paul watson
notes and updates
November 28 2007
long time no update here - but I have been updating the other 100s of pages on this site.
coming up over the next year (hopefully):
- artwork for Hardeep's book of poetry
- exhibition with Sooty in July
- more collages, assemblages, drawings and photos - from me
- an article or two from me
I'm looking at a new project illustrating a book of poetry by Hardeep Sangha (see some of Hardeep's poetry here). The illustrations will be based around digitally manipulated photographs, augmented with other found objects and text.
I need people to model for the photographs. You don't need any modelling experience. You do need to be 18 or over, based in or around Brighton (UK), and willing to work for nothing (I'm not getting paid for this - it's a favour for a friend). What you will get is copies of all the photos on CD, and credits wherever possible. I'll try to get everyone a free copy of the book if it gets published as well.
I don't know exactly what the photographs will be like at the moment. Some nudity may be involved (I don't know for sure yet) but it would be tasteful and 'obscured' by heavy film noir shadows and photo manipulation (so no full-frontal shots or anything like that).
The work would probably happen in the new year (Jan/Feb/Mar). I'd probably only need a day with each volunteer model (probably a weekend day).
If you're interested please fill in the form.
March 3 2006
photoshoot happening in about a week, so new photography coming soon.
December 13 2005
the lazarus corporation website will be 10 years old next year.
help decide how to celebrate:
go to this thread on the forum.
September 30 2005
group exhibition including my artwork:
DATE: SATURDAY 22nd OCTOBER 2005
VENUE: THE OLD MARKET
ADDRESS: UPPER MARKET STREET, HOVE, EAST SUSSEX. BN3 1AS
BOX OFFICE (FILM AND MUSIC EVENTS ONLY): 01273 736222
BLIND ART: 07905 262785
September 29 2005
"His work is a comment on our time, our future and our past, it's filled with anger, disturbing and violent. Our human existence is questioned, displayed and weighted. How fragile we are, how guilty we are and the suffering even continues into worlds beyond reality. Paul Watson, artist, writer and musician, is dancing in our minds, he plays with our fears and renews our perception."
September 17 2005
Just received a copy of Jonathan Talbot's book "Collage: A New Approach" which is full of new collage techniques (it's never too late to learn new tricks). I hope to introduce some of them into the ongoing work on the Principia Discordia series of collages.
Talking of which, the Principia Discordia series is going well, with 13 of the 100 collages sold, and 2 more "reserved" for sales. Still need to sell more, and sell them quicker - selling them (including marketing) is taking a lot of time, as it always does with artwork. So, please spare £12.50 (including shipping anywhere in the world) and buy a collage now. Better still, buy 2 or 3. Buy a collage for someone else as a present, convince someone else to buy a collage or just post a news item and a link to them on a forum, blog or website.
August 21 2005
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said -- "two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away." --
Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley 1819
June 19 2005
new section coming soon: the lazarus corporation will shortly be launching a section of the site dealing with the occasional and irregular sale of artwork.
click the link to find out more (details being added over the next few weeks).
April 24 2005
strange times, but good times. it's a time of definite change - or rather the culmination of a longer period of change. the final stages.
March 25 2005
It was an important lesson Brighton had to teach: that it takes more than a casual resolution to combat its endlessly inventive genius for getting you shit-faced.
nigel richardson, "breakfast in brighton: adventures on the edge of britain"
March 1 2005
I've been formulating my ideas over the past few weeks, and have decided to finally create a flash-based graphic novel using photography, drawing, photo-manipulation and collage (alternatively, you could describe it as a film made of very few frames and lots of subtitles).
Taking the seedier elements from Hellblazer (before the bastards ruin it for me completely in the film version), mixed liberally with Bukowski, de Sade, Jeff Noon, William Gibson, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Cornell, Dave McKean and finished off with a healthy dose of Iain Banks' 'the Wasp Factory' and the psychosexuality of Ballard's 'Crash' and 'the Atrocity Exhibition'.
I've had a few tentative responses to my plea for models (thank you), but for a project like this I'm going to need several, I think. Does no one have an unshockable sense of adventure and bohemian daring these days? Are we all tediously normal, conservative and pseudo-middle-class?
So, if you're in the Brighton/Hove area then I'm desperately looking for models. No experience is necessary other than some free time on an occasional evening or weekend.
February 26 2005
Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage -- torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians -- which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by "our" side.
February 11 2005
just because I'm feeling like I deserve recognition, here's my amazon wishlist.
February 4 2005
currently recovering from a bout of flu which has been interesting for its mild hallucinations (as well as the usual temperature, aching limbs, exhaustion, shaking and excess mucous). still, it's given me a number of ideas for pieces of artwork as well as finalising the vague ideas I already had.
currently on the drawing board (forgive the pun) are:
- a series of photographs based on anatomical drawings (a theme I've used before)
- a 5-10 minute piece of video work
- a series of photographs exploring a new pornography
- 3 new audio tracks
January 22 2005
same as it ever was.
getting off on the various contradictory emotions of solitude. realistically, just contemplating the next can of stella.
January 21 2005
busy working on the new site style - hopefully have it rolled out across the whole site by next week. see forum for more details.
January 8 2005
Im Westen nichts Neues
January 6 2005
I'd like to draw your attention to the rather wonderful National Secular Society, an organsiation standing up for people who haven't been indoctrinated by religion (whether it's the traditional worship of an imaginary old man in the sky, or the new-age nuttiness of believing in supernatural powers emanating from bits of crystal).
They spend most of their time fighting against religiously-motivated intolerance, censorship and privilege. To use their own words:
The National Secular Society is the leading British pressure group speaking out for the rights of atheists, agnostics and all other non-believers. Its aim is to fight religious prejudice and privilege, including the disestablishment of the Church of England. It affirms that no one should be disadvantaged because they do not subscribe to a religious faith.
With the rise of the religious right in the US, and the UK government gutlessly chickening out of repealing the antiquated blasphemy law last year, not to mention religious fundamentalism in the middle east, someone needs to be standing against these people who excuse their actions in the name of religion.
And just in case you thought it was all dour political campaigning, take a look at the gOD Questionaire.
January 2 2005
the new year started well, following receipt of an email from Supervert telling me that I'd won a copy of their book Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish.
Through its profile of Mercury de Sade, a computer programmer obsessed with the erotic potential of alien life, Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish introduces a new perversion into the lexicon of sexual pathologies: exophilia, an abnormal attraction for beings from worlds beyond earth.
Unlike other fetishes, whose objects may be difficult but not impossible to obtain, exophilia is a sexual desire for something that is literally not to be found on earth. The necrophile can rob a cemetery, the foot fetishist can steal shoes, but where is an alien sex fiend to find the objects of his desire? A basic inability to satisfy his fetish inspires sadism in Mercury de Sade, and though obsessed with extraterrestrials he is thus compelled to victimize a series of "ninfas" or young girls...
But can a human, however alluring, ever compensate for the fantastic sexuality to be expected of extraterrestrials? If aliens are more intelligent than man, then might they -- must they -- not be more sexually advanced than man too?
looking forward to this gem popping through my letter box.
I should also take this opportunity to plug Supervert's other website PervScan - a compendium of the latest headlines in sordid behavior. It's not a porn website but an index to the strange obsessions, sexual outrages, and deviant doings that can be found in the news.
December 29 2004
today I braved the crowds of human vermin to cash in some gift vouchers.
treated myself to the dvd of Sex, Lies And Videotape, which I've seen before but would happily watch again. it's billed as "a film that's intimate yet alienated, objective yet intense."
What can I say - I wanted something I could relate to.
The other self-chosen pressie was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (the guy who wrote Fight Club). To quote the blurb: "The book revels in sexual addiction, fantasies, and mental illness in a way that few will find a happy experience."
What can I say - I wanted something I could relate to.
December 19 2004
From Lord Hoffmann's remarks in the judgement by the House of Lords that the British government is wrong to detain foreign terrorist suspects indefinitely without trial:
This is a nation which has been tested in adversity, which has survived physical destruction and catastrophic loss of life. I do not underestimate the ability of fanatical groups of terrorists to kill and destroy, but they do not threaten the life of the nation. Whether we would survive Hitler hung in the balance, but there is no doubt that we shall survive Al-Qaeda. The Spanish people have not said that what happened in Madrid, hideous crime as it was, threatened the life of their nation. Their legendary pride would not allow it. Terrorist violence, serious as it is, does not threaten our institutions of government or our existence as a civil community….
Such a power in any form is not compatible with our constitution. The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these. That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve. It is for Parliament to decide whether to give the terrorists such a victory.
December 11 2004
danced like a bastard, drank like a fool...
*maudlin, self-pitying angst deleted the following morning because it's no good for anyone.*
December 5 2004
November 13 2004
What you have lost can never be found
Words are just dust in deserts of sound
Everything is lost and your trust lies broken
And the truth is drowned.
just a reflection on times past, courtesy of someone else.
sums it all up, I think.
November 12 2004
spent a pleasant evening last night watching Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at Brixton Academy. a damn fine performance show-casing much of the latest album, and culminating in rip-roaring versions of the classics 'The Mercy Seat', 'Deanna' and 'City of Refuge'.
this morning was made even better (apart from the remarkable lack of a hangover, despite some heavy drinking during the gig with my fellow reprobate) with the arrival of a DVD containing such gems as Skeletal Family's "Promised Land" video (Anne-Marie looking suitably embarassed), plus a bunch of other assorted Sisters (and March Violets and M*****n) promo vids to fuel my much-maligned penchant for dodgy black-clad 80s bands.
November 10 2004
watching "Keep the Aspidistra Flying" on BBC2 - Robert Bierman's adaptation of George Orwell's semi-autobiographical comedy. A bit lightweight, but Richard E Grant makes it highly watchable.
November 4 2004
currently reading Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk, a compilation of the work of cultural analysts, sociologists and philosophers exploring the potentials and realities of "cyberculture". interesting stuff.
...and obviously, like the rest of the intelligent world, shaking my head in disbelief at the re-election of a lying moron/extremist religious nutter in the USA.
September 13 2004
lured by rock and roll stardom (again) I've been busy working on new music.
for your aural delight, you can listen to a short excerpt of a very rough demo by clicking here (mp3 format - 683KB).
coming soon will be a re-recording of a 1990 song called trash, which sounds like god and all his angels on some very dirty amphetamine sulphate.
September 2 2004
as promised, I've just added 12 new assemblages and collages, and 8 new photographs. most of them are assorted items from the past few years which never got posted to this site.
September 1 2004
The need for a real bass guitar has gone after I found a rather splendid bass guitar voice for the yamaha qs300 here (geocities site - may be a bit unresponsive at times). The voice itself is a fair representation of a thudding fender bass (no jazz wank), and has sequenced nicely - especially since I taught myself how to use my alesis sr16 as a midi timing device, and switch off the qs300's internal timer. I now have machines that not only play drums, but play bass too (and in time), and with none of that pouting and posing.
I've also managed to find time to photograph about 20 assemblages and collages of mine which, for one reason or another, haven't been posted on this site. photos should be ready tomorrow, and I'll scan and upload them as soon as possible.
finally, I'm trawling through my collection of photography (both "pure" and manipulated in photoshop) and I'm adding these to my photography gallery. this will be a gradual process over the next few weeks.
more updates soon.
August 24 2004
diving straight into music for the first time in ten years, I've just put down the drum track for a new song. I now desperately need to beg, borrow or steal a bass guitar - sequenced bass lines just don't cut it.
August 2 2004
Currently offline for a week following my rellocation to the sunnier climes of Brighton. Internet connection expected on August 9th (currently resorting to internet cafés to feed my addiction).
July 12 2004
staring merciful oblivion in the face.
jesus, it can't get worse than this surely?
July 8 2004
new piece of writing called "two cups of strong black coffee" can be found here.
been busy recently with forthcoming relocation.
May 23 2004
Getting to grips with my new Yamaha QS300 (not exactly racing through the 271 page instruction manual, but hey...), continuing the world domination plan at an increased pace.
April 8 2004
I'm going to be exhibiting my artwork - assemblages and collages and all - at the Egerton Artists' Studios 'Open Studios' event this weekend.
The Open Studios event will happen on Good Friday (5 - 9 pm) 9th of April 2004 and Saturday (12 noon - 7.30 pm) 10th April 2004.
An "Open Studios" event is when an artists' studio group opens its doors to the public so you can come in and have a look, not only at the artwork on show, but also at the studios themselves, and chat with the artists in their native habitat (other than the pub).
more info and stuff:
http://www.nottinghamstudios.org.uk/openstudios
come along - it's free and there's wine.
April 3 2004
To all those who missed tonight's extravaganza at St Giles church:
It all started to go wrong when Mik Godley started fondling the statue of the virgin Mary. The virgin Mary is now simply known as Mary, for reasons best left unstated.
The vicar excommunicated both myself and Mik on the spot (and Zenon and Liza, who came along in supportive roles), and obviously having seen too many horror films, attempted an exorcism to get us out of the church.
Whilst Liza's demonaical cries of "your mother knits socks in Hull" may not have been a word-perfect rendition of the film script, they achieved the desired effect, as at least 32 be-cardiganed christians projectile-vomited on the altar.
And so it was left to me, munching nonchalantly on a wafer of bread I found near the vomit-splattered altar ("defiling the body of christ", or so some grovelling church-goer stuttered at me before I slapped him to the floor) to rescue the situation for the cause of art.
I emerged from behind the statue of Mary, zipped myself up, and took the pulpit. After a self-delivered sermon of fire and brimstone, mixed liberally with Nietzsche and Bukowski, the congregation were ripping their clothes off and tearing at each other's flesh.
If you've ever laid eyes on the bodies that go to churches, you'll understand why we left at that point. But still, a good night was had by all...
March 28 2004
well, the site's back up and running, and now on a new, bigger and faster server. the postcards and newsletter will be offline for a few days while I upgrade them.
February 29 2004
last night I emailed ex-KLF man bill drummond to ask him to come and make me soup. it wasn't because I was drunk (although I undoubtedly was - red wine and stella artois are a lethal combination), but rather because it's his new art-performance thing.
you see, I read on some random website that he was making soup for anyone who lived on a line he'd drawn across a map of the UK, intersecting Nottingham and Belfast. why Nottingham and Belfast I don't know. So I went to his website (penkiln-burn.com) and found out it was true. Here's what it says about job no. 7 (soup):
"Relevant Information: Take a map of the British Isles. Draw a straight line diagonally across the map so that it cuts through Belfast and Nottingham. If your home is on this line, contact soupline@penkiln-burn.com. Arrangements will then be made for Bill Drummond to visit and make soup for you, your family and your close friends. - This instruction appears in advertisements and on posters elsewhere."
so I drunkenly emailed him:
Hi
I live in Nottingham
I'd like some soup. To be accurate, I'd like some vegan soup. No animal products, thank you.
Will you come to Nottingham and make me some?
Cheers
Paul
I'm awaiting my reply in anticipation and hunger.
February 28 2004
have finally managed to get the source code for the text mixing desk into a reasonable shape to be released. it's available as a zip file at http://www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/v4/cutup and is released under the gnu public license, because we support the open source thingy.
February 2 2004
more text on my text page. go see.
January 25 2004
I became 1 year older a few days back. doesn't seem to have made a difference, as usual. am currently entranced by the 'god speed you! black emperor' double cd "lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven!"
January 15 2004
astounding even myself, I've managed to get the text mixing desk working and online already, 15 days ahead of schedule. go here to play.
January 10 2004
started work on a php text manipulation script the like of which has never been seen before :)
based on jeff noon's cobralingus idea, then channelled through my own mind, I hope to have it on this site by the end of january.
watch this space for further updates.
January 1 2004
another mark on the wall, counting off time. so what's it gonna bring? after 33 years they all seem the same.
December 31 2003
site hit by hackers (well to be more precise, the entire web host was hit by hackers). some portugese rubbish. hopefully all restored now.
November 17 2003
have restarted my visual artwork after a block that lasted a month or two. pleased with the results so far. knew I just had to ride it out, and I did.
currently busying myself setting up nottingham artists' studio groups website as a parting gift for nottingham.
October 5 2003
open studio event on friday 17th oct (6-9pm) and sat 18th oct (12-6pm) at egerton studio in nottingham for any that want to see this artwork in the flesh (along with work by fellow lazarus corporation artist zenon gradkowski, and numerous other artists).
September 24 2003
suddenly bogged down with tons of work, so updates to this site are still on hold,
waiting for those rare moments of stillness and tranquility (they come between 4:20 and
6:20 a.m. usually).
strangely, though, I have managed to find time to pick up my guitar and rip the skin
from the fingertips of my left hand (something which always happens after an extended
period of not playing it). I guess it's due reparation for instrument-neglect.
this week's neuro-transmitter of choice is
woohoo!
September 11 2003
the conversion from frames/table-based layout in (dodgy) HTML to frameless & table-less CSS-based layout in XHTML is taking a little longer than expected, but we'll have it sorted soon. none of this should prevent access to any part of the site.
artwork by the lazarus corporation is being used by
target="_blank">2ndgen as part of the artwork for their new cd (due out on the
corporation artwork has been a bit thin on the ground recently, mainly due to the all-too-tempting diversions of the korg d8 and the pub, although germseed is apparently
working on something new, which she'll hopefully have ready soon.
currently constructing a new pc running linux redhat, so I can keep an eye on how the site looks for unix/linux users (as well as allowing me to play with the more arcane features of the apache webserver, mysql and php without buggering up this site.).
August 16 2003
having fun with my korg d8:
August 7 2003
gradually converting the website from HTML4 to XHTML 1.0, removing any table-based layout and replacing it with div/CSS based layout. Obviously I'm taking the opportunity to tweak the layout at the same time and add some new goodies.
screenshots of the main page from *nix users and mac users are extremely welcome and should be sent to this email address. please quote the browser type & version as well as the screen resolution. you'll be rewarded with something, but we don't know what yet.
July 26 2003
updated the layout of this page and incorporated this news column as an iframe. ok - anyone using netscape 4.x or earlier won't be able to see it, but I think we've moved on significantly from netscape 4.x
July 3 2003
Still recovering from the You Are Here festival Open Studios event,
but at least it forced me to clear out my studio a bit -
click here for a peek
June 9 2003
have successfully resurrected my old alesis sr16 -
much fun on the way.
May 21 2003
added a new bit of text about my dull and boring life in the text section.
May 19 2003
all is being put in motion for a corporate relocation to the charming town of Brighton some time in the next few months.
May 10 2003
Added a bit of JavaScript to the main page to randomly display 1 of 6 of my favourite quotations. This type of script is usually used on cheesy homepages, but I think we can get away with it - we have style.
April 30 2003
many new pieces of artwork on their way in the studio.
April 15 2003
3 assemblages added to the relevant page. These are not new pieces of artwork, but were shown at the "Imperfect Future" exhibition in Nottingham in April of last year. The photos are a little dodgy because they were taken in poor light on a little digital camera - I'll get better images sorted out as soon as I can.
April 4 2003
production of new artwork resumed and progressing at amazing speed.
artwork has been submitted for the june/july nottingham "you are here" festival, and my studio will also be part of the "open studios" event which is part of the same festival.
busy busy busy.
April 3 2003
postcards section of website now operational and available to the public.
April 2 2003
production of artwork, rest, eating, and peace-of-mind have all been put on hold while I deal with some current insane situation.
normal service will be resumed asap.
March 28 2003
working on "virtual postcards" section for the site. should be up and running in a week or so...
March 27 2003
added the first poll to the main page to get some feedback from you lot.
go click your choice.
March 19 2003
Playing with my drum machine, 23 x-rays and a small wooden cabinet. Life is good-ish.
March 17 2003
working on adding a germseed blog
March 14 2003
have procurred some x-rays from a hospital. these will be incorporated into various artworks soon.
March 13 2003
tonight we unveil the first use of the corporate blog - a cunningly simple little piece of code which allows me to effortlessly update this news column. coming soon: some new work (just as soon as the studio is warm enough to venure into). various bits of audio wizardry are also forthcoming.