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Art on My Sleeve - Open Call

Bob Prophette and Hydra Projects are delighted to announce....Art on My Sleeve

A unique opportunity for miniature scale 2D and 3D art works.  Do you have or would you like to create an artwork for display in a unique mobile venue, estimated to be seen by 200-300 people per day and soon to be featured in the media.

Bob Prophette is an artist living in London with an unusual approach.  He likes to look at art in a different way - outside the usual gallery system.  He recently suffered the loss of the face and mechanism of his  grandfather’s watch - an elegant Wittenauer /Longines gold timepiece - while playing with friends in Victoria Park London. He intends to use the the housing as a new gallery space, suitable for miniature 2D and 3D art works.

The first work to be displayed will be by the Australian designer Angela Groundwater, this will be followed by UK poet Peter Handley's work and then Chilean Photographer EnriqueVerdugo.  Each exhibition will last for one month.  Following these openings the space will be open for another 9 months to artists who respond to this open call.  The three invited artists and Bob Prophette will select the art works for display.  The exhibition will be marketed aggressively to the media and will be documented in a full colour book and website.

So if you are interested in working outside the mainstream - joining artists who are passionate about changing the way people view art (in all senses) then submit a short proposal together with an image if possible.  There is no fee for application and no criteria.  Everyone is an artist and all art is welcome.

The space is circular, approximately 2.8 centimeters in diameter.  It is suitable for 2D works (photographs, paintings, words) or 3D works. 3D works ideally should not be taller than 3cm.  The taller the work, the more robust the structure has to be to withstand the inevitable bumps of everyday life.

CORNERSHOP

The cornershop is open.  A collaboration between Hydra Projects, Louise Woodcont and Mr Peter Handley.

Cornershop

Status of the Artist 2016

This work is a gallery installation of a point of sale printer which prints the UN Recommendation on the Status of the Artist (see installation example in the film).  This work is a reflection on this text. The formatting draws on the idiosyncratic nature of the UN language and highlights interesting features such as the definition of the Artist.  The use of non-archival thermal receipt-paper as a medium reflects both limitations of the UN declaration and the pressures of commercialization in art.

New Book

Following on from the success of Hydra Projects previous publications we're delighted to announce the availability of our latest book. I'm Kamp is a radical re imagining  of Hitler's Mein Kampf with the LGBT slang words put back in.

It is in the long tradition of attempts to deal with racism by ridiculing it and it is hoped will find a place in the heart of anti-fascists everywhere.  Especially Rotherham.

Its currently available via epubli and will soon be on Amazon.

Other publications by Hydraprojects:

Status of the Artist
Fourteen word forty syllables
Random Bible
The Book of (Modern) Cognitive Sins

Circus of the Mind invited to Festival 23

Those lovely Discordians have invited Bob Prophette and his Circus of the Mind to be amongst the attractions at Festival 23.

Bob Prophette, the world’s foremost (and only) Metaphysical Bookmaker will be bringing his Circus of the Mind to delight the crowds at Festival 23. Circus of the Mind is a three ringed circus of feasts for your intellect and imagination featuring games and performances associated with Metaphysical Betting (anything unprovable but “true,” Bob is the bookmaker for you); the Court of Moral Ambiguity (let Bob challenge your rationalisations of morally ambiguous acts and find out just how morally ambiguous you really are); and the Confessional for Modern (Cognitive) Sins (confess you sins of memory, decision making and bias to Bob and receive the absolution you deserve). So look out for Bob the Bookie, Bob the Judge and Bob the Priest and discover something new about yourself and others.  You may even get a chance to punish Bob for his sins.  Now where is that whip?

Wallets of Wisdom a huge success at How The Light Gets In Festival 2016

Although not invited and not exactly made welcome Wallets of Wisdom appeared at the How the Light Gets in Festival in Hay on Wye this year and also the Hay Festival itself.

100 Wallets stuffed full of wisdom and wise-ass-ness were lost over the 10 day festival. Many of the Wallets were retrieved and the Philosophers and Music lover's additions were noted.  They included:

- a sanitary pad
- a shoe lace
- used train tickets
- Norwegian tram tickets
- over £2.00 in change (thanks)

No actual wisdom has so far been detected, but hopes remain high.

Until next time.

FUNT Release 3 more tracks n soundcloud: Warrington, Wigan and Carlise

Fourteen Words, Forty Syllables - The Script of the God

Based on Jorge Luis Borges story Script of the God, this book contains a selection of randomly generated sentences, using the text of the story, each of fourteen words and forty syllables.  In the story this is the script of the God.

'It is a formula of fourteen random words (they appear random) and to utter it in a loud voice
would suffice to make me all powerful.'

'May the mystery lettered on the tigers die with me. Whoever has seen the universe, whoever has
beheld the fiery designs of the universe, cannot think in terms of one man, of that man's trivial
fortunes or misfortunes, though he be that very man. That man has been he and now matters no
more to him. What is the life of that other to him, the nation of that other to him, if he, now, is no one. This is why I do not pronounce the formula, why, lying here in the darkness, I let the days obliterate me.'

The protagonist in the book is an imprisoned Mayan priest who, after years of incarceration in a dark cell which he shares with a Jaguar discovers the writing of the god in the shapes of the animals fur. He describes how the words are based on a formula of fourteen words which appear to be random and have fourteen syllables between them.  Fourteen words and forty syllables.

Once uttered these words have a transformative power which would allow the priest to free himself and exact revenge.  At the end of the the story the priest leaves the words unsaid, since having understood the script he has achieved the kind of enlightenment whereby he can transcend his suffering, is no longer a man, and no longer needs revenge or anything from his previous life.

As a tribute to this enigmatic story (and the fact that Borges never wrote a book) this book contains approximately 100,000 words grouped into sentences of fourteen words and forty syllables. They were randomly generated by a formula designed by Dr Katerina Papadaki, A mathematician an the London School of Economics.  Dr Papadaki ws paid £100,000 for the algorithm.  The largest sum ever paid for a single formula.

As befits Borge's story, the algorithm is recursive in that while you are in it, it calls itself, which means it makes copes of itself from the beginning.  As Katerina pointed out this resembles the nested dreams that the protagonist has, where he wakes from one dream only to find himself in another.

The book is one of a kind and not currently for sale.  However readings from the book can be arranged by the author.

Hydra Projects and the Homeless City Ads feature in Art Habens Contemporary At Review

Hydra Projects and Homeless City Ads feature in the 2015 Special Edition of the Art Habens Contemporary Art Review.

Jump straight to the Article here.

Or click below:

Circus of the Mind to be Found at Curious Yellow Weekend

The Circus of the Mind will make one of its rare appearances at the Curious Yellow Weekend at a secret location in Hertfordshire this July.  For information visit the lovely organaisers.

The weekend will see Bob Prophette roll out his Metaphysical Bookmakers, Confessional for Modern Sins and the Court of Moral Ambiguity.  Spot Bob amongst the trees wearing a trilby, a priests collar or a judge's wig, as the occasion demands.

Homeless City Ads Selected for Art Habens Review of Contemporary Art 2015

Following the recent success in being selected and exhibited as part of the Big Noise Festival Photography Competition, the Homeless CityAds project has been selected through an open international call to be included in Art Habens Review of Contemporary Art 2015.

According to Art Habens “this year’s edition will focus on a recurrent paradox in contemporary art: the vague and ambiguous but thoroughly entrenched boundaries between the different practices of new media”. They continue “In particular it will engage with artists dealing with process-driven changes in our society, who pair their observations with new media technologies to produce their art projects.”

About RT Habens: ART Habens aims to engage artists, curators and gallerists in conversation about the role of Art in contemporary society. Inspired by the worldwide art scene, we highlight that art is an essential element in our lives: ART Habens reserves a special place to explore these transformations; first, by acknowledging the energy and effort that goes into the creation of art, and second, by investigating the new life a work takes on as it is transferred from artist to world.

 

Circus of the Mind

www.circusofthemind.org

New portal opens. Circus of the Mind. A gateway to metaphysical betting, the confessional for modern sins and the Court of Moral Ambiguity.

Judge Bob Opens Online Court

The majority of dishonesty in life is perpetrated by a large number of individuals who believe they are acting honestly but are actually engaging in morally ambiguous behaviours and using rationalisation to make themselves feel OK about their actions.

The Court was set up to help people grapple with these issues. It provides facts and figures about various morally ambiguous practices to help you form a judgement about whether you have stepped over the line or not. If after looking at this evidence you are still unsure, you can submit your case for adjudication by Judge Bob Prophette.

So take a look around and remember honesty is not always the best policy.

Homeless City Ads Picture wins runner up place in the Big Noise Festival's Photo Competition

A photograph of a well-known rough sleeper spot near Waterloo Bridge, one of a series of six, won 2nd place in the Big Noise Festival's Photography competition and will be exhibited as part of the festival on Saturday 13th June at the Coronet in Elephant and Castle, London.

The photo which mixes the image of a rough sleeper place at the edge of the Thames with a series of icons from the Homeless City Guide was taken by art group Hydra Projects.

Kevin Andrews one of the founders of Hydra Projects said “the photo was edited to look like a picture from an accommodation listing website like Gumtree or Where to Sleep. A description was then added drawn from the publicity material for the nearby Waldorf Hilton Hotel”. The photo is an attempt to point to the irony of the close location of rough sleeper places and five star hotels. Andrews continues “it’s the kind of thing we take for granted in modern cities because we have become numb to it. The photograph tries to question that numbness.”

The text accompanying the photo states:

“2 bed accommodation near the Waldorf Hilton, Aldwych

Explore London's West End from this unusual accommodation close to the iconic Waldorf Hilton hotel in Theaterland, 5 minutes' walk from fantastic shopping in Covent Garden. Dine in style next to the River Thames, de-stress with the wide open vistas or even go for a refreshing dip.  Visit top London attractions within a mile radius of this central London accommodation, including the London Eye and Trafalgar Square or enjoy a the bustle of theaterland. Situated where the city meets the West end the accommodation is perfect for business or leisure travelers alike.

Main facts:
- Good food thrown away here
- Potential for work
- Dangerous neighborhood
- An attack happened here
- Message board nearby
- Good place to drink and smoke"

This Homeless City Guide is a regular feature of the magazine Pavement. This is a language invented for homeless people. The idea being that they use it to communicate with one another about features of the city. The icons were designed by Emily Read and Chen Hsu in 2007. Their work is described as a modern day version of the centuries old language of the Hobo Code, as they say “The homeless can use this series of simple symbols to communicate with each other about safety, shelter, and free food by inscribing them with chalk on sidewalks, buildings, and other surfaces”. But according to Andrews the language is not used. He says “this isn't very surprising; it’s based on a romantic notion of what homelessness is”.

Asked whether the adverts posted on accommodation websites received many replies Andrews says “Not really, they were never on long enough to attract that much attention”. Somehow Gumtree and other sites were able to spot the ads quite quickly and remove them and block me from posting more.” He says “I had more success with postcards that I made up and placed at the locations, they all went very quickly and I think provide a lasting record of the work”. The project also has its own fake accommodation listing website where people can book accommodation online.

The photo was chosen from hundreds submitted to the competition run in aid of the Big Issue Foundation.  The selection panel included actress and photographer, Kat Prescott, Stephen Robertson, CEO of The Big Issue Foundation, Spencer Rowell of Uncertain States and Eleanor Wemyss and Carla Sinclair of The Big Noise Festival.

There Are Forty Seven

There Are Forty Seven is a collaboration between an artist, an economist and art psychotherapist, all based in London. The collaboration is based on the interplay between art and philosophy, particularly the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Current Works include a photo series basement, a film detail which explores Wittgenstein’s fascination with architecture and an audio essay based upon the “poker” episode. The group are currently working on the completion of a performance piece, the frantic exploration of the imagined known. The title is taken from Paradox to Wonder, John Heaton’s book about Wittgenstein and Psychotherapy.

FUNT - 5 tracks released - listen on soundcloud

This is a series of tracks compiled largely using nano-studio while travelling in January-February 2015.  Tracks reflect experiences of Burma, Brussels, Stockholm, Scotland and Reykjavik. The overwhelming feeling is one of the desire for melodrama.

They also include the track Hands, which has a much longer history and is currently part of a film/installation.

Sins of the Mind

Check out the Confessional For Modern Sins at sinsofthemind.org.

Bob Prophette is offering absolution from modern sins in the form of cognitive bias.

The work is based on the iconography developed for the The Royal Society of Account Planning's Visual Study Guide Of Cognitive Biases - PSFK.

 The website will be followed by a physical installation.

 Both the website and the installation play with the idea of cognitive bias, to get people to admit to these biases and "absolve" them of their "sins".

 The idea is to poke fun at this over hyped area of discussion which reached an apex with the success of Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.

 Putting this in a sin + confession = absloution context emphasises that these so called biases should not be taken out of context. In the right context, the biases are actually very valuable short cuts to good decisions. Its the context that matters, not the bias.

 This idea is associated with the work of Gigerzener.

Metaphysical Betting in Brixton?

Prophette and Shaman's Metaphysical Betting Stand (2012) has been selected for the Bad Behaviour Open Call 2014 Exhibition.

 

The stand, which has seen action at several of the UK's top festivals now takes up its place in a gallery. Come and take a look and maybe have a flutter.

Private View Wednesday 19th November 2014.  See flyer and press release for details.  

Prophette and Shaman Metaphysical Bookmakers - open for business

Head on over to the new website for all your metaphysical betting needs.  Remember if its uprovable but true...we're the bookmakers for you.

PRESS RELEASE