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Lockdown Continued… (notice the calmer Title Case)

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The VR world from the geranium project on simmer – www.simmer.io/@IanLatham/the-geranium-project – takes 8 minutes and 7 seconds to load.

The latest WebGL build on my own website – www.ian-latham.com/geranium/build – takes 11 minutes and 39 seconds to load.

I’ve spent hours trying to work out how to make the things load more quickly but everything I try seems to make little or no difference.

I participated in an online event for the Doncaster New Fringe art group, a kind of delayed open studio evening in which artists film their work and upload the videos to a website. This is the video I made Art Bomb Video for Doncaster New Fringe I found some old 3d models I made for sculptures over a number of years and built a VR environment for them, I then made an awful video of my studio and me explaining what I’d done in fluent gibberish and placed that video inside the VR world. I recorded that through the computer and there you go.

Other than that this week has been a lot of gardening, building a greenhouse, and the endless frustration of Unity!

greenhouse

My New Greenhouse

I finally got the WebGL build down to 6 minutes and 17 seconds! Or at least below 7 minutes over several tries, the load bar doesn’t work properly though.

Studio Strike (four weeks to leave)

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I’ve got three weeks to pack up and leave the studio and, as these things do, it’s come at a time when there are other things to do. I’m losing two days for the Future Now conference in York (C-19 permitting) and two days with Barnsley College to help out and begin the NHS maquettes. I’ve also got to find a new place and I’m still working on developing new ideas and refining the geranium VR. This obviously calls for a diary, even if only because it will keep me focused on the things I need to do.

So the first thing is to take the studio apart and pack everything while I look for more space. The shop now looks like this…

One Days Tidying

One Days Tidying – Monday 9th March

I think I can pack everything up by the middle of next week, I’m in York on Thursday and Friday. On Monday I sent some emails, took down the exhibition and the walls for the workshop downstairs, and added more sounds and animations to the VR for geranium.

geranium_march_2020_medium from Ian Latham on Vimeo.

Also this morning, Tuesday, I got the acknowledgement of my next funding application to ACE, so I will find out if I’m successful at the same time as I give the keys back to Axisweb.

Wednesday Tidying

Installation Dismantled – Wednesday 11th March

Wednesday I took down the installation and started to disassemble the panels. I also took the opportunity to film the installation without a roof.

The first chance to see it with decent light.

Friday I finished the panels and started to pile everything up downstairs ready to move. Another day should see it done.

Upstairs Tidying

Installation Fully dismantled – Friday 13th March

Downstairs Friday

Downstairs Tidying – Friday 13th March

Leaving the Studio

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I moved into my studio at 13 Scot Lane on February 6th last year, and last week I got notice to quit by April 4th. It has been a long lease for an Axisweb tenancy and very valuable to me. I got the ACE funding and completed the geranium project (R&D), so I have no complaints. I do have quite a headache though. I’ve three weks effectively to pack up and move just when I’m getting some interest in seeing the project from people who might think of showing it.

The shop the day I moved my gear in

Moving in Day 6th February 2019

I spent the week sorting out software licenses, meeting people to discuss possible exhibitions and planning for a project for the NHS in Barnsley. I really need to do some drawing!

I’ve got the Future Now conference at York St. John’s next week, Thursday and Friday, with a meetings with an ACE officer and a portfolio review. It was this time last year when I attended this conference and showed my work to Jane Bhoyroo from Yorkshire Sculpture International whose response convinced me of its viability and Denise Fahmy from ACE who gave me really valuable advice about making an application. Looking forward to hearing Cornelia Parker speak at this one.

Some links that are interesting and may potentially come up again in the next few months.

https://alittlepieceofland.org.uk/

https://access-space.org/

https://artspace.org.uk/