I am currently writing the script and making new work for a presentation at The University of London at the end of the month. Using appropriated texts from three sources, I am weaving a new narrative that is suggestive of the complexities and subsequent breakdown within the mind of John Ruskin. I have employed an actor to read the narrative and will be showing a film and some stills between each reading.

Ruskin was a complex man, on the one hand he developed and maintained deep and complex thoughts, on the other he showed his frailties in babbling non- sensical text. The theme throughout will be based on the hauntings within his subconscious coming to the fore.

Because of my possible Ruskin haunting at Brantwood House in the summer when I stayed in the room that Ruskin had his most major breakdown where there was a true sense of the man himself being present, I have based the content on his relationship with his cousin Joan, his lectures to little girls about the value of crystals and crystalisation and the opaque referencing to fireflies that Ruskin taunts his audience in many of his written and oral pieces over time. I will include a number of objects, landscape and visual references to the content of these written works as well as include drawings, film and sound.

This is a new venture for me and a precursor to making a large film based piece later on in the spring. Lets hope it goes well.

In other matters, it was great to meet Margo Spiritus and Rebecca Wilson from Saatchi last week and was very flattered by their comments about my work overall. Both have been very supportive with features, comments and interviews other the last year and it was great to meet them both in person to say thank you.

I will be talking to BA students and staff at Southend College in a couple of weeks about my work (drop me a line if you want an invite) and it will be great to get back in touch with everyone from TAP and beyond.

Anyway enough chatter, I have a script to write..