Jimmy Carr is one hot piece of ass.

Red again.

Moon dyed my hair again today, so I am ready for our house meal out, as well as a nice night on the tiles.
I haven't really got anything interesting to say, apart from that I am looking forward to tonight, as it's the first night I will have been out since coming back after Christmas, which is basically a month ago, that's mad. I felt as though I was missing something, and I'm happy that it's back.




I'm glad my hair is redder again now, plus the shampoo that comes with the dye is so nice.

Man, going out is so fun, I cannot wait.

Ridiculous.

So, timetables for next semester were released yesterday and mine is going to make me so lazy.
7 hours, a week, A WEEK!
They haven't put up the times for The Body unit yet though because Stephen was meant to be taking it but has left now, although I don't see why his replacement can't just take it, surely that's why he's acting the part?
I'm slightly annoyed at this but then it's also fine because I expected that most of this semester would self-directed anyway and this way it gives me a lot more time to be out and around taking photographs for whatever projects, saying that, the main unit within this timetable, disregarding the absent Body unit, is written rather than practical... *sigh*.

VBS, VICE, VICE, VICE.

As a Vice student ambassador, I should pretty much love everything Viceland does, I should be careful with my words now because they could be watching me, but I only get the magazine for the photographs - and the occasional amusement gained from their one-off 'Vice guide to...' booklets, it's very rare that I'll read even 90% of the content. Nan Goldin has done shoots for Vice so I guess I am programmed to respect it, and I totally do, but I usually only look at the pictures, unless it's mega-engaging, which it usually isn't. It can border on pretentious a lot of the time and you just know that the kind of people it's aimed are really arty rich people who look scummy and dirty just to be considered different and beautiful - it still has nice photographs, but those are the kind of people I want to punch in the back of the head.

For the people who don't want to bother reading the magazine, there's always the online articles which you can pick and choose from and that's usually where I go. However, with recent time off I have also discovered the wonder that is VBS.TV, considering it's spawned crap even more pretentious than the magazine, I've even amazed myself. However, their travel series is amazing, if their not shitting us, because some of the stuff their discovering is pretty unbelievable, I think I've found a new hero in Shane Smith, I'd love to do what he's doing, but he must have nerves of steel, I think I'll stick with my flakey unfounded dreams for now. I've ordered the Travel DVD and I can't wait for it to come so I can watch it, just because the adverts in between videos are so irritating - if I was going to buy Dante's Inferno, I'm definitely not going to now.
I can't wait until Tuesday now, all this time twiddling my thumbs is getting very dull. More than anything I can't wait to go out and do things again. It's not even like once Moon finishes his exams we'll be doing stuff all the time, but at least when we're not doing the things we have planned, we won't be doing it together.
My friend Tom is coming down to stay next week, I'm looking forward to it, I love that some old friends are just like that and it's like you never lost touch. There are other old friends that are just rubbish though, the ones that you talk to a hell of a lot more than the ones you lost touch with, but never do what they say they're going to do, they're the worst.

Finally, something productive.

I'm re-jigging my website, it would look more up to scratch, but I don't think MrSite can keep up with the rate I am updating everything, so I'm leaving it for tonight, one page has got photos on, so if you've got the time and it's sorted it out by then, you could get lucky.

I managed to finally drag myself to the Eldon building - which isn't even far - and sort out my contribution to the Photo Exchange project. It's a great idea, I was slightly disheartened when I noticed that hardly anything had changed since I saw it last week, but maybe it's because no one has really been in.
I exchanged these,

© Ruth Johnston

for these,

It's probably fairly obvious why I chose the second one, someone has to love all these abandoned beds and mattresses.
My pinned up images can be seen here as part of my 365 project. Now I wait and hope someone picks my work.

While in the Eldon building I also decided to take a look at the Dark Forest by the BA(Hons) Fine Art students, it was ok, they were all different responses to the idea of 'dark forests' and global warming. This is the only piece that really interested me,

I'm not really sure why, the smell was surprisingly over-powering, although I suppose aesthetically it's quite an interesting piece, it makes you wonder how much thought and effort went into it when you consider some of the other work surrounding it. I'll level with you, I only really liked the fluorescent light.

This is currently on display in the Eldon building too, I'd quite like it for my own, it's beautiful, it looks like it's made from nail polish. It is for sale, but it's £30 per square, and one square would be rubbish.

'Collection 100', from the series, 'Janus' - Michelle Jeanette Littlewood (2010)

Other than taking photographs of other people's art, I also took this,

© Ruth Johnston

I liked her coat and how tiny she was.

Idea for The Body unit.

Putting a bit of Cindy Sherman

Untitled Film Stills #13 (1978)

and, Gillian Wearing into the mix.

Self Portrait (2000)

As well as Sophie Calle.

Les Dormeurs [The Sleepers] (1979)

I hope it's acceptable for me to do this idea, if the exhibition in the Photography department is anything to go by, I can do pretty much anything I want, as long as it relates to portraiture.
I want to shoot on film as well as on digital for this one, so I hope they give us enough time to do so.

As I mentioned in a blog from a while ago, I'm going to try and base this project on dressing up as well as similarities within a group of people without realisation.
I just jotted this down so I thought writing this might force me to be a bit more coherent so I can get right into it when we are given the brief in February.
Subjects
Close friends, as well as members of my family and perhaps people I don't know that well from University. I am also willing to photograph myself to explore how similar the people I surround myself with are to me.
Environment
This is a grey area at the moment, I'm considering having a box filled with dressing up costumes so it would probably be more practical to have my subjects come to my house rather than carry the box round everywhere all the time. As well as practically, aesthetically to have the subjects in the same space would emphasise either the similarities or differences, depending on the result.
Technicalities
I will photograph subjects individually so no one will know what the other has chosen, placing myself in the role of subject as well as others.
There will be a limited amount of clothing/costume to choose from so similarities are inevitable but it is encouraged that each subject makes their 'alter-ego' their own.
Probably photographed in a dead-pan style so as not take focus away from what is going on in the images visually.
Perhaps accompany each image with text, quoting why they chose to be photographed this way.
The project may culminate in everyone being photographed together to demonstrate to the subject who they are similar to and also to get a surreal exaggerated image of everyone dressed up to end the series.

I'm literally in love with this idea, I just hope my friends are willing to be models for me, it's not hard and they would be choosing how they would be represented so if it turned out badly, I can't be blamed.
The three women above are to be used as initial influences due to their links to fakery and truth in their images, Gillian Wearing in particular due to the straight-on, dead-pan style demonstrated in her 'Self-Portrait' series as well as her willingness to accept subjects into her space and let them do what they want (Drunk, 2000).

Excuse the absence of posting.

...I have been lazy and haven't been bothered, my Project 365 has been kept up to date but nothing worth writing about has happened to me, so I haven't.
It's quite boring during exam period, it's basically like being a widow, but I'm used to it now.
I saw this earlier, and I am unsure if it is in poor taste of just one of those jokes, good on them for donating all the profit to the Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund, although it's not really something I've overly conscious about - the news is somewhat of a huge reality TV show sometimes, it's hard to know what affects me and what doesn't.

Oh no!

I knew all this rest and relaxation was too good to be true, fml. :'(

Dissertation planning?! I really did think I was looking forward to this, but I am not, I want to hide(!)

216.

Do I hibernate, or take the opportunity to do something interesting?
I'm a bit worried that I'm not looking on to Semester Two with the anticipation that I usually do, I'm sure it will be fine but I'm definitely going to miss Stephen Bull, I just hope Daniel is nicer than usual. No one is really giving him a chance though, a ton of people are pretty pissed off about it, he is a good guy though, just over-efficient, which is what makes me worry, then again, he hasn't ripped my work to pieces yet, and as far as I know he doesn't do that with students anyway, unless they are actually rubbish - to be fair there are a few people on the course that deserve it.

I'm at a bit of a dead end as to what to do for the next week, I think, at risk of sounding like a total girl, a wardrobe overhaul is in need, and a bit of a clear out.

I have just re-installed The Sims 3 onto my computer...

Maybe I should just turn into the cat my sister said I was and enjoy myself, with my tendency to lean towards spoilt behaviour and my constant desire to sleep, it could be great.

Document This...

© Ruth Johnston 2010

So, there was nothing to be nervous about in the end, but some aspects within the exhibition did annoy me slightly, like the fact that the catalogue pales in comparison to last years and how the forward in it is 'Written Like This'. They have also put the wrong website address for me, despite me putting it in at least 2 different places, and there is also the matter of the typos.
But it's only a catalogue, you know, only a lasting piece of physical evidence of what we did, at least the website is good - but that 'Has The Text like This too'.
Another criticism may lie with the choice of guest speakers but our awesome Course Leader brushed over them effortlessly. ♥.
The layout was pretty good, I'm glad that it's obvious who has made the effort with presentation and who hasn't. I'm also glad that it's easy to tell who put the work into their image-taking in the first place.
I'm happy with today overall anyway, there will always be things you feel can be improved upon, and it's all a big learning curve.

This is one of the photographs I will be taking in to the '30 Days Project' in Eldon, I will browse for one more on my harddrive and make a trade on Monday when plan to make my first solo trip to the gym...

My sister is down tonight, I'm so pleased I've been taking photographs everyday so far since starting my 365 project :)

♥

I think I will contribute to this now I have so much time off.

© Ruth Johnston 2010

The 'Document This...' exhibition is finally happening tomorrow, I am quite nervous about it. It's not as though it's the first time I've shown my work or anything, but it's the first time it's actually felt official. The News is coming to review it, and my family are coming all the way down here just to see it, as well as everyone else's family and people from the industry.
It feels so crazy, I'm still looking forward to it though, I can't wait to see how everyone's work looks when it's up. I also have no clue what their planning for the opening either, so it's quite exciting in that sense as well.

Polar bear & Brown bear.

♥

Yer, boy!

I am now finished for the first semester, side from handing in tomorrow morning of course, but it is only quarter to 10 and I am done. I shouldn't have put it off for so long really, but it was the most boring work I've done for the course so far.

I'm so glad I picked to do in PDF form, it saved so much editing time, not to mention money on ink and paper... and a folder(!)

Click, click...

I think over the break after I hand everything in, I'm going to look into a bit of time lapse - I tried it when it snowed, but it had all kind of gone by the time I got my brain wave of where to put the camera.
I like the noise this makes, it's like a really fast clock.

Thank you Mr Postman.

Even though I am still waiting on so much stuff. I love getting things in the post.
These are my new salt & pepper shakers to replace the grimey S & P ones.

I also got a label maker. I have already labelled the fridge.

I also made this discovery, nom.

Polaroids.

Should get one of me and Gabriella to complete the set and put them on our mantle.
These are difference responses to the same thing, Stacy's face was better the second before I clicked the shutter.

© Ruth Johnston 2010

I love Polaroid, I fail to see how film that expires in 2006 is being sold for more on eBay than the films that expired in 2009. We're running out, man, I think someone needs to get in gear about making a cheaper substitute, it doesn't matter how costly they are to produce.

Draaahh.

One of the arguable downsides to having a publicised blog is the fact that any time you have a feeling against a situation, it is fine, it can be ranted about as much as you want because almost no one will criticise you for it, yet if it's a person you have an issue with, you have to be really secretive about it and definitely not ever mention names - you know, just incase they see it.

It comes back to being just as bad as the kind of people who think it's stress relieving to go, "Go fuck yourself, I don't care about you anyway etc" on Facebook, when the person who they're talking about it probably knows - and ultimately doesn't care, but no one else understands and assumes they must have some kind of mental problem. No one ever asks anybody anything properly these days, that would be too weird, "Oh, I saw your Facebook status, what was that about?"
Half the time it isn't actually any of anyone's business but we feel the need to share it nonetheless.

With a blog, we can be much more thorough and if we wanted, could probably explain everything that is wrong with a particular person in detail, just not their name or any obvious traits that may give it away. That's what's annoying about a blog like this, because even though there is an urge to keep it private because there are people I don't like that I want to bitch about, they may see it. However, although I don't want them to see that, I want as many people as possible to see what I'm achieving within my work and how my image-taking is improving.
I guess I'll just have to stick to bitching in person and go back to trusting people.

Today is a particularly difficult day for this, not for talking to people - that would be odd - but for resisting the urge to blog about how ridiculous certain people can be.

Because I write about most other aspects within my life and people are certainly a subject I talk about a lot in real life, there's always a bit of a test to decide what to hold back sometimes. I'll admit it I have slipped up a couple of times here so far, but I used the classic tricks, so overall it's fine, no one got hurt and I let off enough steam. I used to be really bad at it, and it made a few people kind of angry.

Overall writing like this is just as much about the editing process as the photographs I've uploaded, and it's something I enjoy and am interested in. I don't have any other outlet to utilise these skills other than essay writing, and written journals don't excite me, at the moment I feel that taking time out to write about anything is a pretty good way to de-stress, and I don't have to sum it up in 140 characters or tell 200 people every time.

Here is a man with a death wish, note the bike.
Here are a couple of extras from Portsmouth Cathedral.

This Is It.

Part of me wishes that Michael Jackson hadn't died. I'm glad he's not the freakshow in this that he was made out to be in his later years through nearly every kind of media.
I like that he smiles at the end, I do not see any other 50 year old entertainers that can still sing and dance as well as he could. It actually is a tragedy.

I have done nearly nothing productive today, all I want to do is listen to Michael Jackson and open new tabs on Google Chrome - it's all pretending.
Tomorrow I have to leave the house and hope that the University is open, although a friend on my course has got me some backup hooks if the art shop isn't open. Fingers crossed for all of tomorrow, it has to be more productive than today,
God knows what I'm going to do when I actually nothing to do, rather than one (seriously tiny) thing to put off. I've stocked up on films to watch, but that's it, then again, it's technically only a week when everyone else will be busy and be all 'no fun today'.

I haven't read magazines in ages...

I guess they're a bit of a luxury in some ways.
Now I have, there seem to be a few new movies that I'd really love to see.
Nowhere Boy.
The Lovely Bones.
Spread.
Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire - may watch this in a minute, it's probably a bit wrong that I only want to see it because the main character is a proper tank, but it does actually look like it has a really gritty storyline too. Might be a bit ghetto in parts though.
Finished the case studies for my Exhibition RDB, I have to get down to real research tomorrow. What I really wanted to do was go shopping but, I don't think the weather will permit that.

Here are some photos of when people came over for drinks last night, I'm not really too sure what happened, but I think that is usual, I would have used one of these as part of 365 but it was either too later or early, not quite midnight, I reckon that's actually a bit shameful overall.

© Ruth Johnston 2010

Dear You,

If you are going to upload something that potentially the whole world will see, you should at least check that your spelling and grammar is correct. You should also make sure that you're using the right words in the right context.

That is all.

More icicles.

Portsmouth is a pretty treacherous place today, even with my snow boots I nearly fell over so many times. I checked out my space at the cathedral, all is well, now if only I could find somewhere that actually sold the materials the curation group have specified would be most appropriate.
These are the icicles that are over the door of my house, didn't see any as good as these while walking around the city.

© Ruth Johnston 2010