Beloved imagination, what I most like

in you

is your unsparing quality.

A shameless copy & paste job, on my part. I'm loving the potential of reading poetry on screen. If it's formatted nicely, reading it can amount to a true user experience, akin to the reading of poetry from a printed page.

You know, that true and real experience, of a good solid poem.

I begin envisioning the words as they mean in my mind (a mind which is full of pictures rolling about, some being drawn from memory and source material, others being drawn as they come) and the digi-artist in me struggles with imagining the correct media.

How does one capture, convey, or recreate, and then share, the great experience of this poem?

How does one articulate "thought", using digital means?

SURREALISM, n. Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express--verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner--the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.

Poem by Andre Breton

Elements I deem Essential to the Experience

A soundtrack that can shape, carry and augment the other senses
A relaxing environment and sound mind (set and setting!)
Ability to express thoughts into imagery and sounds, on the fly
Tools for producing un-rehersed, unprepared live performance material
Context enough to make it matter at all, as an artistic attempt

*NB: Andre Breton inspired Gridcosm, and both inspired me.

By now, I'm crossed-eyed

Sunday, 29 January 2012 17:27

I'm in the midst of upgrading the EMC23 Flexi template from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5.

In practice, that means going through lines and lines of CSS and configuring the backend.

Somewhat fortuitously, I was able to skip the 1.7 release because I'm just that slow :)

I had a semi-upgraded (from 1.5 to 1.7) flexiv3 in the works, and I was able to salvage most of it.

So far, the "improvements" have all been, in my opinion, genuine improvements. Big kudos due to the Joomla development team and surrounding community for achieving this.

What I'm noticing most, are the subtle changes to the backend content creation process. More direct content inputting with menu drop downs for Add New Article/Menu etc. and the Save & New options make for fewer clicks, and more importantly, less waiting for admin pages to load!

Welcome back to rural Ireland internet...I had forgotten all about it.

[insert rant about Imagine Wimax assaulting my surfing with this: (as if the speed wasn't slow enough already!) ]

Rough Sketch from magazine

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 19:31

New Office for 2012 - Sweet!!!

Tuesday, 27 December 2011 19:29

Abbey Row Office - 2009-2011

I'm taking the opportunity to review the year, and all my years leading up to the end of this one. My new office space has proven a lovely spot, and I'm heralding the new year by reminiscing and being thankful, for all my life has served up.

2012 Blank A5 Weekly Calendar

Tuesday, 27 December 2011 18:50

I do one every year...I print out the A5 pages myself - newsprint-like recycled paper is my favourite. I add the month and dates by hand as I go, and always include a heavy duty plastic pocket in the back, blank pages for notes, a cover with custom design (the fun part) and a elastic fastener to keep it closed in my bag. I have to go to a print shop to get in spiral bound. The etra margin on the inside allows for the binding when the spread starts at Monday.

2012 Calendar

Notebook Overflow

Monday, 10 October 2011 22:24

I recall a time in my life, early on in the formation of my career, when I had just started out moulding ideas into ones and zeros. I kept a notebook. I used to scribble things down as I worked. I'd jot down my processes, collect bits of text or poems, paste clippings from magazines and notes I'd written elsewhere, doodle and design. I brought it everywhere I went, and would flip through it when I needed inspiration. Finally, I filled it up and moved on to another. And then another. And then a second, and a third.

What I have realised, and what I find indicative of my developing artistic process,
is that I have divided my work into themes.

cut n paste cover of Left23's notebook I now have a notebook for my current web development R&D - Joomla, CSS, HTML, Design principles etc. then, one designated for each of those topics as reference material.

I have one specifically for the Eclectic Meme Game development, split into two parts - "Out of Character" development and graphics, and game play/storyline material.

Then, I have my homemade, newsprint (refillable) A5 which is the one I tend to carry around, and it's filled with ideas, sketches and concepts that are still too unformed to have their place in any particular notebook.

This could be a good sign - my multiple notebooks. It means my work is beginning to find shape and definition.

What has me reminiscing for the good old days is that, at the beginning, I had one notebook because everything I was thinking and doing was so closely related so as not needing to be separated.

I have reused these notebooks in my digital art - scanning the collages, doodles, scotch tape and torn edges.

Digital Scissors

Friday, 23 September 2011 19:28

The Sprawl - A landscape built by Cut n Paste

Tuesday, 30 August 2011 22:48

Still more to do and then, an opinion to form. Despite my personal opinion, it needs to resemble a map and a city space, at least to some degree.

Pyramid City - A Brief (and Glorifying) History

Thursday, 25 August 2011 19:47

Mega City Pyramid Using 55 minutes of documentary footage, I am creating a piece (approx 3 min) that heralds the Pyramids as the way of the future, now.

The Man at his finest - conquering civilisations of old, in the grand scheme of the universe, where supreme rulership is help by only one.

I'll get there. We'll have to call in the Techbots for some much needed backing, to drowned out the glitches of the cut n paste seams, or perhaps even, to enhance them.

Left's video cut n paste premiere screenshot

Cosmic Energy Yo

Monday, 15 August 2011 19:43

While waiting for videos to render for eventual upload to the EMC23 you tube channel, I came across this gem. Don't laugh. Within an appropriate context, it'll be perfect. The Eclectic Meme Chronicles is just the setting.

Ambidexterity FTW - Left to become left-handed

Thursday, 11 August 2011 23:01

I can't decide if, this whole exercise, and more so my admission of it, is embarrassing or not.

Number One: I've been thoroughly confused over which is left and which is right for all my memorable life.

Number Two: I live with a lefty. I'm used to moving the mouse to "my side" when I use his computers, but that's usually once I've attempted to clickity click with my left hand unsuccessfully. Surprising how right-clicks don't feel so intuitive all of the sudden.

Number Three: My life finds me in the midst of learning to drive on the left side of the road. I finally got behind the wheel in Ireland.

Number Four: I became aware recently that I am almost totally dependent on my right hand to get me through my day - everything from eating my cereal, using my computer and throwing various projectiles for the dogs. Not surprising then, that I get a kinked shoulder at the end of a long session of any of the above.

Number Five: I don't even want to speculate as to what it might be doing to my brain...

It doesn't really matter how, or that it may well be embarrassing. I am attempting to wean myself off my right-handed dependency. I would like to achieve biceps that are the same shape and size.

I started small. Notable how even brushing one's teeth takes a certain coordination that one's non-dominant hand just doesn't quite have. But I persevere.

Sketching with my left hand is, of course, not starting small but I feel it is a very worthwhile, even exciting endeavour. As an experiment. I was curious to see how my approach to "seeing" changed. The focus I need to control my hand is such that I go excruciatingly slow and therefore I feel forced to study the object I'm drawing very closely. It is quite amazing how my first attempts came out with better (more accurate) proportions than usual. The repercussions might be significant.

To begin, I've added a gallery here, where I can study and document my progress. To the left, you see me first left-handed doodle. Second-rate, I know :)