The Mirror Bear

2010-02-25T05:02:00.001-08:00

T H E . M I R R O R . B E A R . H I T S . C A N A R Y . W H A R F

Last Saturday the Bear said his goodbyes to Electric Blue Gallery and headed over to 10 Cabot Square
in Canary Wharf. He is now staying in the lobby of Ogilvy's London Headquarters for the next 6 months
with one of the worlds leading Ad Agencies.
I'm really pleased with his new environment. He's got lots of space and can be viewed from a further
distance, which is always how I had intended for him to be viewed.
Not only that, he has is own security guard called Paul. Please go and visit them both if you get the
chance as this is the final occasion which I will be exhibiting him as I am hoping to sell him in order
to move onto more mirrored animal projects for the future.

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2010-02-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

2010-02-25T04:44:00.000-08:00

2010-02-25T04:35:00.002-08:00

2010-02-25T04:35:00.001-08:00

Switch Blogs

2010-02-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

This Blog is not updated anymore.

If you would like to view My latest work, projects and interests please go to:
WWW.FINGERSCROSSED1.BLOGSPOT.COM
to keep up to date with everything.
or visit arrangregory.com to visit my portfolio.
Thanks, Arran

& NIKE / i PHONE APPLICATIONS

2009-09-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the terrible phone photographs. I'll update with some professional shots as soon as i get some.

Tomorrow NIKE will be heading down to the exhibition with a film production company who are creating a new
i-Phone application which covers the 'Coolest places to go in East London'. So soon you'll be able to check out
video of the show if you don't get to make it down personally. (and if you have an i phone)

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& TEENAGE KICKS

2009-09-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Exhibition is called 'TEENAGE KICKS'

Here's the write up:

Electric Blue Gallery presents “Teenage Kicks”, beginning a series of shows of London’s most exciting emerging
new talent alongside animations by Dazed & Confused’s revered Pierre Debusschere for fashions man of the
moment Romain Kremer. Electric Blue Gallery presents T.S.Abe and Arran Gregory.

Arran Gregory : Bear

Arran Gregory is another of London’s exciting new artists breaking into the scene, his visions of the animal
kingdom in life size glitter ball mirror are really something to be seen to be believed. His visions are brave,
quirky and exciting. The shear size of the pieces are a master to behold, months of painstaking research
and sculpture go into each piece. At only 21, and with already three exhibitions, he is working on projects
with the BBC, Pharell Williams and Nike Town.

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2009-09-29T09:42:00.002-07:00

2009-09-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

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2009-09-29T09:36:00.001-07:00

The Bear is currently living in Electric Blue Gallery in East London just opposite Liverpool St Station.
The opening party was last Thursday and was supported by Dazed and Confused. Again, much fun
was had and the Bear received plenty of love from all in attendance. Thanks to everyone who came.

Bear is going to be at Electric Blue for at least another six weeks so if you manage to find the time
then now is a great opportunity to visit him.

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2009-09-29T09:35:00.001-07:00

E L E C T R I C B L U E G A L L E R Y . C O M

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2009-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

2009-09-29T09:24:00.002-07:00

2009-09-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

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2009-09-29T09:12:00.002-07:00

2009-09-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

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2009-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

2009-09-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of recent updates.

DIY LONDON SEEN was a real success. Thankyou to Bakul Patki and Lee Johnson for organising everything, and to all the other Artists involved. The exhibition received tonnes of press and was covered by the NY Times, the Guardian, BBC News, The London Paper, Evening Standard and the bear was blogged by Culture24, Amelia's Magazine along with a few others. Amazing.

Enjoy the images above from the Private view- taken on my new Carboot Sale Jackpot Nikon Camera .

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2009-08-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

2009-08-18T17:38:00.002-07:00

2009-08-18T17:38:00.001-07:00

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So, above is a picture of the venue for my next exhibition. Here I am checking it out
with Max and Jensen to see whether the Mirror Bear will fit through the door. I think it's
going to be a tight squeeze. Anyway, the show is names 'DIY London Seen' and consists
of a selection of 20 artists from a similar skateboarding, street culture background.
I'm really excited about this one and honored to be involved.

The Exhibition runs from August 17th until September 5th.

Unit 11,
Covent Garden,
The Market,
London
WC2 8RF

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2009-08-18T17:37:00.002-07:00

An Exhibition inspired by the Artists featured in ‘BEAUTIFUL LOSERS’

DIY LONDON SEEN - An exhibition documenting the work of, and inspired by,
the Artists featured in Aaron Rose's 'Beautiful Losers' will take place in the heart
of London’s Covent Garden this summer; an area committed to supporting emerging
new talent. The exhibition will coincide with the film's UK release at the Institute
of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and its subsequent DVD release.

DIY LONDON SEEN will include work by Ivory Serra and Cheryl Dunn, who photographed
the origins and rise of the Alleged Gallery and its Artists in the US, alongside a group of
emerging Artists living and working in London, who are currently creating work with a
similar freedom of spirit. Harmony Korine, Ed Templeton, Mark Gonzales, Barry McGee,
Shepard Fairey, Jo Jackson, Thomas Campbell, Deanna Templeton, Stephen Powers, Chris
Johanson, Mike Mills and the late Margaret Kilgallen were part of a seminal artistic
movement in 1990’s American suburbia, creating their own artistic subculture and a
unique form of ‘outsider’ art that laid a foundation for many young artists working all
over the world today. Their doodles and artistic experiments began on the streets of
their individual hometowns as a sideline to the skate and drug culture that was part of
their teenage years, often in the form of graffiti, signs or tags on trains. Having been
brought together by Aaron Rose in his now legendary ‘Alleged Gallery’ in New York,
their powerful artworks were soon making their mark not only in the US but across the
globe; becoming an inspiration for a new generation of Artists working all over the world today.

Curated by Bakul Patki and Lee Johnson of ‘Watch This Space’, the show ‘DIY London Seen’
brings together twenty young Artists, whose work encapsulates a similar naivety, freedom
and energy to that of the original ‘Beautiful Losers’, and a shared willing to create art for
art’s sake. Whether they be painters, photographers, illustrators, sculptors or filmmakers,
the Artists have in common an inbuilt passion to produce work that is neither defined by
the art market, nor any factor other than the desire to express their innate creativity;
reflecting the society they inhabit and the emotions they experience, through their preferred
artistic medium.

2009-08-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

2009-07-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

2009-07-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

& SHOWTIME

2009-06-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

A selection of images from the show/ setting up/ private view.
The 4'x4' Plinth is made from MDF and has holes positioned
directly under the feet to enable the base plates (underneath
the plinth) to come through and insert into his legs for stability.

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2009-06-29T04:11:00.000-07:00

2009-06-29T04:04:00.000-07:00

2009-06-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

2009-06-29T03:04:00.000-07:00

2009-06-29T03:03:00.001-07:00

2009-06-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

&

2009-06-18T04:43:00.002-07:00

The Mirrorball Bear is a project extension from a two dimensional concept into a three dimensional conclusion.
The concept itself has evolved from an illustrative background, remaining true to this nature- yet the solution
is realised in 3D form. The mirrorball Bear is a sculptured illustration representing the beauty of nature.

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2009-06-18T04:43:00.001-07:00

& THE ARRIVAL

2009-06-16T19:45:00.001-07:00

Pictured below is the custom-made Horse box / Bear trailor
I had made in order to bring him to Chelsea.
There are holes aligned specifically to the bar going through
his body which stick out of the front and rear of the box.
These act as supports for the bear.

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2009-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

& SURGERY

2009-06-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Below are a few images to show the procedure undertaken
in order to stabilize him. 70cm poles were drilled into his
legs and remain inside his body. The bear can then be mounted
onto the individual base plates which are to be drilled to the
ground/ plinth.

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2009-06-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

2009-06-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

& THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

2009-06-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tiling the odd shaped squares took me another whole week.
This involved measuring, clamping and hacksawing literally
hundreds of custom shaped mirror tiles. 9am til 10pm each day.

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2009-06-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:55:00.001-07:00

images shot with Nikon D200 using f 1.4 fixed lens.

2009-06-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T05:10:00.001-07:00

2009-06-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

& MAGAZINE COVERAGE

2009-06-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Lou also took a few studio shots to capture me in the workshop environment.
I wanted a collection of images like these to use for future magazine documentation
as I am intending to show this project to I:D, Dazed and Confused magazine etc
I will speak to my friend Andrew who is a writer for I:D.

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& SUNDAY/ PHOTOSHOOT OUTSIDE

2009-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time the bear has seen the light of day!
Myself and John managed to lift him out of the workshop using the steel pole.
I had Lou Sizer helping with the shoot. Everything went smoothly, although
he is awkward to hold as the hole is positioned slightly too high.

The bears introduction to a new environment was a really surprising experience.
Obviously because he is covered in mirrored surfaces, he adapts to the colours of
the environment he is in. This Chameleon-like shell is really amazing in itself.

I'm estimating the overall weight of him to be around 80-90kg. Most of this weight
is a result of all the tile adhesive and artex as his polystyrene body only weighs 24kg.

I am currently searching for the right forest to shoot him in at night for the next shoot.

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& THE RIGHT FOREST

2009-06-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Below shows the Grizzly bear in its natural habitat. A Pine forest would be the ideal
location to the shoot. Somewhere with a large clearing. I Also plan to investigate
shooting at night in a forest.

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2009-06-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

& LOCATION HUNT

2009-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

During the week I drove to virtually every woodland/ forest I could think of
in search for a location for the photoshoot. Below are some pictures of the
woodland outside the backdoor of where I am currently working.

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2009-06-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm using lots of Tile adhesive and keep having to buy more.
Each tub weighs 2 stone and it is seriously adding to the weight
of the sculpture.

This worries me slightly
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2009-06-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

&

2009-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have begun tiling more complicated/ detailed areas such as the head and chest now.
In order to cover these difficult areas I have had to build up a lot of tile adhesive and
tilt the squares like diamonds. The diamond shape seems to fit the angles better and,
thinking about it, the diamond features much more commonly in nature.
i.e the snake's skin, fish scales etc. The angles of a diamond suites movement.

I have ordered 100x 25x25mm mirror squares which will be used to tile his tail and
nose. I wanted to have a few subtle details such as this which the viewer would not
initially spot.

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2009-06-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

& TRANSPORT

2009-06-01T12:33:00.001-07:00

Having discussed various different methods of lifting the bear we (me and Pete from the Studio)
decided to drill a hole through his body and insert a hollow pole. This would support an additional
steel bar which could be inserted and used as handlebars to lift.

Drilling the hole was pretty frightening although it all went smoothly in the end.

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& THURSDAY

2009-06-01T12:21:00.001-07:00

& WEDNESDAY

2009-06-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

& TUESDAY

2009-06-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Below on the left you can tell by my expression how I felt after one and a half days of solid work.
I had underestimated tiling a 3D object. Let alone a 7ft tall one.

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2009-06-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

& GO BACK A SQUARE

2009-06-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

The next day all those tiles crumbled off as soon as i tested them.
I went back to Jewsons, Brewers, Homebase, The Build Centre
(and all the other trade supliers), in search of a new glue- this time settling
for Wall and tile Adhesive (more of a cement).
This appeared to work much more successfully although still allowed the tiles
to come off when pulled.

So from here I was advised by an old man in Homebase to paint the sculpture
in PVA to seal the Artex and give the glue and better grip. (the artex was drying
the glue out)

.. So having tried this, I began to begin tiling once again on Monday (two days late)
My knowledge of glues and the technicalities of adhesives is pretty good now though.

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2009-06-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

& TILING COMMENCES

2009-06-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

As soon as the tiles were back to the studio work began. After plenty of advice seeking,
I had decided that 'Gripfill' would be the most suitable way of sticking the tiles.
The glue to be used had to be solvent free to avoid burning the mirror foil, also it had to
be relatively thick and mastic. After buying 4 tubes of gripfill I spent the rest of the day
tiling his feet.

see gripfill above

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& A WEEK TO GO...

2009-06-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Over the week just passed plenty has happened as expected. There have been tremendous ups
and downs, however things are pulling together and the end is in sight.
The next few posts will guide you through the most intense week so far..

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2009-05-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

2009-05-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

So I worked out that 2 sheets of 8x4 cut into 50mm squares totals 2305 Mirror blocks.
That sounds like an awful lot and I'm praying it is too much rather than too little.

Anyway... Trevor won the award for coolest guy of the Month when we found out he used
to skateboard in the 70's and even went on tour with Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade!
After everything had been cut, I left with a smile on my face, a box weighing 21kg
(instead of 64 for the glass mirror), and an empty wallet. A good day indeed.

2009-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

& FRIDAY

2009-05-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Right, so today I headed on down to the Inplas workshop to collect my Mirror
tiles. Jon and Craig came along for the ride to help me round everything up.
Upon arrival, we were instantly greeted by Trev and shown the Perspex being
cut live by the MultiCam 2000 CNC Laser System!

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2009-05-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

Below are some pictures of the machine. I will be driving over to Uxbridge
to collect the cut mirror on Friday Afternoon.

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2009-05-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

2009-05-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

2009-05-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Inplas Fabrications are a dynamic tem of experts who have been involved in a large variety
of interesting projects for companies such as Nike, Channel 5, UniQlo, Virgin, The Design Museum
and more. The Laser Cutter being used to cut my plastic (as above) has one of the most powerful
lasers in the country and is capable of slicing your hands clean off!

& MIRROR AGAIN

2009-05-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Over the past week I have been making various phone calls to different
fabrication companies in search of the best deal for my Perspex Mirror.
After a shocking £465.00 quote, my phone calls led me to 'Inplas Fabrications Ltd'
where Trevor agreed to cut me 2 sheets of 8'x4' Mirrored Acrylic into
50x50mm square tiles using their state of the art CNC Laser cutting machine.
- for a more realistic price.

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2009-05-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

2009-05-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

& WEDNESDAY

2009-05-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

* Painted the sculpture in Artex from head to toe to create a tough outer
shell to stick the mirror tiles onto. This was a seriously tiring job!

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& TUESDAY

2009-05-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

* Using a wire brush I groomed the polystyrene to make sure the
surface was all even and smooth. The wire brush was also very useful
for creating fur and muscular definition.

* Ran around every DIY/Trade shop in town in search for smooth Artex
and ended up having to buy a huge 25kg bag from homebase.

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& MONDAY

2009-05-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

* My Birthday!
* Finished up the sculpture
* cut a tail for the bear and began rounding off the body
* assessed the overall sculpture against my original designs/ sketches and bear imagery

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2009-05-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

It's been an extremely busy week, sorry for the lack of posts.
Above is an update of the past weeks happenings... beginning from Monday 19th May.

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2009-05-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

2009-05-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have extended his nose slightly as it was too stubby. This brings his nose height higher
than the rest of his head which creates the illusion his head is tilted at more of an angle.

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& NOSE JOB

2009-05-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

2009-05-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

& ACCIDENTS

2009-05-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

10.43 am. His left arm has snapped off.

I'm switching from Cove Adhesive to Gripfill Adhesive + 3 rods to super reinforce it.

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& MIRROR TILES

2009-05-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

I worked out that 1,500 50x50mm glass tiles would weigh an unhealthy 50kg.
Therefore, Pete at Splash has suggested I use perspex mirror instead of glass.
Perspex mirror is significantly lighter compared to glass. In terms of health
and safety- perspex mirror is far less likely to shatter/ kill anyone should the
bear decide to attack people at the show... (more on stability soon)
On Monday I will call the company to get a quote/ enquire about getting
thousands of squares cut. (it normally comes in one big sheet)
I have checked out a sheet and it appears to be identical to glass mirror in
terms of reflectivity and glamour.

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2009-05-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

& SCALE INDICATION

2009-05-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

here is an image of my friend Jon boy looking
up at the bear...

and the other image is how the bear sees Jon boy.

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