This series of films was made between 2006 & 2009 and document processes and activity in the studio.
Screened as a series in Aberystwyth in 'The Box', they provide a nostalgic look at found and faulty hifi equipment, questioning sentimentality and reverence towards both music and past technology.

Tying Tone Arms (02:42) wach here

(This film was made in response to a call for short films on the theme of restriction and was first shown as part of the Real Institutes 'Really Restrictive Shorts' event, Llangollen, 13/01/07. Subsequently it has also screened at various events and locations nationally including Shunt Vaults, Mission Gallery, and Aberystwyth Arts Centre.)

Restrictions are fundamental to my work. This film focuses on the most obvious physical restriction. My work generally uses found objects, and my aim is to use them, as much as is possible, in the state in which they are found. Basic repairs are made merely to achieve some sound, with any problems leading to their being discarded playing an important part of the composing process. With turntables I often then intervene further by tying the tone arm back in order to interrupt normal play. The work is then produced live without headphones or post-production, using randomly selected loops from often randomly selected records. By making work in this way I hope to reassess the nature of the objects and their useful life, explore memory and notions of musical consistency and examine the ontology of recorded sound.

This study of a fundamental part of my composing process is accompanied by a mix of randomly selected loops from randomly selected records.

Shaky (03:22) watch here

Looks at a particular fault of an old Alba hifi found by a friend some years ago. The audio is from the camera mic.

Panaround (05:14) watch here

A single long pan around the studio, cutting to details on the beat of the loop. The a udio is the stuck record shown playing, Bauhaus 79-83 Side 1 (a 'natural' loop, ie not tied) recorded on camera mic.

15 Fragments (02:36) watch here

15 fragments of webcasts in one short.
The duration is dictated by the lower middle screen, a Sony PS-212A playing a Calibre record. Calibre records are unique recordings made in public recording booths. The audio is a digital remix of all the individual webcast soundtracks.

For anyone interested in the arts in Wales this website has some great content already and continues to develop as an exciting and interesting resource - http://www.culturecolony.com

Culture Colony - Y Wladfa Newydd is a new cultural experience celebrating the diversity ofexpression and a space for sharing and developing creative ideas. It has been designed as both a professional tool for individuals and businesses involved in the creative industries and as an alternative to television for anyone to access cultural content. As an independent voice and its membership can respond immediately to the cultural issues and concerns of the day.

Earlier this year Culture Colony began a project called New Frontiers -

The project will build on the core ideals of Culture Colony, namely to explore the potential offered by new communications technologies and to create high quality content to share via the new communications technologies.

The research, while providing a basis for exploration by the creative industries will also create a structure for the New Frontiers training programme.

Based on current and evolving practice, with regard to documentary film making in the broadcast industry and the emerging arena of the internet, combined with ideas generated through the research placement, the training programme will be designed to give the trainees a broad practical film making experience.

A strand of the New Frontiers research phase led to a series of videos and recordings with artists working in Wales. The training phase is now well underway and includes filmed talks by artists Ivan Morison and Steve Messam , as well work for the groundbreaking blinc digital arts festival 2012 , held in Conwy in October.