Experiment 8 ART Work in progress by antonyhall - December 15, 2020April 10, 20210 Drawing of experimental apparatus. Participatory work. As yet unrealised. OLFACTION EXP. 8 / A0 drawing 2020 OLFACTION EXP. 8 / A0 drawing 2020
Plinth with unseeable object ART Events / News Notes and writing by antonyhall - December 4, 2020May 10, 20210 I was honoured to be invited to contribute to WEDDING RITUAL an amazing curatorial project by Wes White / Wes Viola. I wrote about something Old [Plinth with unseeable object] Did something new [See the obscurist edition], proposed something borrowed and invented something blue [sort of]. "...Antony Hall is an extraordinary artist, experimentalist and thinker. His work frequently plays with our perception of reality, sometimes presenting as everlasting magic tricks (for example, his Perpetual Coffee Vortex and Continual Slow Drip). Hall is also one part of Owl Project, the sound-art collective responsible for the iLog, at least one incarnation of which Bjork is rumoured to have added to her collection of instruments. The ENKi project explored the limits of human interaction with electric fish. I was fortunate to study at Strode College with Tony (on the course now led by Duncan Cameron, then our sculpture tutor), and have followed his artistic
BEYOND THE INTERFACE OBJECT ART Notes and writing by antonyhall - November 18, 2020May 10, 20210 “I find it has been helpful to break away from the thesis writing and experiment with other ways of writing just for fun. Recently taken part in several creative writing courses and have learnt some great exercises such as; thinking about the thesis as a story, writing your thesis in 9 sentences, writing a 1 min and 5 min thesis talks. I found that trying to get all the ideas in the thesis across in a short space really helps work out the key messages I need to communicate. Since I enjoy science fiction and my thesis is on the subject of science and art; I thought it would be fun to try writing my thesis abstract as if it were a catchy back
Reactor model ART Notes and writing by antonyhall - November 9, 2020November 9, 20200 Reactor model for collaborative practice / Work in progress 2020 / Drawing 2020
You are the object of your own observation / Diagram ART by antonyhall - November 6, 2020November 9, 20200 You are the object of your own observation 2020 / A0 Drawing You are the object of your own observation 2020 / A0 Drawing
Drawing for problem-solving BEAM Lab UoM Workshops by antonyhall - October 15, 2020October 15, 20200 It was interesting to do this workshop on drawing with a group of scientists especially a group of experimental psychologists. Many of the activities in the workshop are used in this field. These can be thought of as an alternative to the questionnaire - a form of visual assessment. The draw a person test is a classic example - but there are many more contemporary examples. Feedback from this workshop has resulted in an idea for another workshop 'Drawing everyday objects and thoughts' As there seems to be a need for a workshop to help people so get more confidence in drawing as a prerequisite to this workshop.
Drawing for problem-solving Bruntwood SciTech Workshops by antonyhall - October 12, 2020June 29, 20220 [Above participants drawing of how to make toast] This was the first of the ‘Drawing for problem-solving’ workshops which took place as part of the Bruntwood SciTech's Reconnect Festival. It draws together a number of experiments from both science and art. that I use in my own work for research and as a perceptual tool. Thanks to all those who took part!
The Clay Hand Illusion and the Embodiment of Unfeasible Objects Events / News Notes and writing by antonyhall - October 9, 2020January 15, 20230 "In an artistic exploration, clay hands and non-hand-like, unfeasible clay objects were created by the participant and used to perform an alternative version of the rubber hand illusion. Most participants felt ownership even over these unfeasible objects, raising questions about the embodied experience of objects that we make." https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0301006620948502
Drawing for problem-solving Events / News by antonyhall - October 8, 2020October 12, 20200 Drawing workshop with Bruntwood Scitech 8th Oct 2020! [See workshop details]
Interface objects [IO] Notes and writing Work in progress by antonyhall - September 30, 2020March 14, 20220 Interface objects are generative processes, experiments, workshops, and ideas that are co-created, developed through collaborative processes between different communities.
Para-Lab moss collecting Meander ART Workshops by antonyhall - September 22, 2020April 23, 20220 A walking workshop with para lab. I created this bottle with instructions and hand-drawn illustrations, a different one for each bottle. We walked around manchester and collected mosses from some unusual sites, the route took us through some back streets and along the canal. Finally, we stopped at 'Home' constructed bottle gardens while chatting and drinking coffee.
Walking workshop – Proximity / para lab Notes and writing by antonyhall - September 17, 2020November 21, 20200 A meander workshop proposal written for Para Lab, in response to a walking workshop by Ann Carragher with Proximity collective The meander like the ‘bimble’ is a method of walking research characterised by its semi-‘aimless nature’. The intention is that the multisensory relaxed and ‘rhythmical’ nature of walking allows for ‘slow observation’ and enables the participants to make new connections with the environment and between the participants though the discussions and actions along the way. Crucial to the meander is A the extraction of materials [physical samples, data, ideas] from the environment; this action demands a counter focus which cuts into the otherwise aimlessness of the walk. And B, The creation of the Delta Object; the subsequent sorting
Trust the process Notes and writing by antonyhall - September 4, 2020March 20, 20210 “...embrace that which is unknown, derive wonder from illogical consequences, and then carry out experiments, derive further empirical observations based on the resultant emergent properties in that very moment of experience… make conjectures based entirely on the confusions about what was to be obtained, and generate questions which wh remain unanswerable…” Extract from ‘The Pressure of Ideas'
It is a thing Notes and writing by antonyhall - September 4, 2020April 10, 20210 Nothing becomes a thing only when the experience of nothingness – or every thingness converge. Then and then only is the ‘thingness’ integrated within and demarcated from the general stream of other things or no-things… Such a thing is a whole and carries with it its own individualizing quality and self-sufficiency. It is a thing. Extract from 'The pressure of ideas"
It is an experiment Notes and writing by antonyhall - September 4, 2020September 4, 20200 "We do an experiment when the phenomenon experimented upon runs its course to failure or success. Then and then only is it integrated within and demarcated in the general stream of the experiment from other experiments… Such an experiment is a whole and carries with it its own individualizing quality and self-sufficiency. It is an experiment.”Extract from 'The pressure of ideas 2020"
Object without perception: Obscurist edition ART Workshops by antonyhall - September 3, 2020March 20, 20210 Another Object without perception workshop took place online in the form of the Obscurist edition [an extremely limited edition of 1] which included content designed especially for Wes Whites Wedding Ritual Project. A video was used during the workshop with flickering blue and white frames which provided the visual stimulus for the ganzfeld experience. Object without perception: Obscurist edition Object without perception: Obscurist edition Using the screen sharing facility of Zoom made for a strange intermittent, irregular flicker. Having run out of ganzfeld goggles I participated with my eyes closed.
Para Lab – Meander~Delta ART Notes and writing Workshops by antonyhall - July 2, 2020August 18, 20210 On the 28th / 06/2020 para lab met up at Brunclough reservoir. Everyone was tasked with creating ’a device to test the material properties of a thing’. I produced an edition of 15 Meander~Delta objects [drawings and text contained within a petri dish] with which to collect things and make notes, I also brought a homemade tardigrade extractor [salad spinner]. The wind and rain on occasion proved to be too disrupting to do any detailed work – or too difficult even speak to each other… https://www.instagram.com/p/CB-3MrkllD6/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet https://www.instagram.com/p/CCBafc3F-2n/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Object Without Perception / Proximity / CV19 Edition 01/07/2020 Workshops by antonyhall - July 2, 2020September 23, 20210 This was the first of a series of virtual [zoom] workshops created as a response to social distancing and the CV19 epidemic. A workshop resource was created and posted to participants, who were also required to complete an online questionnaire before and during the workshop as a way to create psychometric profiles and also to collect results. Participants were also invited to leave feedback in the form of a product review. The Object without perception resource https://antonyhall.net/blog/product/object-without-perception-proximity-cv19-edition/ See the workshop details here... https://antonyhall.net/blog/product/object-without-perception-proximity-cv19-edition/ Bubbles of Perception Participant Profiles [results from online questionnaires] Ganzfeld experience in progress
Meandering and delta objects – walking as research Notes and writing Workshops by antonyhall - June 24, 2020January 24, 20220 Meandering is an experiential research method enacted through walking in the natural [or urban] environment whist being tasked with a specific activity [collecting, experimenting, sampling the environment]. The aim is that this process may lead to new ideas and discussions which cause the participants to meander from the planned course of action and in doing so reveal alternative routes and different ways of looking. During the meander, notes are made, and the process is recorded; The sorting of residual material generated become a "Delta object" an archive of the event. Meander 1. To slowly wander from a given course. 2. (of a river or road) follow a winding course 3. a journey that has no particular direction: ~Delta 1. The accumulation and sorting of material as
Sciart Podcast Events / News by antonyhall - June 11, 2020October 12, 20200 I was interviewed by RAH! for their Sciart podcast series. We ended up talking about some of my old works about my interest in amateur science and drawing and a little about my latest research for the PhD [Rubber and clay hands] RAH! Podcast at Manchester Met · Science and Art: Illustrating Scientific Ideas
Self-isolation ART Workshops by antonyhall - May 26, 2020January 26, 20210 Ganzfeld Variations [Translucent paper cylinder method] From a series of workshop in the 'Experiments in Art and Perceptual Illusion' series, aimed at changing perceptions, heightening awareness, and ‘making strange’ of everyday experiences. Instructions for making: 1/ Cut section of greaseproof paper long enough to wrap around your head. 2/ Secure with tape to make a cylinder. 3/ Place overhead. You will sense the warmth of your own breath, and the loud sound of the paper near your ears. You will see colour and light but no detailed shapes. You will see the texture of the paper, but try to see beyond this. At first, this may feel claustrophobic [You might want to cut small holes for breathing or listening, but these should not
Catastrophe theory Notes and writing by antonyhall - May 14, 2020November 30, 20200 This diagram [a work in progress based on Fazey and Hardy, 1988] shows how sudden shifts in behaviour can arise from small changes in circumstances [See Rene Thom - catastrophe theory]. It is used here to explain the process of how increasing cognitive and somatic anxiety might lead to feelings of depersonalisation numbness or panic attacks. Since these often result from small changes. Could this model be used to explain the experiences of hallucination and perceptual illusion? Some links here to how this is used in sport science - in relation to somatic and cognitive anxiety/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSSpOfPoIf4 Theory of Catastrophes http://users.fs.cvut.cz/ivo.bukovsky/SBS/en/Catastrophes/Catastrophes1.html
Measuring Anomalous experience. ART by antonyhall - May 1, 2020October 10, 20200 “Press the button if you notice a change in what you see.Keep the button pressed for the duration of the change.” See post on Mirror Gaze experiment.. https://antonyhall.net/blog/mirror-gaze-experiment-msp/
Re-Action Notes and writing by antonyhall - April 16, 2020October 10, 20200 A ‘Re/Action’ is a form of experiential art which resembles a workshop and consists of a series ‘actions’ performed or experienced by participants who interchange between roles of experimenter and audience. The focus is on reflection and introspection, for both the experimenter and participant. The process should generate new questions and evolving iterations for future action and re/action. 1. Initiation: Preparatory sub-actions, questionnaires and tasks that serve as cognitive primers which inform the following actions. 2. Action: The experience [an experiment] This should include qualitative and quantitative measures, further questionnaires, biometric data [sweat response / Heart rate] that feeds back into the experience. Importantly the process and apparatus of data collection are part of the experience. 3. Reflection: Interview and discussion. This should comprise of structured
Tabletop Experiments ART Notes and writing by antonyhall - April 14, 2020October 10, 20200 A manifesto to celebrate 20 years of Tabletop Experiments. 1. The Tabletop Experiment is essentially amateur and DIY in its endeavour. It concerns science as recreation and as a practice that necessitates its own re-creation. 2. It is assembled from items readily available in the home, domestic technology; kitchen utensils, liquid soap or aquarium parts for example. 3. It is based upon a specific phenomenon of interest; an artefact of subjective perception, the physical behaviour of liquid, or the physical behaviours of an animal for example. 4. It is a discrete environment: a device, or instrument, within which a unique phenomenon can exist. Ideally this should be a rapidly developed prototype, which affords an aesthetic interplay between materials and technologies, driven by incidental function and serendipitous accident. 5.
Proximal Osmosis Collaboration ART Notes and writing by antonyhall - April 14, 2020April 14, 20200 Osmosis is the gradual permeation of ideas between different fields. It implies a passive slow diffusion, an unconscious assimilation of knowledge. In biology it is a process by which molecules tend to pass through a semi-permeable membrane from a less saturated medium into a more saturated one. This leads to two mediums of equal saturation through a one-directional flow, resulting in two different volumes. These illustrations explore the idea of osmosis as a model for ‘collaboration’ as an alternative to the idealised collaborative sciart model often represented through the vesica Piscis [Fig. 1 and 2]. One in which ideas permeate through osmotic proximity [3] created by collaborative environment and mediums separated by a ‘proximal membrane’ through which ideas and knowledge
Mirror Gaze Experiment @MSP Notes and writing Workshops by antonyhall - March 2, 2020March 20, 20210 I have been working with Manchester Science Partnerships to develop a range of workshops for their customers, the resident companies that use the park. The first session was the 'mirror gaze experiment'. During the mirror gaze experiment [MGE] participants are asked to stare at their own reflection in a mirror in a nearly dark room. An outline of the head is visible as a faint silhouette. In this state of partial sensory deprivation, the brain struggles to make sense of the information it sees. Forms and shapes begin to emerge as if from nowhere. For many observers, these develop into vivid visual hallucinations “monsters, archetypical faces, faces of relatives, and animals” (Caputo, 2012; Bortolomasi et al., 2014). This
Emergent Strange faces ART Workshops by antonyhall - March 2, 2020June 24, 20210 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs48nJo3ukU&feature=youtu.be Emergent strange face from recent workshop at Manchester Science Park A night vision camera captured video during the experiment from behind the mirror[see diagram here]. This used the program Isadora to detect movement using a ‘difference filter’ and building up an image using 'shimmer' and 'motion blur' filters with a long decay rate. An image builds up based on the collective movements of all 3 participants. A collective strange face. Emergent strange face from Proximity project Emergent strange face from Proximity project
Proximity – @ Paradise works 11/12/2019 ART Events / News Workshops by antonyhall - March 2, 2020January 21, 20230 GANZFELD Translucent White Hemispherical Domes x 2 45mm diameter. Handmade signed edition of 20. Image: Anya Stewart Maggs Images from the Proximity show at Paradis works; I created these handmade cardboard box containing two ‘Ganzfeld Hemispheres’. These are translucent white domes perfectly shaped and crafted to fit in the eye socket, with elastic strap and small ceramic bead for adjustment. Inside are a set of instructions. A signed edition of 20 was produced as a workshop resource. The work is activated through its use, and the experiences that come through its use, and continued practice. Ideally, it should be stored alongside other items in the medicine cabinet. [See the current version of this workshop - Perception without object] I also showed a series of transcripts