Participants entering the space were greeted with a series of disharmonious notes and squeaks from artists Flynn McHardy and Will Walford. They used a variety of musical instruments, such as a keyboard piano and guitar, as well as unconventional items like balloons or a string threaded through a noodle pot, which generated unpredictable sounds.

Throughout the workshop, we explored how we perceive musical notes and compositions, listening to classics such as Mozart as well as music by modern artists. After each song, Flynn and Will encouraged open conversations, prompting us to reflect on the thought process behind our drawings, which ranged from mark-making to detailed illustrations. Many participants correlated musical notes with spactial placement: higher notes were positioned at the top of the page, while lower notes were drawn near the bottom.

Towards the end of the workshop, several participants gathered at the front of the room, where musical instruments were laid out on the ground. These participants, who volunteered as sound-makers, brought their own items from home to generate sounds, such as a hair comb and lipstick. Alongside Flynn and Will, the sound-makers displayed several drawings created during the workshop, and “played” music based on their interpretation of what the drawings might sounds like. It was certainly not the most pleasing music, but it was a performance worth observing.

Creating drawings through focusing on senses of hearing felt vastly different to using visual senses. I found it quite challenging to create something from nothing visually, relying only on how I interpreted the music.

Regarding the organisation of the workshop, I felt that Flynn and Will prepared a significant amount of theoretical information that could have overwhelmed participants. However, the mix of information and excercises made it much easier to grasp everything. Additionally, their back-and-forth conversation and engagement with the participants created a relaxing, podcast-like atmosphere. Although I am sad that this is the final workshop at Eye to Pencil, it was a great way to close out the autumn programme.

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What are noises? What does listening to them involve? In what ways can we combine to transform them into visual objects? Join us for Flynn McHardy @flynn_mchardy_and Will Walford @willhwalford collaborative workshop next Monday 25 November which will explore mark-making as a form of visual listening. 

Building on Flynn’s previous workshop, we will start by examining what noises are and what the activity of listening to experimental music involves. In the spirit of groups like Fluxus the Scratch Orchestra, we will experiment both as noise-makers and as mark-makers. Our aim will be to draw out specific ways in which texture, shape and gesture can be explored both visually and sonically. 

Sound making devices will be provided but feel free to bring your own!

THE SHAPES IN MUSIC
with Flynn McHardy & Will Walford 
Monday, 25 November. 6.30-8.30pm, £10 (£6 for students)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCgHquSIAGU/

Fun and silly, yet also thought-provoking, daring, and experimental, Issey and Alex always bring creative elements to the workshops and shows. This time, the workshop began with a complementary jello shot upon arrival. Held by the artists themselves while standing in the corridor, their appearance reminded me of one of Marina Abramović’s performances. In the middle of the studio was a basket filled with a variety of fake fruit and several old iPhones dangling from string and sticks, much like a windchime.

Issey and Alex took the audience through time—while maintaining complete silence— with the help of narrator Mack Pegram. After the arrival in each time period was announced, Issey and Alex transformed into different costumes that represented it, and participants were invited to draw them posed surrounding the still life. Issey’s film playing in the background assisted everyone to visually “time travel”. Throughout the entire workshop, two musicians played live cello and violin, which made the transitions smooth and helped set the thematic atmosphere of the artists’ performances.

The History’s Gallop workshop felt very experimental, especially with Issey and Alex incorporating film and performance within a workshop structure. Although this workshop was originally intended to take place at the beginning of the autumn programme, I can’t help but feel that it was an amazing workshop to participate in toward the end of Eye to Pencil. Being able to laugh and draw, surrounded by a room full of people, was the best way to end the day and felt like a celebration of the work that Issey and Alex have done this term.

I’m honoured to have witnessed some of Issey and Alex’s work during my time at Eye to Pencil, and I’m very excited to see how their practices develop as they embark on new beginnings.

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Join us for the grand “closing”* of the final term of Eye to Pencil for a historical drawing romp through the ages. Looking at stylisation from ancient times to imaginings of the future, peered at through a classically framed still life. Led by Issey Kang and Alex Heard, narrated by Historian Mack Pegram and accompanied live on cello by a special guest.

* This workshop is technically not the end of the term at Eye to Pencil, nor the specific ‘closing’, but this has been rescheduled from late September, our ‘Grand Opening’ (original date 25th September) to 19 November, which is near to the ‘closing’ of the DRAWING LAB, the final, experimental iteration of Eye to Pencil evening workshops in their current format.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_uV-YBpE32/

I would describe Karolina Franka Foldager’s workshop as an hour-long meditative practice. The studio was set up with cushions on the floor arranged in a circle, and a desk with paper and pencils, where Karolina sat next to it.

At the beginning of the workshop, Karolina guided the participants through the experiment she had planned, while the sound of cold wind played softly in the background. First, we broke into small groups of two or three and took turns drawing a line, then responding to that line without speaking. After this exercise, we entered Karolina’s imagination, where we were told we were on a bus travelling through an icy biome. The bus eventually crashed, and we were left stranded. We used the provided old-fashioned listing paper to tear and tape it onto the wall, ultimately creating a landscape. From there, we took turns as a group, with each individual going up to the paper landscape to make their own marking. Eventually, the whole group was asked to draw on the landscape using pencils and coloured pencils. Lastly, we took turns leaving a mark that symbolised our names.

The recurring silence, combined with the background noise throughout the workshop, made the activities feel meditative. It created a sense of calmness, which I thought was unique. However, I wished the workshop could have been longer, as we only spent about an hour on the activities in total. Perhaps an insight into Karolina’s art practice and examples of her work would have been interesting for participants, myself included, and would have provided a helpful context for understanding the tasks given in the workshop.

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“H is a ruin
O is a grape and Z is an old man’s spine
B is boobs and Ø is a dying rose”

Join us next Monday 18 November for Karoline Franka Foldager’s @karofranka debut lecture and drawing workshop, POWER OF WORDS/PROBLEM OF UNIVERSALS. 

“We are going to be drawing and collaging with words. Drawing language and speaking drawings is the goal.”

Karoline recently opened her first solo show ‘Kittens’ at Café des Glaces in Tonnerre (FR) from which these images are taken. She will also be showing new work this Friday in Zürich, Switzerland as part of ‘Studio Report II: Freestyle’ at Atelier Bella. We are very excited to host Karoline at the close of her roundabout European tour – join us!

Workshop: POWER OF WORDS
Karoline Franka Foldager
Mon, 18 Nov, 6.30-8.30pm, £10

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCUTXpYP7V1/?img_index=1

The wonderful musicians Lorena Cantó Woltèche and Yvain Calvo, also known as Duo Fabulae, performed for participants in the hall below the studio on Sunday afternoon. Participants were free to draw whatever they desired while listening to their programme of English music. At the very end, a short film was shown alongside their performance. Listening to their music and drawing simultaneously was a fantastic experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the variety of drawings that were created.

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In the studio we have explored how music and drawing interact with a course we ran led by viola player and graphic designer @lcwiola Lorena Cantó Woltèche. She teams up with pianist @yvaincalvo as Duo Fabulae. We will be drawing in the hall below our studio on Sunday afternoon as they play a programme of English music ranging from Dowland to Britten.

There will also be a short screening of a film by @rrrojasssmade to accompany this musical programme. The music is inspired by English landscape as musicians (as well as artists eg. Ivon Hitchens, Paul Nash) looked to the natural world as a symbol of hope and restoration in a time of great destruction.

We are delighted that Duo Fabulae will perform for us, providing a chance to draw and respond to the rhythm, shape and mood of the music.

Workshop and Concert: DUO FABULAE @duofabulae
Sun, 10 Nov
2.30-5pm, £15
NB. LOCATION: Church Hall at 26 Exmouth Market (beneath the studio)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBiNvO0hs35/?img_index=1

Experiencing a series of clown games certainly felt like upping the stakes (and the risk of potentially breaking a vase). Jessie Evans not only brought costume accessories for participants to wear but also a soft ball that was used in the games.

Participants stood in a circle and played a version of catch, tossing and receiving the ball from one another. Jessie then gradually modified the rules of the game, introducing restrictions such as catching the ball using a body part other than hands. As the game grew more complex, participants interacted in increasingly creative ways, resulting in many surprises and laughter. Between each game, we were instructed to draw something we observed or even create a self-portrait reflecting how we responded to catching the ball. As the games became more intense, the drawings naturally captured the dynamic interactions.

What I particularly enjoyed about this workshop was the element of movement and how it was translated into drawing. While movement is often used as a direct tool for creating art, this was the first time I documented movements immediately after experiencing them. There was also a nostalgic element to the games that made them enjoyable. Jessie was an amazing artist to have at the workshop, creating a unique experience for all participants and bringing the fun and playfulness of clowns to life.

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“This workshop is for people who earnestly want to capture how they feel with a smiley face…” 🙂 

We are excited to welcome Jessie Evans @je_s_ie to the studio next Tuesday 5 Nov, for her debut workshop ‘Upping the Stakes: Drawing with dramatic insight’. Continuing the vein of performance running through the Drawing Lab, Jessie is hosting a workshop taking cues from the world of Clowning.

“Through a series of clown games, we will disarm, surprise and locate ourselves, and then attempt the most authentic relaying of our experiences with drawing.”

Jessie Evans is a fine artist working between painting, drawing and clown. She uses live performance to create autofiction around her work. Join us on Tuesday for some drawing equivalents in tightrope, juggling and unicyclying.

UPPING THE STAKES: drawing with dramatic insight
With Jessie Evans 
Tuesday, 5 November, 6.30 – 8.30pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB3IsAEtjjJ/?img_index=1

Artists and strong painters Giulia Ley and Theo Mackenzie began the workshop with a presentation video accompanied by storm sounds. The slideshows featured a range of images, including conversations on iMessage, Reddit posts, and images that supported their journey in recognising colour palettes.

Magazine pages were displayed on the wall and spread on the ground, from which we were instructed to select a page and then create its colour palette using acrylic paints. After creating our palettes, we chose a word from a pile that best suited our colours, and filled in the outlines using those colours we had mixed. We then applied the same process to printed children’s colouring activity pages, exploring the relationships between the colours and observing how they appeared in different formats. In the end, we used images of crests to trace onto paper, coloured paper and magazine pages to collage and create our own emblems.

Working with colours and recognising them in different contexts allowed participants to think in the way Giulia and Theo do. Although drawing wasn’t envolved, I felt it was highly suitable and an excellent way to start thinking about our surroundings with the intention of understanding how colours function next to one another.

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“We rarely consider colour, yet it underscores every aspect of our lived experience: we live in a psychedelic state without knowing it.
Colour is profound in its superficiality, colour fades in time, colour is light, colour recedes, colour makes us feel nauseous or hungry. 
In this sense, painting is a skill indistinguishable from what is involved in interior design or styling or even having a favourite mug.” 

Join Theo @ryshelf_artistwinter9 and Giulia @claire_voyant99 in their workshop exploring colour; what it does to us as viewers and as drawers/painters.

SEEING RED 
With Giulia Ley and Theo Mackenzie 
Monday, 4 November
6.30-8.30pm, £10

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBqQutFimZo/?img_index=1

Extending on the topic of Internet from the talk with Luci and Steve, creators of the Everything editorial, Issey and Alex guided participants through the concept of aestheticism in the age of the Internet and its cultural effects.

As participants entered the studio, they were greeted with a box of cookies placed on top of a sign reading “Do you accept the cookies?”—a playful touch that sparked laughter. We were then led through a discussion on the modern development of the Internet and how it has given rise to various subcultures. The group was challenged with locating these subcultures on a timeline, which we later learned whether or not was accurate.

An interesting point from this discussion was the observation that earlier subcultures often aligned themselves with a certain movement or political stance. However, as these subcultures evolved into more modern forms, they seemd to lose their purpose as symbols of activism, shifting intead toward an emphasis on the identity and personality of the aesthetic itself.

Using much older technology—in this case, a typewriter—we typed out a caption based on one of the images from the rolled dice. Once it was typed out (with a clink), it was passed onto another participant, and we created collages from these captions. The act of typing something into a physical note, which then determined what someone else drew, gave the typist a certain level of responsibility and awareness of being perceived, making the interaction very engaging.

After this task, we split into two groups, each positioned on either side of the large sheet of paper hanging from the ceiling, also known as “The Wall of Misinformation”. We were given a handful of news headlines and tasked with determining whether or not they were true. After dividing them into two piles, we drew from the headlines we believed to be true.

Participating in this workshop after listening to Luci and Steve’s talk made the information even more engaging, and I appreciated seeing how much care and atention to detail Issey and Alex put into preparing for it.

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What have we learnt from ‘everything’?

The early days of the internet were dark and mystical, still shaped by hand. Forget the slickness of Wix and standardised user interfaces, websites could be medieval follies that morph into subterranean tunnels harbouring novels, hand drawn gifs and imaginary boroughs. This was the world in which Luci Eyers and Steve Rushton crafted their artist-run ‘Everything’ editorial (circa 1990s); long before the seeds of ‘content’ were sewn into the contemporary imagination. 

Artists Alex Heard @alexheardalloneword and Issey Kang @isseyyyk gather lessons from this twilight era of the internet. In an experimental performance/drawing workshop they will guide you through our age of ‘aestheticism’ and the influence of mass media and popular culture on individual lifestyle. We will study the pastel goth, technology in the physical and abstract as we move further and further away from Web 1 into digital privatisation. 

This workshop responds to Luci Eyers’ and Steve Rushton’s talk about their collective on Monday 28th October at 6.30pm. (Tickets are still available on the Eye to Pencil website.)

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT FROM ‘EVERYTHING’?
with Issey Kang and Alex Heard
Tuesday 29 October, 6.30-8.30pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBf2rSGp5XE/?img_index=1