ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange)

i will be leaving this blog up as a testament to the work produced during my fmp (2012, basically) and have taken up new residence over on tumblr.

this follows the artistic decision to work under the name bette mann, my true first name combined with an old family name. i feel like lilith dillon-parkin is an awfully long-winded name and sounds as though i paint landscapes, not that there's any shame in that.

if you'd like to follow my frolics at university and otherwise, hop on over to http://bettemann.tumblr.com/ - updates tend to be slow as this year has been fraught with personal difficulties, but you will find my most recent work there (along with some old favourites from time to time).

thank you for the pageviews, and long may they continue.

bette.

No Other Gods Before Me: Video

Well you guys are probably aware that I was working on a video to be a part of my installation, No Other Gods Before Me, for my FMP.


While setting up my sculptural pieces in the show space, I had to compromise on how they were displayed, and the new orientation of presentation means that the video did not really fit in with the overall composition of the sculptural pieces. However, as I have still produced the work, I intend to have it marked, and so have uploaded it on my Vimeo account for all to see and for ease of marking by my lecturers.


You can find it here, and it is a 2 minute piece of video which I intended to be projected either onto or above my sculptures (possibly on the ceiling, as a matter of fact), playing on a loop. It is meant to be silent, so don't worry about the lack of sound. I was trying to visually communicate the themes I was exploring in my sculptures, using myself and bought objects as visual metaphors for addiction.


I hope you enjoy it and think it is a good piece of work. I'm very proud of it - there are 3 other versions floating about, so I could be persuaded to upload the longer version set to music if anyone is interested in seeing more of my process.


Thank you and goodnight.

Snapshots of FMP, #8.

So I know I said I'd write a huge explanation post of No Other Gods Before Me (my show installation) with pictures and analysis and I PROMISE I WILL - it's just at the moment I'm honestly pretty tired, and there's a lot of ground to cover, and honestly the photos I have of the work right now aren't that good quality, having been taken on my phone. So rather than half-arse an analysis post I'm going to post one final set of snapshots, just to show you everything, then I'll do a proper post with good pictures and sound analysis of everything and we'll all be happy. Okay? So here we go, the last set of snapshots from FMP. I'm sorry they're so rubbish - everything was very frantic on that last day so I did the best I could in the chaos.

pain (2012) 1/5; side; 1'x1'; plaster, glass & pills

pain (2012) 2/5; side; 1'x1', plaster, glass & pills

pain (2012) 3/5; side; 1'x1'; plaster, glass & pills

pain (2012) 4/5; side; 1'x1'; plaster, glass & pills

patience (2012) 1/10; 10"x2"; plaster

patience (2012) 1/10; 10"x2"; plaster

pain (2012) 5/5; base; 1'x1'; plaster (sides also visible)

most of 'No Other Gods Before Me' in storage in the hallway...classy

(loss of) (2012); 7'6"x1'2"; plaster, glass, bottles and moss, with wire shield

details of (loss of)

more details of (loss of)

ctrl esc (2012); 7'6"x1'2"; plaster, spray paint, plastic and broken technology

details of ctrl esc (2012)

more details of ctrl esc (2012)

more details of ctrl esc (2012)

r.i.p dead blackberry, you piece of shit

give/take (2012); 5'6"x2'5"; plaster and gold spray paint

Snapshots of FMP, #7.

Re-using the short sides of my 7'6"x1'2" mould.

Filled the bottom with sand, then poured plaster on top.

Temporary mould for my small-scale work.

Mimicking self-harm marks.

Casting.

I cast a plaster positive and negative to make some smooth, vac-formed moulds.

...sadly one broke during but the mould was still successful so no major losses here.

One of the moulds. I made two but only photographed one, d'oh.

What once was sex addiction is now going to be technology addiction,
and so got a coating of neutral white base...

...then was spray-painted glossy black, with a dusting of phosphorescent orange
which will glow in the dark.

Cut down the long sides of my 7'6"x1'2" moulds to use for the new sex addiction tablet...

...which should be about 5'6"x2'5" on completion.
Featuring a life-sized human body imprint of a friend. Fun!

VIDEO BLOG: 01/06/2012

So I filmed a vlog immediately after I got home from my last day of formal education at BMetC on Friday, having completed all of my sculptural works for the show ON TIME!

I filmed it on my phone camera because I was overtired (I've been unconscious for most of the past two days since hence my uploading it only now) so you can enjoy my double chin and my crooked teeth in all their glory.

Click!

VIDEO BLOG: 29/05/2012.

NSFW, I swear a lot in this one, it's been a frustrating couple of days. New haircut though. Argh.


Click!

Paint samples

Not exactly exciting, but I tried out some of my spray paints to see if they'd cover the ruddy tone of the sand I've been using for casting. On the left is Montana Gold's Gold Chrome, and on the right is Montana Hood's Shock White. I was pretty happy with the coverage, although I prefer brands of spray paint with higher levels of pigment, like Ironlak. Unfortunately that's hard to come by, so I'm going to stick with Montana brand, or possibly Belton.


Sent from my HTC