Monday 28 February 2011

My phone went down today

This was the best phonebox I could find. Incoming calls only, ivy growing through the windows. I was fucked.

A rare bustards nest

All kean twitchers will recognise this nes of the great bustard. Its location is top secret.

Skreeworld downfall

Thursday 24 February 2011

Alexander McQueen - Fashion is Art

McQueen and I - More 4 friday 25th 9pm

New York Metro Museum of Modern Art is to celebrate Lees' 19 years of wonder
Fashion is Art
A preview of Savage Beauty was unveiled at the Ritz by Anna Wintour and Samantha Cameron
Thomas Campbell, director of MET ,'His work fits so easily within the discourse of art, he can be considered no less than an artist whose medium of expression was fashion.'

His fashions were an outlet for his emotions, an expression of the deepest, often darkest aspects of his imagination. He was a true romantic in the Byronic sense of the word - he channelled the sublime.

Over 100 pieces spanning 19 years from 1994 Nihilism Collection to the posthumous Angels and Demons.

Plastosis - Michael Wainwright

This new Skree work took some time making. I put the photos up for free and I don't mind people using and sharing them but please, when posting, credit them. This is my job and how I make a living. Recently I have seen my works used uncredited even with others claiming them as their own. I am not one to complain but this amounts to theft. I am a professional artist and need to retain ownership of images of the works.  So here we have a piece of my artwork and a piece of my furniture.

Vanity Units Finished

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Hull FC 18 vs Leeds Rhinos 32 2/2

Hull FC 18 vs Leeds Rhinos 32 1/2

Well the season is under way, Leeds who everyone, myself included thought must be a transitional season, have won their first two. First the Bulls now Hull. The quality of attack is something rugby union can only dream of. Peacock and McGuire still out with injury yet the youth players coming through are awesome. If you are unfamilliar with the sport then get stuck in. Nothing comes close. Wigan look likely to dominate yet seeing Leeds like this who knows. Saints came back at Cardiff to draw, never right off Saints. Wakefield who must feel that the world is against them are fighting for survival. I hope they do. Castleford, another team the authorities frown on have beaten the Giants. The Giants beat Tony Smiths Wire. With Erol Crabtree, big Daddys nephew and an awesome pack now aligned with the magnificent Danny Brough must be a force to be reckoned with. The Wire, under the greatest of coaches Smith must be contenders, Lee Briers, an all time favourite player of mine can bring down any team. The Crusaders under Iestin Harris will win a few, with the comedy factor of Mickey Rourke making a film about Gareth Thomas, the first 'out' Welsh rugby star following them will bring some press. Sadly Thomas is past his best and a little old to learn the harder code. Kyle Eastmond looks off to RU. Can#tsay I'm bothered. RU always make ill advised buys.
All told another great season ahead. The world club challenge soon where Wigan take on St George Illawarra. to see who is the best rugby team in the world. Rugby League is the greatest sport of all, if you think not, you havn't watched. Salford look in for a ough on. I'd drop them. They are effectivelly an expansionist team, only supported to have a side in the greater Manchester area, not there on merit. Wakefield and Cas must feel insulted. Watch the season, if you have never followed a season before you will find a world of excitement and joy. The Greatest Game of All.

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Pyre Chimney

The Observer of the Pyre

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Pyre Day 9

There has been no serious argument to prevent the Pyre. Seeing David Machs' match Munroe works only confirms my commitment. 9 11 says it has to be done. No argument has yet come forth. Strangely the idea ties in to my early works, where we would spend hours creating devices, sculpted forms purely to destroy. I see Caro spouting about malformation, a myth of form over emotion, a fixed milesone in opposition to the movement of passion. He may be beyond reproach, I have heard him talk yet never communicated anything to anyone untutored, superior to the poor. Ron Mueck, a great artist makes a trivia of Caro, Mueck is a great artist, Caro a foundation flounderer. The Pyre shall be a legendery art event. It may go unnoticed yet its'  magnitude shall transend. The greatest art often goes unnoticed. The Pyre will be recorded. It is a work of great love, it stands in reverence to the numis, the trancendant. It will also be exciting, a visual thrill.

Pyre Day 10

The Pyre is going to happen. The sole thing to prevent it lies in the stars. At Skreeworld we are happy either way. We're giving it a 10 day countdown.

Monday 21 February 2011

New Camera pics= Oil Drum

It isn't too bad my substitute camera. Have to do for a while.

Rusted Bottle

A Twisted Sign

Sunday 20 February 2011

Camera problems

Please bare with me. Woke today to a broken camera, I have another but I'm not sure the pictures will be up to usual Skreeworld standard. Lets see how it goes, the ideas for the shots will be the same so all in all I shouldn't worry. All will be back to normal before you know it.

JASON FEDDY - BLOOD IS BLOOD.wmv

Happy Birthday to my lifelong friend,

Saturday 19 February 2011

Magic Roundabout

The Deviant Collective are parked up on a visible site they were on a year or two back. Went to see the Dad who has had poor fortune. During the cold winter spell, unable to keep warm, too weak to go forrage for fuel he stuffed a plastic orning in to his caravan wood burner. He nodded off. He awoke to blackness, thick noxious smoke. He managed to unclip and escape through the window. Collapsing outside, smoke poisoned he pulled the plug on the sites electric. Out his comrades came to find him near death, his home and belongings destroyed by fire. He lost everything. All letters, photos of his past. Now he is trying to rebuild, a trailer, leaky and old has been donated. Tommorrow I take him bedding, clothes, plates etc. essentials. The state refused thim a crisis loan. If this isn't a crisis I know not what is.Perhaps most distressing was something I heard regarding the fire brigade. They have a Facebook page that documents their adventures. These 'adventures' are the real lives of people. People whose lives are in ruins. Whether this trend was inspired by the NIGHTJACK blog, a copper who anonymously documented his night time work, I don't know. I do know that the practice should be looked in to. I have great admiration for the bravery of the fire brigade but can't see this as professional practice. I am sure the page and stories there are exciting but anyone whos lives are involved should be asked permission.

Hot Video- Blow Torch Action

The dust and chips from extraction build up, sacks are tipped on to the pyre. A swift burst from the torch and the dance of flame lights up the evening..Click on all Skreeworld pictures to see them as they should be seen. Strange this should come up today.

Thursday 17 February 2011

Christopher Hitchens Q & A 2011-01-23

Recent Hitch interview

Gary Mason RIP

A moving piece on Garys' funeral in the current Boxing News. It is often forgotten that Gary fought 48 fights and only lost one to the future undefeated world champion Lewis who said he had the hardest punch he ever met. Lewis being the greatest heavyweight of his time, the natural line through Tyson, who beat all fighters that ended Ali and his era, Holyfield, Lewis; time to reappraise Gary Mason. If he were around today he would undoubtedly heald a belt. Such a shame David Haye won't do his duty and fight a Klitschko who the titles went to after Lennox. This is the true line as all fans should know. Gary, Skreeworld will not forget.

Hitch

I have been aware of Christopher Hitchens for some time though hadn't thought about him much until the recent well publicised debate with Tony Blair 'Is Religion a force for good in the World'. I was very impressed with his oratry and command of language combined with an almost faultless grasp of an argument. Blair, the dominant British politition of his generation was very good. I hadn't realised how good till I watched this debate. His timing was down to the minute and his words off the top of his head. Hitchens ran over at times but slaughtered him, Blair knew this and seemed to accept defeat, faith intact. The closing question on which of the others arguments did they find most convincing was a good one, Hitch actually provided a couple of arguments that Blair hadn't thought of that were the best pro faith arguments. Being in a weakened state due to cancer of the oesophagus and lymph nodes and subsequent chemo therapy Hitchens performance was all the more commanding. I came to wonder if this may be Hitchs' last stand. I hope not though became inspired to find out more about him.
Hitch 22 is a fascinating memoire though not for the faint hearted. It follows a path that reveals that Hitchens  is his political convictions. His unusual upbringing and fortune to financially just scrape in to a top school set him on course to debate with those at the very top. He was there at many pivotal points, pulling things towards what he saw as right. A tireless campaigner. His religion arguments are more than a decade in thinking so it is no surprise he trounced Blair. In this he has spent his time wisely, on the most important question.
Having now seen all footage I can find, a few clips stick in my mind. The brave stand against the cult of Mother Theresa is a treat for any who havn't seen this. Some hillarious clashes with right wing Americans. Last night I watched the Question Time from around when Blair handed over to Brown who was enjoying a brief honey moon period. His brother Peter, the right wing writer, Boris Johnson, Shirley Williams and Ian McNulty were his fellow panelists. They dscuss Salman Rushdies knighthood and Afghanistan. What shocks is how recent this seems and how well he looks.
More upsetting footage is the Newsnight interview with Paxman who clearly has deep respect for Hitch. There are more of these type of clips where he has been diagnosed. The ones that upset me were where interviewers asked him if he thought he could stick to his aetheist convictiions on his deathbed as if it were a choice to believe or not. Some take a kind of glee in his suffering. I have seldom been so disgusted by the line of questioning. What is more, and this will give you an idea of what he has fought, is there are internet sites dedicated to praying for Christopher Hitchens death. These are Christians, Muslims, people who claim to know good from evil.
From my recent period studying his books and the more trivial television clips I have grown to feel a warmth for him. There is always a danger in attaching emotion to someone you have never met however, though, along with him, I didn't take part in the pray for Hitch day, my thoughts and feelings are with him. I feel glad to have found his work, even if in his later life, it has changed how I understand many things, there will always be things to disagree with him on. What I was left with after his books was something I have often pondered. He changed his views as time passed. This most natural of things is still derided in political circles. It is called learning.
Hitch, Skreeworld is with you.

Monday 14 February 2011

Your Tape

Strange day. Felt disturb43d nby the blind mediocre folok
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Englands Glory

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Sunday 13 February 2011

Spring

It never ends so easily. Invariably, in my experience a period of depression won't end with any neatness. There are always false dawns, days, even weeks where things appear on the turn. In the fragile condition of recovery the smallest thing can put a sufferer once again in to pits. The brain chemistry takes time to find fresh pathways, these shoots of growth test for openings that sometimes aren't there. The sensation all depressives know, that gap, close to migraine, close to hangovers and drug come downs, the tightening of the muscles, the vulnerabillity to cold, the lack of desire to eat, for sex, for daylight. The sleeping just to find oblivion. The innability to sleep where thought, guilt, worry make endless futile patterns of disfunction. Finding sleep only to be ripped violently in to consciousness by in the night by express trains of information. As the brain malfunctions it finds patterns, connections that aren't real. Attempts to help can seem attacks. Many sufferrers choose to hide away as the have nothing to offer or for fear that they may make some accusation based on faulty wiring they will later regret. The horrible knowledge that what you are is wrong and will be different from the you you would or should be. To hide your Hyde away out of respect for friends and colleagues in the full awareness that Jeckle is less likely to regrow. There can be few afflictions less attractive, few states a human can be in that inspire less compassion. Some even deny depressions existence. The pull your socks up crew, the get yourself together, lad, brigade. This faction even find terminal depression somehow explainable in their theory. Describing the final act as selfish. Well, I see nothing more selfish than to put ones loss above anothers suffering. An act of a magnitude that goes against all biology. The way I try to understand this is as illness, when a heart goes wrong, a liver, other major organs it will bring you down, as when brain goes wrong it will too. There is an after. An after for loved ones struggling to understand, as impossible to understand after as before. There is often nothing that could be done, at least not by another. There is an after the moment too, remember this. You will not feel this way always, it is a temporary condition, think of yourself five, even one year ago, todays state will be forgotten in a year. The mistake that many people who have never had depression make is to think it must be like having the blues, being sad. The most frequent follow up question, even by psychiatrists who really ought to know better, is 'what are you depressed about?' About! You can be upset by something, sad about something but not depressed 'about' something. Here is the great misconception. Depression is rarely a response to your situation. And when it is, it is curable. Leave your husband, pack in your shitty job, move to another country. No depression is that which you would carry with you. That which cannot be repaired by a new set of stimuli. This is all getting a bit depressing. What to do.
Firstly, remove all possible causes however permanent they may seem. Getting out of your job is not the end of the world. Remember when you had never even heard of the place? Gently reimurge. No one probably even noticed, even if they did they probably thought you were just being strange. If your first day out of the door doesn't go well, forgive yourself and try aain tommorrow, if that doesn't work try again next week, the world slipping away is unlikely to be true, if it is well, you didn't like it much anyway, by all accounts. The return will be long with many setbacks but if you take out the pressure and feeling that you must get well today or you will lose everything then your recovery is more likely to be swift. It isn't your fault. This happens to many, often to very successful people. It is unlikely anyone will be trying to hinder your progress, they may be impatient but they will just have to wait, their impatience is their problem and likely to make them unhappy so, in a sense, you are helping them. And finally,you know who you are, you know who I am, where I am so give me a shout if you need owt.
love skree x
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Skreeworld Towers

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On Moortown Watertower

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Queue for Banksy

Just found this old picture I never posted of the queue for Banksy versus Bristol Museum. This was well in to the shows run which wasn't advertised though I heard fad a footfall of over 300.000. Not bad for a provincial art exhibition.
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Honey Bees and Junkies

The reason 'The Junkie' is so reviled, so despised is because he reminds humanity of the futillity, the utter absurdity of life, the pointlessness of endeavour, he is the silent inner emptiness in us all that we construct games and rituals to avoid his overbaring truth. The savagery of any punishment is proportional to the fear of the act; the modern day drug addict is rejected as the lowest a man can fall - otherwise why does a gesture so private inspire such terror and superstition.
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Vanity

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Cars and Brambles

Howl

Skreeworld has heard a film is soon out on Ginsbergs' Howl. For us the beat generation is Ginsbergs' Howl, the rest is pretty crap. Burroughs Junkie is a good swift read though a bit thin, his letters to Ginsberg and Kerouac are his best writings, they chart his life which was his great work. His books never matched this. Cassady produced virtually nothing, this is no crime nor reason to be not considered an artist, though his autumn years seem to have been spent as a clown for Keseys Pranksters. Kerouac is the one I fail to see any reason for admiration in, his drunken bawling bore the hallmarks of a tourist. But Howl still stands out, still excites.

Skreeworld on Class

It is only in recent years that I have come to understand the advantage of a decent education. Before I could see who took all positions of power as if their right, now I see we were totally unable to compete, like cripples in the sprints and marathons of life. It may be that only the cream attend this countries best schools, by this we may infer the thick and the rich, but it takes the rest of us a lifetime to learn the language with which the spoils are divvied up.
The tradesmans entrance. Where we unworthy folk are directed to a side door, 'the pitfalls of class and the fashion in which all English people are branded on the tongue, either by thier accent or thier vernacular.' Hitch

Monday 7 February 2011

Facebook

It isn'that I care about being liked just that if I am to be hated that it should be for the right reasons. To be misunderstood is a terrible fate. The tyrrany of words, the dictatership of language.
When the telephone came out there were similar debates, now we know and accept its limitations. With social networking online the boundaries are still to be hammered out, it is up to us to stretch the envelope. I doubt it is correct to compare it to real human interaction. Perhaps its most interesting aspect is the abillity to swiftly amass like minded people to inaugerate political change, gather names for art events, festivals, gigs, exhibitions, buisness endeavours. If you do anything too much you have a problem.
When I first went on Facebook I was scared, you could check out who strangers freinds were etc. Thank fuck they've stopped that.
The more 'freinds' you have the less inclined you are to post anything contentious, you account for the lowest common denominater. These are the opinions that sepeate you from others, your identity. The more freinds you have, the less you become.
The terror for careerists, fraudsters etc. is how we willingly give up our privacy.
There are friends I have known throughout my life, friends I feel more distant from as we all have to follow the pack. Facebook can distance you.The pack like playground bullies love a feeding frenzy, few have the strength to say what they truly feel, the larger the crowd the more mundane the consensus.
The opportunities for criminals are vast. I'm off to Spain for 2 weeks, rob me while I'm away.

Outside

Out on the pavement
eyes closed
the soothing violence of traffic
like waves breaking on the beach
streams of thought pour down my head
avalanche
tangled threads
worry
hurt
guilt

Friday 4 February 2011

Nick Cave - Bring it on

Reimurgance

Returning from a psychological burial has been tough. Guilt hindered reimurgance. Now the crap is being cleared away. Perhaps 3 times in my life have I had anything like this to shift and I'll tell you, it has been tougher than trainspotting.

Curious Orange

The world can seem lack lustre, lacking in colour during the winter. Fortunately, behind the studio, tree surgeons cut down riverside alders to prevent them falling on powerlines. Once oxidised a vibrant orange sprang out as if to say spring hall tickle your eyes soon.

Skreeworld Relaunch

After a few false dawns I think this is the real thing. I can't explain online what has taken place only that I am sorry to anyone who may have felt let down or even hurt by my actions over recent times. Looking back I feel unable to understand myself just how strange things had got. Here are two pieces currently under construction.

Wednesday 2 February 2011

FDMA Election

What a mess. Hopefully this will all be a bad dream soon.