5 Nov 07

Ok, ok, enough heckling, Aasta. Sorry for the delay in updating the blog, I've only got two weeks left and still plenty of things I want to accomplish. Surprisingly once the show was up I thought everything would slow down a bit. I was of course wrong in that assumption. Although I wouldn't be able to stand it if I didn't have much to do.

This morning I went to the foundry that is producing my bronze pieces to sign, date, and number the waxes. I needed to be there around 9 am so I left the dorm at 7.30 to take a tram to the end of the line, a bus ride, and a 15 mitues walk finally got me to the foundry. I spent the next two hours checking the place out, I got to watch them do a bronze pour, (they've got a pretty slick system!) making sure my wax positives are just the way I want them, then carefully signing them. As I was leaving they were already putting the sprues onto some of them. Once they are poured, I will return to pick out the petina that I'd like to have on them. I'm not sure what the copper to brass ratio will be in the bronze, but if it's got more copper in it, I'll just leave it, but if not, I'll see if I can get a reddish petina applied to it. I think I might have to return as early as Monday or Tuesday. It'll be really nice to see them finished before I leave! (pics on flickr)

Next week is the Fair of Culture sponsored by the Student Centar in Zagreb. Its the bigger event that is going on, in which there is also an exhibitiont that I was selected to be a part of. Another part of the visual arts segment in the fair are collaborative workshops with artists from Zagreb and some from other countries. I applied and will be working with other new media students from Zagreb with Professor Nicole Hewitt and then we are working with a group of students from Vienna, and another artist. The workshop will focus on Post-Conceptual Art Practices and examine "alien spaces and migratory processes" that are inextricably linked to the remnants of colonialism, neoliberalism, and global capitalism, through reading critical texts, presentations, films, video, etc.

I am hoping to escape Zagreb this weekend to get to Poland, my friend is really looking forward to my visit, as am I. Although with this workshop, show, and foundry work, the trip will be shortened. I don't anticipate that I will need to cancel it all together, I'll just have to keep it to the basics. The soonest I will be able to leave is late Thrusday night, I probably won't be able to write again before my departure, so I'll be writing after my Poland adventure!

All the best,
AM