Well that all went swimmingly...!

Sound check.

My first visuals gig for quite a while. "An evening with Roger Eno & Friends" was a real success, playing to a packed Fisher Theatre and embracing a refreshingly dizzy range of genres. It was such a joy to see Roger in his true element - entertaining folks - he had gathered together a diverse collection of musical talent, and the music flowed from classical, gypsy, blues, jazz and finishing off with punk! He showed himself to be no slouch when it comes to arrangements either, blending unusual and disparate elements into sheer beauty. Watch out for further performances of this show, it will have you smiling all the way home!

A couple of gigs...

I have been collaborating with Roger Eno for some time now, pretty much from the beginning of my visuals career, and I'm pleased to announce two forthcoming shows. Firstly, on the 23rd of February at the Fisher Theatre Bungay and much later on this year - September 7th at Colchester Arts Centre. Roger's performances are extraordinary, and you never quite know what is coming, but he is a born entertainer - a modern day minstrel.
Here is a piece we made a while back:

Tying up loose ends...

It is surprising how absorbed one can become in a career such as teaching. Having just quit (well, I say quit, but it still hangs on for a month or two more, however, that is another story) I now realise quite how absorbed. Having considerable "quality" time on my hands is taking a while to bed in, and I find myself still thinking "what should I be doing now?" It certainly didn't pan out as expected, in fact, it still feels quite odd. But, I have embarked upon a relative frenzy of new work, both still and motion, which feels wonderful, if tainted by inevitable self-doubt! Time has an incredible ability to slip unnoticed into any available slot so I mustn't take anything for granted, so I am trying to create some sort of plan for my week. one thing is for sure though, I can actually make time to talk to friends more, and can open up this conduit once more.
So, without further ado, new stills work can be seen here: John Rixon and video work is on my YouTube channel here:YouTube
Here's a picture to brighten the page...

Scotland.

River Dee. Taken from a railway walk starting in Ballater.

My fascination with decay continues...

...as does my fascination with stones.

New work - preparation for some forthcoming video work.

Oddly enough, these pieces are the beginnings of a new body of video work, after a longish hiatus (self imposed). After a hectic year last year - which included both the Big Chill installation and my Tate event - I promised myself that I'd not open a video editing suite, or switch on a video camera until I really wanted to do it. So, I have occupied the time doing other things, like reading Art theory books, drawing sticking some of my video work on YouTube (Link above) and thinking. I have started to become very interested in spaces - interiors, if you will. The tree? Well, this has been an important tree for Sarah and I over many, many years, and it was about time I paid tribute to it. It is a magnificent, and very old sweet chestnut, near the Park Road entrance. It has suffered at least one major lightning strike, and is still standing. That makes it pretty amazing in my book...

Video work from Iceland 2010.

The Stones Speak from John Rixon on Vimeo.

The main feature from my "Quiet Voices" event at Tate Britain January 2010
"The Stones Speak", is one of a number of responses to 2 trips we made to Iceland. The legend has it that all of nature is organic and therefore is living. The Icelanders believe that everything has a voice. This video was shot on my last visit to Jokulsarlon, on the South Eastern cost - a lagoon that catches icebergs calving off the glacier to the north, these 'bergs float around this lagoon and eventually become small enough to drift into the sea. On the day I shot this, there was quite a wild current, causing the icebergs to move around, back and forth, almost as if the whole lagoon was breathing.

Sjáumst í Virginíu (See you in Virginia). from John Rixon on Vimeo.

This video was made for the newly emerging band "For a Minor Reflection", who hail from Iceland. It was shot on my second trip to Iceland, and is made from both stills and HD video footage.

Morocco with a little camera

Graffiti from each of the 3 places we visited.
An amazing fog descended on the beach at Essaouira, on our last day.
Rich colours from the souk in Marrakech

We have just returned from an eight day stay in Morocco, spread over three centres: Marakech, The Atlas Mountains and Essaouira. All were extraordinary for very different reasons, but it was a genuinely chilled break, and it gave me an opportunity to road-test my new compact camera - a Lumix LX3. I often feel uncomfortable pulling out a big, expensive looking digital SLR in certain situations, and wanted something more discreet looking and quicker to use. The LX3 proved itself to be at least the equal, and in many cases, superior to my SLR! It shoots RAW files and has Leica optics, and is sturdily built from metal.
The light in Morocco is an artist's dream, as is the cornucopia of vivid colours and unique fusion of cultures. If you want to see more, head over to: http://gallery.me.com/john.rixon#100108&bgcolor=black&view=grid