Alot can happen in a day.



my installation which has been constantly pushed back since i started making it by unforseen hiccups is finally finished.......sort of, well i had it all set up, it looked okay, not too bad and i set up the light and leave it ready for viewing tommorow...go back to see it when i am about to leave and the light is off...the plug is super hot, so my lamp blew...great so what i have to do is not put it through the dimmer swicth, and hope for the best...also i'll have to turn it one each morning and off each evening, which means being in uni for longer than i really want to....at least it'll force me to work more.

so even though im working tommorow i'm heading into uni early to try and sort out the problem, and if it can't be sorted quickly then i've asked james to kindly sort out a light for me.

seeing as it opens tommorow (on the posters) i don't want to have to push back the dates anymore...

all i want to do is record a little of what noise people make when they enter the little space, take a few photos and then move it out into the street, which is my next stage in the installations process.

see i've been working on this idea for a couple of weeks and envisioned it as a room piece, confined to uni or a gallery, i originally dwelled on the idea of making it a street installation but thought better of it. now after seeing what it looks like, which is okay at best in my opinion, i beileve it would work alot better in the street. so next thursday i will be semi-performing/installing this piece in another incarnation throughout areas of cardiff town centre. i will hopefully be videoed and photographed (thanks james)


also, after this piece is done, i have an idea for a performance.
more like a performance exercise to see whether it would work as a performance. I thought of it while i was thinking about exercises i could make while in my room for my degree piece, which by the way i was refused of but now i have another prospective venue!
The performance this time around would be for camera, and at least 3 hours long. it would entail constant pelvic floor muscle exercises, as a sort of comment on the importance we now put in apperance and superficial qualities of our sexual organs.

some may say having a tighter pussy is great for both parties, i can't help but think its a waste of energy, i remember when it started becoming a big practice that it was touted as

"an exercise that you can do while doing other things!"

like hoovering? ironing? making dinner? massaging your spouses feet? while you read your jilly cooper novels? while you strip for your web-cam? or perhaps while your write that hard hitting feminist column for your fan-zine?

It makes me laugh because i think back to writings i looked over for my dissertations and practice research, about men fearing the vagine because they beileved it to have teeth and that they would be castrated should they be tempted into intercourse. the writings then go on to talk about instances of female "castration" where parts of the labia are lopped off, all very interesting mind you! but yes, pelvic floor exercises encourage the thought of taking a hold of men through strength of sex.

oh also fairly exciting news! Simon aeppli (our tutor) let us know of a festival in france that would be interested in a dvd containing performancce and video work from our college. being the only performer in attendance i took the task of organizing the performance side of the dvd, which will be extra work....but worth it, exposure and all that.

I also got quite excited about something which i saw the most recent E-digest:

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A.3) animate:SPACE @ TescoDisco, 25th April
Calling performers, live artists, scenographers, installation artists, sculptors, and video artists for an exciting happening at ‘Hedges and Butler’, Oxford Circus, on 25th April.

animate:SPACE was set up by MA Scenography and Architecture graduates who share an interest in unique performance events, which occur outside the constraints of traditional theatrical institutions. Their multidisciplinary approach to the design and facilitation of performances makes their events unique and important in providing a platform for new and exciting performance-based work.

We are currently curating an art/performance event on the 25th April for Tescodisco club. The evening is themed as ‘Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight’, although it is not essential that proposals follow this theme.

Please send no more than 1 page of A4 word document and 1 A4 jpg image file. Please include the following:
1. Name
2. Contact telephone/email
3. Project title
4. Project description
5. Artist bio
6. Technical specification

Deadline for application: 9th April.

For more information: window@animatespace.com

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Dominatrix eh? well having worked with one and currently awaiting more meetings with her (such a wonderful woman) i think perhaps i should try to put something in for this!

i'll be working on that from now on, and also the other stuff!

earlier today i was thinking about my work, which lead me to thinking about how our personalities and personas come to be, and wether events during our childhood really do effect what we choose later in life.

so i started thinking about every instance in which i was exposed to sex.

i remember when i was very young, probably 10-12 i came downstairs to get a drink from the bar (my family home is a pub) and my mother grabbed me and hugged me, she was in a cheerful peppy mood, she turned me around and said look polly, its someones birthday today!
she held me from behind with her arms crossed over my chest and she swayed to the music that was playing.

there was a lady stripper dressed as a police-woman stripping and dancing for one of the customers, i was pretty confused because i'd never seen it really before, and i remember being captured by the moment and its fun mood. everyone was happy smiling and laughing, my mother was dancing with me. she then said look! boobies! to me as the stripper took off her bra. i don't remember much after that.

Earlier than that i remember being 7-9 and it was the night before we were going for a holiday to euro disney, i was in my room very excited and decided that i wanted to watch tv because i couldn't sleep. it was about 3am and we were due to leave at about 6am.
the tv's in our house all recieved the same sky signal, so from all the rooms in the house were able to see what was on the one tv with the sky box.
I swiched to the sky channel and my father and mother were watching pornography. i remember not really knowing what was going on other than feeling quite odd!
it was a beautiful long dark haired woman in full frame being taken from behind. i remember watching for about 2 minutes before getting embaressed and turning off the tv.
I thought about it for a very long time afterwards until i eventually forgot it from my immediate memory.


there are lots of other events that i feel may have shaped the way i think. the first person i cared for in a romantic way. how i used to feel when i was at an akward age where i felt sexually frustrated and unable to do anything, being incredibly young and scratching my genital area and not quite knowing why it felt so nice. then as i grew into a young woman and experiencing my first kiss and first time having sex. i also remember being around the 15 mark, surfing the internet for digimon fansites (a japnese cartoon) and discovering my first hetero and yaoi (male on male) erotic fiction.

i can't help but think that these things have shaped my expressive mind.

what does everyone else think?

well i've been pretty busy!

and so i should be!

im preparing an installation the be up from wed-sun this week. i will post pictures when it's finished.
The ideas behind it aren't my usual feminist ones, it comes from an experience that i had while in london. I think it'll be a nice piece but not a super one.

im currently preparing my degree show piece which i wrote a proposal for because i've met with some resistance (all very appropriate though) mainly regarding health and safety, its going to be a week and a half long installation/performance and i've had trouble because i want to be there from start till finish making the installation.

other than that i've been trying to get a hold of Angels (cardiff massage parlour) in order to maybe do some work with the women there...thats not going too well either, i left a message and they have yet to get back to me (its been 3 days) so i am going to try again. tommorow night. I really want to at least be exposed to that scene for my research.

Im also planning to do some research in a few cardiff night-clubs....which will be hard because i detest them. but its should prove interesting!

perhaps a piece in town aswell! hohoho!

anyway onward to the proposal!


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Polly Aplin
17 Arthur Street Roath
CF24 1QR
(07969335178)
Bow_to_me_meatbag@hotmail.com
P.L.APLIN@uwic.ac.uk
www.overdosedelusion.co.uk

26th April 2007




Degree Show Proposal

“A 12 day experiment in gathering research and presenting research”- (Working title)


Where- UWIC Howard Gardens Campus, Caretakers hut

When- 26th May 2007 till 9th June, Durational Installation with supporting performance.


Work

The main purpose of this piece is information collecting and a subsequent progressive installation.
The installation will be built over a period of 12 days (26th may till the 6th of June).
During these twelve days I will be in the space (room) performing and building the installation constantly, the only instances in which I will leave the room is to use the bathroom, and prepare an evening meal (the time out of the space will be limited to 1 hour). On the 30th of May is the assessment show, where there will be an usher stationed outside the house in order to allow the audience members to locate where I am performing, this usher will not be allowed inside the house. One member of the assessment team/public will be allowed in at once, I will answer the door and lead the member of the assessment team/public to the room and close the door behind me. When finished (approx 30-60 minutes) I will then escort the member of the assessment team/public to the door and will be then asked to leave the premises.
The way in which I envision to regulate my visitors is with an appointments system for each day with 2 hours in the afternoon and evening where first-come-first serve basis can be applied.
Due to health and safety concerns I am proposing that a set of rules be printed for the participants to read at the time of signing up for an appointment.
The installation will be required to be left untouched until the 9th of June, which is the public show. Myself and 2 other ushers will be based at the house; I will be a roaming member, moving from the front of the house to the installation room supervising the other ushers. The other ushers will be situated inside the house, one inside the installation room, and one outside the installation room making sure that the public does not go in any other areas of the house.
In the event that my finals show piece is selected for external examination (By Roddy Hunter) then Ushers and myself will be present on the 7th of June for the duration of the assessment.
The nature of my project requires that I am present for the 24 hours of each day. The Howard Gardens campus will operate as normal, meaning that the opening and closing times will not be affected by my piece in the house, as I will be confined to the house. It is important that the knowledge of my presence in the house for 24 hours per day is truth, members of the public are clearly by campus regulations not allowed to visit me during any of the closing times, yet they will know that I am there.
A day schedule will be appropriated from now until the 18th of May where the final day-to-day schedule will be published ready for the show date. The schedule will be something along the lines of:

09.00 wake
13.00 – 13.30 lunchtime
18.00 – 19.00 dinner
23.00 sleep

During the times in which I will be performing these type of actions will be occurring:

Conversing with my guest
Moving around the room
Writing on paper
Recording what happens with my guest
Sticking/placing findings to walls/ceiling/floor
Making actions with my body


Release form’s for the public involved have been mocked up and will be sent to you per-request. This release form outlines that the member of the public is willing to have their image and voice used for documentation and that they are to comply by the rules laid out at the signing up of an appointment.

The space in which I propose do create this piece is integral. The house is located on the campus and meets with the tutor’s requirements for the journey to an outside showing to be no longer than a 5-minute trip. It has amenities, which I can use; as I will be living this installation I have basic requirements of food and sleep, this space can provide for those needs and also allows me to immerse myself in this piece for the full 24 hours per day.
The room is located close to the entrance of the house and would not require confusion of corridors, or of stairs for the handicapped.
The room is large in size and comfortable for two people to sit and converse, or for myself to perform and for the guest to observe from different stand points.

I am very willing to pay for the time in which I spend in the house. If this rent is required, along with some form of deposit then I will be happy to oblige.


Technical Requirements

I will be using the fitted lights that are already in the room and the natural light from the window.
I will be using a camcorder and tripod for the documentation of the performance and research, this is being provided by myself.
I will be using a Mini-Disc recorder to record the conversations with the public, this is provided by the time-based department at UWIC.
I will be using a digital camera and a Polaroid camera, both are provided by myself.
I will be using the bed present in the room; I will be providing my own bedding/sleeping bag.
I will be using a desk present in the room in order to write down statements from the public.
I will be using a chair that is present in the room with the desk.
I will be creating the installation from writings on paper (which are then fixed upon the walls/ceiling/floor by means of blu-tack, or another non-marking adhesive)
I will require an usher on the 30th of May to be stationed outside the front door of the house in order to indicate to the participants that they are at the right location.
I will require use of plug points in the room to charge my equipment.
I will require 1 litre of water to be present in a new and sealed bottle each day.
I will require simple stationary, all child-safe and safety approved by Neil Pedder.
All technical equipment will be checked over by Neil Pedder (Time-based technical demonstrator) All equipment will be placed in secure and safe areas of the room and will be approved by Neil Pedder before the public view.
I may require a TV monitor and DVD player, should I need this I will provide my own.



Installing time- 1 day approx
De-Installing time- 5 hours approx



Publicity

The forms of publicity that will be used are:
*Posters
*Web notifications (new art network, my space, deviant art, E-digest)
*Flyers and handouts (postcards)



Documentation

The show will be documented in photographs (digital and Polaroid) video (mini DV) and Mini-Disc audio recording.



Budget

Venue hire
Rent approx £90

Materials
Research Materials- £50
Show Materials - £15
DV tapes (10) - £20
Mini-Disc tapes (10) - £10
Polaroid Film (40) - £35
Contingency - £20

Total= £240


Artists Statement


“Why are you undressing Polly?”

“If the girls enjoy themselves, they get paid a lot.”

“How far are you going to strip?’

“Well I feel a bit nervous now.”

“Like now if I went to a strip club and I saw a girl dancing on the floor its almost like going to the gym”

Working through issues of sex and gender roles by communicating with people one to one, taking surveys, chairing debates, infiltrating cultural.
The questions and discussions I have with my audience are designed to be applied outside the art, to life and culture, expanding and enlightening perspectives.


Research Topics

Feminist Theory
Gender and sex studies
Female performance, intervention and installation
Obsession and ignorance
The Body
The Female Body
Action and Reaction
Sexuality
Pornography
Sex in Art
Education of young women and men
Conversation
Stripping
Relationships between performer and audience


Month Plan

March – 18th May, Course projects, video, portfolio and independent study.
19th May – 26th May, Preparation for degree show piece.
26th May – 6th June, Performing Degree show piece.
6th June – 9th June, Installation up.
10th June, Taking down and cleaning up the installation.

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any comments and suggestions are very welcome! although its already been sent im always trying to improve my proposal writing skills!

other than all this work stuff i've been hooked on the Anime Naruto, which is terribly sad of me.

I've also resigned to making a drawing at LEAST once a day. which is nice. and good practice for my illustration portfolio!

woo

“Why are you undressing Polly?”

“If the girls enjoy themselves, they get paid a lot.”

“How far are you going to strip?’

“Well I feel a bit nervous now.”

“Like now if I went to a strip club and I saw a girl dancing on the floor its almost like going to the gym”

Working through issues of sex and gender roles by communicating with people one to one, taking surveys, chairing debates, infiltrating cultural.
The questions and discussions I have with my audience are designed to be applied outside the art, to life and culture, expanding and enlightening perspectives.


it had to be 100 words max which was quite a challenge but it came out okay i think. its decent.

now about the image, i've decided to create a kind of collage (contemporary illustration style but use past photos and such in it.

im going to take some sexy polaroid and screen shots and stuff....fun!

Right now im trying to write my artists statement.

the deadline was wonderfully pushed up by a month in the last three days which has annoyed many and brought myself to despair.

i feel like these past 4 months of this year have been wasted to the point that i'm considering quitting, i don't understand how 3 more months can possibly help me.

my practice isn't non-existant, i've been doing stuff, thinking, trying stuff out, contacting alot of people but i feel completly destroyed inside and i can't seem to perform to my usual standard.

nobody is reaching me and its taking its toll, i have no joy for my art anymore its a burden.

but battle on i must and maybe some miracle will happen and i'll have energy to carry on, right now i feel like the last apple in the art barrel completly rotted through.




artists statement and pic will be uploaded by tommorow morning.

watch this space, its my own itv/bbc drama and its going to be a doozy

Its been another while eh?

well alot has happened.

i finished my workshop in london with the stonecrabs women.

The CAT show was last week (Cardiff Art in Time) from the 14th to the 17th, i was Alastair MacLennan's PA for two days with another student and it was an enlightening experience. (which just reminded me to email him!)

we don't have long to go until the end of the term (and my whole degree) and i have terrible mixed feelings.
While i've really enjoyed my degree i feel as if i am at my lowest point in activity and also orginality. i feel as though i've hit a point where making my work has become difficult and i need constant refreshing.
I beileve this is due to looming deadlines and a general amount of ill health.

Because i've taken on this massive Social research project for my work i feel as though whatever i produce for the degree show will not do me justice, in other words i fear that because this is such a long term project with alot of reading of new practices in store for me i feel that what i can and will produce will be half assed in the sense of little tangeble evidence.

its hard to not let it get you down. i've been exposed to alot of great art over the past few weeks and am determined to make some art of substance, but i also have this need to deviate from Time based live art and work on my illustration....its kind of like Live art is my love, and illustration is my lust, its difficult at the moment not to give into my lust!

Also our catalogue deadline has just sprung a month ahead in a few days. which has me a little worried but mostly annoyed because i don't have any images i deem suitable right now so im going to create some kind of spectacular illustration, along the same lines of my live art work, or at least something that will be replicated in my website's new design, but i'm not sure what kind of effect this will have...but its what i want to do so bleh!

i will make a proper post tonight while im making my catalogue content xx

I got bass sickness at the Nine inch Nails gig and felt crap for the rest of the night.

pretty good though, good music, James said they played better than ever! (like the fanboy that he is) but i think i probably preferred Ladytron! (who were supporting) although i do like NIN very much i prefer a little less heaviness when i go see bands.

this week i'm also doing some interesting stuff in london with some women at stonecrabs studio! should be interesting, and also there is a gallery opening for international womens day on thursday! great fun, will be going that solo in london so will be properly scared but oh well....

http://www.myspace.com/madchickslosingit

lovely!
exciting week

i will be sure to update with all what happens...im just really scared that it'll be...rubbish or more likely i'll be rubbish!

in other news Mistress Madeline replied to my email and wants to meet with me again! so hopefully i can make something good of that!

all coming together? perhaps!