CUBELOG - The Blog of The Cube

Apologies for the less frequent posts of late from me, but a big thank you to other posters . . .

Right now I’m dashing off to London for Elin’s show, but quickly this is what I’ve been up to . . .

Cube wise, I caught a bit of a great set from Gang Gang Dance, with Colin & Lady after a Movieoke meeting, but the only thing I’ve really been involved with the last few days was Peer Critique on Saturday.

I actually just stepped as one of the artists was ill ( the same lingering lurgee that got Chiz, I think ). I showed the series of cut-up clips I compiled for the William Burroughs night, plus some of the rushes from my main cut-up project.

The other artist was Matt White who showed 3 very powerful video pieces. I’ll describe them swiftly, though them really deserve much more space to explore . . .

The first was based on footage he had taken of a street argument that he had restaged using actors and rebuilding the facade of the house opposite his house behind his house.

The second video comprised of a section of an audio recording of a disturbing past life regression session - in which he was a rapist and murderer - which he ( faultlessly ) and virtually unblinkingly mimed to, in another highly considered video re-enactment.

The last one was a work in progress using found footage and a particular piece of classic music, both things he said he normally objected to in video art.

Meanwhile my cutting-up filming continues. Since I last posted I’ve videoed Chiz on the Phone, Jem the p.c. mac user on the humane beatbox, and Patrick Joyce on tree surgery and car repair.

Always a bit wary of tree stuff in AV pieces since timber, but, you know sometimes you just got to go with it.

Too rushed to pick pertinent pics right now, but have a browse through here and here if you like. I’ll update this post with various page links and pictures on my return . . .

Hello,

After the brief intro to the auto-biography I felt the urge to visit South America. My bloody birth place.

Have been their riding the long white highways. It got too much, I ended up in Bahia, Brazil, surronded by monks and women from the rive chanting sweet songs of praise to the deity “DUNNGEN” - turns out they are a krazy psychEdelic band from Sweden that sing in hopelandish.

I dream of mario.

White line don’t do it.

The chronicles are cross referenced and fact checked. Fascilmile me till a can’t.

Oh for Amazon.

Drift

Tundra

The flower need water.

A.Line

-Back in Bristol for the Brunel Slave Show-

So Dave has been pestering me, to write something in the blog, for quite sometime now and so i finally thought that maybe i would. Last week saw an idea, originally given by James on drunken summers night, which the Cube has been working on for sometime, Herman Dune playing two nights… Unlike John i managed both shows and while the Friday saw them rocking it out with the hall packed to almost 100 degrees, the Thursday night show saw, with just slightly less people, Herman Dune do what the they do best sing sometimes funny, often sad songs about themselves, friends, and of course the human condition. Wow it was a great couple of days and not to mention seeing deers in a large park outside Bristol with Herman Dune, Diane, Cresent, and pregnent Miranda.

If you were there for either night I hope you had a great time.

Next time David mentioned maybe doing a day time show for children which would be wonderful, so heres looking forward to the next Herman Dune show when ever it may be!

The Cube is a crazy place and as a consequence the Saturday night saw me doing the sound for … hmm what can I say … a legend of now and a time when music changed into to something new with a few crazy guys with a drummer to die for and a singer who, yes get this hugged almost everyone at the Cube that night. Yes it was the one and only Mr Damo… I really feel there is little else to say on this one. Again WOW!

ps. Dave i like you like girls like horses…

Recently due to one thing and another, I’ve been serially envious of others who have enjoyed various magnificences I’ve missed at The Cube and elsewhere of late . . . However nothing could stop me from witnessing living legend Damo Suzuki performing with also legendary, but shamefacedly previously unknown to me, Cul-De-Sac ( though I had seen member Glenn Jones perform at The Cube in November with Jack Rose ).

But first we need to rewind a bit . . .

Friday was the opening of the Spike Island Open - a long weekend open running from the Friday through to Bank Holiday Monday ( today as I write ).

In a change with the usual tradition it also featured the work from some Artists based in other buildings across the city which, regardless of motive, seemed pretty mutually beneficial . . . though Spike Island’s presentation could have been better - no visiting artists were identified beyond a group studio name.

The Cube was represented in various guises . . . A version of The Cube Bar; Kate Rich & Lady Lucy’s Feral Trade Coffee / portraits collaboration; Bluescreen screenings; Dan Stringer via Jamaica Street’s involvement and Jem, Rod and me via Blackout for a series of events and screenings in the temporary ‘auditorium’.

I arrived with Rod & Jem at 2pm to set up the space and met with a longer haired, nearly recovered Chiz, in impish mood after touring with Fuzz Against Junk . . .

We finished around about 5pm, which was when I’d arranged to meet up with Elin. I had thought our Blackout performance - Bug Planet - was at 8pm . . . but in fact it wasn’t until 10 ( through to 11pm ), but there was plenty of people and things . . .

. . . to witness in the meantime - like the arrival of the dapper Here Shoppers . . .

. . . who I think went back to The Cube for the 2nd Herman Dune night.

Meanwhile, still in Spike Island, our performance went smoothly and bug free ( unlike the last Bristol performance at Ashton Court which was cut short by a power failure, or indeed, Chiz’s & my last performance at Spike Island which had the power pulled by the authorities for being too extreme ).

Saturday early afternoon I was back at Spike Island where I had arranged to meet Sam Jones ( Balky Mule, Crescent, Movietone ) to video for my cut-up project.

Before he arrived I got embroiled in a bit of setting up for Cul-De-Sac . . .

After some under railway bridge cowbell action, and a spot of long yellow tube fun we came back to the studios for pieminister pies and other refreshments . . .

. . . then into a very packed auditorium for Cul-De-Sac’s Faust rescore . . .

Their Re-score was fantastic, climaxing with an intensity that brought a tears to my eyes and filled me with eager anticipation for their performance with Damo Suzuzki at The Cube later that evening.

Having my camera and tripod handy also meant I had a chance to video a superbly expressive Lev with body and face moves & timing like 21st century Charlie Chaplin. Thanks Lev if you’re listening.

After packing down I walked with Jem to The Cube where it looked like for a moment we were going to have 3 cameras filming the event, but due to, frankly not very riveting battery and tape reasons it whittled it’s way down to just me.

The event was amazing - from Fuzz Against Junk’s psychedelic support to Damo & Cul-De-Sac’s hour and half long set. At the end of each extended track Damo applauded the audience and, I think, shook all their hands at the end ! He certainly hugged everyone in the office before he left, and beamed all the time he was in there. Incredible. One in the ear for all those “not meant to meet your heroes” arguments . . .

Phew.

Next afternoon I was videoing again ( for my project again ) - this time Freeze Puppy outside the Victoria Rooms - and another incredible performance from an uncommonly nice person. I just set up the camera and he immediately improvised wonderful melodies in a trance like state for a straight half an hour in front of the fountains.

After shaking hands and zipping up our respective carry cases we went off in opposite directions - him home, and me back to Spike Island to see the Picture This showreel.

However on arriving I once again got embroiled in Blackout business - this time loading up Jem & Rod’s stuff from their midday Flicker performance . . .

. . . and before I could get into the cinema space I bumped into a tessellation of cuboids . . .

. . . on their way to see Kate off to the Station for the first leg of her Music for Sweets journey ( planned to encompass London, Brussels, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Arad, Sofia, Istanbul, Tehran and Bristol ). They were about to sail up the river to Temple Meads on Hog’s boat, which sounded more fun than staring at a screen.

After dropping Kate off we went back down the river. I videoed Lucy as she interviewed me and drew my portrait on the boat roof ( not a portrait either of us was particularly happy with, truth be told! ).

At the other end there was some personnel swapping . . .

. . . Me, Lady and Kyla stepped onto dry land, and I videoed Aaron drumming with pencils.

After a strange encounter with a dog-on-string philosopher ( I think called Richard ) and then Cube enthusiast Charles who was upset that Nothing Can Surprise Us didn’t seem to be running to the prescribed schedule . . .

. . . we lost Kyla and Aaron, but gained Hannah who I videoed storytelling ( and lady skating ) as we made our way to Richard and Kari’s barbecue . . .

. . . where we met up with ( amongst others ) old school Cube faces Kathy, Laura and Julian.

Meanwhile, back at The Cube, Nothing Can Surprise Us continued, and ( as far as I know ) Hog put on a Volunteers’ screening of the Film that inspired Cul-De-Sac’s name, um, Cul-De-Sac ( see also here ).

So, coaxed into blogging about the two-day Herman Dune Cube residency by Le Hopkinson, I must confess that I didn’t actually make the first one. I was otherwise engaged watching Alasdair Roberts put the fear of god into tory-eared St George regulars with some primal celtic dronefolk. Mmm.

But Friday’s finale, I’m happy to be able to report, was an absolute killer. Crescent sounded amazing - it’s great that they play so rarely because when they do you realise all the more have ace they really are - one of the city’s very best, I’d strongly contend. And if you’d disagree, I’d argue. Then Herman Dune went electric after the previous night’s unwired endeavours, and all was warm and flighty and fun. The Dune Disco in the bar afters was a personal highlight - we need more DJs prepared to rinse out stop-start klezmer bangers whilst standing on chairs.

Saturday’s Cul-De-Sac/Damo Suzuki (aka The Nicest Man In The World) was just as great, but, lawd, I’m tired. Someone else have a go.

Well it may look like this is my blog, but it really is the Cube blog - I am just Thä Möderätör.

Yes, I do post a lot - but it’s just to keep it going. It really is meant to be for anyone Cube related ( which means you if your reading this ) to add whatever Cube musings they have . . .

I mention this because I’ve had 2 posts to pass on by email, which you will find below ( it’s no real problem for me to do this - and I’m happy to help with hosting and optimising images, and indeed post stuff that has been sent by email like this but . . . as a general way of doing things I’d rather give people a login and let people post direct to get more varied perspectives, and a more varied set of poster’s name at the top . . ! ).

Anyway here they are uneditted and in order of apperance, first from Mark Float . . .

“thought you might like to put this on the blog too
it’s a pic from dead inventive, at the cube a couple of weeks ago. an excellent night it was & hal (organiser, pictured) decided to sing a song about his vision of perfect happiness before leaping into a field of geraniums from atop a ladder. here’s the moment>>>

mark”

And secondly From Richie Paradise, talking about the bit of the Orchestra that happened before I got there on Wednesday . . .

“ok amigo piccies, we did some totally spaced out made up stuff and then decided to play piggie in the middle where someone wlaked into the middle or stood up in marcus’ case and they started off the tune, despite small turn out i thought it was godd yesterday.
thought young jack did really well

agree wholeheratily with yo comments about electro kit , say yeahhhhhhhhhh
ciao

Rich”

Now, please someone who was able to see Herman Dune & Good Friends: Evening 1
last night tell us what it was like !

As part of Alias Encounters - related to Alias Arts, which The Cube is involved with via our advisor Mister Graeme Hogg - a group from the Cube went on a trip to Sidmouth on Sunday.

I travelled there with Shereene, Ali and Ewan in the Cube car - Ali & Shereene in the front engaged in adult conversation about aliments and Ewan and me in the back doing drawings and talking about Star Wars.

On arriving we walked along the pier up to the Encounter’s starting point outside the Radway Cinema . . .

Starting off with a (mis) guided tour from Phil Smith from Wrights & Sites . . .

We followed in mind and leg into and out of the cinema with tales of Quatermass 2 . . .

Up quite a steep hill . . .

with a choice brief reading from H.P. Lovecraft featuring extra-terrestrial language .

Concluding with a bewildering description of the uncomputable complexities of the currents swirling far beneath us at the centre of the earth . . .

. . . in front of a rather strange misty landscape . . .

. . . the small alien-looking domes of the Norman Lockyer Observatory.

Unfortunately, the mist meant we weren’t going to see any thing outside our own planet through the telescopes, but it certainly created an interesting atmosphere.

Meanwhile Annabel and assistants were already inside preparing the refreshments . . .

After which we entered the Planetarium . . .

. . . for an talk and demonstration from Copernicus look-a-like and Artist-Astronomer Dick, and “I always have my tools in the van” man / astronomer and enthusiast Alan. Both, though mainly Dick, incorporated various “Astronomer’s Jokes” into their talks.

Dick was brilliant at knowing the precise distances of various heavenly bodies from the sun, but his ‘explanation’ of a parsec was baffling.

We saw some astonishing images and Alan fielded many questions from Marvin and Ewan - well Marvin asked lots of questions, Ewan seem to just ask one - “Why isn’t there a constellation called Prince Charles’ Pants?".

Alan didn’t know.

After the planetarium talks we were split into 2 groups for a tour of the telescopes. Our group was lead by the very knowledgeable, though slightly severe, Cathleen ( outright winner of the laserpen battle pointing out precise constellations just previously in the planetarium ) . . .

And so back down to Sidmouth town via the help of ‘taxi_onomy’ an artists’ collaboration using a black London cab.

We walked through Sidmouth in search of a chip shop . . .

. . . for that seaside chips experience to round it all off.

The town was incredibly quiet for any night of the week, let alone a Saturday.

From the menu I had local delicacy “Cheese and Chips” ( ! ). Shereene who used to have holidays there assured us this is a regular thing.

Ali, who was the last Cuber to leave the observatory site said that he and Annabel saw the mist clear just enough at the end to reveal a single star in the sky . . .

We arrived back in Bristol gone 1am, in our absence swinging inside the Cube had been Campari Safari.

I just popped in briefly in documentary mode for the Orchestra today ( due to busy-ness, bussy-ness that also meant I had to miss Dance for The Camera later on which featured on of my old S&H films - doh! ).

Glad I made a bit of the OC, but sad I hadn’t brought some kit as the skewed jazzy stuff I heard would have been great for some drunken trumpet scratching . . . I did contribute something though - a small bit of tentative conducting at the end.

It was also notable for the first Orchestra Cube outing of Richie’s electronic kit, which provided much fun with sampled sounds, which I always like.

Mark was meant to be there to brief the Orchestra about Venn - - - by phone I got the following details . . .

The orchestra should assemble for 6pm at The Cube on Saturday the 4th of June.

Then proceed in a performing procession to The Malcolm X Centre, concluding with a stationary performance on the steps.

All amplification should be battery based - possibly Tom Bugs will be able to help in this.

The whole venture should take between 25 and 45 minutes, and the route is yet to be formulated, but there is talk of an audio recording of Peter to conduct the way . . .

Apparently Jesse knows more about this . . .

This blog doesn’t just happen, oh no.

Yes, it’s hard toil and sweat and adrenaline behind the sweet facade.

Thanks to Kate for implementing a neat little hack that helps in deleting the 100s of spam posts that pour in each day prior to the wordpress upgrade, thanks to Tom and his swift helpful advice and well advised help.

Later on Thursday I went to meet old Bristolian ( presently in Kent ) and sometime Cube frequenter, Phil Hall who was down for the Animated Encounters festival. On the way I encoutered Fránçois and Mark . . .

. . . who were on their way to work at the Cube - Fránçois behind the bar and Mark putting in an all too rare Asteroth appearance rescoring the 1949 film “Alcohol and the Human Body“. I had hope to catch this with Phil but we ended up elsewhere doing our own research into the same topic - Phil had been asked at the last minute in provide a pitch for the “Cartoon Network Gong Show” ( details on the A&E site. ) in exchange for free tickets accommodation and, to a larger extent drink, in particular the produce of sponsors bath ales . . .

. . . haphazard badgery messiness ensued, via a free bar at Byzantium and concluding with Pizza at Renato’s with, unless they were fibbing, the Director of The National Film & Television School and a fighter pilot.

It looked like the woman who was looking after everyone did a runner after getting them to the restaurant, but I think it only looked like it . . .

The next day, Friday, after checking out the exhibition at Centerspace, I did make it to The Cube for the Electrotrash night, and was surpised the effect a few packets of McCoy’s Salt and vinegar crisps can have on a room on people previously all in front of computer screens . . .

Though I did see some one or two interesting things on computer screens, mind.

Got even busier later, including the arrival of birthday boy Hogge.

As sometimes happens, I was one of the last to leave - this time with Lady and Tom Taylor . . .

Tom, down to do projections for . . . Animated Encounters

Users of Lomo cameras might be interested in the following, from the slightly high-falutin website www.lomography.com. It doesn’t say whether cameras are provided - one assumes that participants must take their own.

May Day Lomographic Rally – Cardiff, Wales

Lomographic Hunt through the streets and sights of Cardiff!
Saturday, April 30 to Monday, May 2, 2005

Running over the Bank Holiday weekend, The May Day Lomographic Rally is your chance to flex your muscles and sharpen your Lomographic eye! Eight top secret topics to hunt down and capture with your trusty camera! Experienced Lomographers on hand to instruct beginners in the mystic ways of Lomography, and a BIG party on Sunday night to go colorsplash crazy!

Starts 12pm on Saturday April 30th
Finishes 12pm Monday May 2nd

Meeting Point:
Moloko Vodka Bar
7 Mill Lane
Cardiff
CF10 1FL

Admission fee of £5 (includes processing for 1 film, films submitted there after will cost £3.50)

Saturday 30th April;
Register at the Sherman Theatre or Moloko Vodka Bar from 12pm. Examples of Lomographs and Lomowalls on display, and experienced Lomographers on hand to show you all the tips and tricks of Lomography!

Sunday 1st May;
Register at Moloko Vodka Bar from 12pm.
Big Party Night at Moloko.

Monday 2nd May;
Hand-in-day! Hand your films in at Moloko Vodka Bar from 12pm.
All shots will be exhibited One Month on, and there will be prizes for the overall winners!

More information
welsh_lomo@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.scootiepye.com/forum/

On Thursday I videoed & cut Adam’s hair, in various stages . . .

On his request, this post was on hold until most people have seen him with in the real world with less hair.

With a little bit of help we can all hang out at the Cube and chat about films.

On Wednesday I made a long overdue actual Cube appearance. Firstly to help Hogge with tweaks for the edit suite computer. As usual, when computers are involved, time went a bit funny and things overran so I missed the begining of the first Peterless Orchestra Cube . . .

. . . but I heard the start, and made the finish.

It was a small gathering - Jesseless, Richieless and completely femaleless too - and with only 6 members present it could be described more like a band than an orchestra.

Still, as ever, in any permutation the OC is an interesting thing. I was using a CDJ-800 and Kaoss Pad this time and actually had a hand in leading one piece based on a mutating vocal loop groove rather than just squiggling on top.

I also stuck around for the next event . . .

. . . readings by authors who contributed to the collection of short stories ‘Croatian Nights’, Borivoj Radaković ( who ws also one of the editors ), Edo Popović and British author Toby Litt, who was involved partly due to the success of ‘All Hail The New Puritans‘ in Croatia. ( another Toby Litt Guardian link here ).

I wish I had known about it before and had brought some dv tapes to archive it - the auditorium lends itself well to spoken word ( as I’ve said before ).

Here they just read select passages, but apparently in Croatia they do marathon reading sessions of whole stories. It was a great event, that even though it would have been good to record, stumbling across things like this is one of the greatest things about The Cube, I reckon.

There is already a flyers & posters category here on the cube blog but from now on we’re planning to upload a copy of each bit of publicity as it goes to the printers. This will let people know what’s happening, but more interestingly I think, will build up an archive of our designs.

Here’s the first three ( click on them for larger versions )

RLF was back in Bristol last weekend for the Freeze Puppy "Joyous Yelps" album launch. Seems XL are currently hosting his new remix of M.I.A.s "Bucky Done Gun". The direct link in case you can’t find it is here. NOw if I can just work out how to rate it… is three guns good or bad?

Surprising how many have 0% profanity in this clever ‘isolationist’ piece.

Also check the links for some interesting graf bits . . .

photos by Ali

Just found out about local google thanks to Tom

Another one for the articles archive…

Click the image or here to see the whole article [ large jpeg : 355kb ]