Another great research trip to Berlin and - new for me - Leipzig. From the crumbling remains of Anhalter station to the vast expanse of Gatow airfield there is always a sense of history in Berlin. I took a few days out to go to Leipzig to see the 91 metre tall monument to the Battle of the Nations or Volkerschlachdenkmal for those who like a spelling challenge! The monument was complete in 1913 - one hundred years after the defeat of Napoleon. Well worth the climb to the top for panoramic views of Leipzig and worth remembering that despite its re-purposing by the Third Reich, it is now a monument for peace.

Two trips to London within ten days - just too much to see and do! The first trip was to see the Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11 exhibition at the IWM before it finished and to do some specific research on war memorials. It was great to see the newly installed sculpture of Millicent Fawcett by Gillian Wearing at Parliament Square. The IWM exhibition was a mixed bag but I did appreciate the intimacy of Grayson Perry's tapestry which addressed the fate of modern veterans sympathetically. I spent a lot of time around Whitehall and Hyde Park Corner with Jagger's immense Royal Artillery memorial and the Australian War memorial which couldn't have been more different. I am still thinking about the memorial to Bomber Command. The second trip was to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Victoria Park - but images of that will have to wait for another post. I am still thinking about that too!

April was a busy month and a difficult one with so many funding cuts for the arts sector , no local government to lobby and no sign of the weather improving! In these circumstances there is only one thing to do - get away from it all if you can and seek inspiration elsewhere. It was wonderful to head back to Munich for a few days with a specific agenda - Kiki Smith at the Haus Der Kunst . Part retrospective and part new work it was a reminder of how Smith  has  influenced and inspired so many artists , myself included. The exhibition was stunning, the weather great and I am back to Belfast inspired and a little tanned!

The madness of March! The Beast from the East blew with some fury causing arctic conditions and it was tempting to stay at home but dogs still needed to be walked even if it felt like a Siberian stroll.  A welcome respite from the weather allowed for a weekend trip to Rathlin Island before the elements closed in again. There was some good news - the daffodils survived and my leaking studio roof is finally fixed! Looking forward to Spring!

It has been a freezing February! Despite the temptation to hibernate into Spring, there is too much art going on to stay indoors. This month I saw the Gilbert and George exhibition the 'Scapegoating Pictures'  at the MAC, street art in the Cathedral Quarter and yarn bombing near the art college campus. The second iteration of Concerning the Other will open at QSS Bedford Street on 1 March. All of the above made me ponder the nature of collaboration; scale versus substance; budgets available to artists and what can be done with very little money. I will not be drawn on how these thoughts apply to the above images - you decide!

What a difference a day makes! This week I was in the sunny Bay of Naples, a rainy Pompeii and back home to snowy Belfast and winter scenes. I hope this coming year continues to be full of travel, art , surprises and more sun than snow - looking forward to it!

Great to get some professional documentation of And This Too by Tony Corey. I think overall, we covered a lot of ground in this exhibition about conflict from Brendan Jamison's Drone Strike pieces to Jill Gibbon's performative interventions at International Arms Fairs. Mark Revel's darkly satirical and sexualised canon provoked strong responses as did Ciaran Magill's painterly reflections of growing up in the Troubles. Sean Campbell's deconstructed American Flag started to reconstruct itself as symbols and hieroglyphs across the walls and in the end, all of the work had relevant and distinct things to say about war.

Thanks to everyone who came to the opening of And This Too at Platform, Belfast on 2 November. Over 300 at the opening and a great turn out for the panel discussion next day. If you missed either, there are artist's talks on Saturday 11th November. Massive thanks to Arts Council Northern Ireland Lottery for supporting my work for this exhibition.

Wrapping things up in the studio and getting ready to start installing for And This Too at Platform Arts Belfast. A lot going on so it should be a busy few days. Looking forward to seeing my work in a gallery space and seeing what all the other artists are showing. The exhibition is open Tuesdays - Saturdays and is free - so get in!

Working through an inherited archive of books, documents and photographs can be overwhelming. Where do you start and when does it end? What are you trying to say  - if anything? These are issues I am engaging with just now. To bring the past into the present needs ( I feel) an intervention which adds to the narrative. Memory is passive and remembrance active - hence my pressed clay counters, made from dried poppy seed heads. A work in progress!