
This is the current grid system which I have devised, not sure that it is really finished
The Red Squirrel
“I am a little red squirrel. I used to like it here in England until the grey squirrels came. Once they raided my whole acorn stash while we were hibernating. There are not many of red ones left now. We have a special cage where the grey squirrels can’t steal our food. I quite like it her but it’s a shame all my friends starved and only a few of us can saty here.” I am RED.
Eastern European immigrants
The new additions to the British workforce - the serge of these European imports – the Poles & their mates. For the last 6 years my part time job during holidays and weekends has been labouring for a builder. It’s hard work but ultimately satisfying. Being in that environment you discover whether or not those typical clichés about the building trade are true. One of the latest talking points seems to b the insurgence of the polish fellas that make the long trip over across Europe & the channel to work for a better pay. We use the local merchant yard to Nottingham, a firm called Key. About 2 years ago instead of being greeted by the usual shitty local dialect, it was the broken English of an eastern European. Nice fella, always friendly and a lot more use than some of the dead head tossers that didn’t seem to give a shit. Unfortunately the productive , friendly foreigner wasn’t very popular down on the yard because the rumours of him working for a fraction of the price. This obviously scared the wits out of the local lads because of the way I saw it was either they pull their fingers out of their arses and became useful for a change or b replaced by an enthusiastic hard working foreigner. Half the price, twice the quality of job. The irony of it is that instead of finding motivation in the introduction of a competitive edge. They did the total opposite and stood around having a natter about it.
Getting Out
I want to leave the UK as soon as possible. My future lies elsewhere. I’m tired of the same old scenery, the buildings, the cars, even the people. People come for a ‘better’ life, promised riches and comfortable living conditions. Is Britain that great? I’ve lived heer all my life and dream of pastures new , am I that different to them? New York, Barcelona, Marseille, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles, Munich anywhere but here. These place have what I call culture, whereas the culture where I live now is base around reality TV and microwave dinners, manufactured pop music and constantly working to make our lives better, while those who don’t work take the tax money of those who do. Do the hard working people who come to our great Britain know this before thy come. Will I find out that my future destinations, economy, communities and culture are just as tainted as that of my motherland? If so will I come back with a new found respect for this country and it’s little foibles? Will Britain ever be great in my eyes?
Island hopping to birds migration patterns...
Having lived abroad for a large part of my life - wanting home comforts around me - importing what we know. Is this right or should we embrace the unknown. Or is it a natural genetic need to move about and explore. Every single one of us are migrators, constantly moving around - whether it be leaving the house in the morning or moving to the other side of the world. Things people, places are constantly coming and going in our lives, all having an effect on us, swapping who we are as individuals. how different would life be if we all stayed where we were born and had all the same -friends/associates through life. Who would we be then? I have lived in Hong Kong - I have travelled the world and I believe the importing and exporting of family/friends/experiences and places who I am today.
Migration, Importing/Exporting ones self is natural - so should be embraced!Grass is greener?
Why do we have such a strong desire to leave the country, when so many other nationalities want to live in our country? Why do we grow so restless about leaving the country? Jet off half way round the world to escape our lives for two weeks every summer. Brits are so obsessed with escapism we forget to enjoy our own land, own traditions, luxuries, landmarks, natural resources.
Ever dreaming of a better life abroad - better weather, food, quality of life.
urine Pan
"Got, got, got, got, got, not got!" A familiar mantra echoed around schoolyards throughout the nation during the mid to late 70's. In this case it would be 1978 (possibly '77?) & the quest to fill this years Figurine Panini stickers annual was reaching fever pitch (some wags would scribble out the 'Fig & the 'ini').
I liked the smell when you opened a fresh packet – it probably satisfied a slight inclination towards glue addiction without all the mess of the polythene bags & the subsequent brain damage – followed by the expectant shuffle through your 5 potential new charges – although this was drastically reduced by the time you were 'sweating' on your last few 'not gots'.
I needed the Leeds United club crest, I had no shame back then. It was that weird 'smiley' badge, I think it was based on a 'L' shape & a 'U' shape, its better than the one they have now but not as good as the owl they had in the '60's or the embroidered script one they had in the early 70's. Club crests were in gold foil, they were highly coveted. It 'cost' me a Mick Mills (stalwart, mustachioed Ipswich Town full back), a Graeme Souness (dirty, curly perm, mustachioed Liverpool midfielder) & a Southampton club crest (in gold foil, a hotpotch of a red & white scarf with a haloed football above a tree & a white rose, no moustache).
Import Export of clothe from cheap labour in China to the trend from vintage clothes imported from Europe.
I once met a man and his wife who ran a vintage clothing shop; the shop was full to the brim with bags, shoes and clothing from the fifties to the eighties and everything in between. “ How come you manage to sell everything for so cheap?” I asked. He told me that there is a lucrative vintage clothes industry based in Europe, he would travel to Germany once a year to export clothes from warehouses, filling a shipping container with old clothes to bring to Britain. for the forth coming year. This is how many vintage shops source their goods, by going over to countries in Europe buying up shipping containers filled clothes. (taken from Matt Penrose)
The journey an item of clothing takes.
Consider where one garment comes from and the journey it had to get to it’s destination. From the raw materials to processing into fabric, shipped to a factory to be made into a garment and transported to the shop where it will be sold where eventually a customers along likes the look of it and decides to take it home.
When was the last time you looked at the label where you clothes where from, very rarely is it made in Britain.
(taken from Stephanie Rodrigues)
…how about photographing peoples clothes label.
The rise in clothes imported from china and no longer produced in Britain.
The exchange of goods happens not only legally through established distribution channels, but often illegally and more often than not these are illegal products. Many people knowingly import illegally gotten goods from across the world, not on ships or planes; but down cables.
Digital piracy is becoming prevalent throughout the online world, which to its "customers" is very popular; although not so much with the copyright holders. The shifting of "goods" around the internet is happening all the time, both legally and illegally. Goods such as software, music and intellectual property are freely exchanged in digital formats among friends and strangers alike; the law is still undecided and debate rages on. People do not see it as a problem; it's not like their stealing it from a shop; or meeting down a dark alley for the latest knock off. Much more likely sat at home on the sofa; ill gotten gains slowly trickling down the wire to be spread on again; as well as personal gains.
Is it theft? How can the worth of a file be proven on an economic scale? Is the worth of the file is based on its size, the length of time it takes to download, or import it from the distributor. Or is it instead decided on the merit of its content.
Can you actually put a price on something which has no physical value, what happens when it is transferred from the original source where it was created. For example; do the values of a digital file change when it is transferred between physical devices from computer to server, wire, hard disk, usb, CD, computer to internet again. Does it loose something; when you receive something instantly at no cost to yourself and is it reasonable to accept that it has less value. "
The importing and exporting of music used to be a relatively costly process. Due to the internet it is now incredibly simple for people to discover created from people all over the world. The people that make music can now distribute their work with minimal costs and don't have to depend on a record label. This is also speeding up the turnover of music; trends alter in the space of six months, especially where digital music is concerned as it can now be made to quite high standards in a home studio, and then uploaded to the web in minutes. It can then be posted on a blog site and downloaded by thousands of people all over the world.
This means that as music is now more likely to be digital rather than being physical like a record or a CD; people see music as something that is more disposable and less precious. Which for me means that sleeve design and live performance are more important than ever in the music industry.
Thoughts for possible development include:
digital trade, physical trade
Piracy, digital policing, media industry failing to realise potential until recently
ownership
physicality vs. realism