Practitioner of the week: Paul Gaffney

by zenzaura

So by the time this post goes live I will have completed my last week of work whilst at uni. Everything will be ready to go for Monday morning hand-in, bright and early as myself and my fellow course mates anxiously or joyously contemplate the end. After months of toiling we will be handing in our sketchbooks, essays, portfolios and framed images. What a weight off of the shoulders that will be. That will then leave only Tuesday’s presentation left in my way. Personally I would like to come through the other side of the figurative university tunnel with a 2.1 grade. This doesn’t mean it is the end quite yet for me in Falmouth as I won’t be leaving the town until June 30th possibly earlier. There are still a good many things that I want to do with my time down here.

This week has been work based as per usual. The thing that was holding me back was the knowledge that I needed to collect my prints from the framers. I knew that once that was done I could relax a bit more and just roll with the punches. The images look super swish in the frames and really quite professional.

I also had my last tutorial this week which was such a non-tutorial it was unreal. A couple of us turned up and we simply asked a couple of questions regarding the exhibition that we have in a few weeks. Then that was that. Done. Talking of the exhibition, we managed to raise the £3,000 pound target on indiegogo, and that felt like a great achievement. I would like to thank any of you if chipped in a few quid here and there, it was much appreciated. No doubt F-14 will be a really good spectacle. It is on from 19th-24th of June in Brick Lane and it includes many of the universities from around the country showcasing the best of the talent.

Talking about the number 3,000, I have a passed that milestone in views on the blog this week. I feel humbled to know that there are people out there still reading. I literally only started out doing it in order to enable me to practice my writing style. People have been reading my posts from all around the world, in 26 different countries no less, and I think that’s pretty cool.

I had an awesome week on the badminton court. I was able to play twice this week which made a nice change to the normal one. On both occasions I played to really good level that I have struggled to reach for a fair while now. I have included an image which just shows us mid game, fighting to the death. It looks as though I’m not even playing with a racket and who knows where the shuttle is! We weren’t given any further coaching in the Friday session which was nice as we went back to basics and played some cracking matches.

After badminton we went to the biggest tesco in Cornwall, and by golly was it good. When you live on campus in first year you are fairly near to an asda, which obviously has everything under the sun, but when you move into town you are then too far away to get there with ease. You are then stuck with a small to medium tesco which has the normal amount but not really anything special. The one in Carn Brae is like a paradise of food. I realise this is pathetic, however as a student, seeing things that you haven’t seen since you were last home is quite the pleasure. We all stocked up on some goodies and left thoroughly content.

I am continuing on my quest to watch Breaking Bad. so far I am into the third season and it is just a corker of a programme. It keeps getting better and better although, exponentially darker in theme. I spent a lot of my youth watching Malcolm in the Middle, in which Bryan Cranston played the good hearted but ultimately doomed Hal. In my opinion I still prefer him in that over the role of Walter White; as good as he is in it.

Along with Breaking Bad, I have been watching Game Of Thrones, which is just a crazy show. Having read the books it is interesting to see how it is changed and adapted to the screen. I wished I possessed the willpower to only watch the episodes once they have all been aired in a marathon. Alas I am always back the next Monday craving more.

I finally finished my old book too. I have really enjoyed the daring adventures of ‘Papillon’ the French convict who, in the 1930’s, was falsely accused of a murder and sent to a penal colony in French Guiana. He tries to make many audacious escapes and his will power is truly astonishing and inspiring. It is a book that I will highly recommend to anyone wanting a good read.

The podcast I have been listening to this week is Rhod Gilberts radio show on radio Wales. I think Rhod is an extremely funny man, a razor sharp wit that picks up mainly on similes and annunciation. Thankfully the show is broadcast in English otherwise I wouldn’t have a bloody clue what was going on. Gilbert makes a refreshing host as he broadcasts the show from his kitchen in London. The banter between him and his co host is always fantastic and he makes a mockery of the usual features that shows on radio one and two always trot out. Last week it was top five gardening implements with a dibber coming out on top. It is on live form 11-1pm every Saturday with the podcast available on itunes. It is well worth a listen.

My practitioner of the  week is a guy called Paul Gaffney. A graduate from the university of Ulster, Gaffney has created a book that documents his journey around the countries of Spain, France and Portugal. The book is called ‘We make a path by walking’ and has come about from doing exactly that. The photographer captures images from along a 3,500 kilometre walk. The images are all of luscious landscapes, some contain glimmers of a human presence. The images are all very tranquil and quiet, you feel as though you are the only person within a hundred miles of anything. The images are also fairly minimalist as the photographer decides to let us see only some details of the landscape in which he based. Another aspect of the images that I think needs to be noticed is the colouration within them. It is a hugely rich and vibrant project which helps to add a large degree of atmosphere to the pieces.

That’s enough for this week. I need to get on with a few final tweaks. Have a great week all!

Adam