we have taken scissors to a few folk ties

eyes on the street, eyes ov the street. suited & booted only it dont suit us.
half a lifetime ago & way to the north – early days ov surveillance-society-cctv … britain has more cctv cameras than … growth industry, another great & brutish value … & this is being introduced about half a lifetime ago or … we complained, said just think what all this is going to do to peoples minds. they said yr crazy, we said we know were crazy … but half a lifetime ago too camera wz
first placed in our hands – thanks mike, wz a real gift yu gave us. were above a ower shop. just as its getting dusk we spot this massive shop window downthe street, bust, really jagged. theres like this real jag ov glass & were aching to go back & photograph when the lights up. so next morning – we havent sleptagain, we rarely do – we go down, step out when theres no tra c, have theshot lined up. so the glass, that fracture just like us, is crisp & clear & clean & then all the darkness behind it. the shutter-speed not too fast not too slow sowe get that ow ov peoples, not something solid, something kinda ghostly, anessence – we get that shot

& here & 2017 & newcastle – tyneside – toon. marty our … perhaps our best friend these days, she says on behalf ov newcastle yr a, an adopted geordie.everything is moving, all is ux, we are out ov everywhere across europe ghosts-in-the-machine – these shop window dummies, their heads becoming the clouds behind or the buildings opposite or birds swoop- ing thru them … no trickery

or posh burger chains spreading. photographing thru the glass. we dont want the people, we want the, the gare & the neon & the light & the, the con …sumption & folks outside are re ections or refractions & we nd the best ones are in newcastle & then we nd this one particular burger chain
just down from where this wall ov suited & booted is. its just 50 yards down.
& round the bend. & afternoon light most times ov year most weather condi- tions – how the inside comes outside the outside comes in. it looks as tho folks are walking thru tables – walking thru vinegar – walking thru chips – walking thrumeat – how our minds are, how we see – these re ections & refractions & breakages & movement & ow & ux & slightly hallucinatory. & then just 50yards up from there this wall ov suited & booted. dont think weve ever worn a suit. we have taken scissors to a few folks ties & sometimes theyre amused & sometimes theyre not

selfies theyre a thing. arcimboldo – what is now the czech republic – perhapsour favourite place czechoslovakia – that sound. it has the most amazing cake & yes one day we wanna take cakes ov europe to the geographic heartov europe & eat them with friends old & new. arcimboldo wz sel es, cindy shermans sel es – she’s been at it for decades – theyre doing it their way. its astrange thing – its just spread round the world & … yu have to do a certain look & a certain way & a certain style & … people travelling from around the world to newcastle & they walk on their device, they navigate in front ov something,they take their sel e, they move on & where their camera is & the phone & therest ov it is – theres going to be nothing behind them … why not capture a weebit ov whats around? so we had one sel e taken once, once only in wales, the end ov this performance – person comes up says can we take a sel e – movetowards things yu dont like – so we did. they took one, we start to move away, they insist on a second one, were pulling away, they try taking a third one, thats it

hates having our photo taken. sometimes move towards what yu dont like so we move towards this, towards the glass & ow & movements & all those re ections & refractions & the strange way it kindov says whats going on in our mind. here we have northumberland street ghosting thru a suit. bright st ov orange for a tie. our arthritic st holding camera. & all these layers & layeringsbut … half a lifetime moving towards … & the place is right & the light is right & that bright knot ov orange is right & yes it hurts, arthritis & broken bones -healed now but not. its not the suit, its not us, its not the street. its ow, its ux, friction, peoples, us. up northumberland street, sometimes south down,sometimes working, sometimes playing – singly / together – larger / smaller – more or less colourful – with phones or bikes or prams – its all ov us