tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70597972024-03-14T08:16:09.761+00:00PR's AlbumPR's Album is the Blog of artist/composer Paul Ramsay, primarily documenting the creative ideas and processes involved in developing 'Chameleon Lectra' and its record label 'Motile' and publishing imprint 'Alembic Books'.Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-18278893958019796372017-12-13T13:28:00.001+00:002017-12-13T13:45:48.903+00:00Card Music 2017: 'ParkSongs'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5Pa5jRh878haQs7Nyzu-Q3U8VtzcXr2KQM8rKGOG_TNiyYp_KTQLMe2tHJNBoO8ZhrY17FwH7eMuJ7cNwSwvN3uW3H9Cy19FYLmV-oX8dKvFjHJN3j8N5fzC9InGoNp2Hipr/s1600/card+button+400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5Pa5jRh878haQs7Nyzu-Q3U8VtzcXr2KQM8rKGOG_TNiyYp_KTQLMe2tHJNBoO8ZhrY17FwH7eMuJ7cNwSwvN3uW3H9Cy19FYLmV-oX8dKvFjHJN3j8N5fzC9InGoNp2Hipr/s1600/card+button+400.jpg" /></a></div>
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This
year's CardMusic has been inspired by walks and gathered photos, taken
in and around Pinces Park and St.Thomas Pleasure Ground in Exeter, Devon
in November and early December 2017. </div>
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I was struck by the beauty
of the plantlife in these parks -and how well they photograph, and am
planning to develop some visual works from these snapshots. <br />
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It also
seemed appropriate to work with this material in the development of a
new sound/music composition for the season. <br />
*</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<style="font-size: large;"><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank"><span class="medium13">www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html </span></a></h3></span>
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Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-38226859476929473082016-12-16T15:02:00.001+00:002016-12-16T15:04:54.648+00:00Card Music 2016: 'Pinces Gardens'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXbdR2GRoKqndO9FkNibDx1Jy8qri-d8Ic6ts84LqCg8PK_ZC5UYNRNwKZC15peIVZDnCFZnDNWDKYXtchS6PUoKJ9kzUIipN4RfCXmaTy5xlxncH4-bAN1F2azQagN5sldlT/s320/CM2016BlogImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Towards the end of this year old Uncle Yasmar has been a bit poorly and was wondering if the 2016 CardMusic would ever be made.<br />
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But fear ye not, for he is feeling
a bit better now and, energised by his new phone and the spirit of the
season, has been taking lots of photos in and around his local park.</div>
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Some of these photos have found their way into a new
piece of Parallel Music and, together with various gathered sounds and
composed music, comprise <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank">Card Music 2016: 'Pinces Gardens'</a>.<br />
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***</div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-25885761010639359122015-12-17T16:42:00.003+00:002015-12-17T16:52:07.942+00:00Card Music 2015: Christmas Palette Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="medium13B"><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><br /></span></span></span><b><span class="medium13B"><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><span class="medium13LineNarrow">Card Music</span></span></span></b><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><span class="medium13LineNarrow">
has become, along with advent calendars and crap adverts which begin
in October, one of the traditional Christmas events at Chameleon Lectra,
the parent organisation to Alembic Books.<br /></span></span></div>
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This year's card music is called 'Christmas Palette Music'.<br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5yGMWDC29CVRFOIgSN3jHGOXe6UrghG_TCfgLLkisFQNoae7T6rTcv6v2kL8Ui-8qC1aQ5yORpXaAAp4pMagihSz1lLhUU76QmZGMIm1bBq2N0FDY0mmowQoazc-8KlDkFyF/s1600/CPMimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5yGMWDC29CVRFOIgSN3jHGOXe6UrghG_TCfgLLkisFQNoae7T6rTcv6v2kL8Ui-8qC1aQ5yORpXaAAp4pMagihSz1lLhUU76QmZGMIm1bBq2N0FDY0mmowQoazc-8KlDkFyF/s1600/CPMimage.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="medium13LineNarrow"><span class="medium13LineNarrow">CardMusic 2015 is in fact 6 small compositions that can be played alone
or combined, and takes its insp</span></span><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><span class="medium13LineNarrow">iration from children's painting kits.<br />
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Sounds used include an extended 'manger' of
animals such as reindeer, cows, birds etc., musical chimes and notes,
domestic sounds, plant environment sounds, choirs, outdoor recordings
made during the period, ice, parties and even good old Scrooge makes an
appearance (occasionally).<br />
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<span class="medium13">As always, this work is
different on every playing - so try it a few times, using various
colours, to see which performance the card music will give for you...</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="medium13LineNarrow" style="font-size: large;"><span class="medium13LineNarrow"><a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank"><span class="medium13">www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html </span></a></span></span><br />
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Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-62060109965650144312014-12-01T21:52:00.001+00:002014-12-01T21:52:11.694+00:00Card Music 2014: Calender Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTLia_Omw-9olj_B5WqcrROzgWOoQiJ84NB3zbPyBlYBiijJ-dBKyERWrucmvdtEQzq9wWqnh70s3JnpLiPvOtffwX_awJTtJgN7Kn3uHz_wbsC8v-MlEWI42hufhUcxXkaIX/s1600/CalenderMusicBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTLia_Omw-9olj_B5WqcrROzgWOoQiJ84NB3zbPyBlYBiijJ-dBKyERWrucmvdtEQzq9wWqnh70s3JnpLiPvOtffwX_awJTtJgN7Kn3uHz_wbsC8v-MlEWI42hufhUcxXkaIX/s1600/CalenderMusicBook.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Here is this year's card music in the form of a Calender MusicBook:<br />
<a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html">http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html</a><br />
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more soon...</div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-25385861459001122772014-01-03T22:43:00.003+00:002014-01-03T22:43:59.704+00:00P<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">.</span></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-78038086864536637632014-01-01T20:21:00.003+00:002014-01-03T11:10:23.409+00:00into 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #2fac99;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A New Year and a time to review/declare plans.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<img alt="'the snow globe'" border="0" height="378" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/RobinBooks.png" title="new year re sol" width="315" /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />INVENTORY</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">2014 will see the publication at least 3 Alembic Books:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">KHARTOUN</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">(tra ex) Jectories Tra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Crimson Full Stops</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Songs of Garden Guitars and A Tapestry of British Birdsong also require a finish and an airing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://chameleonlectra.co.uk/">chameleonlectra.co.uk</a> and <a href="http://paulramsay.co.uk/">paulramsay.co.uk</a> need to be reinvented.<br /><br />More painting is due (I have a small commission).<br /><br />Shelves are required to prepare for a move.<br /><br />PMusic calls...<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">- this entry is a foothold -</span><br />
<br /></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-87574684264431106262013-12-21T11:41:00.002+00:002013-12-21T13:11:08.524+00:00Card Music 2013 - origins and futures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank"><img alt="'the snow globe'" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/CardMusic-2013.jpg" title="click for music" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html">card music 2013: 'the snow globe' (free music)</a><br /><br />Memory plays funny tricks. After working on my most recent PMusic composition <i><a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank">the snow globe</a></i>,
I began to wonder how many pieces of 'Card Music' I had made during the
past few years - how many shakes of the glass have there been?<br /><br />Looking
back through my files, I see I began Card Music in 2004, the year I
released my CD '<a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/Inlets.html" target="_blank">Inlets</a>', and this version featured a recorded/RMusic
piece from the next planned album (with no real animation) entitled <i>subtle energies</i>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/carolcloud04.jpg" vspace="2" /><br />At
the time, I just saw this musical Christmas card as a way of reaching
family and friends and didn't suspect how much the idea would grow. I
didn't even issue a card in 2005 but in '06 I made my first PMusic Card
Music, with an animated card sequence and washes of 'found' carols and
seasonal song<i> </i>I named<i> Carol Cloud. </i>This was an exploration
of the possibilities of harmonies colliding, pushing and aligning with
one another and was well received, especially by an MA fine art group to
whom I gave a talk about my work. This encouraged me to continue and
publicise Card Music more widely, esp. via the <a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/" target="_blank">Chameleon Lectra</a> website.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/carolmoon06.jpg" vspace="2" /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/frostedmusic08.jpg" vspace="2" /><i><br />Carol Moon</i> of 2007
continued and extended the idea of harmonic tensions not found in the
original recordings, and in 2008, under the influence of my <a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/consemble.html" target="_blank">CONSEMBLE</a>
project, I made <i>Frosted Music </i>built entirely from guitars.<br /><br />I wasn't satisfied with <i>Noël</i> of 2009 which included a systems music approach in with the mix of Christmas tunes</span></span><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="st">—</span>thinking it rather stale I didn't promote it</span></span><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="st">—</span>and
so for 2010 took a whole new approach to make an original PMusic piece
from my own playing (with just a small amount of caroling samples)
called <i>Season's Greetings.</i><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/seasonsgreetings10.jpg" vspace="2" /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/robinsongs11.jpg" vspace="2" /><br />2011's <i>Robin Songs</i> moved
away from music entirely and featured an <a href="http://www.nous.org.uk/oulipo.html" target="_blank">OULIPO</a>-like animated,
chance-selected sequence of the letters r o b i n which in turn
determined the order of a sequence of Nets, featuring various short (and
some slowed-down) recordings of robins at song.<br /><br /><i>Festive Six</i> (2012) recycled the music from <i>Season's Greetings</i> but used indeterminacy in the webpages to choose from a possible 6 outcomes.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/snowglobe13.jpg" vspace="2" /><br />The current Card Music of 2013 </span></span><i><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/card_music.html" target="_blank">the snow globe</a></span></span></i><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i> </i>brings
a lot of these ideas together, in that it uses: an animated sequence of
indeterminately-selected, found seasonal imagery, 6 themed Nets (for
visuals and music) and a framing narrative. The music is an extension of
<i>Season's Greetings</i> with additional content (including reindeer </span></span><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">barking </span></span> and old cylinder recordings from the early 1900s).<br /><br /><br />It now becomes clear to me that Card Music is a compositional opportunity in its own right (rather than an informal calling card) and this year I have housed it on the new Alembic Books site to draw an audience and promoted it via Facebook, as well as the usual channels (this blog, CL website etc.).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/paul.ramsay.alembicbooks" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/paul.ramsay.alembicbooks</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/AlembicBooks">http://www.facebook.com/AlembicBooks</a><br /><br />Next year's work for 2014 will be an entirely new piece with original music and<i> </i>graphics. On Thursday I bought a kit to make small ice guitars (for drinks) so maybe this will provide inspiration...<i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-89489113291005111452013-12-21T11:38:00.002+00:002013-12-21T11:38:43.462+00:00'A Book is a Situation'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/coloured-chalk-dog.jpg" vspace="4" /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The rainbow attaches itself</span><i><br /><br />Some speculative writing:</i><br />
<br />
I coined the above titlephrase in a notebook back in 1997 when thinking about my digital work, as I often used the form of the book (metaphor of the book(?)) both to structure my material and suggest perhaps the idea of the 'magic book' - a book in which the images and words 'come to life'.<br />
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Books can of course be magical in themselves, in the realm of the mind, but when I first started reading I can remember the childhood desire for pages to be animate and responsive<span class="st">—</span>or even an environment<span class="st">—</span>a place that you could <i>step inside and visit</i>. Some early reading even suggested this in itself: 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' -and even the film 'Mary Poppins' (Stevenson 1964), where it was possible to jump into a coloured chalk drawing sketched on the ground.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fromoldbooks.org/CharlesMorris-RoyalChildren/pages/002-boy-in-a-box/" target="_blank"><img alt="Boy in a Box" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/002-boy-in-a-box-q85-500x281.jpg" /></a>
<br />The illustrations in books assist in this, especially engravings<span class="st">—</span>where the intricate lines conspire to hypnotize and beckon the eye.<br />
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This seems to me a natural, intuitive aspect of what is now called metatextuality: something beyond the rigid, one dimensional code of reading that insists that writing is closed, that chalk drawings are unvisitable, that you cannot 'cut a hole in the sky' (<span class="st">à</span> la Yoko Ono). The creative tension lies in the paradox that you are both aware of reading a text and transcending it at the same time.<br />
<br />
So perhaps a book is best thought of as not being defined by print and paper but in relation to what it encloses, what it offers:<br />
'A Book is an Environment'<br />
'A Book is a Clearing'<br />
'A Book is a...' offered over to a fresh phrase picked by author/reader.<br />
<br />
In this, the idea of the book becomes an organising principle, independent of the material from which it is constructed.<br />
<br />
It is this thought that entices me to make Lectra in the form of interactive, digital books<br />
(and bookworks in the form of interactive, printed books ;-)
<br />
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<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/a book is a situation card.jpg" /></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-50115376608685838412013-08-16T13:02:00.001+00:002013-08-16T19:37:50.084+00:00It Was A Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
and I was waiting for my bookshelves to arrive.<br />
<br />
My allocated time slot: 12.30pm to 4.30pm broke the day in half.<br />
<br />
pre:<br />
Breakfast of egg, sausages, mushrooms and toast. Shower. Add text to <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/Positions_preview.html" target="_blank">previews</a> on alembic books webpages. Correspond. Listen to '<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0380rw8/episodes/guide" target="_blank">The Sins of Literature</a>' BBC Radio 4 - remain sceptical but somehow drawn in, seduced by the idea of 'being a writer'. Coffee. This blog.<br />
<br />
shelf<br />
<i>delivery arrived on the dot of 4</i><br />
<br />
post:<br />
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<a href="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/bookshelf-tall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/bookshelf-tall.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>
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Easily assembled, new home for LPs, books an ting. Caused a reorganising mood to sweep over me, so some books thrown, many repositioned. Alembic still needs a proper space but it'll do for now. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/bookshelf-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/bookshelf-wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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TV. Cold sausages with warm mash and vegetables. Possibly small tin of Jack Daniels and ginger wine.</div>
<br /></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-52568301321069910652013-07-31T22:30:00.000+00:002013-08-16T12:51:14.057+00:00Posting July: 31/7/2013 and Alembic Books is live<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/watercolourbooks.jpg" width="320" alt="Alembic Books - go fetch the water" /></a></div>
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Alembic Books is now officially live: <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/">www.alembicbooks.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
There are 4 books in the Summer 2013 release, all available separately and in paperback and hardback versions:<br />
<br />
Alembic 1: <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/Positions.html"><b>POSITIONS: A Question of Sexual Mores</b></a><br />
Alembic 2: <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/82Scores.html"><b>82 scores</b> <b>(for music)</b></a><br />
Alembic 3: <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/PoemsAndOtherInsects.html"><b>POEMS and other insects and other poems</b></a><br />
Alembic 4: <a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk/JectoryTra.html"><b>Jectory Tra</b></a><br />
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• The paperbacks are the affordable, reading version with B&W printing<br />
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• The hardbacks have colour illustrations with black text*<br />
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—all have colour covers.<br />
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I will be posting here soon on each book, with previews and background information provided. The intention is to be as creative and versatile as possible - just reach for that brush...<br />
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A l e m b i c B o o k s<br />
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<i>* with the exception of Jectory Tra, which is a definite, black and white bookwork</i><br />
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Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-1380205246829717082013-06-22T09:36:00.000+00:002013-08-01T11:52:11.003+00:00Scanning June<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.alembicbooks.co.uk"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/scannedpalette.jpg" title="Alembic Books - radical palette" /></a><br />
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Slowly, but surely, work on Alembic continues with more minor revisions - the odd tweaking of text here, the repositioning of a graphic there - and decisions on final generic content, such as descriptions, Alembic numbers, barcodes and... promotion.<br />
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I'm wary of the idea of advertising as on one hand I do want to sell books and make a profit, if possible, but on the other I'm sensitive to the fact that we are bombarded (and herded) by the ideology of selling in the throes of late capitalism.<br />
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My only negotiating strategy is to be a spanner in the works.
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<a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AlembicBooks"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/versePointThumb.jpg" title="Alembic Books - versepoint" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">withdrawals available from Alembic Books</span><br />
<a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AlembicBooks">www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AlembicBooks</a></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-36136239287044018032013-04-30T14:44:00.004+00:002013-10-29T20:58:41.507+00:0082 Proof<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img src="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/82scoresProofArrives.jpg" /><br />
The first of the last swathe of proof reading material arrived on Monday, in preparation for the 2013 launch. I'm pleased that ordering from blurb.com is an efficient and fairly speedy service - it usually takes just under a week for an ordered book to arrive.<br />
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I was originally going to publish <b>82 scores</b> solely as a paperback in colour but, on reflection, felt it would be best for it to be part of the initial b&w quartet I am going to publish in July. This also keeps it in line with the cost of the other paperbacks.<br />
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However, in addition, I've decided to release a colour, hardback version of the scores - signed - to accommodate those who don't mind spending a bit more and would welcome something robust for throwing at a tone-deaf partner/barking dog/Justin Bieber etc.*<br />
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<i>* this is a joke. <b>82 scores</b> does not condone violent actions (unless they are in the creation of music ;-)</i></div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-81438471875501004322013-04-25T19:51:00.003+00:002013-10-29T21:00:59.017+00:00Alembic 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Alembic graphic" height="110" src="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/Retort.jpg" vspace="4" width="144" />
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After a timely pause I am back here to describe my artlife over the past year; April 2012 has become April 2013 all too quickly.<br />
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My main focus has been on writing (poetry and experimental texts) and the relaunching of my imprint, <b>Alembic Books</b>, for these digital times.<br />
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In some ways, this has been a natural progression from my involvement in Songs of Garden Guitars, A Tapestry of British Birdsong and Books in Sound and Light as each of these has featured an interactive notebook or similar, and all have been underpinned by creative writing in their development (see previous blog entries).<br />
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I began Alembic in 1990, just after I graduated, as a means of keeping my artwork going. Initially, I began this independent imprint to publish my book of music directives '52 Scores' (which began as scores written for my degree). This was quickly followed by a succession of titles: '11 more scores', 'Positions', 'Poems and other insects' and more performative works: 'A Book Thrown Into the Sea' and its sequel (at the suggestion of Katie Buckley) 'A Book Dunked Into some Tea'. Other books and collaborations were also worked on but not published including 'Collages' with Oona Campbell and 'Khartoun' with Geoff Stocker. <br />
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In 2012, I decided I would take advantage of the new publishing opportunities opened up by the internet and the proliferation of the digital devices and reinvent Alembic Books to allow my voice to be heard, once again, but this time by a larger audience.<br />
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After a series of trial runs, I decided to use Blurb.com to publish my work via POD. The first four books will be released on the 31st July 2013 with several more planned. New works will include a second book of poetry, a book of cartoons by Geoff Stocker and more experimental writings.<br />
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Today, I created a facebook page for Alembic: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AlembicBooks">www.facebook.com/AlembicBooks</a><br />
and will be exploring other promotional outlets over the next few months.<br />
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More on my bookworks and writings will be posted soon.</div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-25598023492973295912012-04-15T08:15:00.033+00:002012-04-16T20:40:11.309+00:00Libraries<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/library1.jpg" /><br />As mentioned in my <a href="http://pralbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/book-of-next-things_13.html">Book of Next Things post</a> I have found working on the webpages for 'Books in Sound and Light' very useful in thinking-through ideas and strategies.<br /><br />Initially, my plan was to use the BiSaL site as a showcase for new digital bookworks but as I considered the menu items (the content) for this site it became clear that it might be useful as a means of showing my online note books (<a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/sketchBook.html">Chameleon Lectra Sketchbook area</a> and the one for <a href="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/SoGG/aboutSoGG.html">SoGG</a>) plus earlier works, including 'A Book of Evaporation' (1994) and 'Kiss Cuts' (1995), as well as 'Collages' (1995), '82 Scores' (1996) and 'A Book of Hoverpoems' (2000).<br /><br />This, in turn, led me to think about re-releasing my Alembic catalogue in printed book form (although some such as '82 Scores' also have an interactive version). Alembic Books was a small imprint I began shortly after graduating in 1990. There were several in the series, each with its own ISBN number and represented my first contact with Apple computers and desktop publishing (and stapling copious sheets of folded A4 paper!).<br /><br />I will blog more about Alembic in a separate entry but the point here is that have begun to explore ways of making them available again (perhaps via <a href="http://www.lulu.com/">Lulu.com</a>) and adding more books to the series: the unpublished 'Khartoun' (begun in 1991) featuring drawings by Geoff Stocker and a new title called 'mourHu'.<br /><br />The advent of self publishing on the net and the rise of eBooks, iPads etc. means that I can finally marshal my forces; it feels as if the technology has caught up with my ambitions.<br /><br />So, books, books, books.Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-15659413633417664242012-04-14T15:34:00.039+00:002013-06-22T09:56:51.261+00:00The Rising of the Titanic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.gavinbryars.com/Pages/titanic_point.html"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/Titanicgraphic.jpg" /></a><br />
There has been lots of coverage recently, especially on TV, of the story of the sinking of the Titanic - today being taken as the 100th 'anniversary' of the disaster <i>(the iceberg was struck at 11.40pm on the 14th and the ship had sunk by around 2.20am of the 15th).</i><br />
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This has reminded me of one of the seminal influences on my artistic life. After reading a review that fascinated me in Melody Maker I was delighted to find a copy of Gavin Bryars' 'The Sinking of the Titanic' when visiting my friend Robin Watts in Southampton (not realising how appropriate this was at the time). This would have been around late 1980, when Robin and I, along with Geoff Stocker and Shane Jarvis were active in the band PGRS.<br />
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I recommend this record - the first on Brian Eno's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscure_Records">Obscure Records label</a> (a large inspiration for me in itself) - both for the title track and the piece 'on the other side': <a href="http://www.gavinbryars.com/Pages/jesus_blood_never_failed_m.html">'Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet'</a>. I remember listening to this with Robin while we both tried to manfully hold back the tears - try it, it's a very moving experience. At its heart is the looped fragment of a recording of an 'old tramp' (as described in the liner notes of the LP) singing the eponymous hymn; gradually Bryars' orchestral accompaniment fades in over each circuit of the loop, so that the old man's singing becomes an elegaic triumph of faith over the ravages of time.<br />
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It is the first side however, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bryars-Sinking-Titanic-Jesuss-Failed/dp/B0000269VM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">'The Sinking of the Titanic'</a>, that really captured my imagination though the description of the conceptual underpinnings of the piece - a 'score' of sheer beauty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gavinbryars.com/Pages/titanic_point.html"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/TSOTTsmall.jpg" /></a><br />
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What really struck me was the rich combination of using Marconi's postulation 'sounds once generated never die' with the overlapping, sometimes contradictory accounts of the music played by the heroic band and an actual recording by one of the survivors: 'Miss Eva Hart'. Bryars has combined these to form an ambiguous, 'open' work which reconstructs, via the imagination, music washing around in the Atlantic as a continuous, watery requiem.<br />
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<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/iceberg%20graphic.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 78%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">“THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strings: The Cockpit Ensemble </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(directors Howard Rees and Howard Davidson)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">With John Nash, violin and Sandra Hill, double bass. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conducted by Gavin Bryars.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Additional tapes using music played by the strings </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">of the New Music Ensemble of San Francisco Conservatory </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">of Music directed by John Adams, prepared at the studio </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">of the Department of Physics, University College, Cardiff, </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">with technical assistance of Keith Winter and Graham Naylor.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gavin Bryars, piano; Angela Bryars, music box;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miss Eva Hart, Spoken voice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Side Two</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">“JESUS' BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Orchestra consisting of The Cockpit Ensemble</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(directors Howard Rees and Howard Davidson);</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Derek Bailey, guitar; Michael Nyman, organ;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Nash, violin; John White, tuba; Sandra</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hill, double bass. Conducted by Gavin Bryars.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Liner illustrations by Angela Bryars</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Produced by Brian Eno </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">OBSCURE OBS 01 - 1975 </span></span><br />
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<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/dog%20graphic.jpg" /><br />
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Bryars has re-recorded these pieces but following <a href="http://pralbum.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/rule-of-first-things.html">the rule of First Things </a>(q.v.) it's the originals that I prefer.<br />
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<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/st1.jpg" /><br />
The <a href="http://www.hardformat.org/49/gavin-bryars-sinking-of-the-titanic/">packaging for the Touch release (2007)</a> is very well appointed though...</div>
Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-75933195514270522612012-04-13T19:30:00.002+00:002012-04-14T15:28:22.269+00:00The Book of Next Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://blogspot.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Google_Blogger_1334248521014_paul-ramsay_1334248655020&flipbookCode=57a9f4d0bc06e25575b99984fcb507" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/BlogBookPic200.jpg"></a><br /><br />My my. A year to the day.<br /><br />Over the past few weeks I've been feeling unwell and consequently reflecting on the amount I have achieved and what it is I want to give my energies to next. Thankfully, one of the things I have been able to do - in between bouts of tiredness and muscle-ache - is to revisit some of my earlier works and pick up on some of the threads found therein.<br /><br />My next plans for SoGG (more of which later) involve another round of gtr recordings but I'll have to wait for my physical health to return before I can do this. Also as I have been concentrating on this for a few months now, I have felt a break from it would be useful.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/yscriptorium200.jpg" /><br />So, to cut a long story short, I began a new web area, modelled on the SoGG one, called 'Books In Sound And Light' (a title I have had in mind for some time). The purpose of this new site* is to allow me to think through ideas for bookworks and how to present them.<br /><br />In turn, this has led to the development of the following over the past couple of weeks:<br /><br />• <b>'A Book of Hot Coals'</b> from a planned set of online books, based on some improvisations I did in Adobe Director after after 'Kiss Cuts'.<br /><br />• <b>'mourHu'</b> - a book for print, in the spirit of Alembic Books, my imprint in the 1990s<br /><br />• <b>'PR's Album'</b> - A printed version of this blog, 2004-11 (via Blog2print)<br /><br />It has been the preparation of the latter and subsequent the re-reading of parts of this blog that has persuaded me to continue here. I had been wondering whether to begin afresh, to give the opportunity for a new kind of authorial voice, now that this blog has been running for several years; I delayed the decision which has amounted to indecision (and no entries). Another reason for the blank pages has been my focus on SoGG and its attendant interactive notebook.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/SoGG-notebook200.jpg" /><br /><br />However I do feel I've kind of set up camp here so that a change doesn't feel right at this time, especially as this blog has generated a new bookwork ;-)<br /><br /><i>So (once again, on this Friday 13th - a lucky day for me):</i><br />More Soon!<br /><br /><br />* Currently BiSaL is an area within paulramsay.co.uk but I am considering making it a separate site.</div>Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-48836087872146625362011-04-13T21:23:00.028+00:002012-04-13T09:04:36.373+00:00Diary of Work on SoGG<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/written_notes1.jpg" /><br /><b>SoGG schedule (notes to self)</b><br /><br /><i>I wish to document the progress and development of this new suite and am even considering starting a new blog for this purpose. In the meantime, the following is an attempt to trace some of the footprints of work on Songs of Garden Guitars:</i><br /><br />Begun Fri April 1st with inspiration of reworked title and reinvention of CD cover (from British Library's 'Songs of Garden Birds').<br /><br />1st movie templates made: Guitar Birds Songs 1 to 4. Blackbirdstarter folder made of actual blackbird song for ref (mainly length of phrases and gaps between).<br /><br />Sat 2/4/11 First recording session<br /><br />Sun 3/4/11 First Sons made ('B' Sons for Guitar Birds Songs 1)<br /><br />Mon 4/4/11 Work on interactive templates; work on Guitar Birds Songs 1 & 2<br /><br />Tue 5/4/11 New bird silhouette graphic for player 2<br /><br />Wed 6/4/11 (University School day) Notes on train for ideas regarding presentation, concept and performance rules<br /><br /><i>(Q -- when did I work on Guitar Birds Songs 3?)</i><br /><br />Thur 7/4/11 Scanned written notes<br /><br />Fri 8/4/11 More visual ideas for gtr/bird graphic, general layout of design. Recording session.<br /><br />Sat 9/4/11 Spoken notes made (as mp3s), online research on birdsong (including this article on vocal development in birds: <a href="http://stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Vocal_Development.html">http://stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Vocal_Development.html)</a>; recording session; making of Sons<br /><br />Sun 10/4/11 'Second wing Guitar Birds Song 4' - recording; making of Sons<br /><br />Mon 11/4/11 More spoken notes made; Recording session (went very well)<br /><br />Tue 12/4/11 Making of Sons (selection, adjusting, naming)<br /><br />Wed 13/4/11 Integrating of Sons and new Nets for Guitar Birds Songs 4<br /><br />Thur-Fri 14-15/4/11 More work on GBS4 - selection and recategorising of Sons; development of more Net ideas including 'solos' as x4 repeatsPaul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-71154534689351579542011-04-07T18:49:00.006+00:002012-04-13T09:04:25.665+00:00SoGG<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/greenBsilhouette.jpg"><br /><br />Today has been the first day this year when a coat has not been needed when venturing outside... so what better time to begin blogging again after a Winter of cold and blank spaces.<br /><br />And, I have also begun working on a new piece of PMusic: <b>Songs of Garden Guitars</b> and will document its development here.Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-12482584371988774692010-09-12T10:20:00.005+00:002012-04-13T09:04:15.248+00:00PMusic EP007<a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AWalkAwayFromYou/AWalkAwayFromYou.html"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/CarlaSingleBlackBg.jpg"></a><br />2010 (9th September):<br />Have now launched a new, free PMusic SINGLE entitled 'A Walk Away From You (Keeping Quiet)' in collaboration with artist/composer/vocalist Carla J. Patterson (AKA Carla Cryptic) - have a listen at: <a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AWalkAwayFromYou/AWalkAwayFromYou.html">www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/AWalkAwayFromYou/AWalkAwayFromYou.html</a><br /><br />feedback welcome ;-)Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-73429801808127117012010-05-17T17:30:00.003+00:002012-04-16T12:52:44.702+00:00NetNoMusichttp://www.paulbailey.us/2010/01/19/rip-netnewmusic-2008-2010/Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-14125145230897540682010-05-15T09:15:00.004+00:002012-04-15T15:47:18.417+00:00The Rule of First ThingsThe Rule of First Things states:<br /><br />'The first thing you do, or encounter,<br />tends to be the best version.'Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-53587022048249067492010-05-08T13:11:00.015+00:002010-05-17T19:27:26.033+00:00FloriographyYou know how you just come across something one day and it can be the seed of future work...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/rfo/vane-contemporary-art/"><img src="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/NFox.jpg" /></a><br />I was reading Saturday's 'Guide' (published by the Grauniad newpaper), and in the exhibitions section there was a review of Nick Fox's <a href="http://www.artrabbit.com/uk/events/event/18243/nick_fox_phantasieblume">Phantasieblume</a> - 'a series of paintings inspired by the Victorian cultural phenomenon of Floriography'...<br />This does look like a terrific show but my interest was really captured by that word <b>'Floriography'</b> - the combination of nature and science, and the echoes of my previous research areas - Phonography, Graphophone, Sonograph etc.<br /><br />Writing with flowers - writing with fruit?<br /><br />And so I came to thinking about some new words to inform my ideas for painting and made a <a href="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/sketchBook_p12.html">sketchBook entry</a>.<br /><br />----------------------------<br /><br /><img src="http://www.chameleonlectra.co.uk/LibConFlowers.jpg" /><br />And speaking of coded flowers, the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are now in coalition -with the media thrown by this new situation and often trying to outdo each other in pointless, trivial banalities (BBC News 24 had some 'expert' reading Cameron's and Clegg's respective body language as they both went into No. 10). The truth is no one knows how this will turn out.Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-88986275504925621432010-05-07T08:36:00.021+00:002010-05-13T09:17:14.803+00:00Field Majority<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FSnew1.jpg" /><br />Ah well. Good news and indeterminate news, as indicated by this photo.<br /><br />The good news is that the <b>2009 Field Report</b> arrived Wednesday morning and here you can see me using it as a shield to protect me from the news that arrived Friday morning - the loss of the Labour Party vote and the arrival of a hung parliament. I don't often comment on mainstream politics given the remit of this blog but these are unsettled times politically and I hope have the seeds of positive change in them. The Liberal Democrats, fronted by Nick Clegg, appeared to have a surge of interest which would help develop a three-way rather than two-way form of politics. We are left wondering if this is ever possible now.<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/"><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/electionResults10.jpg" /></a><br /><br />And talking of seeds of positive change, the latest Field Report is as creatively rich and enjoyable as ever. As has become my ritual, I sat down to digest it in one sitting, although I have saved looking through the appended material, attached to the back cover, for a later time. I note with interest that rather like the footnotes in Flann O'Brien's <a href="http://www.bookslut.com/fiction/2003_12_001145.php">'The Third Policeman'</a> - this extra material is heading to become larger than the main text i.e. the book. I wonder if the future editions of the Report will take a different shape?<br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/Appendix-Bookwork.jpg" /><br /><br />Appropriately enough, the cover contains a reworked image of Paul Strand's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:StrandWallStreet.jpg">'Wall Street'</a> from 1915:<br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/StrandWallStreet.jpg" /><br /><i>Paul Strand 1915</i><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/Wall%20Street%20FS%202010.jpg" /><br /><i>David Dellafiora 2009</i><br /><br />The insides of this collective bookwork are as eclectic as ever and it's difficult to resist the urge to scan the whole book to show you (though I won't be doing this today! ;-) so here are just a few snapshot examples:<br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FS2010a.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FR2010-1.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FR2010-2.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FR2010-3.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FR2010-4.jpg" /><br /><br />I especially like this piece by Peter and Sven de Ru:<br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FR2010-5.jpg" /><br /><a href="http://www.kunstenko.com/">www.kunstenko.com</a><br /><br />More power to the Field to continue to spoil its ballot paper...Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-84614508917729375142010-04-30T23:00:00.004+00:002010-05-07T20:22:03.683+00:00Flexion Quadrat<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/FragariaQuadrat.jpg"><br /><br />This painting was made on the surface of a glossy calender and although it hasn't quite worked, it has opened up some more pathways. It's reminiscent of an old map and the texture is like that of the skin of a baked potato.<br /><br />The 'paint' is strawberry with salt, overlaid with patches of strawberry, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Pieces/slices of strawberry were also added, giving textural 'features'.<br /><br /><i>X marks the spot.</i>Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059797.post-16893976475514221472010-04-21T18:43:00.009+00:002010-05-07T20:22:31.389+00:00Vessels: Vase; Book; CD<img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/vase.jpg"><br />The above is a small (A5) painting made on printer paper. I like the way various elements have separated out into zones, each with its own crystal formation. A friend of mine saw figurative qualities in this piece - she said it reminded her of a Morandi vase.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/blogBookSmall.jpg"><br />After my last blog I followed a link to <a href="http://blogspot.sharedbook.com/blog2print/googleblogger/index.html">Blog2Print</a> -a company that converts your bog into a book format. After trying it out and being pleased with the results, it occurred to me that this is an excellent way for me to generate a new bookwork with many advantages: something to show to interested parties, a diary of my creative life over the last six years (and a means of self-reflection for the placing of future energies) and an object which could mark the closing of this blog and presage a new one.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.paulramsay.co.uk/InletsD-early.jpg"><br />She hasn't had much of a look-in for a while. I first planned the release of Inlet's Daughter in 2005 and now it's 5 years later. I need to decide whether to continue Motile -but at the moment I'm inclined to think I will. It does look as if I'll be able to buy a new desktop computer this Summer and this could well provide the impetus to make more music and for RMusic 003 to see the light of Autumn. <br /><br />I do hope so.Paul A Ramsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369836937952027507noreply@blogger.com1