During 2008, Sites of Social Special Interest (SSSIs) invited participants to join in and explore places which I had deemed as adject and curious…. Locations appeared feral, and were inner city abandonments, created the intial investigations into the curious…. A exploratory lab into social and historic references, remarking on the past and in the present, took place.

Sites of Social Special Interest No.1::::Bristol Street underpass (subway), Birmingham (UK).

Sites of Social Special Interest No.2::::Digbeth Coach Station, Birmingham

Sites of Social Special Interest No.3::::Victorian unrinals, Harbourne high street, Birmingham

Sites of Social Special Interest No.4::::Former World War 11 bomb site, now a car park in central Birmingham

A group of volunteers come to study the victorian urinal (SSSI no.3)

A Victorian urinal in Harbourne, Birmingham is investiagted in situ (SSSI No.3)

SSSI No.3

FULL PICTURE GALLERY CLICK HERE

The continuation of my ad-hoc explorations that start with a simple premise - taking a phrase and translating it into a physical action(s). For example - ‘Making a mountain out of a mole hill’ was another translation in which I went and collected mole hills in the countryside and made the soil into a miniature mountainscape (unfortunately no documentation exists).

Here are some pictures from ‘A fish out of water’:

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Harry Palmer escorts the fish over the Avon Suspension bridge, Bristol (fish in tank, right hand)

Three issues have been published since Dec 2006. The current issue front page picture is below:

Eccentric archaeology is now emerging… There are several other websites which have begun to document this particular area - www.eccentriccity.co.uk  www.knex3.org and http://theeccentric1.blogspot.com/

The picture gallery below: project entitles ‘Social Worker’ (a self initiated dialogue on the streets of Kingston upon Hull, East Yorshire in 1994. Later made into a film and performance at various locations).

The pictures are film stills from the video documentation which I hope to upload in the future).

Question / Context:

Social Worker (1994) was the first of my series of investigations called The Urban APE Project (Accessing Public Environments). In this case, I independently took to the streets to randomly interview people. In 2009, I  was doing some cursory research in Birmingham city centre and quickly found myself being questioned by security. Urban APE asked the question: What is public space and what is deemed as permissible for public actions and activities. I sensed that the public locations were certainly restricted by law and codes of conduct and etiquette. In 2009, would I be able to carry out Social Worker as impromptu interviewing  as I did back in 1994? There is more anxiety around public locations and surveillance for example. I believe this restricts people’s sense of freedom and expression. A curtailing process is in operation.*

I am shortly going to write about feral locations and activities in respect to creative energy and autonomous activity - the benefits thereof. Link to be added soon.

*I have continued to respond to the sense of public restriction and codes of conduct. For example Sites of Social Special Interest (SSSIs) was one such activity and study.

Some of the SSSI in discusssion: http://theeccentric1.blogspot.com/2008/08/harry-palmer-is-dead.html

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Colin Bunn, Catfish master extraordinare now featured on my www.knex3.org my social website.

Jimmy Fantastik street poet. Featured on www.knex3.org my social website.

Bloom98 - The National Touring Arts and Allotments Project inspired by the UK’s Allotment Champion, Mr Bernard Ostler (1992-96). Click here to visit the full project details.

Bloom98 Outakes

18 Photos

Bloom98 Prep General

33 Photos

Bloom98 Opening

13 Photos

Bloom98 Blissbody

22 Photos

Bloom98 Martin Burton

8 Photos

Bloom98 Jo work

13 Photos

Bloom98 Children's shed

6 Photos

 

Full details of the project click here.

The Filton Huxley

 Click here to see the full gallery of images

Well here’s the story:

My  inspired reaction resulting from the fear whilst walking on the Humberbridge - was lodged in my mind. I took a walk across the bridge and was overwhelmed by the scale and vibrating structure - set in a lonely and gigantic estuary. In addition to tackling this phobia I was aware of many arguments in the press and media about the political changes to Humberside and the reinstatement of East Yorkshire. The eventual day came  - April 1st 1996!

Not much was being done to celebrate or ‘mark’ this occasion,  so I decided to carry out an action which involved walking backwards (formally known as reverse pedestrianism) across the Humberbridge, starting on the last day in March 1996 and completing on the 1st day in April 1996 (April Fools Day). I walked 22 miles backwards, having repeatingly crossed over the bridge on a daily basis (four times per day).

The action was popularised and reported in the media in which I was broadcast live on regional TV, national and local radio including the press. A half page article in the national Daily Mail news annouunced ‘Man with mirrors risks fallen arches to mark the end of an era.’ A short film was also commissioned by Yorkshire Arts Board called Bridge. Hopefully to be uploaded  on this site soon!

On April 1st 1996 The Daily Mail dedicate a full colour half page

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How it works: I installed a set which inlcuded exhibited prizes. The bingo game contines in the normal fashion - tickets are freely handed out. I then pick bingo balls from the machine. As I commence, I begin to describe the numbers and use them as part of an eleborate story. So number 15 concerns the amount of people it took to help me to the hospital…Number 75 relates to the number of minutes it took to revive me…etc…All the time I am telling a story about which the truth is never quite known……It’s as random as that! Perhaps it doesn’t make sense - you’re right! It’s a form of stand up comedy in which a real game is still being played. The winner, who gets ‘bingo’ correct comes to collect their prize from the the set! Good fun!

Entitled Heron Corn Mill: Past, Present and Future: Techno Eco Dreamscape, this performance resulted from carefully researched history of the mill, its internal workings as well as the mythological fiction and environmental matters surrounding this particular historic site.

Four, half hour guided performances took place. Over 120 people came on the tour that day. An accompanying booklet that I wrote and edited called Millomania was made available to attendees and can be now be read online click here.

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The start of the performance begins with architectural observations and archaeological discoveries relating to the mill….

Welcome to my website that attempts to archive material concerning artistic creations from 1990 to 2009 and pending.

A SYNERGETIC SLICE OF HARRY PALMER’S CREATIVE MANIFESTATIONS…

Alerternative Bus Tour of Birmingham 2005

 This website is dedicated to my personal friends - Sandra Hall and Lee Griffiths. Since we met in 1996, without their generosity, understanding and loyal support as friends, creative artists, activists and collaborators, much of this work would not have been made possible. Indeed, an extraordinary amount of people have helped collaborate in artistic developments. Thankyou to all that have helped and housed me.

 

 

Bloom98. The National Arts and Allotments Project. The live transformation of allotment sites.

I hope by sharing this creative work - it will leave people smiling, perhaps perplexed, if not a little (un)wiser in regards to many activities that I have carried out since the early days of 1990.

 

 

Guided tour in Germany

 

Knex3 social archive project meets Quo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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