Set up in Leeds in 2004 as a reaction against art-school inertia, Black Dogs is now an expansive regional project open to allcomers who want to celebrate the minor and the absurd in everyday life.  Self-funded and wholly independent, the group seeks to promote dialogue between artist and audience, and establish constructive relationships with local communities.

Most recently, the Dogs held Gallery Giveaway, an audience-led participatory event at The Dazed Gallery, London, and an exhibition of ongoing solo projects at 42 New Briggate Gallery, Leeds.  Consequences, in association with Axisweb, was the group’s first foray into the murky work of internet-based art.  The Black Dogs Almanacs provide an ink-and-paper record of group work.

4th September sees the publication of I can do it, a DIY manual extolling the virtues of apparently minor skills and personal pastimes, for the launch event of the Leeds Independent Music Exposition at Leeds Central Library.”

For the ICA’s “Nought to Sixty” which is apparently a leaflet as well as website.  For publication sometime in September.  Text knocked out off the top of my head but it seems to scan OK and is pretty accurate.

London visit, saw some good shows including the Chapman Brothers show that I missed in Durham (in some shitty collective space in Hackney), Emperor Hadrian show, and a load of fantastic prints at the British Museum.  Still working on the personal website, I found indexhibit a bit restrictive (e.g. can’t upload massive files) so I’m going with the much more simple method of a sidebar (as library item for easy editing) and a load of separate pages.

Although for the last month or so I have spent most of my time reading about Stalin, for some reason this book is taking ages to finish.