Glow sticks

We had glow sticks and music this evening - good times : )

Pancakes

Lea and I decided to make pancakes this evening just for the fun of it - they were SO good, especially mine with "Em's special Strawberry Jam".  Thanks to Lea for the Pancake and Em for the Jam : )

Road Trip!!!

Today we went on our first day out : )  We went to Keswick for the day, initially to go to the puzzling place, but also to look around the town.  It is just over 30 miles away.  It was a great adventure - we had to get up at 8am and everything to get there - this is very early for students, especially on a Saturday morning.  So Tom drove us, and we went to the puzzling place wihich is very strange, then had a pub lunch and looked around the town for a couple of hours.  It's a really nice place which I feel needs re-visiting.  We bought matching shoe lace charm things, with shoe laces to wear as bracelets 'cos we are children : D  On the way home we stopped on the edge of a massive lake to have a look - it was huge.  Then we came back and went to the supermarket. Good day out guys, hopefully the first of many...

Pinhole photographs

Today we had our inductions into the black and white darkroom at the Caldewgate campus about a mile and a half away.  It is the first time that I have been in a darkroom for about three and a half years, so I was pretty excited.  We took along our pinhole cameras and loaded them with light-sensitive paper after being given a tour of the facility, and went out shooting.  I took my first photograph inside, it took forty minutes to expose, but turned out perfectly, the second and third were over exposed, but the fourth and fifth were reasonably successful, and the sixth was great.  Due to the time scales involved we only got chance to do a few prints, but I shall be going back soon.  It was great to actually produce photographs from a box with a tiny hole in it - amazing.  When I got back home, I went and scanned the photographs in the digital darkroom, and brought them home, where I converted them from positives to negatives.  All in all a very successful day I would say.

Below are the first and last photographs I took.  The first one is looking up at the skylights in the main entrance to the uni building (exposed for forty minutes), and the last one is looking down the street outside (exposed for three minutes).  Both have the negatives and the positives.

Lighting

In our applied creative practice lecture today, Roger the technician came up to show us some of the lighting gear that we are able to book out.  It was really great to actually get our hands on some kit and start learning about it.  It's pretty scary looking stuff to begin with, but isn't really that bad once you know how to set it up and dismantle it.  I'm looking forward to using it now.

In Bruges

I watched In Bruges this afternoon, I've had it for a couple of months now, but this is the first time I have watched it.  I thought it was really good, but  a bit gruesome in places.  Very, very black humour.

Night on the Town

Tonight we went to the Chinese buffet in town Shanghai Shanghai because one of Lea's mates is visiting till Friday.  Then we headed over to Walkabout, then Office for a few drinks, then on to Concrete for some dancing and more drinks.  It was a great night.

Across the Universe

This is a film based around the music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War, and tells the story of a young upper-class american girl and a working-class Liverpudlian artist.  I watched it this evening, it is a really good film, noting like what I expected, but good all the same.

Visual Literacy Round Three

This morning we had to take wire and cardboard to class, it turned out that this was to make the pictures of our bananas into 3D objects.  Apparently this is not the same as making a banana?!?  So I made mine out of cardboard, and photographed it on a couch that I found in the art studio.  I'm sure I enrolled on photography... It was quite entertaining though.

FISH!!!

We now have fish!  Mum and Dad brought my old tank up yesterday when they came, and Tom, Lea, Greg and I went into town today to pick up four fish.  They are now in the tank and seem very content.  Lea has two goldfish with white bits on them called Pinky and Sue, and I have two shebumkins called Inky and Blinky.  They seem very happy in the tank with the ornaments we got them.  I wish the fish the best of luck with life in a student kitchen...

First visit

Today I had my first visitors from home - Mum and Dad.  They came up for the day to see me.  We went to La Gall in town for lunch which was lovely, then had coffee and cake back home in the afternoon.  It was really great to see them, and the photographs of what they have been doing since I left.  Thanks for coming, I had a great day : )

Walkabout/Concrete

We decided to have a night out tonight, as the first one since the Freshers ball a whole week ago!  Tom, Alex, Lea and I started out in Walkabout then went to Concrete which was dead, but so much fun.  I love Carlisle!  Alex and I came home at about 1.30, but Tom and Lea stayed till just gone 4!

Mooovies

Tom and Alex came to watch movies in my room this evening, as Lea isn't here.  We watched some random films including Hitch, which I quite like.

Starbucks

I recieved a Starbucks gift card from Suzie and Rick in the post this afternoon - what a great surprise, I cn now go and try a couple of their 87,000 drinks combinations.  Thanks guys : )

Bye Lea

Lea s going to her Grandparents for the night tonight - bad times : (

Blood Doning

I went to give blood this afternoon, as they wanted me to go in Horncastle yesterday, but I figured it was a bit too far away.  The nurse was really rough and didn't let the alcohol dry on my arm before she put the needle in - which really hurt!  But it was in the ballroom a massive really posh hotel called the Crown and Mitre in the centre of town.

Pinhole camera - the assembly

This afternoon I assembled my pinhole camera - now all I need to do is give it another coat of paint, and make the tin foil lens and cap to go on the front.  It's not looking too bad, and will hopefully be light tight - although I may tape up the joints on it anyways.

Visual Literacy Round Two

Today was our second day of visual literacy lectures.  We had to take a banana a kitchen utensil(I chose a potato masher) and a plastic cup with us.  We began by painting the banana with the utensil...

Then we had to paint the banana with the utensil on double A1 paper, and paint the utensil using another non-drawing object found in the room (I chose a rubber glove)...

I quite enjoyed my self to be honest.

We then had to draw on the banana using a pin, which is distinctly more difficult than it would first appear...

In the afternoon we watched the second episode of "The Genius of Photography", which was less interesting than the first one, but still useful.

New Inhabitant

Alex from the flat across the hall has decided that he now lives in our flat.  This is for no apparent reason, but he has begun eating with us, and decided to camp in the hall the other night (although it only lasted two hours).  It was quite entertaining.

Lectures

This afternoon I had my first of four lectures this week, it was interesting, we  went and researched some pretty obscure photographers and then had to present what we had found to the class.  My group looked at Adam Fuss, who focusses a lot on dye destruction prints and photograms.  I also found the work of Stephanie Valentin which is similar but focusses more on animals.  Very interesting.

Ether 5, 2006, Stephanie Valentin 

From the series "My Ghost", 1999, Adam Fuss

Paint

I have finished painting my pinhole camera black now - painting MDF is really quite difficult - it is very absorbent, trying to get the whole thing to stay black was very challenging, but I think I managed it.  Back to the workshop next week to assemble it.

Cleaning

Well, I have cleaned and tidied both the kitchen and my room, now everywhere smells like antibacterial spray, and is almost sparkling - satisfying.

Cows

When I got up this morning the cows were right near the wall at the back of halls which made me smile so I took a photo : )

Masquerade Ball

I thought this sounded like a fantastically grand occasion - which it was, a little disappointing after all of the ones you see in films, but none-the-less everyone had put the effort in and it was a lovely evening.  There were some awesome masks, and amazing dresses (and suits).  Afterwards we had a small gathering in our kitchen which was a really good laugh, and then to bed at silly o'clock in the morning!  Goodnight guys.

Town again

I went into town this morning to pick up some paint/sandpaper/black tape/milk and other general oddments.  I found everything on my list which I am quite impressed about - and nothing else : )  Also, as I was in a stationary shop I heard New York, New York being played - I thought to myself "what is this wonderful music"?  Turns out, that on a Saturday morning there is a brass band that plays on the band stand - how quaint!  Sadly, by the time I got out of the shop to take a photo they were packing up, but just for the record...

Pinhole camera

I have now cut out all of the parts for my pinhole camera - I just need to sand it down and paint it black, then I can assemble it.  That shall be done this weekend after I have been to get some paint.  It seems to all fit together ok which is promising...

Woodwork induction

I have just got back from the woodwork induction for the first half of our photography class.  The woodwork area here is great - a really good lecturer, and it is really well set up with excellent machinery.  We were only shown how to use the band saw and the pillar drill, but that is all we really need at the moment.  It was really interesting, I am looking forward to getting in there and making my pinhole camera.  I am going to finish my designs now and go back this afternoon to cut the wood out.

Leaflets

Tom and Lea went for a drive and did some shopping this afternoon whilst Greg and I stayed in and did some research.  This was the result of the trip - leaflets for various days out , which we plan to begin in the not to distant future.  

Brief 2

We got our second brief today - we have to research another artists style and use their work as inspiration for a series of at least four A4 finished images with a 500 word critical appraisal.  It should be pretty interesting.  I'm going to find it difficult though, I am not used to working from a brief, at school I always used to have an idea, go out and take photographs, then find the artists, and write the brief around what I had done.  My art teacher always said that was fine, but hey, I'm sure it'll be fine.  Anyways...off to do some research now - start thinking of who to study?!?

Kitchen Tennis

Kitchen Tennis is a game invented by the kitchen staff at Tom's old place of work - the Toby Carvery in Bolton.  It is a wonderful game, played in a similar way to traditional tennis, but involving a ball of either foil or cling film being played from end to end using saucepans (or the small shovel that was in the kitchen when we arrived).  It proved very entertaining (if somewhat scary) indeed.

Laundry

I have done two loads of laundry this afternoon - and now only have three white tops left to wash - nothing has shrunk or gone a funny colour - i am very proud : )

Macdonalds

We went for a drive thru on the way home!

Freshers Fair

After workflow we went to Fusehill Street campus (just over two miles away) in Tom's car to the Freshers fair.  An event which happens during freshers to introduce everyone to the clubs/societies/local facilities on offer, and basically somewhere to get loads of discount vouchers and free pens/notebooks/balloons etc.  It wasn't quite as fun as we thought it was going to be, but it was still quite entertaining, especially as when we got there, the only space we could find to park in had a bin in it which Lea unsuccessfully tried to move.  Tom and Greg had to go and find street parking eventually while me and Lea began hoarding.

Workflow

This morning we have been to an hours induction in the digital darkroom which was so confusing.  It was called 'workflow' and was basically telling us how to use the programs on the Mac's, the correct file formats to save in, and the correct print settings to use.  It was very much a whistle stop tour - hopefully they'll show us again!

Record Breakers - Angels or Devils

Tonight was our world record attempt to get the most number of people in one place dressed in either horns or halos ever - apparently we did it.  It is an attempt as part of our freshers fortnight, some people really went to a lot of trouble.  It was a great night with some good laughs and good friends.  

Visit the news coverage here

The night ended with me and Lea watching the first half hour or so of About A Boy - Good times : )

Visual Literacy

This morning and afternoon we had Visual Literacy lectures - which turned out to be much better than i expected.  To begin with Jan (the lecturer) explained how we should use the time as a form of expression through making marks on paper, and how we should make these marks with the confidence of a five year old.  It turned out that we were 'discovering' what a large variety of ways there are to use different materials - e.g. a pencil/oil pastels/biro etc.  We went out and did some frataging (effectively brass rubbing), as another form of making marks on paper.  Then she told us to draw anger.  This was really interesting because we put up all of the pictures on the wall afterwards, the range of expression was incredible, no two pieces even look similar. During the afternoon session we watched the first program in the genius of photography series - I have seen it before but it was still interesting.  We then discussed some of the aspects addressed by the program, and were given three people to research for next week.  All in all it was quite an interesting day - not in any way what I expected it to be.

Paris Je T'aime

I went over to the flat opposite tonight to watch a film - we eventually decided to watch this film.  If you haven't seen it/don't know about it you should research it because it's fantastic.  Eighteen different directors/pairs of directors produce a short film (only five minutes in length) each as their own representation of Paris.  It is amazing to see one city from so many different angles, looking at so many stories.  It is a really interesting film which I really like, but need to watch it again (luckily Lea has it as well as Tom so that shouldn't be too difficult).  Now I'm off to watch The Bodyguard... : )

First food delivery

Tonight Lea couldn't decide what to eat for tea, so we called up flames, the kebab/indian takeaway in town and got them to deliver to our halls.  She had pizza and chips, i had poppadoms and naan bread, tom had naan bread and stef had poppadoms.  It was some good food, but we were waiting outside for about quarter of an hour for the delivery guy to call up.  It was fun though!

Post

Today all of our post was for me!  I had two posters from play.com which I had to pick up from reception, my TV license, a package from Mum and Dad, a package from Em, and a note from the post office saying that I had to go and collect something from the sorting office. 

The package from Em was The Bodyguard on DVD which I plan to watch this evening.  That is so exciting, we were discussing it before I left and saying how it was the film that her, Mum and Suzie always used to watch when they were ill or couldn't sleep - now I can watch it too!  Thank you so much Em x

After persuading my flat mate Tom to drive me to the sorting office (as it's like two miles away), I picked up an A4 pice of post from Suzie.  It turned out that she didn't know that the rules as to paying different postage according to size AND weight.  It was well worth going to fetch it though as it contained a drawing by Mia of her and Andrew with some butterflies and flowers, and a drawing by Freya of what I am sure are a rainbow and fireworks.  They are beautiful and are now up on my wall with my posters and the drawing Mia gave me when I left.  Thank you girlies (and I love the envelope made of wrapping paper - thanks Suzie) x

So all in all a lovely day for post!

Lectures

I had two sets of lectures today - this morning was a technical induction in the studio where we were shown the very basics of a D-SLR camera by Roger the technician.  It was really interesting and very useful being told basic meanings and theories - lots of note taking.  This afternoon was an introduction to the pinhole camera with David, one of the main lecturers.  We have been given a brief to produce a pinhole camera and a set of images on black and white photographic paper for a crit in six weeks time.  It sounds really challenging but very interesting to go back to the absolute basics of photography.  I look forward to tomorrows visual literacy lectures.

What uni looks like

Halls of Residence our kitchen window is the second velux roof window from the leftThe main university building and main entrance
The view from the main entrance 
The kitchen of flat 350
The dining area of the kitchen of flat 350

Mia emailed me this morning to ask what my university actually looked like, and I noticed that I hadn't actually posted any photos of it, so I went for a walk and took some.