Completed: Get a piece of art into an exhibition

Task number: 12.

Get a piece of art into an exhibition.

Date: 22nd August 2013.

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, Nike, War child & selected members of the public.


Being an "artist" of sorts, I guess you would expect this task to have occurred a significantly earlier in my quest to complete the list. I had naturally produced various pieces of work that went into exhibitions of sorts, but I think I've always been quite disciplined in what I deemed as "an exhibition".

Me with my piece at the start of the evening

Earlier this year, Nike designers were sounded out on what they thought of the idea of supporting War Child by creating works of art to be sold at an exhibition in Amsterdam, with the proceeds going to support the charity. As a creative, the idea appealed, but the thought of completing another task & helping a charity put the icing on the cake.

The theme for the exhibition was "Real Hero". Each designer was tasked in reflecting what this meant to
them. Any form of media was acceptable, so long as they could physically get it into the venue of course.

I chose to create a comic book inspired piece that illustrated the story of the Air Jordan shoe.

When the Nike Air Jordan shoe came on to the market it made such an impact that it was never forgotten. Just the visual impression alone changed the way people viewed a conventional basketball shoe. The Red, White & Black inspired by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls team. I'm not necessarily a basketball fan myself, but this story intrigued me.

My piece was called The Anit-Hero & it took direct inspiration from Peter Moore's original design. I asked myself if I could apply the same essence to a story of illustration.

What if the good guy didn't win for a change. What if this time, for the first time, the bad guy was victorious.

The piece focussed on a winged Devil creature that represented the Air Jordan shoe, standing over the body of the fallen all White, simple body of the less advanced former Blazer design.

Sold

I'd never illustrated in a comic book style before, but it had always attracted me. The bold colour & intricate detail of examples like Marvel & DC comics was something I'd always admired & fancied trying to imitate.

I enjoyed the project & was pleased with the outcome, but the piece took an age to complete & there were some interesting highs & lows along the journey. Drawing & re-drawing the design again & again to get it right.

However, the exhibition itself was a triumph & we raised over 11,000 Euros for a very good cause. All sorts of media were used in a vast array of artwork & it was fantastic to see a very encouraging turn out.

I think as an artist, displaying your work in an exhibition is a very personal thing. In a way, you are barring an element of your soul to the world in a very direct way. You are displaying a thought process as well as a creative angle.

I'm just bloody glad the thing sold! After just over an hour of the exhibition opening, my piece finally received that all important Orange sticker that meant someone had seen something enough to part with their hard earned cash & purchase my work.

There is talk about another event next year. Whether I participate again, time will tell, but I think if I do it will be something a little closer to my comfort zone!

You can check out some photos of the exhibition in the blog link below:

http://www.mixedgrill.nl/2013/08/22/nike-real-hero-kunst-voor-het-goede-doel/

http://floorwesseling.nl/away/real-hero/sean-pankhurst/

You can donate to War child, an organization that provides assistance to children in conflict areas at:

http://www.warchild.org.uk/

Completed: See both solar & lunar eclipses

Task number: 49.

See both solar & lunar eclipses.

Date: 25th April 2013.

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake.

I saw my first & only solar eclipse in 1999.

I'm sure a lot of you will remember this. It was around mid morning in August & the event had been talked about for what seemed like years.

"All birds would think it was night time & there would be scenes like Alfred Hitcock's movie as they headed to the trees to roost in mass".

"The tides may briefly change as the moons gravitational pull was affected".

"TV & radio signals could be radically affected".

Basically, all the signs of a immanent apocalypse. As is often the media's response to any pending global event. Thank god this didn't happen & we're all still here, but those that did see it will remember that it was worth a look.

An erie light that was neither day or night did descend on things for a few minutes. The best way to describe it was like when you look at things through a pair of sunglasses & a dull light that gives everything an almost Blue hue could be seen across the surrounding area.

On the phone to my mum, who was oblivious to this lunar
"Phenomenon"

The event I'd been waiting for to finally complete this task came in April this year. Just 14 years after the original! Lunar eclipses are much more common than Solar & can happen as often as every Two years. I had tried to see One Two years before & had planed a party for some friends, but after an absolutely clear day, around an hour before the eclipse was due to happen, the sky clouded over & we were left with a complete anti-climax.

This time round, I was going to give myself every chance! It was firmly planned in the diary.

In stark contrast to my previous effort, there was no fanfare, no party, not even a telescope set up. I nearly even forgot!

My girlfriend was hanging out the washing upstairs when she noticed it. The start was earlier than had been predicted & I came wondering into the bedroom rather pessimistic.

But there it was. I had tried not to keep my expectations low in case it was indeed an anti-climax, but this was pretty special.

The whole spectacle lasted around an hour. The moon developed from an Orange glow on One side to a bright, almost Red ball of light at its most prevalent.

Probably more excited about completing the task than actually seeing the event, I was hastily on the phone to anyone who would listen. "Mum, are you watching this?". "Watching what?" was her reply. How could she possibly be unaware of this Global phenomenon? After insisting that she go outside to take a look, I think she was rather surprised to see a sight that you, to be fair, don't see everyday.