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David Blackmore

Fits and bursts

Contact information / hard facts

www.davidblackmore.co.uk

Hackney wicked installation Borrowed from my bank 2010 -
I have decided to move my blog to the following address davidblackmore.blogspot.com I have decided to use blogger becasue it is easier to use. I will continue to post images and short updates here but for full postings please see davidblackmore.blogspot.com
CCTV mask v1 - charoulette 0003.jpg -
For those you who have never heard of Chatroulette it is a web site ^* that in theory allows people all over the world to interact via webcam. Apparently it was designed by a young russian man [Andrey Ternovskiy, 17] who got the idea from chatting to people on skype. The site is very basic but addictive. As a platform for interaction with individuals the world over its interesting and as a procrastination tool it is annoying. However the majority of the glimpses into others lives consists of close ups of penises/torsos of all ages in a mechanical state of arousal. Interdispersed with all the self gratification are curious people of all sexes and ages. Although it has to be said that the majority of its content is male masterbation and advertisements for porn or live sex shows.
CCTV mask v1 - charoulette 0005.jpg -
Since discovering this site I have been intrigued by its potential as a platform for making online interventions via web cam. I worked out how to send a still image through my webcam so that other users are confronted by my self portrarit with CCTV mask. It has been an interesting experince and the reaction of other users has been mixed. It is an appealing exercise being privey to peoples intial reaction to a non-portrait and disrupting someones attempts at self gratifiaction. This and similair sites seem to provide a new way of showcasing and diseminating work to a wider audience. The structure of the site is that you are confronted by a web stream from someone else. You can then decide to interact via speech or text or you can simply click next to move on to the next view. Other users can do the same, resulting in an online brush off. With this in mind there has been some discussion about the decling use of email amoung youger internet users preferring instead to interact via public/proivate messages via social networking sites. The nature of chatroullette based on my experience encourages a short attention span. If something is not stimulating us in an agreeable way within 5 -10 sec we move on. I am thinking of setting up a web cam in my studio when it is open to the public during the Hackney Wicked festival and broacasting it via chatroulette.
I am going to turn my studio into a small gallery during the Hackney wicked festival 30 July – 1 August. -
I will be presenting a selection of drawings from a series entitled ‘Borrowed from my bank’. These drawings were made using free pens from financial institutions.
'Jack of hearts' - Rafiabd Al-Latif Tilfah, Al-Tikriti [Director of genral security] -
I was recently given this card along with the ones below. They are, as I'm sure you have guessed from the “Most wanted Iraqi” deck of cards issued by the U.S army. I was struck by this one in particular because there is no face; no way of identifying the individual other than their name and job title. It got me thinking about the CCTV masks I have been working with. I was drawn to the card because it was different and within the context of its original use, redundant as a form of ID. It reminded me of the paradox that exists within the CCTV mask series, the masks are worn to conceal identity but by wearing a mask the user draws attention to themselves. People stop and look but even if you cannot see them you still feel that you are being observed more acutely than normal. In effect the wear is setting themselves apart from those around them and thus drawing attention to their person. It is as if that mask has the opposite effect and serves only to intensify the sense of being ‘watched’ and singled out rather that obscuring identity. I have largely worn the mask myself. However I have asked others to wear it and most of the time I meet an element of resistance, due to the cynosure that it attracts or is anticipated to coerce in the mind of the viewer. It reminded me of a text I read a few years ago about ideas surrounding the wearing of a mask in public, at protests etc... I have been searching for the original text recently but to no avail. I think it was either an editorial in a national newspaper about the issue in relation to G8 protests or an article in the catalogue for the exhibition ‘About face’ which was at the Hayward gallery in 2004.
DBLACKMOREIRAQIDECKOFCARDS2of2.jpg
CCTV 35 001 - 010 copy.jpg -
The CCTV mask series is presenting a number of conceptual questions to me at present. As I have mentioned the protagonist in the experimental images has largely been me. Partly because it was easier to get images taken if I wore the mask as opposed to another and partly due to the fact I’m male a sex perhaps more prevalent in the majority of CCTV images that make their way into the public eye. If I continue to use myself, is the series a manifestation of my own desire for visual anonymity and my shy and introvert personality or my own difficulty with self portraiture. Which I feel hard to access because usually it is unavoidably about a specific individual perhaps by using the mask it is easier for the viewer to engage with the concepts surrounding the work, because they can imagine themselves as the protagonist due to the face being obscured and unfinished.
CCTV 35 001 - 007 copy.jpg -
Or alternatively should the subject within the images be widened to include others and groups of people. Should more than one mask be worn after all usually a face obscured in CCTV footage infers innocence or non-relevance. An attempt to obscure viewer’s attention of irrelevant figures thus focusing attention on the wrong doers.
cctv mask 007 -
These images are from the first roll of film I have developed of the CCTV mask ^*. I am exploring how to create analogue images that look digital. For this particular roll I used cheap Kodak film and pushed it 2 stops for the grain and contrast. I also covered the len of the SLR with opaque plastic which I destressed in an attempt to create imagery which has the look of a low quality digital CCTV footage on film.
DAVIDBLACKMORE CCTV MASK 007 close uo02.jpg

artist and lecturer
from dublin now in london

'The punishment fits the crime' installation detail, Allotments Schwartz gallery 2010 -
I am aware of the obvious racial connotations that painting coal white offers but for me this is not the main aspect of the work. It is not just the ridiculous nature of painting coal white that intrigued me but that act or the idea of it is a metaphor for artistic practice. Creating something out of nothing or changing the way the viewer looks at the world, challenging what is perceived as real and providing visual stimulus is what the artist is expected to do. The chinese state media once accused the Dali Lama of turning coal white. There is an association or assumption of magic to artistic practice as if an artist fullfills the role of a present day sorcaror or alchamist, possessing the ability to turn lead into gold. It is the magic of the creative process and the punishment an artist endures for taking this path. ‘as the artist is in the buisness of artifie and illusion ... even more compelling, to discuss the implications of futile labour and work ethic in the art market’ o'Reilly, Sally, 'Jochem Hendricks' , Haunch of Venison, 2007.
paint coal black test 0001.jpg -
This installation was made for the 'Allotments' show. Making work specifically for a show is not something I have done in a long time. Usually I have work ready before an exhibition opportunity presents itself. I decided to use the show as an opportunity to work on new ideas that I have wanted to explore for a while now. My original intention was to produce a trypch, however I only complete 2 parts in time for the show. The image above is of 20kg of coal. Each nugget was individually hand painted with gloss emulsion. The idea for this illogical activity was started when a former student of mine told me that her farther a solider had been ordered to paint all the coal on his base white prior to a visit by the Queen of England. Aside from visits by royalty; painting coal white was used as a punishment in the British armed services and National service. It was a tedious punishment worsened by the redundancy of the action. At least peeling potatoes while repetitive and tedious is of leading up to a practical use. The nonsensical nature of this task immediately struck me while the idea of changing the physical appearance of coal so drastically by superficially purifying it appealed to me. What I found most interesting was its use as a punishment to instill discipline.
'The punishment fits the crime' installation detail, A3 graph paper and red ball point pen ink. -
The second part of the installation is four A3 sheets of graph paper. A new red biro was used to fill in each individual square on the paper until the ink ran out. Again this is an illogical and tedious punishment like writing lines in school. Red ink was chosen to emphasise the ridiculousness of the task.
Jochem Hendricks '5, 279, 063 Grains of sand' 2001 - 03 -
The desire to be an artist is seen by many as a self centred and egotistical pursuit. It is not perceived to be a ‘real’ job and it could be argued that it does not contribute to or touch society taken as a whole. Despite the best intentions of conscientious artists, art is largely the preserve of the middle classes. Art does not have the impact on all sections of society that people like to believe. Is the product of the artist redundant? in the grand scheme of things? is it selfish or egotistical when compared to occupations/vocations that have a more direct impact on the world we live in? An artist has to make sacrifices in order to follow this path, an artist is an outsider. Life choices work becomes life and compromises are made, financial security and a ‘normal’ life are all things that the artist gives up in return for space and time to create. What gives an artist the right to opt out of society's conventions
Red biro - before and after ink has been used
'The punishment fits the crime' installation detail, A3 graph paper and red ball point pen ink part 1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4 -
The pen eventually ran out after approximately a week of consistent and dedicated use. There is an obvious change in the feel of the biro as the dry nib scr5atches across the paper. However during the exhibition I noticed that visitors had added random squares to the final page. Over the course of the show any traces of ink that had been deposited inside the pen had moved down the spine of the biro enabling people to use the very last of the ink. I never thought visitors would attempt this nor did I think it was a possibility as the pen had stopped functioning . I do like the randomness of the viewer’s contribution of the piece and perhaps this interaction served to emphasise the duration and tediousness of the act.
Installation view, 'Allotments' at the Schwartz gallery [2010] -
The third part of the installation was to be an image of a large rock and a pile of dust after the rock had been broken down by hand, which I am currently working on.

Allotmets at the Schwartz Gallery, Hackney Wick, London -
An event curated by Patrick Michalopoulos and Ismail Erbil A collaborative project for the tenants of 92 White Post Lane, E9 5EN, Tower Hamlets Borough. Eva Bachmann, Adam Beale, David Blackmore, Dan Bennett, Liam Bierschenk, Joe Childs, Nellie Clements, David Cochrane, John Devolle, George Eksts, Ismail Erbil, Suzy Harvey, Phillip Hennessey, Rebecca Jones, Genie Korrigan, Dan Linn, Isobel Manning, Harry Meadows, Kit Merritt, Patrick Michalopoulos, Narinda Minnaar, Luisa Mota, Paul Noble, Alice Palmer, Rose Pearl, Ffion Roberts,Ashling Smith, Holly Smith, Joel Somerfield, Georgina Starr, Russell Thoburn, Iro Tsavala. Private View: Thursday 29th April, 6-9pm Exhibition Dates: Thursday 29th April – Sunday 9th May Opening Hours: Thursday-Sunday 12-6pm Schwartz Gallery invites the tenants of 92 White Post Lane to participate in a unique collaborative project that divides the gallery space into 80 ‘plots’ or ‘allotments’ reflecting the number of units in the three buildings at 92 White Post Lane. These spaces will be chalked out prior to the works being delivered to the gallery and installed according to the artist/creator’s corresponding unit number. This event forms the gallery as ‘meeting point’ questioning notions of curatorial responsibility and artistic pedigree. Units not occupied by artists may wish to use this opportunity to create an artwork. Allotments not ‘claimed’ by tenants for whatever reason will be left empty. Anyone wishing to collaborate with an artist who is not a tenant at 92 White Post Lane may do so but only in the allotted space and only if the tenant of the corresponding unit is involved in the collaboration. In this way a grid of allotments will be formed that is structured yet undefined; relationships between artworks reflect a diversity of approaches to what art is and how it should be displayed and interpreted while promoting a sense of community. There will be a large allotment allocated for performers on the private view night. Each act will have to have at least one member/tenant of the buildings.
brick tied with rope 001.jpg
Battle of the midway 001 copy.jpg
dead animal 001 copy.jpg
GERRY HUNT Blood upon the rose Easter 1916 -
I was listening a radio show about the Irish Easter rising in 1916. It was a very interesting show which presented the facts delivered by a number of historians and rising specialists. The 1916 rising has taken on a mythical status in recent Irish history, the story told and retold through generations. It is an event in history that all Irish people know of from a young age but not many of them are aware of the actual facts. Taking part in the discussion was Gerry Hunt the author of the graphic novel above. The book was described a historically accurate. It is very interesting and I learnt a lot that I was not aware of. It is a great way of introducing people to the topic. The show also highlighted proposed redevelopment of O’Connell st and the Terraced houses off Moore st where the rising ended. Apparently the plan involves removing the facade of the Carlton cinema and attaching it to a new building down the road. This is to facility a new shopping centre! One of the guests on the Pat Kenny show made a very good point. In 2016 when the Irish nation invites the world to celebrate the centenary, they will be confronted by another shopping centre non-place.
DONT FORGET THATCHER.jpg -
I saw this stenciled poster around London recently and selfishly took down a copy for myself. Ever since childhood I have had a deep seated mistrust of the Conservative party based primarily on Thatcher. Even to this day it still exists.
CCTV mask V1 10 001 copy.jpg -
I have been working on a series of masks that obscure the identity of individuals in the same way as faces are blurred in CCTV imagery. These images feature the first mask. The series of masks will recreate the different ways identities are obscured in released CCTV imagery. Other versions blur and or pixelate the wears face as opposed to totally blocking it out.
CCTV mask V1 10 002 copy.jpg -
I have had this mask for a while and the impetuous to start the photographic experimentation came from the 'Postal camera' project. These 5 images are digital test shots for the 5 35mm frames on the disposable camera.
CCTV mask V1 10 003 copy.jpg
CCTV mask V1 10 004 copy.jpg
CCTV mask V1 10 005 copy.jpg -
I have become increasingly interested in the rise of digital imaging technology and the decline in or death of traditional silver halide photography. I am increasingly drawn to the idea of creating images shot on analogue but appearing to be digital, in the same way that the Cracked LCD's I have been working on do, they look primitive and digital but are in fact shot on 5x4" sheet film.
magritte mask lovers sketch.jpg
LCD visus final A1.jpg
Hand in hand
facelessmovie.jpg -
www.ambienttv.net/content/faceless
Self portrait 10 001 -
A while ago I received a disposable camera from at student at Westminster, alongside the camera was a hand written letter asking me to take one self portrait and then pass the camera on. Eventually when the camera is full it is to be returned the sender. I have not taken a self portrait in a long time and the idea of doing so was daunting. I only had one shot and I didn’t want it to be predictable. So the camera has been haunting me until I came up with an idea. The image above is a test shot I made using a compact digital, this is what I was after with the disposable, fingers crossed. A friend of mine took the image while I posed. He has the camera now, who knows where it will travel on its way to completion. I like the idea of cameras arriving unannounced and challenging the recipient.
Walton Ford -
On a recent trip with students to Berlin I saw the Walton Ford show at the Hamburger Bannhoff. I had never come across his work before, but it was one of the best exhibitions I have been to in a long time. I have never seen watercolours treated, worked and built up in this way before. The extensive series of large and larger paintings take their inspiration from a range of colonialist, zoologist, anthropological and explores diaries. Each piece of text describes an encounter with exotic animals from the lands of the other, describing an instance where man has observed the cruelty of nature or the cruelty resulting from mans exertion of dominance over the wild. The images are literal descriptions of the text but act as a series of allegories and metaphors for the West's destructive influence on the work manifesting itself in colonialism, globalisation and their effect on the environment. Humans are domesticated animals and we have in effect raped the world of its resources and exploited it for the good of the machine we have created.
Received postal camera 001 -
I gave a talk to 3rd year photography students at the University of Westminster recently. A week or so later I received a disposable camera in the post. I initially thought that it was one of the ones from the 'Postal camera' series that are making their way through different peoples lives. However it wasn't, it was from a Westminster student Sarah Howe. She has asked me to take one self portrait and pass it on to another artist/photographer and on until the camera is finish and then to be returned to her.
Waiting for Godot theatre ticket -
Ireland is known for its cultural contribution to literature, I studied the Irish poets like Kavanagh and Yeats at school but I never experienced Becket or Joyce. Obviously I knew who they were but aside from what they looked like, that they were writers they emigrated and their reputation. I knew nothing of their work..... Actually I tell a lie I had read Joyce’s ' A portrait of the artist as a young man' during my last year in Dublin. The first book I read when I moved to London was another Joyce book, of short stories called 'The Dubliners'. My first experience of Becket was a ‘Wafting for Godo’ a few weeks ago. I didn’t know what to expect although the idea of waiting is something that intrigues me, dead time, non-time, and stasis. Is the idea of waiting similar to the effect of travel through non space? Where the mind subconsciously or consciously recognises the stasis it is habituating and therefore allows the mind to wander to places of the mind that have been neglected or that are not the unusual bill of fare? Sometimes there can be a silence in waiting and peacefulness where the present or the awareness of it seems heightened. The act of waiting leads the individual into this? Who is Godo? My first interpretation was that Godo is death, release from the habit or habituality of existence “habit is a great deadener’. A friend of mine, who in a previous existence was an actor and now a different type of artist, spoke to me about the fact that we all live in a continual present. We have no physical presence in the past or the future as we are ever present in the now, is that our habituality? We live in the present but continually anticipate the future and contemplate the past. So when we are in the act of waiting sometimes we forget about the past or future and fully experience the moment and the mind wanders to the philosophical side of human existence.
Postal camera envelope 001 copy.jpg -
The first of many is sent on its way. I didn’t include people’s names on the instructions, just address's, so collaborators will not know who they are receiving the package from and sending it to. How long it will take to get back to me? May be 35 days?
Postal camera instructions -
click on the image to view larger version and intro text to project. If you start your own chain please email us at postalcamera@googlemail.com
Disposable camera book 001 - Discarded Christmas trees, Berlin 2010. -
While in Berlin I noticed old Christmas trees in the street everywhere. So I bought a disposable camera and used it to photograph each one I encountered. I used the prints I got back from the chemist to make a small book. I will continue to work with disposable camera to make book like this. I love the immediacy of working in this way. I have since found out that there is a story written by Hans Christian Andersen called 'The fir tree', which tells the tale of the life of one fir tree from the forest to the living room to waste. To read the story please copy this link into your browser hca.gilead.org.il/fir_tree.html
Disposable Berlin 10-'x' marks the spot -
Went to Berlin for a few days and left something behind
Panorama of Olympic 2012 site from Hackney wick warehouse
euronation steve bell blue post box illustration.jpg -
I found this illustration by Steve Bell in an old paper I was getting rid of. It reminded me of a project I did in 2002 'euronation'
The Liberties, Dublin, Éire.2002
Epsom, Surrey, UK .2002
X marks the spot, Dublin, Ireland. December 2009 - ... -
Disposable an ongoing project
Cracked LCDs installation - Pixxelpoint 09 Mestna galerija Nova Gorica , Slovenia - Curator Domenico Quaranta. -
I would have liked to have gone to Nova Gorcia for the show. Especially as this is the first show where I have exhibited non photographic work.
David Blackmore Pixxelpoint 09 supporting imagery.jpg -
Installation “I have been working with broken liquid crystal display (LCD) screens for the past year. These broken LCDs are salvaged from the latest digital devices, appliances such as laptops, phones and cameras. These technologies play a large part in our modern daily routines and have almost completely replaced analogue technology in industry. I am drawn to the idea of a primitive image being created through accidental damage that renders an advanced device useless. It is as if the LCD reverts to an earlier stage of technological development. This body of work catalogues and questions the place of obsolete technology in art and contemporary life.”
X marks the spot, Hampshire, England. September 2009 - ... -
Disposable an ongoing project
LCD print for Biographica, NCPA, Piramal Gallery, Mumbai, India.
test prints
X marks the spot, Birmingham, England. September 2009 - ... -
Disposable an ongoing project
2Stripey-paint-spilt-hackne.jpg
X marks the spot, London, England September 2009 - ... -
Disposable an ongoing project
0002 -
I have been taking images of the police on my mobile phone for a year now. I intend to put together a small book or zine and distribute it covertly in London. This is in protest to the legislation which made it illegal to photograph a police officer in England.
X marks the spot, Bratislava, Slovakia. April 2009 - ... -
Disposable an ongoing project
small plastic toy

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