HIMP @ Pulse 2013

In May I set up stall at The Pulse trade show in London town and a fine time we did have there. The show itself was great, we met loads of amazing designers at the other stands and we made contact with some really interesting little shops many of whom I am pleased to say are now going to be our stockists.

We had loads of new products to launch along with our new catalogue and it was great to get feedback from people and find out which new ideas were the most popular.

The trip started rather hectically as as few orders were very late in arriving requiring a little bit of last minute replanning before running for the sleeper train. I'd never travelled via the sleeper before but really enjoyed it. We got a great deal to travel first class for roughly what a normal train to London would cost. For this we got two wee adjoining rooms and a nice, though a little tired looking, lounge car to sit in and drink g+t's with our fellow passengers. (There were no murders to solve which I was a little disappointed about but then we were probably a bit too tired to really get involved in sleuthing.)

The next time I travel this way though I'll make sure to turn the heating down early and have plenty to drink as I woke up roasting in the middle of the night. The room itself is pretty comfortable especially if travelling on a deal and you get the whole space to yourself. Its a bit off lying perpendicular to the direction of travel as you find yourself rolling about a little bit as the train trundles along. The beds are a bit narrow too but we slept well enough and it was great to wake up first thing in the morning in London and not have wasted any time in getting down.

Our accommodation in London was booked through Air B&B and again it was the first time we'd done this and again it worked out really well. On the website you basically go through a list of flats that people have space in. Either a spare room or they are away on holiday and want to make a bit of cash from their house while they are gone. You then rent the space and effectively get a home away from home, which is much more personal and relaxing than staying in a hotel or traditional B&B. It does feel a bit odd though as all the belongings of your host are still there including their clothes hanging up in the bedroom and their shampoo etc in the bathroom. As a host you'd have to be quite trusting. Our place was in Chelsea just a short couple  of stops ride from Earls Court and it was really lovely, spotlessly clean and modern with a massive tv, playstation and Sky. (Better than we've got at home.) There was also a large pile of DVDs which turned out to be all the latest cinema releases in chinese boxes.

Our first morning we arrived in London, headed to the house to get the keys and dump our bags then straight to Earls Court for the hard work. About 9hours later, just as we were putting the last finishing touches to it all, we were offered and took a further 2m space elsewhere in the show and spent another couple of hours making it look good to. (I though Ann would kill me when she found out how much extra we had to so.) We managed it though (thanks to head foreman Ann) and I'm really pleased with how it all turned out.

We got lots of nice comments from people too, infact The Confessions of a Design Geek chose us as one of their picks of the show and we got a really cool prize tag to hang on the site. (Its now on the wall of the studio) You can read their thoughts here.

Now all we've got to do is pull together all the products people have ordered and get them packaged up ready for delivery. They will be travelling all over the place this time from the most Northerly isles to the Southern tip of England and heading over the channel to a new stockist in Germany too.

We really liked out neighbours work too, including Seven Gauge Studios and Jess Hogarth.

The Universe is very big, you are very small, act accordingly

Hole in my Pocket return to the Arches with a new commissioned series of work for the Glasgow International 2012. We also have designed a series of performance events, details below.
The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow / 02 April - 31 May 2012 (Noon - 11pm)

Taking direction from the GI's programme "Real Time" Hole in my Pocket explore the experience of time from a macro/micro view point. Trying to understand the concept of "the moment"/ "the present" when viewed against the enormous background history of the Universe.

We believe that we possess too little time; this is the myth we all now live by. What is true is that we are awash in things, in information, in news, in the old rubble and shiny new toys of our complex civilization, and perhaps stuff means speed. We have lost our pace, our connection, our position in the Universe; we can no longer see the stars. The wave patterns of all our facts and choices flow and crash about us at a heightened frequency. Meanwhile we continue to live in the buzz of the Light Age. We wish to live intensely, and we wonder about the consequences. Where is now?

The 'Present'/ the 'Moment'/ the "now", as we experience it, is the freeze frame of these Choices as they are made, at the meeting point of Past and the splitting of possible Futures.

Everything that has occurred up until and while forming our choice is the Past and all action resulting from that choice is the Future. The act of choosing is the only Present that exists, a moment of time so small that it cannot be measured. It is less than the firing of a synapse, less than the formation of thought, it is the fractional inertial moment between something having the potential to occur and for that something to begin to take place and each time alternate Universes divide like cells in a culture.

In this way all choices that we make, alter the Universe.

Waiting for No man, LED, timber, glass, 2012 (More info soon)

The Last Question, digital projection, 2012 (More info)

Your Move, Glass, Timber 2012 (More info)

A Stopped Clock, persepx, 2012 (More info soon)

Time Diagrams, prints, 2012 (More info)

The Last Question

The Last Question, digital projection, 2012

In the foyer our digital projection piece was made in collaboration with Internet whizz kid and all round web-genius Lizzie Malcolm who took our idea and made it real.

This projection focuses on a micro view of Time, trying to capture the fleeting experience of thought, the momentary pulse of choices/ action being decided. The work constantly lifts questions from websites around the world in 'real time' and posts them as abstract ideas on a ever alternating yellow and black backdrop. It is very hypnotic and often humorous piece which resonates with an audience. Some of the questions being asked feel like the opening line to a joke and yet some are filled with obvious pain and sadness. It is also interesting to see how we as a species turn to the Internet for guidance in all areas of life. Some of the Questions treat the Internet as an all knowing, almost omni-present being which can solve everything; from engineering problem and history homework to health matters and emotional trauma.

The viewer finds himself trying to imagine not only who the person asking the question might be, but also pondering the story that lies behind their question. They find themselves wanting to know the answers to the questions or attempt to answer the questions themselves which creates a tension in the viewer and makes the experience start to feel pretty intense.

The title of the work is taken from a short story by Isaac Asimov in 1956.

The below animation is a small sample record of actual questions being asked to demonstrate how the screen works. The actual piece looks quite different and we will link to an on line version of that piece, once a digital home is ready for it.

Scottish Trade Fair @ The SECC

 

Here are some photos of my stall at the Scottish Trade Fair at the SECC. Considering we only signed up 24hours before the opening I think we pulled it together really well. Big thanks to Ann and my folks for their ever willing time and skills to get it all set up and also thanks to Joshua who agreed to man the stall when I was stuck in the office.

We met quite a lot of interesting folks and it was good to see a trade fair in action. Will be heading down to the big Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham this coming weekend. If anyone has any suggestions for things to see then let me know.

  

Infographics show @ Sho Gallery

Mario Klingemann: Dada Visualizations

Hole In My Pocket: Heaven or Hell & Christmas Comparisons

Matt McKenna: Tenements

Ellen Mueller: Practical Preparedness Videos

Some images of the rather cool looking Infographics show at the Sho Gallery in Cardiff, you can spot our two images hiding in the background. The show proved very popular and  the Cardiff Design Festival directors liked it so much that they have extended its run and moved the work to the festival HQ @ the Cardiff Story Museum in the city centre where it will be exhibited until the 9 November. All images are by Sp:ke Dennis and can be viewed here.

 Infographics Exhibition

Private View

Hole in My Pocket: Heaven or Hell & Christmas Comparisons

Ellen Mueller & Phil McCollam: Practical Preparedness Videos

Daniel Ulf Hansen: On Yer Bike Mate

Alix Martin: The Facts About Rape

Innes Jones: Rant #1

Streetland 2011 - The Statues

 

Here are some photos of our fantastic statues from yesterday's Streetland Festival in Govanhill, good work to all. We basically asked people, "If they were to build a statue to you in Govanhill, what would it say?" Big thanks to our excellent assistant Amber who helped out on the day and did a great job of bullying people into climbing up the plinth. (More images below in a slideshow on Flickr and info on Streetlands here)

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Streetland 2011 - Titles and Descriptions

I'm taking part in the brillliant Streetland Festival this weekend. Streetland is a festival of community and the street and will see visual art, live art, music, theatre, food, walking tours, street games and cinema all happening in and around one small street off Victoria Road, in Govanhill.

We'll be showing a new project for the first time as part of our event "Titles and Descriptions - Be a Statue".  Come along and join us if you are in the area, Govanhill around Westmoreland Street from 12-4pm. 

"If they were to build a statue to you in Govanhill what would it say? We want to know your thoughts on the "street", the things you like, your favourite places, your secrets. We want to know your stories of the area, your hopes for the future or your memories of the past. Join us as we travel round Govanhill recording the stories of the people we meet; take a piece of chalk, write your message on the board, climb up the steps and become a statue. Or take a title from our suggestion box and then try and become that phrase.

 

Its a little bit of street theatre designed to get people into the spirit of interaction and hopefully thinking about the area, the community and their place in these."

[Lots more images of the results here.] 

Himptology extracts

Some extracts from our new show at the Arches.

Himptology: The Second Coming

Returning to the Arches for the first time since their successful, eponymous exhibition as part of the Glasgow International in 2005, which focused on moments of everyday life, "Hole in my Pocket" now turn their attention onto the slippery and dangerous topic of religion.

With the Pope coming to town next month, it seemed like a good time to open that divisive question of religion and see what could be found. Our current generation say they have no religion, in a 2006 Guardian poll 63% of people said they were not religious. Hole in my Pocket have therefore set out to steal all the best bits from other religions and form a new religion of their own - Himptology. It will be a democratic religion based around the ideas of creativity (not creation) and part of their new Arches exhibition will focus on audience interaction, asking where mainstream religion has been going wrong and calling for suggestions for what a new 21C belief system could entail.

HOLE IN MY POCKET: THE SECOND COMING

"Bringing their thoughts on faith, belief and belonging to The Arches, Hole in my Pocket form their own religion and ask you to become a true believer."

As well as the main exhibition Hole in my Pocket are also organising a series of three unusual social events which are shaping up to be great fun and rather unique and exciting experiences. The events, entitled "Hole in my Pocket: The Sunday Service", will use the framework of a traditional Church service to present new art work and performance. They will be an exploration of the creative industries in Glasgow and a celebration in creativity in general.

THE SUNDAY SERVICE

"Hole in my Pocket invite you to join them for The Himp Sunday Service, an non-denominational alternative to Sunday School for creative types. Come along and hear a series of sermons from top artists, designers and performers about their chosen creative fields, find out what inspires them and celebrate the Church of Creativity in style with some group karaoke led by a local Choir, readings from Moby Dick and a nice cup of tea. Sundays 19 September and 3, 10 October 1 -2.30pm."

Month of the Book

Just realised that Himp sketchbooks along with other pieces of my work will be on display/ sale at the following over the next wee while. There are associated launch nights and parties to them all - check out the links.

Zine Showcase 19 March - 4 April
Gin Palace 9-12 April
Welcome Home Gallery 17-25 April
GI Artist Bookfair 16-17 April

I'd better get drawing - book two is far from finished.

Common of Houses

Currently working up some ideas for a touring exhibition of the Common of Houses competition entries. www.commonofhouses.co.uk

A Wee Tasty Experiment

In all the pigeon excitement of earlier on I forgot to mention that our books are for sale at Stereo in Glasgow tonight as part of A Wee Tasty's Experiment. Theres a write up about it in the Skinny here. We were asked to take part by the guys at Now Now who are trying to orginise all sorts of arty fun in Glasgow and have just recently had an art record breaking day.

We weren't able to make it - sadly - hence the reason I'm sitting at the computer and not enjoying all the fun but it sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun. Looking forward to the photos.

Saul Stienberg

A couple of my drawings got into the Saul Steinberg competition at the Dulwich Gallery and you can see them at the below link - for some reason the quality is terrible though.
http://pix.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/gallery23.aspx