holly kimberley

2011-02-10T23:03:00.004Z

These photographs were taken in Beauly; where we spent New Year's Eve.

2011-01-11T19:26:00.008Z

Christmas in Kent, December 2010.

2011-01-09T00:17:00.003Z

Frolicking in the snow, December 2010.

2011-01-08T23:17:00.005Z

Our faux Christmas day, before all heading home for the holidays.

2010-12-29T20:12:00.005Z

The River Isis, November 2010; this is easily one of my favourite places to walk.

2010-11-30T10:19:00.002Z

Last week there was fog, today there is snow.

2010-11-29T00:28:00.011Z

Outside has suddenly become so cold this weekend that I've been avoiding leaving the warmth of the
house unless I absolutely have to. I've spent a great deal of time writing and reading, and have
revisited Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being ('The idea of an eternal return is a mysterious
one, and Nietzche has often purplexed other philosophers with it: to think that everything recurs as
we once experienced it, and that the recurrence itself recurs ad infinitum! What does this mad myth
signify?'). The pages of my copy are falling out, it is so well loved.

2010-11-27T11:39:00.005Z

These photographs were taken in October when I went to Frieze Art Fair with Oli.

2010-11-26T21:56:00.005Z

In the last two weeks of October we exhibited DUSK: WOODSTOCK in the graveyard of St Mary Magdalene
Church. We invited members of the public to light tealights over three nights, coinciding with the
church's All Souls Day service.

2010-11-24T17:25:00.003Z

Photographs taken about a month ago; Becky cooked us all a delicious Sunday lunch, then we went for
an evening stroll to the church nearby.

2010-11-23T21:18:00.003Z

Photographs taken at the Isis Tavern, where we discussed ideas for potential artworks.

2010-11-22T10:27:00.009Z

These photographs were taken at the allotment in Rose Hill in September, where we were commissioned
to paint a 40ft shipping container which is being used as a communal shed.

2010-11-19T10:00:00.001Z

These photographs were taken by Jack and I at the allotment in Rose Hill, where we spent the day
helping brook & black pick hops as part of their commission for Modern Art Oxford. The beer will be
launched at MAO on Friday 17th December, 7pm.

2010-11-18T16:51:00.000Z

The last month and a half disappeared, but I feel like I'm finally starting to catch up with it all.

2010-09-12T17:16:00.000+01:00

Down by the riverside, August 2010.

2010-09-12T17:12:00.000+01:00

Savannah's last night in Oxford, spent drinking gin and tonics at the Turf.

2010-09-12T17:04:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken in Kent, July 2010.

2010-09-12T15:42:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken in Howard Street, July - August 2010.

2010-09-10T16:32:00.000+01:00

Brick Lane markets with Savannah, July 2010.

2010-08-16T22:29:00.000+01:00

These photographs were taken at the Rose Hill Allotments, where I spent the day working with Tiffany Black on her commission.

2010-07-17T19:40:00.000+01:00

Jack and I spent two nights at his parents' house in Leicester. We arrived Sunday evening, and Monday we went to see the 'Profusion' exhibition at Calke Abbey.

listening to: Niño Rojo

2010-07-17T19:34:00.000+01:00

Savannah was taking a three week course in textiles at Central Saint Martins, so I took the coach up to London to spend the day with her.

2010-07-17T19:28:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken in Singapore, June 2010.
listening to: Niño Rojo

2010-07-08T18:10:00.000+01:00

Breakfast at Tiger Tiger, followed by a trip to PICA to see 'Hatched', the National Graduate Show.

2010-07-08T17:58:00.000+01:00

The morning after the party Oli caught the bus back to Margaret River, Rory and Bek made cupcakes and we went to the Natural History Museum. Afterwards we went to the Moon Café to eat pizza and drink milkshakes, before then spending the evening at a gig at SciTech.

Party.

2010-07-08T17:46:00.000+01:00

We accidently ate most of the party snacks before the majority of people arrived, and the CD player didn't seem to have too random a shuffle, so we did listen to lots of the songs about a hundred times. Nonetheless it was infinitely lovely to see everyone again after so long, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

2010-07-07T17:35:00.000+01:00

Guildford.

2010-07-07T17:22:00.000+01:00

Nathalie and I drove to Guildford, singing along with Simon and Garfunkel in the car. When we got there we wandered around the antique shops and Nathalie bought two records. We stopped for tea before going to the Natural History Museum, where we were shown the best eight minute DVD I have ever seen.

2010-07-07T11:34:00.000+01:00

Singapore, May 2010.

2010-06-30T23:49:00.000+01:00

Oxford in the summertime, so divine.

2010-06-30T23:25:00.000+01:00

The garden in Kent, and a pink moon through the window on the bus back to Oxford.

A Description of an Object in the Pitt Rivers Museum

2010-06-30T17:50:00.000+01:00

In the dim atmospheric light of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford I found myself drawn to an object which, prior to my arrival, I would not have anticipated having the remotest interest in; a pocket revolver.

I admit that, even now, I have little understanding of what the majority of the descriptions on the label beside it meant; I have close to no idea what is meant by a ‘five-shot, .32-calibre rim-fire revolver’, though my research informs me that the ‘calibre’ is the internal diameter of the barrel, and that a ‘revolver’ is a type of pistol which will fire several shots without reloading.

As is probably painfully evident by my precursory comments, it was far from an interest in firearms which lead me to be intrigued by this object. Whilst the knowledge that it was a dangerous weapon no doubt shaped my reaction to it, it was primarily its incredible beauty which attracted my attention.

In a display case surrounded by many other small firearms, of a similar nature and function, lay a gun which I estimated to be no more than three inches long; it would not fill the palm of my hand if I were to lift it from its cabinet. Silver plated with an ivory handle, it shone in the midst of a collection – both in this particular display case and throughout the entire museum – which was dominated primarily by dull tones of brown.

The silverwork was intricately engraved with swirling floral patterns, impeccably polished, it reflected the lights from the ceiling above the display cabinet. The cream of the ivory handle complimented further the immaculate silver, and yet it was beautiful in its own right; a spectacular shade of off white. Overall, I found the Belgian revolver far more beautiful than most of the jewellery displayed in cabinets on the second floor.

Its size and impeccable beauty gave it an air of delicacy, though I knew that if I were to hold it would be far heavier than its appearance would anticipate. This realisation makes way for another notion, I consider that the physical weight of the gun itself would be nothing compared to the weight I would give it psychologically.
It’s hard to believe that something I consider to be such an innately beautiful art object could also be a lethal weapon. It encapsulates the fleeting nature of human life perfectly, by holding the power to eliminate it. The revolver, though an inanimate object, seems to hold so much energy behind its immaculate exterior, and I think it is for that reason I find it so utterly captivating.

2010-06-24T22:34:00.000+01:00

A trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, searching for an object to write about.

An Account of an Object in the Ashmolean Museum

2010-06-24T22:28:00.000+01:00

A collection of sixteen plaster busts by Sir Francis Chantrey occupy a wall, next to a stairwell which spans three floors of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Instead of resting on the traditional plinth, like the sculptures in the Cast Gallery downstairs, these busts are bolted to the wall, with a small ledge beneath each of them. The wall is painted a pastel shade of teal, which serves to emphasise the depth in tone in the off white of each of the sculptures. The faces stare directly out of a huge pane of glass; a window on to the backstreets of Oxford.

The space which the busts occupy is, for me, a strange middle ground; acting almost as a breath of fresh air from the West Meets East exhibition on the second floor. The curators who organised the Museum’s displays seem to have drawn from the Tate Modern style of contrast and compare; keep people interested by not allowing them the time to become bored.

The rooms on the second floor are crammed with both the quintessentially British and the awkwardly foreign. In the space of a few rooms you can go from the almost cliché rows of traditional British teacups and saucers, tapestries and oil paintings in elaborate gold frames, to rooms filled with completely unfamiliar objects from Japan and China, with scrolls featuring calligraphy on the walls. An apt description, originally in response to the Tate Modern, seems to suit here as well; ‘It’s no place for the slow and quiet contemplation of art’.

Standing in front of Chantrey’s plaster heads I am offered refuge from the ethical debates which are painfully relevant through the rest of the West Meets East exhibition; the roundabout arguments of ownership. Whether or not the items were obtained as ‘legitimate transfer of property’ or, in fact, I am standing inside a ‘strongroom of plunder and pillage’ is something which I do not have to worry about here, the label on the wall informs me that the casts were gifted to the Museum by Chantrey’s widow, and upon further research I learn that Chantrey, upon his wife’s death, had ordered that his remaining assets be left to the Royal Academy, ‘which was to use the income to purchase British paintings and sculpture for the creation of a national collection of British art’.

Unlike throughout a large portion of the museum, I am left with the space to stand and appreciate the sculptures for what they are; my judgement unclouded by politics. I can slowly and quietly contemplate this seemingly accidently beautiful selection of plaster casts, arranged as a multiple on the wall in a manner which is, to me, reminiscent of Rachel Whiteread’s multiples. I take the time to look at each cast individually, note that some are clothed and some are not, appreciate the imperfect beauty of each; these busts are not idealised like the traditional Greek marble sculptures. Overall, however, I am left remembering the group of faces which look out over Oxford; one of the few things in the museum which, to me, seem to firmly have a present, as well as a past.

2010-06-20T20:00:00.000+01:00

A trip to the Ashmolean Museum, finding an object to write an essay on.

2010-06-20T19:44:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken by Jack and I; a walk to Godstow via the University Parks and lunch at the Trout Inn.

2010-05-12T10:55:00.000+01:00

Godstow Nunnery reinterpreted for exhibition at the Richard Hamilton Building.

2010-05-11T20:27:00.000+01:00

Still from a film; the night time viewing at Godstow Nunnery, Wednesday 7th April 2010.

2010-05-11T20:14:00.000+01:00

Setting up for the night time viewing at Godstow Nunnery.

2010-05-09T11:58:00.000+01:00

Still from a film; one last pot of tea at the Perch before setting up for the night time viewing at Godstow Nunnery.

2010-05-09T10:26:00.000+01:00

2010-05-09T10:16:00.000+01:00

Playing with projecting our films, using the hand held projector.

2010-05-08T10:59:00.000+01:00

Walk four, Wednesday 24th February 2009.

2010-05-01T21:48:00.000+01:00

Walk three, Wednesday 17th February 2009.

2010-04-09T18:23:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken by Jack and I; a walk through the University Parks followed by tea at the Perch.
listening to: A Book Like This

2010-04-09T18:03:00.000+01:00

Photographs taken by Jack and I; A day in London, tea at his flat and one of our final evenings in the studio.
listening to: The Life Pursuit

2010-04-06T08:53:00.000+01:00

Nearing completion, the viewing is at dusk tomorrow.
listening to: Overboard & Down

2010-03-07T19:21:00.000Z

Walk two, Wednesday 10th February 2009.

2010-03-05T23:21:00.000Z

Almost a year ago I submitted one of my polaroids to 'A Home For Alice', it has now found its way on to their blog. The text accompanying the photograph is pretty outdated now, but nonetheless you can have a peek here should you please.

2010-02-14T19:03:00.000Z

Walk one, Wednesday 3rd February 2009.

2010-02-12T17:48:00.000Z

Walk one, Wednesday 3rd February 2009.
Stills from films three and four.

2010-02-08T00:15:00.000Z

Walk one, Wednesday 3rd February 2009.
Stills from films one and two.

2010-02-08T00:08:00.000Z

2010-02-04T21:21:00.000Z

listening to: Cripple Crow

2010-01-31T21:44:00.000Z

listening to: Before the Flood

2010-01-31T20:11:00.000Z

Photographs taken in Venice, more coming soon, just as soon as my film photographs have been scanned.
listening to: Blonde on Blonde

2010-01-19T00:48:00.000Z

Daylight Goodbye from Message To Bears on Vimeo.

Daylight Goodbye by Message to Bears, 'a part of a new series of songs to go with a sequence of photographs by Holly Kimberley Cooper'.
Jerome Alexander is the talented man behind Message to Bears, 'a natural-born instrumentalist, gifted at creating emotional, delicate music', and everyone should absolutely take the time to listen to his beautiful songs.

2010-01-15T12:18:00.000Z

Oxford in the snow, like something from a dream.
listening to: Plans

Travelling to Oxford

2010-01-13T12:45:00.000Z

And the view from my window when I got home:

listening to: What Will We Be

2010-01-11T19:28:00.000Z

Photographs taken in Kent, over the few weeks I was there for Christmas.
Listening to: Peel Slowly and See, Disk 1.

2010-01-09T19:37:00.000Z

Train footage 001: I filmed this from the train window using my mobile phone, on my way down to Kent for Christmas. The countryside was blanketed in snow, and looked so lovely.

Today I had originally intended to walk into Oxford and develop my roll of film from Kent, instead I went over to Jack's for a pot of tea and we ended up spending the day flailing about in the snow at South Park. I plan to make the most of this magnificent weather and go out sledding again tomorrow. I love the snow.
listening to: What Will We Be

2009-12-31T18:41:00.000Z

These photographs were taken around the house, Christmas morning, with my brand new Olympus Pen E-P1. We had a lovely day, the last two photographs are of the table before we all sat down to lunch, wearing Victorian masks, flase teeth and stick on moustaches!
listening to: Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.

2009-12-18T14:45:00.000Z

(Last week) I caught the bus up to London to spend the day with Olivia, before she disappeared back across the sea.
listening to: Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

The Observatory (Susan Philipsz: You are not alone).

2009-12-13T14:54:00.000Z

We did go back to the Susan Philipsz exhibition at the Observatory, and this time we did take our cameras.
listening to: Niño Rojo

2009-12-09T17:21:00.001Z

Our poster on the London Underground this December (Embankment: Bakerloo line). Special thanks to Art Below.
listening to: The Throes

2009-12-05T23:36:00.000Z

listening to: Bringing it all Back Home

SUSAN PHILIPSZ: YOU ARE NOT ALONE

2009-12-02T12:42:00.001Z

Yesterday Jack and I went to the Susan Philipsz sound installation at the Radcliffe Observatory. We spent about an hour walking around in circles trying to find it, so by the time we finally arrived it was quarter to five. It was absolutely stunning, the whole of the city was lit up and it's actually impossible to describe how surreally beautiful it was. I think I'm probably going to go back this afternoon to see it in daylight, but I'm not going to make the mistake of not taking my camera this time.

I took photographs using my mobile, but they honestly do the space no justice. I can actually think of no other place I would rather live, it is absolutely stunning.

In the evening we went to see Deer Tick play their first headlining show in London. It was completely sold out, and they were brilliant. They ended the show by disguarding of their microphones and wandering through the crowds singing at the top of their lungs.
listening to: War Elephant

A distorted reality, pt. 2.

2009-11-29T16:28:00.000Z

Work in progress.
listening to: Play

London Poetry Systems at the Isis Tavern, Oxford.

2009-11-24T20:20:00.000Z

listening to: At Dawn

2009-11-23T18:11:00.000Z

listening to: The Throes

Freize Art Fair and the Serpentine Poetry Marathon

2009-11-23T09:34:00.000Z

2009-11-23T09:04:00.000Z

listening to: Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.

A distorted reality.

2009-11-17T22:11:00.000Z

Work in progress.
listening to: Letting off the Happiness

Unrecognizably perfectly clear.

2009-11-15T18:24:00.000Z

I sat at the train station and stared across the platforms, everything fell into place.

Nostalgia

2009-11-02T23:20:00.000Z

How time can move both fast and slow amazes me.
listening to: Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

Pocketto Magazine

2009-11-02T17:02:00.000Z

My 'Brighton' photographs and Oliver Hull's drawings are featured in Issue 8 of Pocketto magazine: http://www.pockettozine.com/

Oxford Polaroids

2009-10-25T15:29:00.000Z

listening to: Kurr

London

2009-10-24T15:52:00.000+01:00

These photographs were taken in London this September, the weekend of the Thames River Festival.
listening to: Noble Beast

2009-10-20T20:54:00.000+01:00

I took this photograph during the black and white photography section of my 'Technical Skills for Artists' module at university. I really liked taking portraits in the photography studio, I'm planning on doing it again as soon as possible.
listening to: Heart Full of Wine

2009-10-19T22:01:00.000+01:00

Considering I've been thinking so much about manifestos lately, it was a complete coincidence that I came across this, tucked in the back of the book I was reading on the train this weekend. I'd completely forgotten I had it, and really like it so I thought I would share.

listening to: Lon Gisland EP

2009-10-14T18:54:00.000+01:00

This is my 'manifesto', one of my recent university assignments. One thing I thought about when researching this was how decisive, how final all the manifestos I have come across are. No wonder people feel the need to go back and change them discreetly, pretending it was more watered down from the start, I change my mind about what I think slightly every few minutes! That is why this is just a messy list on a crumpled piece of paper, because this is in no way final. I intend on adding and crossing out things infinitely, my manifesto is forever growing.
I also particularly liked this point in Claes Oldenburg's manifesto (1961): 'I am for an art that grows up not knowing it is art at all, an art given the chance of a starting point of zero.'

listening to: Sung Tongs

Sunset Rubdown at Relentless Garage

2009-10-13T19:40:00.000+01:00

listening to: Sunst Rubdown EP

Cranbrook

2009-10-10T19:02:00.000+01:00

A giant tea pot attached to the building, genius!

listening to: Bee Hives

2009-10-08T18:39:00.000+01:00

listening to: Feel Good Lost

Singapore

2009-10-08T18:22:00.000+01:00

Listening to: Cassadaga

2009-10-05T15:25:00.000+01:00

Based on a photograph in Charles Darwin's book 'The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals'.
Listening to: Noble Beast

Bali, pt. 2

2009-08-27T18:38:00.000+01:00

Listening to: I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning

Bali, pt. 1

2009-08-26T08:22:00.000+01:00

More photographs of my month in Bali coming soon.
Listening to: Feels

Fremantle

2009-08-23T02:01:00.001+01:00

Listening to: 69 Love Songs

Margaret River

2009-08-23T01:31:00.000+01:00

Listening to: Etiquette

2009-07-25T04:06:00.000+01:00

(There's more photographs of Singapore now uploaded on my flickr)

I feel like I've been a complete lazy bones the last few weeks. I've been sorting through and packing my belongings, ready to send off to university. I'm so bad at making decisions, I've probably unpacked and then repacked every box at least three times. I have so many things, and even after 'minimizing' what I want to take (in reality I'm a total hoarder, 'minimizing' consists of throwing out some old underwear and still packing every single one of my hundreds of books), I still have so much more than I will be able to cram into my brand new teensy bedroom. By the end of the first week I'll have a reputation as a crazy woman who has more of a maze than a bedroom.

In a while I'm headed back to the airport, I'm going to Indonesia for a month with Oli. I can't wait, I've packed as many books as I could fit, two cameras and all of my favourite pencils.

So, for now, goodbye sleepy city.
Holly

Listening to: Gulang Orkestar

2009-07-18T18:28:00.000+01:00

'Some things are too good and they go.'

Listening to: A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997

Hi, nice to meet you...

2009-07-17T13:35:00.000+01:00

Hello, and for now, goodnight. xo