Acerone

New Acerone Website

2012-01-08T20:10:00.002Z

www.acerone.org
Now live - please take a look and use the twitter/facebook like buttons liberally!

Riots and Reasons Revisited

2011-10-28T22:39:00.003+01:00

On the 10th of Aug i posted a piece of writing that talked about individuation. I later removed the post but after watching Derren Brown's 'Remote Control' TV show this evening perhaps it is right to repost it....

The extraordinary scenes of violence and looting cannot go unnoticed. Every corner of the media is saturated with images, reports and video clips of (mostly) young men rioting and causing unimaginable damage to cities across the country, my hometown Bristol included. I have heard all the arguments; “They are filthy rats”, “Bring out the army, rubber bullets, water canons, etc”, and then the otherside; ‘Neglected youth’, “A product of the socioeconomic climate”, and so on. But what seems to be the overwhelming opinion of the average person is a sense of sadness. Sad that young people felt the need to do this, sad that people have lost their homes and businesses, sad that communities have been so badly affected.
One thing that struck me was the looting, people raiding shops for personal gain. I saw images of people carrying expensive flat screen TV’s from stores and jewellery shop windows being smashed and items taken, but also at the very other end a Tesco’s store was looted and an image caught of a man carrying bags of rice away whilst other stores in Ealing, London were looted and the haul left out on the street. It seemed that the ‘prize’ was fairly unimportant in the larger scale of the action being taken.
What is the point in breaking into Tesco’s only to steal a couple of pound’s worth of rice? Why smash a children’s clothing store window, grab the stock and dump it a few metres down the road? To the nation and the rest of the world these acts are quite understandably viewed as the epitome of foolish hooliganism.
So I asked myself what is the point? A burglar robs a house and steals items with resale value, a mugger takes cash and expensive items like mobile phones and jewellery from a victim, a shoplifter steals items that he knows he will be able to sell on – and in all these cases money is the motivation for the criminal act. But generally for these looters there is very little, or no financial incentive. It does seem mindless.

Rewind back to the year 2000 when I spent 4 months living in a squat in Sydney, Australia. One evening I ventured out to a club in the city centre where some English DJs – the Scratch Perverts were playing a set. It was an inspiring night with all elements of Hiphop represented in their rawest forms – an impromptu breakdancing battle took over the dance floor, graffiti backdrops filled the walls, MC’s freestyled in a cypher over muffled beats near the bar and of course the DJ’s displayed techniques never seen before. Whilst grabbing a beer from the bar I was drawn to the rappers who were laughing, joking and being very animated, so I took a step closer and stuck my ear into the circle to hear what was being said. Australian rappers had a surprisingly similar style to Bristolian rapping and I soon began laughing along with the rest of the crowd, but was soon to receive quite a shock.
One very tall lad aggressively pulled me to one side and asked me exactly who I was and what I thought I was doing laughing at his friend’s rapping. I explained that I was Acer, a graffit artist from Bristol in England and that I was impressed by his friend’s skills and how much it reminded me of my friends back home. He looked very suspicious, eyed me up and then told me to follow him…
He led me to the door of the nightclub and told me to follow him outside. Now I must admit at this point I had no idea what was going on and was on my guard just in case something untoward was about to happen and as he led me to a dark alley and my adrenaline started pumping I almost turned around and legged it. But as the lad stopped by a bin and reach behind it he drew out a rucksack which rattled with an all familiar sound – spray cans. He pulled out a can, adjusted the nossle and told me, “If you are a graffiti artist like you say you are, I want to see you tag…”
As intimidating as this sounds, I actually felt an immediate connection with this guy – he was obviously a dedicated Hiphop disciple that wasn’t going to let some young kid from the UK think he could turn up on his patch unannounced. So with that I took his can, dropped a large Acer FSH tag on the alleyway wall, and turned round to look him in the eye. He smiled, shook my hand, told me he liked my style and then took me back into the club to meet all the other graffiti writers that were there – about 20 in total. What a buzz! I was initiated and welcomed by them all as the tall and aggressive guy’s new Pomme friend…
So the end of the night drew in and I went to say my goodbyes, but it turns out I wasn’t going anywhere. The graffiti boys were going painting and they wanted me to come with them and so, I did. And off we rampaged, through the Sydney business district, tagging on almost everything, climbing up on walls to reach higher spots, each trying to get one up bigger and better than the next – it was an act of vandalism that I would not have usually partaken in, even 10 years ago when I had far less to loose.

And here I find some of the answers to my previous question of what was the point in looting for nothing? My usual morals and principles disappeared when I was part of a larger and more aggressive group for young men; the empathy for other people’s property and the guilt I would feel about defacing it was lost in the excitement of being in the group. I blended in with a load of other people who were doing it anyway, so I encouraged myself to join in. ‘Why not?” I said to myself, and I felt safety in numbers.
Deindividuation is a concept in social psychology regarding the loosening of social norms in groups, whereby people adopt the values of a group over their own usual identity and values. Whilst I always had an urge to go tagging in my younger years, I became more daring whilst around others. I can understand how when a young person is surrounded by peers who are all involved in a very exciting, albeit highly illegal, game of destruction, they can easily forget about appropriate behaviour and get caught up in the buzz of the crowd.
Combine deindividuation with the growing feeling of discontent in young people about unemployment, education opportunities and the lack of support in the form of EMA, and all the other income disparities felt by those living on the welfare state; is it really any wonder that these young people feel as if they have nothing to loose?

Who's Lenny?

2011-10-05T15:54:00.000+01:00

Here it is then, the short documentary of the 'See No Evil' event from Nelson St, Bristol, this summer...
A fantastic representation of the weekend and a good bit of Bristolian graffiti history thrown in for good measure.
Take 13 mins out to watch it!

Church Rd, Redfield.

2011-09-13T22:23:00.000+01:00

Church Rd - In Progress

2011-09-06T16:41:00.002+01:00

Photograph of Church Rd, St George, Bristol. Taken at 22:30 in the rain, which made operating the camera whilst holding an umbrella above myself and the kit a bit of a challenge - but did make for some interesting reflections on the road.
Made a start on painiting an interpretation of this image on the side of the Red Flower Barrow which can be seen in the above photo as the second shop on the left. Will have this finished in the next few days ahead of the Redfest this weekend!

Church Rd

2011-09-06T16:40:00.001+01:00

Church Rd, a photo by acerone on Flickr.

It's a Bris Ting!

2011-09-01T10:15:00.000+01:00

Its quite an achievement to be admired in equal measures but the youngsters and the elders, especially where music is concerned. By our most promising local talent Buggsy appears straddle the void with ease and appears to get full support from the UK veterans as well as respect from the yootdem...

Check out the video. For me it sums up Buggsy's appeal - showing his skills as a master of lyricism, humour and style, whilst bringing together the different elements of street culture and celebrating the coming together of people - black, white, young, old, northside, southside - and most importantly there are smiles all round.

I've moaned for a while about the fun being lost out of Hiphop (and i use the term in its broadest sense) - so i have big love for Buggsy who injects a massive dose back into the scene. Long may he keep doing his thing his way - the cream will always rise to the top brother!

(and a big shout to my boy DJ First Aid for the production on Bris Ting... Get back on dealing with the real beats where you belong!)

Acerone - 'Call to Adventure'

2011-08-30T09:46:00.001+01:00

Acerone - 'Call to Adventure', a photo by acerone on Flickr.

SOLD! To a nice lady from a wealthy law company...

Still available to view for the next couple of weeks in the Weapon of Choice 'See No Evil' pop-up gallery, ironically in 'the Galleries' mall, Union St, Bristol.

Work there also from Inkie, Cheo, Xenz, Wow123, Jody, Soker, Cheba and more...

Go take a look next time you're in town!

See No Evil - Portraits

2011-08-24T00:07:00.006+01:00

Nelson's Return

2011-08-23T23:56:00.001+01:00

Nelson Street

2011-08-19T07:50:00.003+01:00

So the street is really begining to take shape now with new colours appearing in every corner and a very excitable atmosphere. I'll be down there today to complete my contribution and take some more flicks of my own. Come and say hello if you pass through...

Photo stolen from Geckoo76!

See No Evil

2011-08-16T15:40:00.003+01:00

The transformation of a much loved/loathed Nelson St, Bristol has begun and amongst the first artists to get started on their paintings are the legendary New York writers Bio, Nicer and BG183 - 3 members of the TATS crew.

They say you should never meet your heroes but this morning i couldnt help myself. I spotted them arrive at their wall and just had to head over and say a quick hello, showed some appreciation for them blessing Bristol's street with their work, and cheekily asked for a photo...

I used to copy these guys designs out of Spray Can Art when i was a wee lad and i'm sure i'm not the only one...! I cant tell you how excited i am to have caught these portraits.
BIG GRIN!

The OG Hiphop Mixtape

2011-08-06T15:53:00.004+01:00

If you are like me and love REAL Hiphop from the golden era (circa '87-97) then this one is a must for you...

Mixed and blended in 2006, this one was lost for a while until i uncovered it on an old CD (the original files were lost on a stolen laptop a few years back) and ripped it back onto my current computer. So here it is - take a listen and let me know what you think!

DJ Acerone OG Hiphop Mixtape

Radio Show Mixtape

2011-08-01T14:16:00.004+01:00

DJ Acerone Radio Show Mixtape Vol.3 (2008)

Download it for free here now!

EDIT:

In response to Felix's comment and one of a similar nature from elsewhere - what's the story behind the mixtape?

Well, before spray cans and photography came DJing. During the early 90's when the rave scene incorporated everything from acid house to drum and bass, i was obsessed with DJing - just how two different records were blended together to make one seamless landscape of music fascinated me. With a few other like-minded wannabe DJs at school, we argued about how it was done - something about a mixer, a cross fader, some records and pitch control were endlessly discussed at lunch breaks, usually whilst sharing an earphone each from the Sony Walkman. TDK tapes got swapped, 10th generation copies of Top Buzz's '2 Blacks and a Bubble' were made, crackly versions of that DJ Sy and MC Teckno at Obsession were on constant loop. In truth, none of us had the first idea of what we were on about in the beginning but soon we were 'staying over at our mate's houses' and sneaking out to the Ruffneck Ting at the Depot, Bristol Exposure at Trinity and Sutra at the UWE with fake ID at the ready. And before too long, one by one we managed to acquire Technics turntables and began frequenting Replay Records in the bearpit spending all our hard earned pocket money...

Fast forward almost 20 years and i still have the decks, although they dont get much use these days. Before i became a Daddy i had a little more time to mess about with records and make mixtapes (which takes forever!) and this one was the last one i made before other elements of life took priority. Its a mash up mix of the tunes i was loving at the time, spliced together using mixing, scratching and a load of samples taken from a very odd 7" i found in a charity shop that featured lots evangelical preaching and readings in the form of a pseudo radio show. Looking back realise just how much spare time i must have had back in early 2008!

Anyway, take a listen and let me know what you think

;-)

People Everyday

2011-07-19T00:58:00.004+01:00

A Good Friday

2011-06-18T23:52:00.013+01:00

Friday was a good day.

It was my turn to get up with the little one and he didnt stir until 7:45. Work was good. I met with my Nan (76) and her fella Brian(74) and took them to the private view opening of the MShed Museum and spent time with them looking at artifacts and images from Bristol in the Blitz. We sat in the WW2 corrugated iron bomb shelter and they told me stories from their youth, whilst i tried to get my head around how all this could have happened in my city just two generations ago. I took them to see the mural i painted with Andy Council. Nan stopped everyone who walked by and embarrassed me by introducing them to her grandson; the artist. And then she got a round of teas in and we hung out in the cafe.

Linked up with Andy Council and did a bit of live window drawing. Was handed a free beer. Listened to Miles Chambers perform a poem that fired out his feelings on 'his place' in Bristol and connected to a whole load of it. Had a chat with him and he was cool. Was handed another free beer. Went back downstairs to the gallery where our mural is and met Richard Long who was taking a look at our work :-) Had a chat with him and he was cool. And then Jono Motorboy got the drinks in at the Ostrich.

Then returned home, only to find a little package on the table containing these:

Boxfresh navy Puma suedes from Feb 2002 - Perhaps my holy grail of trainers.

Friday was a really good day.

M-Shed opening weekend

2011-06-17T11:06:00.001+01:00

(click image to enlarge)

Saturday 18 June 10am – 9pm  
A day of activities celebrating ‘Bristolness’ past and present. Highlights include a Procession of Professions, led by the Lord Mayor and his Mace Escort. Civic, commercial and creative sectors will come together to reinvent a bygone ritual with a contemporary new twist. This will depart Castle Park at 11am and snake through the heart of the city for about an hour on its way to M Shed. Photographers will mark this moment in time for the archives of the future.
We will also be joined by artists Andy Council and Acerone who will be inviting visitors to draw on the windows at M Shed, plus a mass chalking where you are invited to draw your impressions of M Shed outside on Museum Square. Sessions take place throughout the day- drop in, no need to book.
There will also be an affordable programme of walking, talking and performing tours sharing the city’s histories, secret sites and special places throughout the afternoon and evening. See the full programme and booking information
Book your free timed tickets for entry into the museum: mshed-saturday18june.eventbrite

MShed Movie

2011-06-17T00:21:00.000+01:00

Try Again

2011-06-09T00:30:00.007+01:00

I decided to draw upon some imagery FLX and I produced a while back with dancer and all round athlete Dirty Dave for a painting for this year's UPfest last weekend. Here is a short journey through the stages of the idea...

Capturing the movement trail left by small torchlights attached to Dave's wrists and ankles whilst he jumps from right to left across the gap.

Portrait taken with long exposure of Dave moving into a freeze which is then lit with an off the camera speedlight. We did lots of these..

We revisited the style with a bit more planning - 3 flashes set off at various points during Daves dance pattern. This one remained more or less in one spot, but he did many more which moved across the frame, one of which i used for the painting.

Marking up at the Try Again pub in Southville, very late on Friday night.

Painting filled in and finished on Saturday evening.

Big thanks to all the artists i spent the day with, John the Barman and the friendly locals, and everyone who stopped to say hello...

Another great year for UPfest - good on ya'll for making it all happen.
:-)

Street Poetry pt2

2011-05-31T10:15:00.004+01:00

UK rap veteran Million Dan gives Buggsy a few encouraging words before stepping out on stage

"All I ever hear is 'gangster this and gangster that', when everybody knows where the gangster's at - Locked down in a cage or in a grave..." - Buggsy, Pure Gas

If you havent met Bristol's finest MC of the moment, Buggsy, it's about time you did...

Check track from his debut album 'The Great Escape' here.

It is so refreshing to hear a younger MC talking such conscious lyrics - and it is that fact that it all makes sense at the rapid pace he delivers them that makes Buggsy stand out from the crowd. Take a quick look at this piece of real street accapella poetry...

Move the Crowd

2011-05-11T23:43:00.000+01:00

Rakim at Bristol O2 Academy 07/05/11

There was definitely a buzz of nervous excitement in the queue before Saturday nights show at the Bristol O2 Academy. Maybe not the same kind of hysteria as when the Paid in Full LP was first played out by Eric B and Rakim in 1987, but now almost 25 years later the apprehension was at wondering whether Rakim would actually play – and if he did, would he live up to his legendary status?DJ Format
First up was DJ Format. This one time Bristol resident looked at perfectly at home spinning classic Hiphop in front of the rapidly filling Academy. He had every mature B-Boy’s head nodding with a perfect set of party bangers from the Eighties and Nineties to warm the crowd nicely. The Rock Steady Crew turntablist and Rahzel’s wingman DJ JS1 then stepped up to introduce himself and in true Rock Steady fashion he played up to the crowd with some faultless beat juggling, body tricks, heavy cuts and heavier breaks.
Rahzel
Rahzel was greeted with an appreciative roar from the Academy. There is no doubting just how impressive his beatboxing skills are but his set was essentially the same as its always been, filled with old WuTang breaks and Transformer sound effects. Still, he is as lively and entertaining as ever with much love spouted for real HipHop music and a few barbed disses to the young beatboxing fraternity who chose to cover faster younger genres of music. Then arrives Rakim’s DJ; not the President however, but DJ Technician. He moved the crowd by mixing 4 bars of classic 90′s HipHop tunes one into another and easily had the packed out Academy to all raise their hands before the R’s arrival.
DJ Technician and Rakim
And then out he stepped. All 5′ nothing of him, skinny with a red NY Yankees cap that needed a doo-rag underneath to stop it from slipping down his face. Yet straight away he commanded the whole of that massive stage. There was almost a slip-up when he asked if ‘London was in the house’ but he corrected himself in a heartbeat to a huge cheer of relief from the Bristol crowd. It seems some mistakes are allowed.
And then of course, he started dropping science. Almost every track from Paid in Full was played, with the crowd rapping along and his voice sounding as silky as it had when he first recorded it. Stand out performances were on My Melody, Paid in Full and I Ain’t No Joke, and after showing off a few of his own beat juggling skills, he smashed out my personal fav, Juice (Know the Ledge). He also played tracks from his latest album the Seventh Seal which may not have sounded as fresh as his old material but have still warranted an itunes download from me this evening. Paid in Full is one of the greatest HipHop albums of all time performed by one of the dopest, if not the dopest emcees of all time, right here in Bristol. Long may he go on holding microphones.

http://www.247magazine.co.uk/
Words: Bubber Loui
Photos: Acerone

Free Drawing

2011-05-06T01:11:00.001+01:00

I wonder if the most precious part of an artwork is not the finished piece itself but the story behind the context in which it was created…?

More

Jonathan Taphouse

2011-04-23T00:54:00.004+01:00

On hearing about last nights roit at the new Tescos metro store on Stokes Croft this morning, i did a quick Flickr search and found Jonathan Taphouse's fantastic images. Being too busy to stop and look for too long, i vowed to take a closer look later on.
You should too - Stokes Croft Tesco Riot

King Of Grime

2011-04-20T16:08:00.000+01:00

Channel 4 are forever making shows out of YouTube clips and re-running them time and time again...
But they never play this one. And it's still the funniest thing on the web.
Big up to the multi talented Stepchild AKA Gee - and Young K and Tash who i hear are still making music 3 years on. With Elvis as your mentor, you were always gonna be one step ahead.

'Artist'

2011-04-20T01:15:00.003+01:00

For some time I have been questioning the term ‘Graffiti Artist’, considering exactly what it means to me. For ten or more years I used it to describe myself and the work I created but more recently I have felt less comfortable with using it...

(more)

Freeze!

2011-04-17T00:56:00.000+01:00

Break Dance convention, Colston Hall, Oct 2010

'No Entry' Print Release!

2011-04-14T09:12:00.007+01:00

Tomorrow at 6pm i'll be dropping a super small run of a photo-montage image entitled 'No Entry'. This one took about 8 hours to stitch together and ended up as 158 layers in Photoshop. My iMac nearly had a meltdown...!

Details:
Edition number: 10
Stamped and numbered by the artist
Giclee print on archive textured water-colour artists 350g stock
Price £85

Available from www.acer1.bigcartel.com and you can order one from the all new Weapon of Choice gallery on Park St, below 50:50 Skateboard supplies at 6pm Friday 15th April. WOC gallery will also be showing the framed A/P of this image which is available at a bargain price... So be sure to pop down there tomorrow evening for a look and a drink.

(click to enlarge)

Reflections

2011-04-11T23:47:00.005+01:00

"Life moves pretty fast. If you dont stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller

Bueller was right.
For the past few months i've been working on so many different projects through my work in education with 16-18 year olds, commissioned jobs, creative arts therapies studies and reasearch projects, that i have barely had time to think about making work for myself. Every spare moment i get is spent with family enjoying being a dad and husband...

Although the paintings and photographs have taken a back seat for a while, creativity is still flowing. As i head towards the end of the second year of the Creative Arts Therapies Studies course at City of Bristol College/University of Plymouth i am really beginning to see the potential impact of using creative activities as a way to increase self esteem and boost confidence in young people. In a therapeutic setting, art can used as a tool to improve health and well being - and it is using arts therapeutically with people that has begun to really interest me.

I am developing a few projects that will aim to work with creative arts and people focusing less on the final product and more on the process; investigating the experiences of the journey taken to produce a piece of artwork. I'll be posting results and reflections on a new blog lukepalmerart.blogspot.com as well as other items of interest that involve using creative arts with people.

---

This weekend i managed to grab a hour to get the paint pens and oil pastels out and get drawing with my son. I documented the process with the SLR which showed the little journey we went on and made for a nice little stop frame movie. Our first collaborative piece together, definitely not the last. Great fun!

CR

2011-04-11T09:18:00.001+01:00

CR, a photo by acerone on Flickr.

E

2011-04-11T09:17:00.003+01:00

E, a photo by acerone on Flickr.

SA

2011-04-11T09:17:00.001+01:00

SA, a photo by acerone on Flickr.

Blank?

2011-03-26T13:03:00.000Z

Why is question 17 intentionally left blank?

My Genre

2011-03-25T01:12:00.007Z

Bristol Hiphop crew and fellow original Fantastic Super Heroes bredrin Aspects at their peak.
Track titled 'My Genre'
Filmed at the Essential Festival, Ashton Court 2002

Holton Rower

2011-03-20T23:16:00.000Z

Simple. Brilliant. I want to make one NOW!

247 Interview

2011-03-20T00:22:00.003Z

Short Acerone interview in local music and lifestyle magazine - 247.

I first noticed this mag pop up during art student days in Exeter in early 2001. It is amazing to think that just 10 years ago email, digital cameras, scanners, iMacs and Photoshop were all pretty new technology that i was experimenting with. A new world of communication began to open up that was literally at our fingertips that was quicker and more direct than ever before. But whilst its convenience is to be celebrated it cant complete with the real thing; a hand written letter, the image on photo paper, a 12" vinyl cover. There is something more satisfying about holding what you're looking at, and that cannot be conveyed through the monitor.
Magazines feel and smell good.

So keep an eye out for this months 247 magazine, pick up two copies and give one to a friend... Or just take a look at the digital version here

Lyrical Genius

2011-03-15T23:38:00.003Z

RIP

Few people are surprised any more by a reggae artist's untimely death, not even when it is as bizarre as Smiley Culture's seems to be. My biggest fear is that this icon of British reggae rap will end up as a mere footnote in the annals of rock'n'roll.

Say Smiley Culture and pop pickers of a certain age will go, "Wasn't he the one-hit wonder who did that record Police Officer? My kids love it and so does my mother ..."

They don't know the half of it.

Very well worded tribute to Smiley Culture by Dotun Adebayo HERE

Planet Croft (Paste Up)

2011-02-19T08:14:00.002Z

Planet Croft

2011-02-19T00:21:00.004Z

Today, i finally managed to get around to experimenting with a photo-planet-paste-up idea i've had for a while. Here's a few images documenting the process; starting with a 180 degree panoramic image of Westmoreland House/Stokes Croft taken from the traffic island in the middle of the road. Made up of 20 RAW files and processed as HDRs before stitching.

(a proper panoramic head for my tripod is long over due. For now, please embrace the dodgy joins between frames... :-)

Using Photoshop CS4, turned it into a planet, grayscaled and tidied it up. Saved as 6 A0 sized B+W jpg files for printing.

Pasted up on Stokes Croft in the same location the original photographs were taken. I must give a mention to Cheba whose piece i went over...

...soz mate - but it was for a good cause ;-)

More of this from me at the Weapon of Choice gallery's Photography Show starting on the 26th Feb with the opening evening on Friday 25th.

Multi FM

2011-02-18T00:06:00.003Z

DJ ACERONE - MULTI FM 87.7fm, Thurs 24th Feb, 5pm - 6pm

Multi FM is being broadcast again from it's Kingswood base - The Old School Youth Centre, from Mon-Fri next week. Unless you live at the bottom of a hill, it should reach most parts of Bristol so be sure to tune in - especially between 5-6 on Thurs 24th Feb, when i'll be playing you some choice cuts from my treasured vinyl collection.

Work rota's willing, ill be joined by a very special guest MC who will guide you through an hour of my biggest musical influences as i drop some dodgy scratches, off beat mixes and careless whispers.

Due to the nature of the work i do, i have a huge appreciation for youth centre's and the opportunities they provide for young people within communities. The Kingswood Old School YC is an outstanding project - and with a name like that, it really couldn't be anything less.

Dont forget to tune in!

:-)

Multi FM - 87.7 FM
12noon-10pm, 21st-25th February, Old School youth centre, Kingswood
Young people in Kingswood will be making waves on the radio during the half-term break, broadcasting again as ‘Multi FM’ on 87.7 FM.
The young people will be hosting a mixture of interviews, live music and songs.
This is the fourth year that the young people, aged from 14 to 20-years-old, have run a radio station from the Kingswood-based youth centre.
After being granted a licence by Ofcom, they have been hard at work preparing for the week-long broadcast with help and guidance from Phil Gibbons, the station manager at Bristol Community Radio, and Matt Thomas, a sound engineer.
The youngsters will be interviewing a range of guests, including representatives from the police, councils and the health service, and other organisations.
Councillor Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, praised the efforts of the youngsters. She said: “I think Multi FM is a fantastic project. It enables a group of young people to come together and create something they can be proud of, as well as learning new skills.
“It has been really well received in previous years and everyone involved has been working hard to make it a success again.”
Old School youth worker June Yeoman said: “It’s going to be a really exciting week. A few the regulars have left, but we have some new and exciting members of the team.”

PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

2011-02-16T10:13:00.004Z

I have some new photographic works going up in the Weapon of Choice gallery's first ever Photography Show. Putting work up alongside Beezer, Keith Baugh, Mark Simmons, Shifteye, Tim Jones, James Koch, Duchess and Patrick Goughlan is indeed a privilege, so expect something a bit different from me - It's always an aim to stand out from the crowd!

Weapon of Choice Gallery

14 St Michael's Hill, Bristol

Opening preview - Fri 25th Feb 2011

I hope to see you there for a bevvy.

Building a Bristol DInosaur - Pt 1

2011-02-14T00:25:00.003Z

Stage 1 of a collaborative project with Andy Council.

Stage 2 - Coming Soon!

bang

2011-01-13T23:38:00.001Z

Return to the Ugly Side

2011-01-13T23:01:00.002Z

A month or so ago i was contacted by Malachai asking to do some shots with them to promote their 2nd album 'Return to the Ugly Side'. Hopefully you would have heard the first album by now (if you haven't, shame on you...) so you'll know about their 'melting pot style', where psychedelic grooves and funk breaks seamlessly blend with reggae, rock and hip hop.

In keeping with the 'mash up of styles' ethos, Gee and Scott wanted to get their promotional shots taken by a number of photographers whose each had a different style. Im not exactly sure who else was involved in the project, but here are a few images from the shoot i did with them...

eBook - Call to Adventure

2010-12-22T10:01:00.002Z

Whilst the MShed museum project has been put on hold due to red-tape and white snow, i have had a chance to put together a collection of photographs documenting the Call to Adventure exhibition from last month in the Colston Hall's Glass room.

Please take a look!

Merry festivities to one and all.

Evening Post article

2010-12-10T07:50:00.001Z

Mural will welcome visitors to city's newest museum

A VIBRANT mural – Window on Bristol – is set to welcome visitors to M Shed, the museum which aims to tell the story of Bristol all under one roof.

The colourful artwork will depict many of the city's familiar and quirky landmarks in a unique way.

Painted in bright colours, the commissioned work is the creation of two nationally acclaimed Bristolian artists –Andy Council and Luke Palmer.

Better known in the street art and graffiti world as Acerone, Luke Palmer's latest work mixes monochrome with vibrant colours.

Dinosaurs and buildings are a common feature of Andy Council's work, so the mural will depict a mixture of these elements when it is finished.

The pair have been working on the mural all week.

"We are delighted to have two local artists working in M Shed," said Julie Finch, head of Bristol's museums, galleries and archives.

"Their styles are very different, which makes this collaboration extra special.

"Window on Bristol is a celebration of the city, its past, the present and what could lie ahead.

"Its bold, striking images will animate the Living Bristol Gallery, draw people in, spark debate and will encourage visitors to explore and discover the fascinating histories and stories behind the objects and artefacts on display."

M-Shed, which is to open two years late in spring 2011, aims to tell the story of Bristol, from prehistoric times to the present day, all under one roof.

Three galleries – Living Bristol, People and Place – will feature stories from residents of the city across hundreds of years.

Window to Bristol will greet visitors in the Living Bristol Gallery.

M Shed is on the site of the former Industrial Museum by Prince Street Bridge.

The museum will be free but one temporary gallery could charge to attract world-renowned exhibits such as the Terracotta Army from China or Tutankhamun from Egypt.

There will be a number of the most popular exhibits from the Industrial Museum on display, and visitors can take steam train and boat rides around the dock from the site.

There will also be areas for school children on educational visits.

M Shed progress

2010-12-08T08:12:00.001Z

Andy Council and Acerone happenings at M-Shed...

MShed

2010-12-03T23:44:00.004Z

Next week ill be joining forces with the mighty Andy Council and painting a huge mural for the Bristol Museum's MShed. I was intending to keep a bit quiet about it and post a few in-progress shots up here over the course of the week, but the BBC reported on it today so i guess there is no point in keeping quiet...!

Keep a watch on this blog for updates throughout the week.

Mad Props

2010-11-22T23:22:00.006Z

Every now and then you get a bit of feedback that really makes an impression on you. A big thank you to Felix Grant for sharing this with me and mad props to Dan for persevering and seeing it through till the image was complete. That's the spirit!

After seeing Call to adventure, Dan and I had a conversation about where it is legitimate to put street art. That led to my ongoing "guerilla" posted I do like to be beside the seaside exhibition with Sheila Lindsley. And that led to his asking if he could come with me and help put up one of the images.

It was very cold (just below freezing) and windy. The cold was inhibiting the setting of he spray adhesive, so the image sections were taking time to stick. Fingers were numbing, and we had only two image sections (of six) in place, when Dan said "Perhaps we should do this some other time".

"We could", I replied, "but we've posted a third of the image now, and we lose it if we stop. What do you suppose Luke would do?"

"Hmmm..." he decided "...let's get it done."

Monkey Business

2010-11-16T01:11:00.000Z

Malachai visit Glass Room

Mix and Match

2010-11-12T23:53:00.001Z

Acerone at The Glass Room - Colston Hall

2010-11-09T01:17:00.000Z

The Glass Room

2010-11-08T08:26:00.003Z

Photograph courtesy of Bill Spencer

Call to Adventure prints now available!

2010-11-05T13:29:00.004Z

Giclee prints of the 4 'Call to Adventure' canvases available here now!

Refusal of the Call

2010-10-31T08:04:00.005Z

Acerone - 'Call to Adventure; Refusal of the Call'

Bristol visual artist Acerone brings work based on circular walk around the city to Colston Hall’s Glass Room
Bristol based visual artist Acerone has developed a body of artwork based on a circular walk around the city and his work is being displayed at Colston Hall’s Glass Room exhibition space this November.
‘Call to Adventure’ is a series of 4 paintings derived from 12 photographs captured whilst on a circular walk around Bristol’s city centre over a 12-hour period.
Acerone devised a circular route around Bristol, taking a central point from a map reference and drawing a 1 kilometre circumference around the city. He then divided his route into 12 equal segments, numbered like a clock face, with the relating hour identifying the time the photo was taken from that position.
Taking insight from the Situationist’s practice of the Dérive, the photographs were used as starting points for the paintings, exploring our emotional and behavioral reactions to the urban landscape. The collection can be viewed as a 12 hour visual journey through the city, using visual references to Bristolian architecture as key metaphors that reflect Acerone’s lifework.
Acerone is a visual artist from Bristol with a background of 15 years of creating street art murals. With photography remaining a keystone in the development of his works, current projects have seen him using the camera as a tool to capture intense images of urban life, which are then remixed and replayed as paintings on canvas.
His installation work from the Royal West of England Academy street art exhibition ‘Crimes of Passion’ is part of the RWA permanent collection and in late 2009 he won the first prize award in the ‘Bristol: A Second Look’ competition at Photographique.
Both the series of photographs and the 4 canvases make up the body of work that is Call to Adventure and will be displayed at The Glass Room gallery at Colston Hall, Bristol from Friday 5 until Sun 28 November 2010.

Call to Adventure

2010-10-20T23:06:00.005+01:00

Glass Room presents: Acerone - Call to Adventure

At the Colston Hall's new gallery space in Colston St, Bristol.

I've been working on this series of pieces since the beginning of the year, so really pleased that im finally getting the work out of the dining-room-studio and on display. Its based on the theory of the Derive; the Situationist practice of drifting about a geographical space that began in France in the 1950's. The work mixes photography with painting and uses ideas and narratives taken from mythology, fairy-tails and psychotherapy...

50 Images

2010-10-11T00:21:00.002+01:00

50 images documenting our Distance Travelled in 24 hours getting this show up...

Dicy, Acerone, Ziml - Distance Travelled exhibition, Centrespace gallery, 1-6th Oct 2010.

All Things are Changing; Nothing Dies

2010-10-08T16:56:00.003+01:00

The piece i made for the 'Distance Travelled' exhibition explained in a little more detail...

Using the cemetery as a background for four paintings depicting the words Work, Beloved, Self and Home, ‘All Things are Changing; Nothing Dies’ is an installation that responds to Joseph Cambell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and the methods of gestalt therapy developed by the late Paul Rebillot in the Hero’s Journey process.

This piece uses the environment of the cemetery as a metaphor for change; steering away from the notion of ‘the end’ and instead focusing on new beginnings. Light trails flash through the scene, spelling out the words Work, Beloved, Self and Home; core aspects of each individual’s lives that will be affected by change.

How do we embrace these changes? Should we spend our lives grieving for what once was, or accept the call to adventure and become the Hero in our own journey…?

The giclee print for the above image measuring 88cm x 30cm, is a high quality print on 310gm fine art acid free archive stock paper, and is an edition of 8.

6 of these prints sold at the show; If you would like one of the final 2 prints available for £95, please click here. Many thanks to all who have supported me by buying a print.

Distance Travelled preview

2010-10-03T23:37:00.003+01:00

I'll be uploading a full documentation of the works that Dicy, Ziml and I created for the Distance Travelled exhibition, but in the meantime here is a great slideshow of images from the preview evening by Lillput

The show is on until Weds 5th October.

Work Beloved Self Home

2010-09-27T09:46:00.003+01:00

Work Beloved Self Home, (2010) Acerone

Things are hotting up in preparation for the 'Distance Travelled' show im putting together with fellow TCF brothers, Dicy and Ziml. We have had months to think about and prepare for this, but as all true artists will know, the best work is made in a mad rush in the few days before the hanging and opening...

We have some pretty big ideas ready to roll so be sure to come down and see the Centrespace Gallery transformed in a way you will not have done before. To get your name on the preview guest-list email us at:
invite@dicyacerziml.co.uk

The above photo is a hint at the direction im going in with this body of work - inspired by the writing of Joseph Cambell and the Gestalt Therapeutic processes developed by the late Paul Rebillot...

Time to get deep!

Distance Travelled

2010-09-01T16:23:00.003+01:00

In September 2009, I worked alongside fellow TCF artists Dicy and Ziml on producing the Triple Drop show at the Centrespace gallery here in Bristol. Almost exactly one year one and we're are back again with a brand new body of work that is going to dominate the Centrespace in a way you have never seen before...

We have been working away at this show since the beginning of the year so expect to see some ambitious pieces for all of us. Distance Travelled is a metaphor for our group reflection upon the influences we have had from our pasts, how those experiences are affecting the work we are producing right now, and our ambitions and dreams for the future.

Readers of my blog are invited to the private view on October 1st at 7pm. Admission is by invite only so please email invite@dicyacerziml.co.uk to put your name on the guestlist.

See you there!

Back to Nature

2010-08-31T10:39:00.002+01:00

I spent this bank holiday weekend getting back to nature in the New Forest, camping in Tipi's with my family and the in-laws/nieces and nephew. The kids went wild for it; we dressed up as native American Indians complete with face paintings, made dream catchers and tipi paintings, made up names for each other (of which i became Big-Frog!) and told traditional native American stories around the camp fire. It was magical....

...and very cold.

Once the little ones were tucked up in sleeping bags, i put another log on the fire and made my first successful(?) attempt at star-trail photography. I made a couple of mistakes before capturing this one - mostly under exposure from f-stops being too high, but when exposure times are around 30 minutes you cant really afford to keep on reshooting more and more shots if you want to get some sleep! I was reminded of Felix Grant's recent post reminiscing upon past days where his pocket money would only stretch so far as to allow one roll of 12 exposure film per fortnight to be developed - so he rationed himself to shooting less than one frame a day. I felt a bit like i had to ration these shots too, but it was time that was limiting me here, not money.

My mistakes meant that it took me nearly two hours to get this shot. Now i had found my 'perfect exposure' (f4, 20 mins, 100iso - Canon 10-22mm lens @ 10mm) i knew that i could increase the length of the star trails simply by stopping down a few stops and increasing the exposure to around an hour - and still get the same light balance in the foreground...

...but that would mean staying up for another hour at midnight and by now i had run out of firewood. No chance of that so back to the tipi i went. I did however learn a lot from this 3 frame shoot and will be a little more clued up for the next time i am out in the country in the middle of the night with my camera kit!

Tipis and Star-trails

A Walk in the Park

2010-08-24T10:40:00.002+01:00

"A Walk in the Park" - by Tobias Palmer, aged 21 months

My child minder was away on holiday yesterday which allowed me to take a day off of work to spend with my little one. The morning consisted of a failed attempt at going swimming, replaced with a trip to the park collecting leaves and a lot of CBBC show Big Barn Farm. There is only so much swinging, sliding, seesawing and kids TV i can cope with so decided to get a big role of paper and the paints out.

Time to get messy!

What took us about 10 minutes to create took about 2 hours to clear up, but it was well worth it. This is art at it's most innocent, ego free and fun. I loved every minute and so did he...

Happy days.

2010-08-24T10:37:00.002+01:00

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso

Dirty Dave Dances

2010-08-20T14:37:00.003+01:00

All round athlete Dirty Dave throws down some moves under Brunell Way after a 13 hour day building marquees. Respect the stamina.

Part of an ongoing light trail experiment with FLX

Monotone Arrows

2010-08-17T16:22:00.002+01:00

A Bear Lived Here

2010-08-05T15:20:00.010+01:00

Its been a while since i have painted on Stokes Croft so when i realised i had a couple of days free this week i finally managed to get around to painting a photo-graffiti style street scene on the old Target Electronics building on Cheery Street.

I must give a mention to fellow TCF brothers Paris and Eko who i painted over - their pieces were a couple of the best i have seen on the croft for ages. Paris's space age lettering and retro fade fill-in allongside Eko's classic wigged out letters and 2D b-boy character were the business. But it was time for me to reclaim this wall!

Once i had blacked it out, i painted the white base coat on and returned the following day to add the colours. I soon got sidetracked by my best man who collected me for an evening sampling the real ales and ciders up at the Inn on the Green, but this morning with a very heavy head i popped back down there to add in the finishing touches.

(View larger image here)

The original photograph of the street scene was taken almost a year ago now from the doorway of DHS heating store at the junction of Jamaica Street and Stokes Croft, opposite what is now 'The Canteen'. I had originally planned to add a spoof advert or logo in the over-exposed billboard area above 'Turbo Island', but in the months it took me to get around to actually getting this painting executed i learned of the passing of Bear the Street Poet.

Alan 'Bear' Smith lived in Jamaica Street hostel for around 3 years but was considered homeless with dependancies on drugs and alcohol. He was a face i recognised from the area having worked on Stokes Croft daily since 2005, but the first time we had a chat that went further then the usual "Spare us any cha... - Afraid not mate", was when i was painting the first piece i did here in 2008.

Bear approached me and i must admit to being a little weary at first. But instead of the usual conversation, he began telling me how much he admired the piece i was painting. He told me about how he recognised the photographic qualities of the piece, how it must have been taken with a long exposure, and began to ask questions about my technique and shared some of the ideas he had himself for long exposure photography with added flash. I wasn't expecting that and was quite taken aback...!

Bear hung out with me for a few hours whilst i painted and continued to tell me his story. He was eloquent, interesting and at times very funny. A lot of what he told me was also really very sad. But behind this shadowy figure was a true gentleman who clearly had a massively creative mind. I feel like on that day i took a lot from him, but in retrospect the old saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' seems like a real lesson learned.

Another inspirational way of life that Bear lived daily was to busk with poetry. If you were lucky enough to have been in good spirits on a day that you passed Bear and crossed his palm with a little silver, he might well have free-styled a short improvised poem for you. Such was his lifestyle that i don't think much of it was written down and i doubt that much of his work exists on paper at all; but one of his poems 'I'm No Con' was read out at his cremation in January this year. It is a beautiful example of how Bear viewed the injustices he faced in his everyday life and a perfect reflection of the charming fella i spoke to that day - Amusing, thoughtful, intelligent and tragic.

I'm No Con

Through gates of grey I made my way

no bail on this redemption day.

And so I’m made to stand in line

and then to sit, and then to sign.

And reluctantly they invite me to dine

on a microwave meal with no appeal

more reluctantly I break the seal.

But before I’ve had the chance to eat

a faceless voice barks “on your feet”.

And bottom inspectors

like funeral directors

probe naked behinds with their metal detectors.

And as they sing and clichés swing

I’m dispatched as a package to the wing.

And at the top of the end of the stairs

I’m reunited with my dodgy chairs

My second bunk, my ancient isles

those funny little faces, those ancient smiles.

So thanks for the tea, the chips, the peas

the bravest jangling of your bloody keys.

And while you work I’ll take my ears

and ponder on life’s many ironies.

The most profound of all of these

being imprisoned by chimpanzees.

Alan 'Bear' Smith

I received the most touching compliment from a passer-by today who stopped me to tell me that seeing Bear "back on the Croft, where he belongs..." gave him goose-bumps - He used to share a room with Bear back at Jamaica Street hostel. Im unaware that any of my paintings have had that affect on anyone before...

So this one is for Bear and anyone who knew him. Thanks for the time you gave me Bear, your words live on.

On Fire!

2010-07-29T00:36:00.003+01:00

Headed out with FLX tonight to continue the ongoing light trail experiment. Here we have your friend and ours, Bboy Ooze Des throwing down some freezes on an old iron bridge...

Yet More Candid Street Portraiture

2010-07-27T10:45:00.001+01:00

More Candid Street Portraiture

2010-07-26T11:31:00.003+01:00

You Gotta Get Yo'self Connected

2010-07-25T00:32:00.002+01:00

Under the Bridge

2010-07-05T00:57:00.006+01:00

I received a heads-up that lil' Pete was off out on a bridge swinging mission so after the carnival i grabbed my kit and went to meet him...

Faces of the Festival

2010-07-05T00:30:00.003+01:00

St Pauls Carnival 2010

See the full set HERE

Body flow

2010-06-30T23:57:00.000+01:00

The Sugar Hill Gang

2010-06-25T00:11:00.005+01:00

I have been meaning to post these photos of the Sugar Hill Gang from a couple of weeks ago down at the Tunnels in Bristol. We all love Rappers Delight so it was an honour for me to finally get to hear it performed live.

Big Cheers to Weapon of Choice for hosting the night.

Acerone and Andy Council at the Tobacco Factory

2010-06-10T15:02:00.002+01:00

UPfest - Today!

2010-06-05T09:53:00.002+01:00

Come down to the Tobacco Factory in Bedminster today to see how this collaboration between Andy Council and myself turns out...

See you there.

Paint the World

2010-05-30T23:32:00.003+01:00

Steven Wright said "It's a small world, but i wouldn't want to paint it..."

I always liked the way that quote evokes a sense of scale that quickly becomes unimaginable.

So fair play to Dulux for giving it a go. And making it look like so much fun.

I'ld love to get involved in this...

Lets Colour Project by Dulux

Andy Council and Acerone at UPfest'10!

2010-05-29T10:59:00.004+01:00

(Andy Council's 'Graffacertops' at Upfest'08)

Andy Council and Acerone Collaboration at UPfest10!

YES indeed, the rumours are true - June the 5^thwill see Acerone will be painting a collaborative piece with Bristol’s finest artist and illustrator Andy Council. Expect starbursts, light trails, Bristolian visual references and, of course - dinosaurs!

During the 3^rd UPfest at the Tobacco Factory in Southville, Bristol; Andy and Acer will be painting live as part of the 200 strong group of artists, with 50 of those artists having come from all over the world to be a part of the event.

This one is not to be missed!

Throughout the weekend the Tobacco Factory will be hosting the Very Affordable Art Sale where original artwork and prints will be available at bargain prices! Profits raised from the sales will be donated to NACOA (National Association for Children of Alcoholics) building upon the £10,000 already raised by Steve and the UPfest organisers to date. Please come down and support the cause.

And as if this wasn’t enough there will be urban dance workshops, a children’s art practice area, and live music from Funk from the Trunk, Hairy Parents, Jon Kennedy and many, many more…

Oh yeah… and entry free!!!

Hairpieces

2010-05-16T23:19:00.005+01:00

Its been a while since i have posted on this blog, been really busy on other things like writing, painting and cooking. More on that later, but in the meantime - some hair styles from Friday night at Bristol Museum...

RIP Guru

2010-04-20T12:10:00.001+01:00

My favourite MC of all time, Guru of Gangstarr has passed away after being ill for sometime...

I never got so see them play live. Gutted...

Above the Clouds...

Mohammed Ali and Acerone in Southmead

2010-04-09T15:17:00.003+01:00

A more in depth write up of this project will be here soon. In the meantime, here is what was broadcasted on BBC news last night.

Joiner - Queens St

2010-03-31T00:42:00.001+01:00

College Green Experimentationalism

2010-03-30T10:50:00.002+01:00

Trying to push the photomontage style a little - warped up and mangled.

Im not happy with this one but its just an experiment...

More to come.

Cabot Circus Bridge

2010-03-23T12:42:00.001Z

Photo-montage of the car park bridge to Cabot Circus, Bristol.

158 photos.

6 hours on Photoshop.

Lots of patience.

No more of these...!

MC Mike Mac

2010-03-20T11:33:00.003Z

I regularly 'do lunch' with my man Mike Mac of the Jedi Mics on Fridays in that awesome pasta joint in St Nicks market... Hmmmmm fooood.

So after scoffing pasta, salad and bread yesterday we went on a little record digging session in a new record shop in the market. I spotted this awesome corner with loads of cool music memorabilia spread around so i asked Mike to hold still for a minute whilst i fired off about 140 shots. Piecing them back together took more like 3-4 hours, well into the early hours last night...

Anyway, im pleased with how this turned out - i know, i know, very Hockney, but i love this style. Might have to head back there to reshoot this but this time change the text on that black board as tickets to Metropolis dont really relate to Mike or his music. Which BTW you can check here...

Photo Montages

2010-03-18T10:26:00.000Z

Glastonbury Planets

2010-03-16T11:43:00.002Z

I know, I know, this 'planet' malarky is such a Photoshop cliche - but i just cant help myself, they are so much fun to make...

:-)

Malachai @ Thunderbolt

2010-03-14T23:23:00.006Z

Malachai are of to tour the US next week, so tonight there was a lil low-key dress rehearsal down at the Thunderbolt where i managed to grab a couple of snaps...

All the best for out there boys - represent Bristol to the fullest!

My Front Room

2010-03-06T20:45:00.001Z

A painting of my front room from memory

Who is Harassing Who?

2010-02-23T22:49:00.005Z

Whilst out fairly late last night on a photo expedition, i was abruptly stopped by security guards who asked me what i thought i was doing. This encounter has lead me to question whether i was actually doing anything wrong or whether i fell victim to some over zealous wannabe polices officers...

Im currently working on a project that involves walking a circular route around bristol city centre and photographing 12 locations that roughly fall onto the hour points of a 12 hour clock face. As you might imagine, some of the locations fall on visually interesting areas, others lead me to some pretty random places - one of which was the area in question, Woodland Rd in Clifton which links Park Row and Tydalls Park Rd. Right in the heart of Bristol University land...

As i looked around for some sort of interesting vantage point, i noticed the University security car on patrol and took note that they were obviously wondering what i was doing. I set up my tripod and camera on a traffic island at the junction of Woodland Rd and University walk and managed to capture a couple of shots of passing cars and the light trails they left behind. This was when the security guards pulled up along side me and interrogated me over my motivations.

I explained that i was nothing to do with the University and that i was a local artist taking images of Bristol landscapes for a project i was working on. They told me i was acting suspiciously and that i was actually on private property. I asked if there was a problem with me taking photos here and they answered "No, but we might consider letting you continue as long as you give us your full name and contact details". I asked them why they needed this information and what they would do with it - to be met with a very aggressive, "Are you declining to give us your name?!"

I told them that without clarification of what they intended to do with my details that i would not be telling them and that i would rather pack up my kit and leave - which is what i did.

There is no doubt that the security guards in question could have been more cooperative and polite, but i do understand that it may seem unusual for someone to be out at 11pm in the freezing cold taking images of the middle of the road. However i still wonder if i was actually doing any thing wrong.

The general consensus on taking images of private buildings is that you are permitted to do so - as long as you are taking them whilst stood on public property...

My question is - Does anybody know if Woodland Road, BS8, Bristol is University property or is it a public right of way just as any other normal road in the city is?

EDIT:

Some very interesting comments, including a statement from the Head of Security at the University of Bristol, and a resolution from Bristol City Council on the Bristol Flickr thread HERE

Planet College Green

2010-02-23T11:39:00.000Z

Jump Trails

2010-02-11T10:18:00.001Z

Street Light Dancing

2010-02-11T09:30:00.004Z

Went our last night for another experiment session with FLX and Bristol Bboys Dirty Dave and Ooze Des. A gritty and grotty urban location tucked underneath the M32 was perfect for some low light body movement captures using caving lamps attached to each arm and leg...

Dirty Dave and Ooze Des

Razzle Dazzle

2010-02-08T22:54:00.007Z

Whilst i am trying to keep this blog focused on the work i am producing, once in a while something grabs my attention that is just too good to not pass on to others. Whilst surfing around today i came across this article via the street art blog, wooster collective. At first i genuinely thought that this must be a hoax, there is no way in this world that anyone could have conceived and executed this idea in 1914! By it turns out i was wrong, British artist and naval officer Norman Wilkinson did indeed paint collosal warships in mind bending optical illusions in WW1 to confuse the German U-Boats and avoid being hit by torpedos.

Absolutely amazing photographs!

Now if only they were in colour...

Cumberland

2010-01-31T09:19:00.003Z

The first image taken from the floating box in the second image...

I love this often missed bit of 60's(?) architecture.

Body Flow

2010-01-23T07:44:00.009Z

We all know you can make pretty pictures with lights and long exposure photography. But Bristolian artist and author of 'Children of the Can', FLX Braun and I decided to use the method to record the movements of the human body through the urban landscape. Less of a Streetlight Collectif and more of an Eadweard Muybridge for this project - here are some results of our first experimentation session from Wednesday night...

New Year, New Website

2010-01-10T23:38:00.005Z

www.acerone.org

Please pop by and take a look!

Many thanks to Tony Bedden for all your help with the site (and introducing me to 18 pint barrels of Betty Stogs real ale... :-)

Feel free to drop Tony a line for any website building requirements you might have - he comes highly recommended.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T09:21:00.002Z

Despite the economic downturn and general 2009 grumpiness, I had a great year...

Many thanks to all of you who have supported me and my artwork - have a great evening's celebrations and best wishes for 2010!

Im off to Kernow to see the new year in - back with more projects in early Jan.

RIP Bear - the Street Poet

2009-12-21T15:14:00.005Z

I just heard the sad news that Alan, AKA Bear the street poet, has passed away. As a ever present face on Stokes Croft, Bear was a truly charming character as anyone who bothered to gave him a few moments will testify.

I took this photo in early 2008, a short time after i painted the piece on Target Electronics in the background. Whilst i was painting it, Bear joined me and told me tales of his past - his lost family, past career, and his hopes and dreams for the future. I was stunned by his knowledge and enthusiasm for art and photography and his own ideas of painting blacked out rooms with photo-sensitive emulsion and then flashing lights around whilst people strike poses in front of the walls... I thought that was a pretty wild idea.

So to a man who so often looked grumpy, worse for wear and down and out, and no doubt had a right to be; but who also had a heart of gold and a creative mind, with tales to tell that would reduce you to tears.

Rest In Peace my man, thanks for the time you took to talk to me...

Shortly after i met Bear i spotted him one morning in from of the painting i had done and he was studying it and taking it in. I walked up to him and had a short chat, asked to take his photo which is the one you see above. I later used this photo to make a painting of Bear and later gave him a copy of the image. He was touched and thanked me for my kindness...

A week or so later i saw him again and asked if he still had the picture i gave him. Unfortunately, he didnt have a clue what i was on about... Bless ya Bear, Goodnight.

Acrylic paint, photocopies, photographs, pva, emusion, poska pens, tester pots, and a used PG tips tea bag on hardboard.

Issues...

2009-12-16T16:01:00.013Z

A while back i spotted that a band i liked were playing the Bristol Bierkeller (not my usual hangout, bet hey...) and noticed that on their website they were requesting photographs from people who had been to earlier gigs . Knowing that Mrs Acer wouldn't be too keen on going i thought i'ld try and get a pass to take photos - sent an email with a few photo examples - and got the blag :-)So last night i headed out with all the kit; 10-20mm canon superwide, a borrowed 17-40L (cheers Lee!), and the trusty kit 55-250mm IS canon. EX430ii flash along with transmitter, defusers and a few other cheeky flash related gadgets i wanted to try out. But on arriving and getting my pass i was told that it was the bands request that i only take photos for the first 3 songs and with no flash whatsoever. Groan...

So without my trusty flash i was left to work out what to do with 3 lenses that aren't particularly quick (f3.5-4, f4, and f4-5.6 respectively). My camera only goes up to iso1600 so although quick, not as quick as newer models and was no doubt going to give noisy images. It was pretty dark in there too so the only way i could get a workable shutterspeed was to push the exposure compensation to 2 stops under the meter reading.

So by doing everything i could to get my shutter-speed as quick as possible i experimented by taking a series of photos of the support band.

The above image i managed to grab by supporting the camera against the safety barrier in front of the stage which allowed me to get away with a fairly slow 1/40 shutter speed with the 17-40L. It wasn't fast enough for my liking so i decided to switch to the 55-250 which has Canon's image stabilisation system integrated within it...

This seemed to work much better, although IS can compensate for a bit of camera shake, it cant compensate for the subject you are shooting moving, ended up taking lots of frames and hoping for the best...

The main act came on and were great. Very energetic, great musicians, crowd very boisterous! Good fun. I managed to fire of around 150 shots during my allotment of the first 3 songs before being ushered out of the pit by a gnarley security dude who just couldn't wait to enforce his authority. Luckily for him, there were plenty of rowdy lads in there for him to get to work on later on in the evening. And out of the 150 shots i got about 4 decent ones...