My interest in this internal narrative, these interwoven, interdependent stories, stems from one of my early memories as a child. I was in a shopping centre with my mother, sitting on a bench, and this woman walked past me. She was almost middle-aged (or at least she seemed old to me, being so young), wearing a red coat and trying to do a thousand things at once. It was probably one of the first time I'd really thought about there being anything outside of the little bubble that was my family and the people I knew at school. Certainly the first time I'd ever really considered that someone else, in their own world, was at the centre of it, conducting their own life, which would probably never have a direct effect on my own. Obviously my thoughts weren't quite as clear and concise as they are now, but that was the general jist of the situation. I suppose I was interested in how she'd moved across my path, and was unlikely to cross it again.



I was thinking about this when I decided to see how far I could get from my house, in the space of time it takes to make a cup of tea. I got out a map to see where I could go, only to realise that North Finchley looks more complicated from an aerial perspective than it seems to me at ground level. I then remembered the experience I'd had when I was young, and thought it would be interesting/fun, to create routes I could try using the roll of a dice. An odd number meant left, an even number meant right. I marked out my routes on photocopied maps, and set out, having decided to film my feet as I walked. This was more of an experiment than anything else, I needed to see how far I could get in a fairly short space of time (not as far as I'd hoped). I started to think about how much further I could get if I ran, or cycled. I'm going to try more walking and cycling tomorrow, and running when I get my trainers back.

I filmed my feet as I walked, and have tried playing the film along with the sound of making a cup of tea. It's strange how as the sound and the film don't match up, it was almost as if I had to concentrate on one or the other, as if they were totally separate fundamentally, as well as in the sense of a piece of work. I also noticed all the different types of pavement there are around where I live. I have decided to go and photograph the different pavements on one of the walks I did today, and then see what I can do with them when I have them developed. At the moment I think it could be quite interesting to categorise them in terms of distance and time.

I think the idea of the narrative, or my idea of the narrative, is something that is current and present in all of the work I produce, as it is a strong interest of mine, a subject to which I repeatedly return. However, as I continue with this project, the idea of time seems to be my overriding interest, although of course that interest could indeed morph into something else over the weeks.

I had a chat with John today about my work. As with every tutor I was told to stop worrying so much, but one thing we chatted about was film and sound. I said I thought if I used film and sound separately they would conflict, as they don't match up. I had never considered making a video, as in film and sound together. He then mentioned how different a film is without sound, how important sound is in terms of what you see, and I said that when I watch television on mute, which I do, I often notice more than I would visually than when the sound's on. Along a similar vein, when I want to work, I quite often have a movie playing, but I don't watch it, I like the sound, particularly the voices, just on it's own. I like the idea of thinking of art, which is such a visual medium, in terms of sound, which is why I chose to avoid film, making the sound the focal point of my work, however, I think having conflicting, mismatched sound and video could be quite interesting, and something I should explore rather than just writing it off. Hazel said something similar and I feel that there is a valid point here.

In terms of the sound element of my project, I have been experimenting with different ways of measuring time. I chose water-related intervals, for example, a dripping tap, filling a bottle, or a small glass with water and recording the different sounds they make. Once in the music program, it is interesting to hear the noises in comparison to one another, it is very rhythmic, yet simultaneously "lacking", somehow. I edited the sounds, emphasising their more rhythmic elements and have produced a piece that sounds almost like drums, rather than water. It is purposeful, pushing forwards.

Although the temporal element of my work has very much remained in the aural realms of the project, I do intend to mix and link the physical, narrative side, with the intangible temporal side. I feel using, in some cases, the narrative within the sound pieces I am creating creates this link, however I still want to experiment with expressing passing time in static images. I have tried moving images, books, writing, across a photocopier whilst it copies the images. I liked the images which resulted. They are indicative of the passing of time within a certain temporal boundary. Bearing in mind the subject matter - books, written prose - they are also relevant to the narrational side of my project, implying the passing of time intrinsically linked with the idea of story-telling. There is also a certain element of the images, basic though they are, which encompasses my primary ideas for my project; an unfamiliar, indecipherable narrative contained within a physical (static image) and temporal (the obvious movement of the original image) spaces.

I cut out squares of the images and hung them from my ceiling using cotton. I photographed them in motion, and will attempt to photograph them with someone (me?) entangled within them.

I have been continuing with the same ideas using sound, contrasting different ways to produce a narrative: writing, printing, typing (on a type writer and a laptop), whispering, reading. I have found that I can then use these sounds to create atmospheric sound-pieces.

The problem with sound is the amount of time it takes people to experience the work I have done. I realise that nobody will listen to every unfinished experimental piece I produce (although I intend to submit it all, on a separate disc, in order to be able to show the progress I will have - hopefully - made), and have decided to use my blog as a way to document the work I do and the subsequent changes in ideas.

Today I have been thinking about intervals in time - how many times can I turn the page of a book in the space of time it takes me to write a sentence on a typewriter? Can I measure the world in terms of the time it takes me to make a cup of tea? I have been experimenting with these sounds, comparing them, in particular concentrating on rhythm. I feel that these ideas will lead me to produce more visual work, particularly as I tackle the problem of how to document them in my sketchbook.

I think I am interested in the intrinsic link between the narrative (one's own personal "life story", or inner-monologue) and time. I feel that in terms of my assessment this is the direction in which I would like to go.

I am "writing" one long sentence in white string. I like the malleable yet structured quality to it, and feel that if there was enough it could become almost like cobwebs, intensifying the atmosphere of the space it inhabits as a result of it's delicate nature.

Instead of experimenting with video, as I had originally planned, I have chosen to use sound as a way to give the installation some grounding in a temporal sense. Rather than making it static and indefinite, I can use repetition of sound to give it structure in relation to time.

I have also decided to experiment with the concept of time using sound. I want to explore the idea of different measurements of time, as I feel that time is not fixed, it is dependent on sociology, context, psychology, money etc. etc. to all intents and purposes, time is relative. I want to experiment with unusual measurements of time - the time it takes to read a page of a book, the time it takes to type a sentence on a typewriter.

I have already done one "sound piece", as a starting point. I was experimenting with the music program I have and ways to create a tense and uneasy atmosphere using noise. Unfortunately I don't know how to upload it to my blog.

I feel I should also make it clear that I think, particularly in terms of the assessment, that using both video and sound could create confusion, as both media would conflict.

I have decided a change(ish) of direction would be beneficial. I have been "stuck" for a while now, and feel as if I am forcing ideas almost. I have been reading over my blog, and have decided to start a "new" project, based on ideas such as enclosure/protection/restriction and the personal narrative in contrast to a more encompassing one, which have resurfaced throughout not only this year, but also over the course of my Foundation year.

I want to look at story-telling, and the concept of a book. I am interested in the limitations of a book, both physical and temporal. It is interesting to think of a book in terms of occupying space and time, rather than being restricted by a cover, in the traditional sense. I am interested in process-based practise, the physicality of creating something, however fleeting the creation, or story, may be.

On my foundation course, I wrote secrets into condensation on bus windows and photographed them. At the time, I didn't take the idea any further, but I think filming the short life-span of such a story would be very interesting.

I don't think I am "done" with the eggs yet though, although possibly the idea of mass production, repetition etc. is a little tired. I want to finish my ceramic eggs though, to give that aspect of my work some sort of finality. However, the protection/restriction aspect of eggshells which I have been thinking about still interests me.