather and making the most of the snow is humbling to see, if this were a photo I probably couldn’t give two shits about it, the fact that it’s a painting shows that the artist has considered every minute detail and laboriously breathed life into each character with the intention of making the audience ‘feel’ the image rather than just look at it, give it a passing thought and dismiss it – this painting stays with you.

Catch Me If You Can

Love, Love, Love

HELP!

I severely lack the ability to go with the flow. This collaboration project has really took it out of me, at least I gave it a good go and now realise that unless I have at least some say in the matter it won't work in the future. Anyway, The Leeds Debacle said they'll publish some of my stuff again, Raisetheroof have let me get involved to do a mini-exhibition/installation and Ryan Larvin said some really nice things about my work and writing, he seems like a bloody great bloke to be honest.

I purchased a new camera yesterday, it's a purple lomography fisheye, it is absolutely gorgeous and hopefully the pictures I take with it will look good too. I also got a Polaroid book - basically a collection of Polaroid photographs by 200+ artists, the photographs in it are breathtaking I realised some things about myself while looking at them and that's what art is about, challenging perceptions and preconceptions in order to evaluate new ways of thinking and observing the world. The book 'People I've Never Met & Conversations I've Never Had' by Nick White was £12.00 well spent I reckon, it genuinely made me laugh out loud on the train, that is a rarity in itself!

So for the past three days I have been cutting and sticking for this Manifesto, the blisters and boredom were not what I expected, but the results seem to please my collective even if I myself am not bowled over by my endeavors.

R.I.P TV

Well, this is nice

Ryan Larvin

I first discovered Ryan Larvin’s work when I went to the Red Brick Mill, my intention was to see one of street artist Blek Le Rat’s works – but what I found was an inspiring and interesting artist who has perhaps made a profound influence on my work and practice.

These relatively basic figures are beautiful in their simplicity. The colours that Ryan Larvin has employed create a sombre mood, the image itself reminds me of summer when the colours in the sky become vivid and intense. The figures themselves are going about their lives, quite similar to L. S. Lowry’s matchstick men and matchstick women. The myriad of blobs that make up the leaves on the tree contrast starkly in comparison with the plain surroundings. I♥U which is inscribed upon the tree looks very childlike, very reminiscent of what almost everybody did when they were younger – carve or draw the name of their first love onto anything solid.

Love Can Be Busy

What makes Ryan Larvin’s paintings so interesting and delightful to look at is the scale, 40 X 16 in this case, they are by no means huge in proportion but they allow the viewer to be completely absorbed within the warm, little, peaceful worlds that he creates. A reoccurring theme in Ryan Larvin’s work is love; this is explored by variations in tones and shades of colour. Love is something that everybody seeks and these paintings help to portray the feelings that love can produce, the Beatles wrote songs about love, well Ryan Larvin paints about love – and like the Beatles he is bloody damn good at it.

Joy Division - She's Lost Control