Hugh Hughes' Rough Book

From January through till March, Hugh Hughes gave a glimpse into his studio by launching the Rough Book. Across 25 posts he uncovered previously hidden away sketches, photos, and thoughts, and many things in between in order to share his work in progress.

As a record of all this, we've gathered together the full set of links to the entries for you to peruse and enjoy at your leisure...

Red Bird
-Red Bird (i)
-Red Bird (ii)

Photos and thoughts
-No two sheep are the same
-Hanging fish and collisions in Hong Kong
-Real public art?
-Esperanto religion
-Snowdon Railway
-Helsinki Art Person
-Lady in a van
-Lost note

Drawings and thoughts
-Bigboot
-World people things
-Misunderstood hermit
-Dream
-Broken fence/fishing
-Edge of the world

Poems
-Roger McGough
-Doctor/patient
-Me and my father
-Gavin
-Ruth
-Dilys

Hugh hopes to share pages from his Rough Book once again in the future. We'll keep you posted!

Marieke's Top of the RoBo

I know the title sort of implies a cross between Robot Wars and Top of the Pops, which could be very exciting indeed. (In fact I may have to ring the BBC asap to pitch the idea of a singing competition for homemade robots). But this is nothing of the kind. What we have here is a list of my favourite bits from Hugh's Rough Book.

In first place we have Broken Fence/Fishing. I've only been fishing once, and sadly I didn't catch anything. I like fish, but I'm clearly not a born angler. I do have a fence in my garden, although if it was broken I doubt I could fix it. Somehow my fishing and fence failures made me feel a special connection to this post. ..

2. The Red Bird photos are a close second. I have no particular reason for liking these, I just think they are brilliant. I also think they would make excellent postcards, donthcyathink? Maybe we should ask Hugh if he'd be interested in releasing a range of greetings cards.

3. In at number three is the Misunderstood Hermit. One of my favourite poems is The Ancient Mariner. I know the Ancient Mariner is not a hermit, but for a split second, seeing this entry made me think of Coleridge's fantastic poem, and as a reward for bringing me that moment of joy, the Hermit makes it into the list.

I hope you have enjoyed Hugh Hughes' Rough Book as much as I have. Remember all of the entries are over on Hugh's website, so if you missed any, do not fear, you can hunt them down on the index page by clicking here, or go straight to that website at www.hughhughes.me.

And one last thing before I leave you for now - we are still on the hunt for a new intern. CVs and cover letters to me (marieke@hoipolloi.org.uk) by April 7th if you are keen. Do also get in touch if you have any questions about the position. But basically it is great so do apply!

It's Friday tomorrow...

Tomorrow is Friday (as I'm sure you know) and of course that means it's the end of the working week. Tomorrow's also a big day for two reasons, firstly it's the final entry in Hugh Hughes' Rough Book (for the time being at least). I've been given a sneak preview and I have to say I think it's one of my favourite entries!

If you haven't already visited the Rough Book, all the entries will appear magically by clicking here but I've also selected two other favourite entries for you to dip into. Definitely have a look at this entry from January about Hugh's trip to Hong Kong that sparked a little bit of debate. Or check this one out also this entry which is a more poetic exploration of the relationship between father and son.

The second reason for my excitement is that I'm doing another presentation about our digital activities. This time it's with students at South Bank University.

I'm cheating a little on this one and doing some recycling of the talk I gave to the AMA Digital Marketing Day last November. But there's also going to be some new material too!

Anyway, if you're a student at SBU and you've just seen the presentation (or perhaps seeing me later today if you're being good and checking out this blog ahead of time!) here's some useful materials for you to check out...







These videos might be of use too...





And finally, here's a link to an interesting debate taking place on Lyn Gardner's blog.

Wanted: Intern!

As much as it saddens me to say, my time here at Hoipolloi is coming to an end. They haven't got rid of me quite yet, but it is that time of year when we start our hunt for the next Hoipolloi intern. For anyone who is interested in the theatre, likes Cambridge (and fruit tea), and wants to be involved with a real live theatre company, the Hoipolloi internship is a great opportunity.

The post is extremely varied and can be tailored to suit the skills and interests of the individual. Some of the duties include writing the company’s blog, assisting with marketing campaigns, liaising with venues and writing press releases and copy for shows.

Previous interns have gone onto train at the Central School of Speech and Drama, L’Ecole Jacques LeCoq and the Theatre Directing MFA at Birkbeck, University of London.

The start date is flexible, but usually begins in September and lasts for about 10 months. It is an unpaid post, but as you only work in the office three days a week there is plenty of time for other employment alongside.

To apply for the position please send a CV and covering letter explaining why you are interested to marieke@hoipolloi.org.uk by Wednesday 7th April. Or if you have any questions about the internship, please feel free to get in touch.

Here, but not 'here'

So here is the crafty thing, I am not actually here. Well, yes, technically it would be impossible to be actually 'in' a blog, and my skills as a contortionist have always been somewhat lacking, thus I have yet to find a way to actually climb inside a computer screen.

The magic thing is that right now I am actually in the middle of some mountains with a pair of planks strapped to my feet, throwing myself down pistes in the freezing cold in the name of fun. Although, right right now I am in the office writing this, but when you are reading this I will be in the alps. Clever, huh?

I knew there would be mass outrage if you didn't get a blog post while I'm away on holiday, so I craftily decided to compose one in advance and techno-whizz Simon has taught me how to save the post and then set a special timer so that it will be unleashed on the world on Tuesday. Step by step I am gradually getting over my 'technological disability' as my sister has so kindly put it.

Technology is still kind of mysterious and magic to me, and it got me thinking about the great magic tricks out there. Of course one of history's most famous magicians was Harry Houdini (real name Erik Weisz, in case you were wondering) who liked to escape from locked things, chains, handcuffs etc. One of the most exciting tricks was when he would escape from a locked milk can. Amazing! Even better than this was 'The Chinese Water Torture Cell' (which already sounds terrifying to me). It involved being suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full with water. During the trick he had to hold his breath for over three minutes. Eek!

Then there's David Blaine, who likes to call himself an 'illusionist and endurance artist'. Mr Blaine has done some truly extraordinary things. He was 'buried alive' for a week in 1999. Entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a water-filled tank for seven days he supposedly ate nothing and drank only two to three tablespoons of water a day.

As if this wasn't a big enough achievement Blaine decided in the following year to freeze himself in a block of ice. The stunt was called 'Frozen in Time' and he stood encased in an enormous block of ice in Times Square, dressed only lightly and with a single tube supplying him with air and water. He stayed in the ice for an astonishing 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds before being removed with chain saws.

After this, Blaine hopped across the pond to London where he was suspended in a transparent box above the South Bank for 44 days. The stunt caused him to lose a shocking 25% of his body weight, he also had hypophospatemia when he was eventually unleashed. Now I like doing the odd card trick, but I would never go to such incredible lengths in the name of entertainment. I'm rather baffled as to why you would put yourself through such challenges, but then again there are a lot of things my brain doesn't understand.