May 2009

27th: Here we are three days later. I would have liked another day to sort out the issues of light entering the dome at unwanted points but its not to be be. Just hoping the judges are cool with my submission because there is no way that I want to uninstall everything within a week after having put together - By the way thats not me, thats JP who helped me for all three days.Thanks JP. Thanks also to Adrian who helped with transport and installation to Priscilla who helped with the sticking of the tracing paper hanks also to Adrian who helped with transport and installation to Priscilla who helped with the sticking of the tracing paper and also blub blub my snif sniff family without whom sniff this wouldn't have been possible. Thank you all.

I have to admit that I still look at and think wow the thing is still standing, but how. I walked all over it and i felt totally confident with the integrity of the structure but now that I can't see it I am thinking hmmm, how safe is it? At what stage is it going to implode?

25th:The begining. Was going to do a time stop frame animation type thing of the installation but with only three days to install the dome I decided to not. Progress for the first day has been good with all baring the top centre piece in place. All that remains is to put that in, stick the tracing paper onto the tubes and then do something else which I just can't remember what it was, oh stuff all the gaps with bits to stop the light getting in.


15th: Hmmmm just eight or is it nine days to go. Been assembling the dome. Looks like it is going to work. My plan for the door didn't work out. It was a pain as with the new design it means that there is going to be one panel that has no tubes. Its a bit sad but to be honest I am happy. Less tubes means less holes to drill and sand. Of all the things that I have had to do for this project this surely has been the most tedious, dreary, wearisome, makes you want to get straight back into bed and forget that the world exists task. Still got twenty (hopefully less) to go. I know that I have to get them done and that it will only take me a couple of hours but, but please there must be something else that I can do. Anything ......

11th: Well thats another fine mess that you have go us into. I am thinking of doing a revival tour of Laurel and Hardy with Magnum. For the exhibition at the Trent Gallery over the weekend I took Magnum along to take portraits. First his cover came off as he was waiting. He stood like this for a couple of hours, exposing the paper inside. I reloaded and then pointed him facing the underside of a table and not the sitter. Easy mistake. I then managed to double expose two of the photographs. I sort of have an answer for that one, my safe light is temperamental and so I was working in complete darkness - easy to mix up the exposed and not exposed. But that doesn't cut the mustard as two bags should have been used for the paper.

Dome Update: Going well. Doing a test build and the shapes are fitting together well. Downside is that there are more holes to drill out of the pipes than I remembered.

2nd: Stuart popped around today to have his portrait taken. Used Magnum to take the shot. I think two shots a day and thats the limit for me. Anymore and then I think I should consider taking up slave labour. Either that or get some old Eastern block coach to come and help me build up muscle. Its bloody exhausting moving him around even when he has been put on wheels.

Dome Update: We are getting there but are we going to be on time for the 25th?. There are still a few holes to be drilled. Tracing paper to be stuck down and 60 odd plates to be attached. Not much but then I only have a couple of days of which I can focus on the project this week. Its going to be tighter than a whale strapped up in a corset.