Les Trois Ages Du Dragon Baligan

My first full sketch for the picture was in blue biro.  

amalgamating the two left panels the first full size sketch was in charcoal

It's been a cool summer with changeable weather

The space has no electricity.  To make best use of the light my back is to the window whilst working. I arranged my larger paintings about the walls for display and gave tours when people were interested.  I find painting a picture in public with a subject understood by that public both gratifying and motivating.  If the painted picture is a tired old media object, painting the picture in public is vital.  On the street art.

 A journalist for Ouest France was covering a yacht race back in early July.  He talked to me about my project, recorded the conversation and took a couple of pictures to make the short article below.

 

I had initially envisaged beginning the picture in April so as to finish in high summer when the port is busiest.  It was mid June when I actually began the painting and port visitors were already beginning to flow past my painting space.  I had imagined a much looser painting keeping more of the improvised lines of the early sketches.  But I lost some of this play in the final painting.  A cost of public performative painting was a defendable popular, illustrative and so easy-readable and explainable style.  

Throughout the day I would explain the story of the picture to general public both familiar and not with the legend and industrial projects depicted.  One Sunday afternoon I talked to two concrete workers from the nuclear construction site for an hour about my pictures and art.  After presenting my work to a family an 8 year old girl excitedly reported to her father 'being in that gallery was like being in that man's head'.

A Global Pandemic, A Local Monster & myTHself.

Wish lads had ya gobs n'arl tellyers aboot an arful storee,

Wisht lads had ya gobs coz arl tellyers aboot tha warrr-m.

I grew up in a valley with a legend of a terrible worm that continues to feed on my imagination.  Soon after I moved to Normandy I heard tell about a dragon that had once terrorized everyone around here.

The first time I walked toward the sea from my home along the sunken, hedge lined roads and scattered granite farm houses I discovered an incongruous brick housing estate similar to those housing estates I'd grown up amongst in North East England.  Walking through that estate I came to the high granite cliffs to see the sea and the sea cooled nuclear reactors built below.

The brick housing estate had been built by a German industrialist to house the workers for the coastal iron mine he had bought and modernized in 1907.

At the beach as a child I was fascinated by all the blue lines and marks on my fathers legs.  He had been a coal miner for the first 15years of his working life and these were the tattoos the coal dust had made on his body from small injuries whilst working.

Last summer I thought of making a picture of the local monster - the dragon, the mine, the power station. I wrote this short passage to frame the picture...

In the 4C the dragon Baligan ran amok around here, the only way the local population could appease him was to feed him their fresh children every so often.  Until one day a cross wielding Irish man (Saint Germaine Le Scot [?]) came surfing up the beach on a flaming wagon wheel (as seen in the local church stained glass windows)  Deploying intense devout faith power he banish/petrified the monster beneath the high sea cliffs of Flamanville.  Hosanna! On witnessing the power of faith to smite the beast everyone turned Christian.

1500 years later fellows exploring the foot of the cliffs became interested in the stones... Iron Ore!  by 1900 a pair of German brothers had bought the concession and got serious about mining one of the highest quality iron ore deposits in Europe.  Ore was mined from beneath the sea cliffs and taken back to the fatherland eventually on the purpose built offshore cable car...  some years later, on the Western front, it's very possible that once again the children of Flamanville were horrifically reunited with the transformed mineral ore their fathers had mined, as the steel of the German army. By the 1960's the iron mine was unviable but the site attracted another buyer.  In 1987 the nuclear reactors Flamanville 1 &2  came on line.  In 2007 the construction of Flamanville 3 began.  As of 2021 it was 10 years late and 5x over budget.

I've never done a project specific to this place where I've lived for 20 years.   Over the winter I wrote to the local authorities suggesting I'd a plan to make a picture to give them if they could provid me with a pubic facing studio. I thought making this picture in public would help bond both it and me to this place and I'd noticed empty retail units with large glass fronts at the local port that could be a virus proof public picture making space.  In Spring I presented my idea to a panel of masked local mayors and port managers, and on the 6th of June I was given the keys to a large empty building on the water front in my local port.  I began to make 'Les Trois Ages Du Dragon Baligan'. 

Wish lads had ya gobs n'arl tellyers aboot an ar-ful storee,

Wisht lads had ya gobs coz arl tellyers aboot tha warrr-m.

(here's Bryan Ferry singing the lines above in the song from the valley we both come from...  this 80's movie by Ken Russel is based on the same Lambton Worm legend - mostly dubbed into Hindi )

Hedge Fun Deployment: Enter The Mythosphere

"Meet myTHself Trinity, Christopher WonkerWankerWalkerloo. Watch him enter the mythosphere in a visionary mission to set imagination free! For ten years myTHself Christopher Walkerloo and his paper soldiers have fought a real pretend war with the Mega Corp's plastic toys that litter the globe. (BattleOfWalkerloo films 1 & 2 & blog) For generations copyright controlled plastic figures have dominated the world of action toys. But one Media Mega Corp in particular has begun to dominate all the rest. It buys up the IP (Intellectual Property) of the world's most popular toy stories as the IP of it's own creator finally times out to feed it's insatiable appetite for profit and growth. It controls and manipulates the pop culture characters who inhabit our dreams. These characters are no longer the subjects of their original creator's timely vision - they are stripped of meaning and enslaved to stories with banal commercial goals inherently blind to humanities well being. Born of surreptitious vision myTHself has united three of his stories to create a new 'special hero' (even the words super hero are forbidden outside of the corporation's zombie narratives!). In this short film MYthSELF Trinity begins his mission and launches for the first time in to the mythosphere... that special human non-place that we all live within. That special human non-place where an artist's vision can match a mega corporations... Meet myTHself Trinity, Christopher WonkerWankerWalkerloo. Coming Soon : La Bataille D'Isigny..."

So goes the YouTube note.

The Big Push - Coming Soon - Motivational Object

I'm finishing my film 'La Bataille D'Isigny' - I have been for a few months.   I've not made many films, I've no boss and I'm not getting paid for any work I do. I wrestle it out.  An effort of will and appreciation.  Do I make it for money future money - time invested in objects for a future dividend?

All fantastic projection is capable of yielding reward.  But all projections don't have the same probability of success .  I speculate as a fantasy banker playing with my original projection I have chance of success and so wink the www.TheFantasyBank.com is a one to watch!

Work or play - is it hard to call? ... or too easy to ignore... Or is it now already a forgone conclusion.

Here is an email of application.  I wanted to visit London for the joint 50th birthday party of  two very good friends. To help justify the international travel costs I tried to use it as a deadline to finish my film and use the trip to present myTHself Trinity in London.  I think it helped hasten the production although targets can never ensure success.  And I would like to show the film in Isigny before anywhere else.  It's still a 'W.I.P.' - a Work In Progress or maybe Walkerloo Information & Propaganda?

Email Recipient : a particular cultural facilitator/agent for the corporation of London
Email subject : the City is a part of me... how might I be a part in it?
Image below attached :

"Hello Larry,

I'm an artist* with a special link to the city... it's a part of my fantastic anatomy.  I'm in London on Monday the 3rd of February and would like to walk/pose for pictures in my costume as the special hero myTHself Trinity in the city (link to recent YouTube short [2minute] film introduction).

I've approached Leadenhall market where I've previously (2008) held a stall selling my eccentric self portrait/toy soldier project, The Battle Of Walkerloo (pic attached), it was always very popular there, but I also wanted to enquire as to making an appearance in other public squares or locations in the city on that day.. I understand security is a major concern and didn't want to cause a false security alarm. 


On the evening of the 3rd I'll be premiering my new No-Budget movie 'La bataille D'Isigny - Allumage des Bittes' ... it's the third in a trilogy of short films... (Youtube links)


the first : Toy Soldiers at War part 1 : Walkerloo On The Normandy Beaches 


the second :  Toy Soldiers at War part 2 : They started It

For Leadenhall I've suggested I be present on a 2.5m square green rug with a defensive line of my paper soldiers marking a safe space I can stay within and from where I can pose for pictures or respond to questions... I first appeared as the character at Paris Comic Con (links to my blog) but his origins are in London over 25 yrs ago...  London is a big part of him.


Any suggestions or help would be massively appreciated,

Yours Sincerely,


Chris Walker

www.walkerloo.com
Battle of Walkerloo Blog
Review Walkerloo on Google "

At the time of this post, I've made no further contact and received no reply.  But I would still love to present as myTHself Trinity over a Lunch time in Leadenhall... ...perhaps in the summer!

When you write you can have no guarantee that you will be read - or should be... never mind being answered.

Coming soon - a fantastic projection - a motivational object.

*I use the word artist as bastard shorthand for 'picture maker'.

Wings (1)

I've only seen angels, fairies or demons fly in films or seeming to fly in pictures.

To attain flight wings must be capable of creating lift.  For the last few months I've been making a pair of wings to assist with a flight through culture.  For more than 20 yrs I've pictured myTHself Christopher Wanker with the map of the UK behind attached to him via his cock London's Cock.

This picture made in 1998 shows me trying to become myTHself Christopher Wanker.  I've cut around some of the figures so a map could be inserted or the figure folded out into another dimension from the picture plane.   I made a 3D clay phallus with London's cock as cross section to help me integrate and act out in the picture making.

20 years later in computer sketches preparing for "La Bataille D'Isigny" I began to depict CW with his cock London's cock and a pair of map wings made adding a second mirror image UK map digitally extracted from google.  In composition with the EasterLegs and Walkerloo paper soldiers Christopher Wanker begins to become Christopher WonkerWankerWalkerloo, myTHself Trinity.

The real wings are made from 4 deconstructed 'AA Handy Glove Box Road Atlas's' (and their copyright spell) and painted fleshy mirror Britain maps applied to wood composite panels.   I hope a good flap will aid their flight after take off... scratch the face of Disney.

myTHself Trinity goes to Paris

In October 2018 I made a small exhibition of myTHself in Normandy and announced I was to invest more of myTHself into the real pretend war my paper soldiers had been involved in for 10 years.  A video blah blah was made introducing myTHself's new strategic direction.

https://youtu.be/fxLw6x660xc (15mins)

Last Saturday afternoon at about 2pm, I myTHself Christopher Walker transformed into the real pretend warrior fairy angel - 'Trinity myTHself, Christopher WonkerWankerWalkerloo' and began to prowl around La Grande Halle de La Parc de la Villette, venue for the pop culture festival Comic Con Paris.  Two weeks earlier I'd performed this transformation for the first time in public whilst making the film  'La Bataille D'Isigny :  L'Allumage des Bites'  (coming soon...)

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***Bankers make money - I myTHself make pictures.  Many banks choose to buy famous pictures with their money.  Christopher Wanker is the Fantasy Banker - His cock is London's cock!  It's a fantastic promotional tool specially developed for mass cultural insertion or  'fame/infamy'.  You could make money with Christopher Wanker's pictures if you buy NOW while they're cheap and sell when they're not! YOUR INTEREST IS MY INTEREST!***

With the help of my wife I walked and talked amongst the humanity of comic con Paris.  'In my suit I feel a part of my country' I announced 'I am Christopher Wanker the Fantasy Banker and My Cock is London's cock!'... 'I declare real pretend war on all those that are part of Disney'...   As Trinity myTHself Christopher WonkerWankerWalkerloo I wear a smart serious pinstripe suit and tie although with the pants pulled down around my ankles.  Attached to my back are map of Britain wings stretching 3 metres high and 2 metres wide.   I wield a Walkerloo sword made from my Walkerloo paper soldiers and defend or deflect glances and blows with my EasterLegs shield.  I did much real pretend Battle action with cosplayers dressed in disney IP (intellectual property) controlled costumes.  And I gave out many unnumbered Fantasy Bank business cards.

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***Have you ever watched one of those TV antique shows?  Discovered pictures always out value other old stuff - even jewelry!  If only your ancestor had known an artist and bought their work when the price was low enough for anyone to buy their pictures,,, OH! and great art is often cheap because the best artists always spend time being poor - it helps clarify their vision.  YOUR INTEREST IS MY INTEREST.  BUY a Fantasy Bank Commodity... while you can!***

Even in a festival of carnivalesque costumes myTHself Trinity stood out from the crowd.  Although immediately shocking due to my inferred below waste nudity I was in fact donning a full costume and was prepared and did discuss issues other comic con visitors had concerning my 'originale' appearance.  No one was upset or hurt although I did have a minor incident with a Captain America pro cosplayer.  Funny getting moral concern from a man in a skin tight leather fetish suit messing about with a bunch of others in skin tight leather fetish suits - Wonder Woman looked special... QUICK... where's me bloomin shield!?!

On Sunday for cultural contrast we visited the Musee Quai Branly Jacques Chirac.  This super museum displays numerous and fascinating collections of cultural objects from all over the world.  It was dis-alienating and encouraging to see the quantity and variety of artist and artisan made objects on display from cultures around the world that considered a phallus a necessary and overt part of meaningful expression.

I'm going to make a Symbolic Christopher Wanker TopHat that I can wear in my CW downboy time walking about crowded exhibition halls...  my pants up, my wings down but my hat on.  I see why Picasso dug this museum.  It's filled with inspirational objects.   Thanks to Anais, Fabrice, Noami & Adelle for putting us up so well xx.

Oh, and I myTHself made a new website... www.TheFantasyBank.com .

Serendipity & myTHself. making it up or drawing it out?

edgy fictorial in your head piles that make me pictures, the culmination of things witnessed, seen and re-seen in time and place worked, rubbed and eventually shined to brilliance to shed light... reveal a message? 

shhhhhh!

look,,, listen... do you see what it is saying? ... can you?  can anyone?

who has the right to share their thoughts?  who can they share them with?

MUST MUST MUST HARDLY EVER A WORD TO TRUST.

If serendipity is to be used seriously in... art ...in pictures it must have a legitimate meaningful role in the formation of the object, I don't want to just use chaos as a medium for contrast with an imagined image of order... it must form a compelling part of the message... ... it must bear witness to the poetic vision.  hmmmm, tricky ascribing meaning to the path that lies behind our signifying significant facade.  A seemingly random or serendipitous flow of reality interpreted through animal vision, reformed through a self into a thought object and pushed back out into a form to be outside and so thought about.

Stories wielding chance formed by poetic or aesthetic conviction could be said to channel the power of chaos in the construction of reality.   I saw it in the tea leaves... I saw it in the clouds... I saw it with my own eyes...

But the only true word is now.

This paint was put on an office wall over a bank holiday weekend when the office was empty... it was a weekend of highs and lows... the ladder helped.  I think the business owner was very happy with the result.  Although she never did pay me - she's very successful in business!  I think abstract art lends itself to business with great success and very little criticism.  The limey green is in the corporate logo. Action type abstracts seem express the capture of 'now'... hmmmmm. now made then.