Ange Taggart

Tagtool at McManus Dundee Light Night

2010-11-16T09:04:00.000Z

The Tagtool will be up and running in The McManus Art Gallery next Friday 19th November 2010 as part of Dundee's Light Night.

More info on the Night Light on the city councils website;

Christmas Light Night 2010 | dundee.com

Wee Bruce

2010-11-15T07:30:00.000Z

Wee Bruce was megga impressed with Aki's art exhibition at Hannah Maclure.

Wee Bruce drawing live at the exhibition opening.

He showed me his latest drawings inspired by meeting Aki.

Tagtool at Carpark Party

2010-11-14T09:13:00.004Z

Alistair, Billy Bruce & Ange set up two Tagtools at Neon Festival's final event in Greenmarket multi-storey carpark on Saturday night. Alistair set up the library's Tagtool central to the bike-powered set up provided by D-AiR and Guerilla Gallery. It was great to work alongside them.

Well over 350 attended the event.

Bitches Tea Boys work featured in the projections.

Punter pedal power kept the projections going...

Guerilla gallery projections were influenced by the carpark itself.

Here's Billy setting up the second projection and testing it out.

Bruce demonstrates the Tagtool look.

The Tagtool was really popular, lots of people having a go for the first time.

Click for more photos on Guerilla Gallery's Facebook page

Tagtool at Aki's opening

2010-11-12T23:04:00.007Z

Images from tonight's opening at Hannah Maclure.

Matthias set up a Tagtool guest book

Images from Neon conference today

2010-11-12T16:41:00.003Z

Matthias presented the Tagtool project.

In between presentations Alistair briefed the audience about the Dundee Tagtool scene.

Billy and Bruce meeting Akinori Oishi from Japan

There will be a Tagtool guestbook for people to sign at the Hannah Maclure Centre opening

6-8pm tonight. Everyone welcome!

3 Tagtool related events

2010-11-11T08:11:00.003Z

Hey Tagtool people ... 3 events happening, hope to see you!

Thursday 6pm 11 November

Informal gathering at Counting House, Reform St, Dundee for the Tagtool interest group to meet iink (Matthias Fritz) one of the co founders of the tagtool.org who is over from Austria for the Neon Festival.

Friday 6pm 12 November

As well as presenting at Neon Festival Matthias and other Tagtoolers will be at the opening at Hannah Maclure Centre later in the day

Saturday 8pm til midnight 13 November

Guerilla Gallery will be with the Tagtool at the end of Neon party in Greenmarket Car Park.

Everyone welcome but tickets required.

More info on that here

NEoN plans a Party, in a Dundee car park

Tickets are free, get them from the Neon site

North East of North

Lincoln University presentation

2010-11-10T23:16:00.006Z

"Today we assisted Ange to deliver a lecture at Lincoln University to students on the MA in Photography and Digital Imagery. Ange presented her work and highlighted the importance of creative collaborations, not just with other established artists but with people from all walks of life. We were able to present our Nine Trades work to the students. This was the fifth time we have given a public presentation, my confidence has really grown. I came away feeling really satisfied, the students really liked our video." Bruce

Project Eigg

2010-11-09T23:55:00.002Z

We went back to Thoresby One studio to experience Alexander Stevenson’s Project Eigg, a new Sideshow commission. A performative lecture devised from a two month research period Alex spent as artist in residence on the Isle of Eigg in Scotland. The audience experienced the performance on revolving seats.

"An original idea that consisted of revolving visual angles showing three very different depictions of the same story" Billy

"I enjoyed the performance, I was interested in the theme. Afterwards we got to spend time with the cast and technical team, to our suprise most of them were down from Glasgow. We discovered one guy Lee Cunningham (an ex student from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Arts) knew Laura Simpson as well as fellow Nine Trades artists Ben, Frazer and Alan." Bruce

Hostel Liaison Group

2010-11-09T22:27:00.001Z

Drawing: Billy Howe

Billy and Bruce went to Nottingham's Hostel Liason Group to give a public presentation about their Nine Trades work. They met with Ian and Dean and talked about the development of Bitches Tea Boys and the relativity and theory behind the Bootscamp video.

"Giving a presentation at HLG about our recent work was a great experience to improve our public presentation skills." Bruce.

Dean talked to us about his life as a recovering alcoholic he has collaborated with Nes and others to produce a documentary called INTO THE DRINK.

"I liked the fact they used real people with real addictions in the documentary it meant you got the real story." Billy.

Link to article about INTO THE DRINK

The British Art Show at New Art Exchange

2010-11-09T21:20:00.001Z

So impressed we were with Christian Marclays THE CLOCK we returned to the New Art Exchange to watch more of the 24 hour long piece and check out two other videos running as part of The British Art Show.

Elizabeth Price's USER GROUP DISCO 2009

"a combination of seemingly unrelated audio, text, and visual elements that came together to make an intense comment on the mechanics of the universe." Billy

"....it was well put together, the text pulled me in." Bruce

Duncan Campbell's BERNADETTE 2008

"I enjoyed the political side of the film looking at the way Devlin was portrayed by the media. She stood up for her people." Bruce

"I found the aesthetic a bit dry, I enjoyed the visual element when it was a portrait using documentary footage, but when it slipped into the audio mode, I lost interest". Billy

Drawing workshop

2010-11-08T21:57:00.001Z

Pictures from Monday's Tagtool drawing workshop with Chris Graham.

"I got time to develop live drawing/ annimation for the Tagtool event at the Greenmarket on Saturday" Billy

"I enjoyed myself, I started drawing again, it's the first time since I was in school." Bruce

The Clock

2010-11-08T20:32:00.003Z

New Art Exchange

Christian Marclays highly aclaimed work THE CLOCK

" Its by far the best thing I have seen in the British Art Show7, it's inspirational for a young filmmaker like myself, its opened up a whole range of possibilities on the filmmaking spectrum for me. I did a six minute film and I was really ripping my hair out, he made a twenty-four hour film. Thats impressive. I really enjoyed it, despite being clips from different films, I thought there was plenty of narrative. Time was passing, the audio held the film together, the edits were seemless. It's something thats so simple and basic, but it keeps you watching, there's something in there for everyone. " Bruce

The Artist Taxi Driver

2010-11-08T09:07:00.001Z

Billy and Bruce recommend Mark MacGowan's work

The Artist Taxi Driver

In the days of the comet...

2010-11-07T21:09:00.007Z

We went to see the British Art Show 7 at Nottingham Contemporary Arts today. We weren't allowed to take photos for copywrite reasons. Billy enjoyed work by Sheffield based artist Haroon Mirza.

" I liked the sound installation, he used sounds you wouldn't have normally have heard, everyday default sounds, everything was defunct. I definitely think the audio playing in that room alongside the different installations from the different artists fitted in and influenced my perception of the other works. It made me feel like a bloody artist!"

Afterwards we met up with inclusion activists Caroline and Maresa MacKeith

Billy tried his hand at a bit of landscape photography at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

Jet Lagged

2010-11-06T22:55:00.005Z

Bitches Tea Boys are jet lagged having passed through 3 time zones from Dundee to Nottingham changing at Newcastle and Grantham. Bruce announced he fancies a wee intervention with £50 notes so if anybody has any he can use please pop down with them.

Once in the city we visited three exhibitions Wunderkammer at The Art Organisation, Trade Gallery screened video documentation of Joseph Beuys 1974 performance with a Coyote I Like America and America Likes Me.

The Attic Gallery at Thoresby One hosted Joseph Hallam's show Touchdown.

Bruce on Touchdown

"I liked it, wacky, never seen nothing like that, loads of colours a bit space age"

Billy on Wunderkammer

"No narrative pure bonkers"

2010-11-05T10:05:00.003Z

I've had an email from Portia Simpson from York she is thinking of setting up a monthly Tagtool club for artists with drinking, drawing, making, discussing etc starting Jan 2011

" we would LOVE it if you could come along to one or two? Just trying to locate a chilled, creative bar or space to hold it."

If any of you Dundee based artists are going near York, or fancy a Tagtool trip down, I can put you in touch with Portia.

Tagtool at Illuminating York Festival

2010-11-04T21:36:00.009Z

iink ( Matthias Fritz) came over from Austria to create four nights of projections at the Illuminating York festival which provided the National Trust's Treasurers House as a backdrop for projecting on. I went over for the Friday evening, many thousands came to view the work that evening.

It was great to meet the festival team members who knew about the Nine Trades project from the Tagtool blog. Alistair and I should have met Portia Simpson ( festivals officer) earlier this year at the Tagtool International Gathering but the Icelandic volcano eruptions prevented her from making it so it was good to finally meet her.

It was the first time I'd been able to use the Tagtool to draw on such a huge scale outdoors. Simple drawings were very effective. I got to mess about with the pen and gamepad for about half an hour. I really enjoyed it.

19 November sees the Winter Light Festival in Dundee, it would be wonderful if one of the Dundee Tagtools could play a part in that.

NIne Trades in November 2010

2010-11-03T10:16:00.005Z

Expect another spurt of activity on the Nine Trades front.

Bitches Tea Boys are returning to Nottingham in November.

I will be back in Dundee 11-15 November...

On Monday 7th November Billy and Bruce will be deomstrating the art of making a good cup of tea and presenting their work at Nottingham's Hostel Liaison Group to hostel users who are embarking on making video based work with Ian Nesbitt from Annexinema. They'll also be getting a mentoring session from artist Chris Graham. Plus checking out the British Art Show as well as attending Sideshow fringe events on the Nottingham arts scene.

Lots of activity on the Tagtool scene, local Tagtoolers are meeting and organising behind the scenes, expect to see some Tagtool outdoor projections in future.

A real highlight this month will be having Matthias Fritz co founder of OMA International over from Austria from 10-12th November. He will be presenting at Neon festival and meeting up with other Tagtoolers. I was with Matthias (also known as iink) last week at the York Illumination Festival and met with Velocity33 York based Tagtoolers.

The Nine Trades Tagtool features at the Guerilla Gallery who with Neon will be hosting a party on the 6th and 7th floor of the Greenmarket car park on Saturday 13th from 8 til late.

Day 2 -Tagtool Build Workshop

2010-10-22T00:40:00.010+01:00

Day 1 -Tagtool Build Workshop

2010-10-18T22:10:00.008+01:00

Images from todays Tagtool Build workshop taking place this week Monday 18th & Thursday 21 October 2010 jointly supported by Hannah Maclure Centre and the Nine Trades Project.

Billy takes a well earned break...

Friends from the library's Life Group dropped by...

Unofficial Art Tour

2010-10-17T18:00:00.007+01:00

Sunday afternoon I was treated to The Bitchesteaboys Unofficial Art Tour of the city.

My Tour Guides

We met up at The MacManus Gallery to view Debbie Lawsons work.

The tour quickly abandoned traditional arts spaces and instead focussed on viewing an unknown major art work in the city

Composition with Gray and Brown
2010
Paint on billboard
Victoria Rd, Dundee

Composition with Gray and Light Brown
by Piet Mondrian
1918 (170 Kb);
Oil on canvas, 80.2 x 49.9 cm;
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas

Animated Tagtool drawings

2010-07-23T09:10:00.006+01:00

Tagtool at the Guerilla Gallery event 3 July at the Hannah Maclure Centre.

Thanks to Garry Whitton for sending it in.

Link to BBC website on Nine Trades

2010-07-22T21:28:00.003+01:00

Link to BBC website on the Nine Trades Final Gathering

Feedback on BitchesTeaBoys video project

2010-07-19T11:16:00.012+01:00

Enjoyed meeting you guys properly, love what you're doing and I wish you luck in the future. I will try to keep in touch!

John Paterson. Illustrator and animator

I thought it was well crafted, how you created a story line and how it was cut together, you made really good decisions. I didn't even register that it was your first video. Your footage worked well, as when it was edited you don't see the two types of media (not easy when you had two different styles of footage from a hidden camera shot in 4:3 and another shot in 16:9.) A well done nicely packaged piece of work.
David Yu. Nine Trades artist

Great idea. Very Funny!

Aloysius

I just love your film, the use of music is brilliant. Well done!

Annette McTavish. Nine Trades Project Manager

Great idea, funny and thought provoking too

Veronica

Very clever video. In the public presentation they complimented each other wonderfully. It was a nice mix, both informal and informative.

Jonathan Baxter. D-AiR Dundee Artists in residence

They're good guys, really good guys. I don't meet many men who make me think that. They do.

Alan Grieve. Nine Trades Artist/Hairdresser

It's been great to see the amount of hard work you've put into this finally pay off. Stardom beckons!

Alistair Wilson Library worker and LIFE group worker.

Very enjoyable film.It was good as you were both present at the exhibition and to hear your side of the story. You were open to feedback. I thought it was really effective agitprop. What was clever was I didn't feel that I was being preached at. In terms of campaigning it effectively delivered the message. It's a success.

Ben Robinson. Writer, critic and Nine Trades artist.

Bold stuff for a first art project and in your home town. It makes people think which is always worthwhile. Well done lads!

Frazer Macdonald. Nine Trades Artist.

I liked it, especially the way you used the buskers soundtrack. It was quite surreal with the tent. Doing it in your home town was pretty bold. It was good work.

Ewan Taylor. Artist, Inefficient Solutions.

You should be really proud of yourselves. Excellent work from the concept to the final exhibition. Its been a real pleasure working with you.
Ange Taggart Nine Trades Artist

Dear BitchesTeaBoys,
I really enjoy your film each time I watch it. I think you made a great balance in the actions you took and how you edited the film of incedental things (saying hello to a guy standing outside a bar as you walk past), the amazing, quick thinking acting (in the chemist shop) and the surrealism (a tent with legs marching past McManus.

It's clear that you gave the ideas and the work enough time and thought out what you were doing carefully. It's really admirable that you were able to keep your cool and really concentrate while you were doing the performance in public - well done. It must have taken a lot of preparations to be in the right head space for that and needs confidence.

You managed to get the feeling of the street with the busker and tied in other good music too.

Hope to see your next project soon,
Laura
Laura Simpson
Assistant Curator
Exhibitions Dept. Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design

I think your first work turned out really well, retaining your humour and
adding a surreal twist. The tent looks great, it certainly is arresting to
see it in shopping land, especially adding the astro turf outside the second
boots with its dead/ dying plants. Very funny. And the Mr Babbitch
electronic 'er er' buzzer noise. Quality. I liked the confusion of the
security man who didn't have a clue what was happening and you boys
just smiled and carried on making it work. It turned out really funny,
engaging and informative. That's a result in anyones book if you
ask me. Pity I couldn't get to the exhibition, but if it went half as well
as the video looks, then you boys are onto a winner.

AND all that and you didn't have to pay for it! A free natural high
(and a good first hit on your art CV's). Keep on adventuring men, let's see
where you go. Remember to keep in touch with all the people you met, keep
the ideas coming and use the contacts to get what you need. Don't let them
forget you.

Up the lads!

Chris Graham Artist and mentor.

Link to the video at the BitchesTeaBoys site

Final Gathering

2010-07-18T12:25:00.008+01:00

Our youngest Tagtool artist so far...

2010-07-18T12:08:00.005+01:00

Amélie age 3

You are THE ARTISTS

2010-07-17T23:59:00.006+01:00

To cope with the demand, two Tagtools were set up for people to play with at the Final Gathering. Here's a glimpse of some of the drawings and artists at work.

Launch of BitchesTeaBoys at DCA

2010-07-17T06:27:00.008+01:00

Tagtool drawing - Billy Howe

The Boots Camp video will be premiered today at the Nine Trades Final Gathering held at the Visual Research Centre in Dundee's Centre for Contemporary Arts. The second public appearance by BitchesTeaBoys, a new arts initiative from Billy Howe and Bruce Mills. There will be a talk on the background of their work at 3pm.

Link to BitchesTeaBoys

Also the there will be two Tagtools avaliable for the public to have-a-go on. Alistair Wilson (Dundee Central Library) and Daniel Tyminski (DOJ/HannahMaclure) will be demonstrating the tool and presenting at 3pm alongside Billy Howe and Bruce Mills

One day to go....

2010-07-16T07:33:00.000+01:00

Questionnaire responses coming in...

2010-07-15T08:36:00.008+01:00

The Spacemakers happened as part of D-AiR's 2010 performance programme, comprising of six Thursday evenings, generously supported by Hannah Maclure Centre

I sent out some questions to get feedback on The Spacemakers...

I don't know what made me think I would get a sensible answer from this lot....

Has The Spacemaker's offered a different view of what is art and who can be an artist ?

What did you learn/ gain from the Spacemakers?

How many people can fit into a phone box.
What use, if any, might the Tagtool be to you in the future?

My life had no meaning before it.

What would you say has been the overriding impact of the Spacemakers project?

I can now call myself an artist without a hint of irony

Has the Spacemakers offered a different view of what is art and who can be an artist ?
Not really, but it did make me realise how much my own views on art, its presentation and the type of art I make has become institutionalised since coming to University. Rather worrying!

What did you learn/ gain from the Spacemakers?
That collaborating and talking with other artists is just as an important role in developing my thoughts and ideas as slogging away in a studio. I have also gained an insight into how being spontaneous, rather than overly planned can actually be just as successful, a lot more fun and creatively stimulating for sparking more developed ideas. Art that makes you and others smile is just as worthy as art that makes you question and think. (Also re-enforced my view that art is a tool that can help provoke change but its always nice to be smiling whilst you do it!)

What would you say has been the overriding impact of the Spacemakers project?
Overall I would probably say it had a big effect on removing the installed fear we all had of using unauthorised spaces in the city and the possible embarrassment. Making art about cultural or social issues is a lot more effective when it actually interacts beyond a white space that only people already stuck in the artworld generally see.

What did you learn/ gain from the Spacemakers?

Spacemakers has made me very aware of how vital it is for artists to integrate more with the local community and to involve & engage them with their work...Art should be more about communicating with people and less about image!

On the Tagtool

As for the Tagtool it is a wonderful tool which makes live art possible in a very dynamic and interactive way. Its been really nice to see how many different groups are interested in using it, from doing live drawings, to letting young children express themselves, and even helping people to learn and to break the barriers of more traditional art making...The Tagtool is definalty going to be a big hit in Dundee thanks to Ange :)

On the impact of The Spacemakers

The Spacemakers project has been really lovely...The group has been so friendly and we have supported one another in exploring our ideas and letting go in the city! We have discussed our views on life, society, capitalism, space and the way we observe this as artists & individuals. It has been especially wonderful how everybody in Spacemakers has come from different backgrounds, I feel this has been a vital part within our collective and has meant we have had very different influences and viewpoints which has given us a bigger perspective and understanding of the world and ourselves within it....

Last minute prep...

2010-07-14T18:03:00.000+01:00

Tonight, the BitchesTeaBoys engaged in last minute preparations for Saturday...

Philip wears his art up his sleeve

2010-07-13T08:45:00.003+01:00

Philip on challenging pre-conceptions of what can be art....

"You have modeled something different to a non-arts audience. I think you have definitely opened up their ideas about art. Because you have emphasised that from the very beginning that anyone can be an artist which has probably stuck with them. You have kept saying this is art, I think it would have been different if you didn't frame it like that or they'd have seen it as kinda fun. But you always mentioned it was art and you have definitely made an impact changing the group members perception of what can be art."

Philip Malcolm, AXIS Project worker from Crossreach (the social work department of the Church Of Scotland.)

Eduardo Abaroa's studio

2010-07-12T08:53:00.001+01:00

When we were in Nottingham, one of the things Bruce really enjoyed was visiting Thoresby One Studios and said he liked seeing art in its raw state.

"Ian Nesbitt showed us around Thoresby One artists Studios.

I liked to see how artists work and I liked a lot of the work on show." Bruce

Bruce also spoke well of Eduardo Abaroa's 2008 sculpture 'Another World and Another and Another' which he came across at Nottingham Contemporary's exhibition Uneven Geographies.

"A lot of the work in the Globalisation exhibition needed really thinking about, but I liked Abaroa's globe sculpture with all the clothes and chains. When I really thought about it, it made me think about Oxfam sending stuff to Third World countries."

I decided to check Abaroa out online and found he's a 31-year-old Mexican artist who has an arts studio in Mexico City. He has been making work about worlds and globes for the past ten years.

I also found some photo's of the globe in the studio where he constructed it.

Link to interview with Eduardo in his studio

Jackie Luvs Burgerman

2010-07-11T08:21:00.000+01:00

Jackie 'I- can't-draw' McFie one of the Youth Project workers at Grey Lodge has discovered Jon Burgerman, a Nottingham based artist who's inspired her to draw. With a set of five fabric pens (£2.50 each) and a cotton bag (£1) she now has a one-off bag made by herself.

"Maybe you can ask that guy Jon Burgerman for some freebies? I never knew anything about Jon Burgerman before and now I have produced a bag influenced by his style! "

"He's influenced me to be confident to do art, because its achievable. Its not frightening, I see it and I think 'I could do that' ,or 'I could do something similar like that'."

"His style is just really appealing. I think its the mis-shapes and the way not everything has to be square and tidy. Its messy and its just the ideal style for our young people to get into. You can say here you go, make a mess and now look what you have at the end of it - it looks fantastic!"

The bag-pens & Burgerman combination also inspired Grey Lodge youth worker Kerri Sutherland,

" Not only the Tagtool was popular but the T-shirt design and bags. After the Nine Trades workshop I went and made a whole load of bags with my youth group." Kerri

"We have now got four fabric pens that were £2.50 each! We also really liked working with the Posca pens."

Nine Trades was able to provide both fabric pens and Posca pens for the workshop.

"Nine Trades providing the pens, that was really helpful. Grey Lodge is surviving on next to nothing, we just had a big full page article in the local newspaper about the cuts we have experienced. This is an area of deprivation, high unemployment and few opportunities. The Hilltown recently had one of its community centres reduced to rubble due to cuts. The cuts have been brutal in the past year and its going to get worse. Grey Lodge has been going for 122 years its basically been surviving on the commitment of staff and volunteers as well as finding funding. It's very worrying we don't know what's going to happen. At the moment we are waiting on a decision from Children in Need ... if we don't get it something will have to go. The services we provide here at Grey Lodge are crucial for the local community and for some of the surrounding areas too. Through the work we do we can bring young people together, working together, through this work we can address issues such as territorial barriers. Working on a common theme of arts and community, producing a piece of work, something they can work towards over the course of the year." Jackie

Link to Jon Burgermans website

The Tagtool laptop computer based at the Central Library is sporting some of Jon's stickers.

We asked Jackie - What use will the Tagtool be to your work in the future?

"At the moment it would help engage with young people. Especially with those who are not confident with their literacy and not confident within themselves that they are any good at anything. The fact they can pick up that little pen and do a scribble and we get art at the end of it, is great. It will help the fun element in this learning approach. Mixing with other people, team building, loads of things it can cover and address." Jackie

I feel absolutely great!

2010-07-10T08:30:00.002+01:00

"We were a bit frazzled for days because of this editing, but afterwards we were sat out in the garden in the sun together and I said to Bruce,

'Do you know what? I feel absolutely great.'

Now this is done, we've seen the final edit, I can't wait until it gets shown. We are going to wait until the DCA, nobody is going to see it beforehand! After the DCA everyone can see it, they can have copies, we can put it online and people can have copies of it. We are creating a website, called TheBitchesTeaBoys that people can go to. It would be a good round up to get a blog/website so we can show what we have achieved." Billy

"When we finished it, I had a huge sigh of relief as well as a buzz. I never really thought about this until today but I have really enjoyed it, I have got something out of it. Obviously having kids I have achieved something in my life, but I have always worked in shitty dead end jobs where I have worked hard and never really produced anything. This is a wee bit different I feel like I have done something. I have left a wee bit of a mark, I have been on the internet. I'll be a celebrity to my pals!" Bruce

Shoot the librarian

2010-07-09T22:16:00.000+01:00

You may find your librarian in unusual places about town on Tuesday. On his day off Alistair is meeting with Lewis our Nine Trades photographer for a photo-shoot inspired by the Spacemakers Playtime event a few weeks ago. Results will be on display at the Final Gathering.

Nine Critiques from Dundee 9.

2010-07-08T16:00:00.000+01:00

.....IS IT ART?

"Sometimes when you go into galleries I think 'I don't get that', 'I don't get that' in fact I think, 'I don't get any of this'. This is because we have been brought up to think something else is art, so when you go out to see proper art in galleries you don't understand it. Art to us is 'arts and crafts' and Art Attack TV programe, making things out of pebbles and big photos, collages, or a painting or sculpture, but now we know that it doesn't need to be that at all. It could be anything, someone could go and paint a strip of your fence or throw paint on the fence and half on the ground it can still be art. It could have a meaning to somebody, you can look everywhere and art is there, it's just a different kind of art." Billy

"I don't have to 'get it' for it to be art. Art is also about having your own opinion. Everybody doesn't have to have the same opinion as you. 95% of art might be crap, nonsense, you won't understand it, but 5% will be class, you will love it. It just depends, what speaks to me might do nothing for you, but that doesn't mean it's not valid. This applies to other things in life not just art, it opens your eyes about other cultures and languages. Just because I don't understand it it doesn't mean that it's not any good. " Billy

"My idea of what is art has definitely changed, to tell you the truth I just thought about stuff in gold frames, Michelangelo, Piccaso, Van Gogh etc. Now I see it can be put in totally different context like drawing over text in colouring books or urban interventions. It has just really helped me understand there are all different types of art and has made me look at it from a different perspective." Bruce

Nine Critiques from Dundee 8.

2010-07-07T00:19:00.002+01:00

IS IT ART?

8. Chris Grahams Stress Doll

"I have become aware by looking at other artists work, and talking to Chris Graham especially, what's perceived as art, it has altered my perception of art totally because there are loads of different ways that you can put things across, sometimes it isn't always meant to be written down." Billy

"I liked it when I met Chris Graham, he was totally down to earth I could relate more to Chris, than a lot of people. He was explaining to me about lot of different styles of arts like sticker art. Also about just drawing what is in your head and how it could help you unwind and get out a load of shit that's clogged up in your head, it can cleanse you." Bruce

"Sometimes you just need to be subtle with things. Like you say, let people make up their own mind. I have felt perhaps that I have explained things to much, now I’m learning that I don't need to explain myself, I can just say this is what I have done." Billy

"It was interesting, very interesting meeting Chris. Chris wasn't what I expected an artist to act like or look like, that was refreshing. He doesn't give a shit, he just does what he wants to do. It has definitely changed my perspective on what an artist can be." Bruce

Guerilla Gallery event

2010-07-06T10:01:00.000+01:00

Here's a few images from the Hannah Maclure centre last week. The Tagtool made its presence, it's the first time it has been used at an independent arts event in the city. Thanks to Garry Whitton for sending in the images, he tells me they're currently making a time lapse video of the Tagtool drawings.

Click for more images on the Guerilla Gallery Facebook page

Making Waves

2010-07-05T11:13:00.005+01:00

Last week Billy and Bruce met Torsten Shaw from the Nottingham based organisation Making Waves which delivers training and service evaluation made up of people who have experienced mental health issues and often used a variety of mental health/ substance misuse services.

" I was very impressed with Billy and Bruce, two articulate and interesting individuals with a wide range of life experiences. I feel if they were given the opportunity I'm sure they would be of great benefit to others who maybe experiencing similar life situations. If they were here in Nottingham I'd consider offering them paid work."

Link to Making Waves website

Boots Camp edit complete

2010-07-04T20:27:00.002+01:00

Wow, what an undertaking that has been.

These boots are made for walking

And that’s just what they’ll do

One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you...

Robin in Da Hood

2010-07-04T11:32:00.005+01:00

We finished work late last night, and stopped off to see an old friend in Nottingham.

Nine Critiques from Dundee 7.

2010-07-03T22:25:00.002+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

7) ParaSITE: Michael Rakowitz

Custom built inflatable shelters designed for homeless people that attach to the exterior outtake vents of a building’s Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system. The warm air leaving the building simultaneously inflates and heats the double membrane structure. Built and distributed to over 30 homeless people in Boston and Cambridge, MA and New York City.

Final touches to the edit

2010-07-03T15:52:00.018+01:00

Still working on the video, we could continue to work on this for another week but time is rapidly running out. So we are adding titles, credits and considering licensing the video and thinking about copyright v copyleft issues.

We have decided to use a Creative Commons license with some rights reserved.

Nine Critiques from Dundee 6.

2010-07-03T10:28:00.003+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

Bruce is currently reading this book....

6. Prisoners Interventions

Temporary Services working with Angelo

Imagine that your house spans six by nine feet, your mattress is just two inches thick.

You are known to your neighbors by an identification number, and items most consider crucial to everyday existence are outlawed.

How do inmates in prisons like this make such lives bearable?

In 2001, the artists' collective Temporary Services asked an incarcerated artist named Angelo to share with them the ways in which inmates adapt to their confinement. Angelo responded with over one hundred pages of meticulously detailed ink drawings and text.

The resulting compilation, Prisoners' Inventions, is a unique guide to prison life, covering subjects ranging from how to cook a grilled cheese sandwich in a locker to how to chill a soda using a toilet. Many of the documented items—such as cigarette lighters, condoms, even alarm clocks—are considered contraband, and Angelo includes anecdotes describing their creation and use. Prisoners' Inventions provides powerful testimony to life "on the inside" as it is endured by over two million individuals in the United States alone.

"I’ve just finished working as project worker at the Perth prison visitor centre..... I’m surprised how many people I'm dealing with are artistic. Many write, doodle and draw well. They’re often natural with colours. It’s amazes me how many are good artistically." Philip Malcolm LIFE group

Link to Temporary Services page

Nine Critiques from Dundee 5.

2010-07-02T19:09:00.003+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

5. Graffiti

Art or crime?

Street art or vandalism?

Or a trendy fashionable upmarket product?

"I've known about Banksy's work but I have never really paid much attention to it, I got to look at his book WALL AND PIECE. I like his work, I much prefer seeing this kind of graffiti than advertising billboards around the city. I like to see murals on walls, it adds colour to a neighbourhood, like they do in Belfast. " Bruce

Most art we have encountered has been in an urban setting, but we discovered this road sign whilst driving down the A1 near the village of Shilbottle.

The artist responsible for this 'intervention' required a quick turn around, the only material used was a small piece of black insulating tape. No damage done.

The question is, is it art, or plain vandalism?

We dedicate this to our mate Chris Graham.

What about these road signs?

Sticker art in Nottingham

See the Wooster Collective website for a celebration of street art

Nine Critiques from Dundee 4

2010-07-02T00:28:00.000+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

4)Reverse Graffiti Project

Paul 'Moose' Curtis

"I tell people I make pictures by cleaning"

" A simple and ingenious idea" Billy

"He can come round and clean the front of my house" Bruce

Work -In-Progress - Boots Camp

2010-07-01T18:00:00.004+01:00

Some background information on the project from Billy and Bruce...

The idea for this project came from working closely with the library substance and alcohol mis-use group. One of the talking points has been about the way some pharmacists treat Methadone users, as well as the high supervised dispensing charges and distribution of "Methadone" in relation to the amount of prescribed users.

We did our research and the most accurate and up to date information can be found in the Drugs Misuse Statistics Scotland 2009;

Prescribed users per 1000 population

Tayside = 46

Scotland = 96

That's nearly 10% of Scotland that are prescribed Methadone on a daily basis...

Bruce and I were stewarding at a football match earlier this year, we looked at the size of the crowd ( about 5,500) and started to envisage the amount of Methadone users in Dundee. That really put it into perspective for us.

Then we noticed that in some areas pharmacies are opening several stores just in one street. Take Albert Street in the Stobswell area, we noted Boots have two pharmacies within a few hundred metres of each other.

We started to think about the daily charges x 5,500. Thats a lot of money being made on a daily basis. The pharmacies charge extra for dispensing as well as the actual cost of the medicine.

Unsupervised between £1.75 - £2.65 per day

Supervised between £3.10 - £4.06 per day

We looked at both the pro's and con's of the dispensing service and the idea of coming up with an alternative service to rival its sillyness was born...... which began as a street performance and is now being edited into a video.

It will be premiered at the Visual Research Centre (downstairs at DCA) as part of the Nine Trades of Dundee Final Gathering on Saturday 17 July. We hope you will come and see it, the event is on from 10.30- 17.30.

Taking over the world?

2010-07-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

Nine Critiques from Dundee 3.

2010-07-01T00:17:00.004+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

3. The Inconsistency of Everything

Harminder Singh Judge

Current exhibition at the New Art Exchange, Nottingham

"I was impressed by the look of the building from the outside, it was inviting, it made you want to go in. It felt spacious with the glass windows/ walls in the cafe area and I liked the rock star style head on the wall with the guitars." Billy

" It's crazy how they thought it was art. I got it... well some of it. Very creative, colourful contemporary art. At first I thought it was not my cup of tea, but I read some background information on it and it's started to grow on me" Bruce

"Harminder Singh Judge describes himself as an artist trapped in a perpetual love triangle with religion, art and pop culture. He has a deep interest in the visual and conceptual mixing of religious mythologies with personal experience, pop culture and folklore."

Link for New Art Exchange

Edit in progress

2010-06-30T16:55:00.006+01:00

Just to prove we are doing some work, here's some images of us editing the Boots Camp footage that we shot in Dundee last week. It's been incredibly frustrating to just get to this stage as we've hit technical issues with the format of the video. The camera saved the files in .MOD format and we had a lot of trouble getting them recognised by the editing software.

The footage had to be compressed, so we had to learn about compression software and how to compress. To complicate matters, because we used two different cameras some of it was shot in 16:9 and the other in 4:3. So it's been a fast learning curve, we've learnt new terminology like the difference between PAL and NTSC and the fps ( PAL is 25 frames per second) having had no knowledge of using a camera or even editing before.

Now we're scouring 3 hours of footage, putting in markers to identify the frames that will possibly be used. We're having to make decisions where the best place to cut is. The whole job is made easier having a special edit controller so we can jog/shuttle through the footage.

Posted by Billy and Bruce

Modern day scarecrow

2010-06-30T16:09:00.007+01:00

Dropped by the City Farm for lunch today ... we found this modern day scarecrow.

The pig wasn't too impressed.

Photography: Bruce Mills

Tour of Thoresby One studios

2010-06-30T10:51:00.015+01:00

"I like to see art raw, we went to 'Nottingham Contemporary' a £19 million pound public art building the same day but I liked this studio better because I got to see behind the scenes and see how local artists work." Bruce

Ian Nesbitt a local artist who also works part time in hostels with homeless people made the time to show us around.

He showed us around artists studios and exhibitions in the buildings.

Nes also runs Annexinema, a popular event that regularly get over 100 people attending. It's run on a shoestring budget the screenings happen in different locations around the country.

"I thought it was good that he took time out to give us a documented tour of the studios. He was very friendly and helpful. He intrigued to hear about our 'Boots Camp' video and offered to screen it at one of his future Annexinema events." Bruce

We went to the top floor of the building and impressed by Mount Fear by Abigail Reynolds terrain made from cardboard generated by police data recording the frequency and position of urban crimes.

" It was a great way to illustrate her point.... showing the violent crime statistics in London" Billy

Link to studio website

Visiting Nottingham Contemporary

2010-06-30T10:46:00.009+01:00

Billy and Bruce went with Chris Graham to visit the Globalisation exhibition at Nottingham's new £19 million contemporary arts centre.

"From afar I didn't like the look of the building, but when we got close we could see lace pattern imprinted on the outside. I liked the lace effect " Billy

"A lot of the work in the Globalisation exhibition needed really thinking about, but I liked the globe sculpture with all the clothes and chains. When I really thought about it made me think about Oxfam sending stuff to Third World countries." Bruce

Close up of globe sculpture 'Another World and Another and Another'

Eduardo Abaroa 2008

Link to Nottingham Contemporary

Bruce and Billy meet Chris Graham

2010-06-30T10:28:00.015+01:00

Excerpts from meeting with artist/illustrator Chris Graham

On using his life experience as source material

"The art that I like to do is me being myself, thats where the power is, working with your own story."

How creativity is essential to his well being

"I don't know you, but I know the world where you lads come from and there's plenty of creativity there and critique of the world around you. You can put that to a use thats beneficial to you pair because on the dark days when you're feeling shit and you don't want to go back to what you have done before (maybe you do, it's up to you what you do with your life) that's the bit where a system of getting it out, (in a way thats not damaging to yourself or to others) becomes useful."

"Thats why I draw all the time, thats why I paint all the time thats why I talk all the time, that cause otherwise my head fills and I think f*ck it I might as well go and get wasted. There's too much shit in my head. Im not saying my life or past bothers me, but it does recur and triggers those things I don't want to get caught up in again."

Making art from found objects

"I can't sew, I'd never sewn anything in my life but I made this. I made it as a stress toy for me mate, I made him one. I found the leather by chance in the street three years ago. I used to work in an old peoples home and I collected old ladies teeth."

Nine Critiques from Dundee 2.

2010-06-29T00:24:00.010+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

2.)Jackson, Madonna, Prince by Sarah Doyle

Trade Gallery, Nottingham

"I really liked it I thought it was something different to what I was expected to see in an art studio. I didn't expect to see pictures drawn over colouring book pages. She captured the images of Jackson and Prince very well ... they are glittery guys... its like they drew their costumes in a colouring book before they left home in the morning. Prince, Madonna and Jackson as celebrities offer an element of youth, I imagine that's why she drew them like that." Bruce

Nine Critiques from Dundee 1.

2010-06-28T23:58:00.023+01:00

Billy and Bruce have adopted a new trade for the week...

ART CRITIC

Over the next week I'll be asking them the question

BUT IS IT ART?

1) The Fence Project - Dudhope Park, Dundee

"I think it's good, I like it, it's different and it stands out. I liked the way he had the flames painted on the fence because there was a fire, a house got burnt down in the park. That's what the flames signify. " Bruce

"I like it- I think it brings the fence to life" Billy